Susanne

Yes, those can be very misleading - looks the same, tastes the same - not the same calories. Same goes for me and weighing things vs. dry measuring. I had one Protein powder where the scoop was about 20% more than advertised. The worst for me was PB2, it says 2 tablespoons and the weight in gram behind it. Unfortunately, once I compared weight to volume, I noticed it was off by 50%, ie. 1 measured tablespoon (and NOT heaping) was equal to the weight on the container. I had been scooping out 2 tablespoons and basically served myself double portions. That was pre-WLS, so calories counted more than now. If in doubt, weigh it out!

Put yourself in her position, would you want to be told or not? If you weren't told, how would you feel toward that person? I think that's the best way to base your decision on. If she would be upset, disappointed, or lose trust in you for not telling, make sure it is worth it :-( I had a very close friend who was dating a guy (who was otherwise involved) and she didn't tell me. She was worried I wouldn't approve - and guess what, I wouldn't. But I would have gotten over it. What I didn't get over was the fact that she kept this a secret from me.

Here is what I wrote in a different (but similar) topic: It's pretty much impossible to actually lose 21 pounds (not sure how much was pre surgery, but you get my point) of weight in 14 days - do the math, it is 1.5 pounds a day. 1 pound of fat is the equivalent of 3,500 calories, so in order to lose 1 pound of fat, you have to eat 3,500 calories than you need. I only need about 1,600 calories (at my current activity level) or so to sustain so even if I eat nothing, I would only lose 1 pound every two days - so if I lose more than that, I know it's muscle and dehydration. My take on it is this: I believe post surgery, I dropped a lot because I was dehydrated and I also believe my body was in some kind of shock. Now at this point, my body catches up with hydration and comes out of the daze and while I am now actually losing body mass, the fact I am getting proper hydration and just getting healthy again somewhat balances that out on the scale. Just imagine your 21 pounds - the volume of 6 gallons of milk, it's not really possible so there is no reason to worry. You body is rearranging and rethinking. Other than that, if you are really worried about your intake, start logging you calories. Hope that helps! Susanne

I like the GNC Wheybolic Extreme chocolate. 60g of Protein for 280 calories (93 calories for 20g of protein). It tastes really great. As for raw eggs in a post surgery shake - I am not supposed to have any eggs 6 weeks post surgery so that would be a big fat "No" from my surgeon's office on the Protein Shake enriched with 2 raw eggs. As for "value", 28g of protein for 250 calories is not really a good meal post WLS. IMHO, it doesn't have enough protein, too many calories and very high cholesterol.

I love their Wheybolic Extreme in chocolate flavor: http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3509954 No risk buying, open it and have a sample, if you don't like it, you can return it. My I ask where you got the coupon from? I could really use a 35% off coupon for GNC :-)

I am not sure why you exclude Protein shakes - I know a lot of people hate them but you just have to look until you find something you like. I like GNC, and while they are more expensive, they are usually in some mall and the best thing is, that they let you return the product. I have tried it several times, I buy Protein powder, and try it. If I don't like it, I return it. I never have more than one serving, no need to abuse their awesome policy. I have found that I really like the GNC Wheybolic Extreme chocolate and I think it is as close as possible to chocolate milk. It has no after taste IMHO and it packs a lot of great protein (isolates, no concentrate). It also mixes very well so it is good to use without an electric blender. Anyway, my nutritionist says a lot of sleeves continue to rely on protein supplements for ease of mind and I see this. I have a chocolate shake in the morning - 30g of protein and 140 calories, and it usually isn't too hard to get 30g in naturally. You can go all out and get the whole serving for 60g of protein and 280 calories and then never have to think about protein the whole day but often I don't want to sacrifice 280 calories on just a shake. It's not cheap, make sure you get a coupon or wait for the same (usually beginning of the month) Other than this obvious, here are some other things I like: Hummus with yogurt (greek/regular plain) - this makes for a nice hearty protein snack, add a little olive oil, curry powder or hot sauce on top for an extra kick but not necessary Fage 2% yogurt - make sure to use the 2%, because the calories are about the same (maybe 10 cals more when comparing by weight) but it tastes a LOT better than the 0% versions of Fage, Oikos, Dannon and the like. If you can spare the calories and carbs, add a little maple syrup or agave nectar I am still on full liquid, so I have to wait for tuna, chicken and eggs :-(

Maybe if I find another thread that is based on the most questionable "conspiracy-type" sources and selling it disguised as "scientific facts" to people who are not sure about what to eat and what to do and who come here because they hope to find valid information. It is nothing but a panic creating, danger-screaming, warning, "that's why you're fat" type thing and I find this does the community the worst disservice. Most "MSG symptoms" are some hypochondriac reaction that has nothing to do with monosodium glutamate. I watched a food Detectives episode and while this was surly no scientific thing either, they feed half a room MSG food and the other half non-MSG food and asked people afterwards. It was hilarious how people who THOUGHT they ate MSG all of a sudden had migraines, breating problems etc. And funny how foolish they looked once they learned there was no added MSG in their food. As for this post, is it too much to ask a person to do some checking before they START a topic like "MSG - An Obesity Causing Chemical". I don't think so. MSG is as much a chemical as salt or Water or the air we breathe. More about the proclaimed health risks here: http://en.wikipedia...._health_effects

Oh, that's why there are so many fat Chinese people, they use TONS of MSG. Sorry, but I think this is bull. There is no REAL scientific evidence that MSG causes migraines or anything like that. Glutamates are natural ingredients in food, they are naturally in mushrooms, meats and anything considered "umami". They enhance flavor and yeah, if something tastes good, it makes you want to eat more. Maybe we should all eat things that taste like crap - that would probably be a safe way to stop people from overeating - but don't blame obesity on MSG because there is no scientific evidence of that. You post a link to rense.com - the article says "AUTHOR UNKNOWN" - yeah, that is a great, trustworthy source of information. Please go and check out http://www.rense.com and see for yourself if this is a web site that you want to rely on for information. Other things featured on this site are UFOs, ghosts, "Indoor air: America's Silent Killer" - What a joke! Rarely ever have I seen a LESS legit site than that! Your list of "Additives that always contain MSG" is a joke, because those things don't CONTAIN MSG, but contain Glutamates or Glutamic Acid. It's not like anyone puts MSG in yeast extract or "Plant Protein Extract". See also: Yes. MSG is the sodium salt of glutamic acid. Glutamic acid is an amino acid, one of the building blocks of protein. It is found in virtually all food and, in abundance, in food that is high in protein, including meat, poultry, cheeses, and fish. Hydrolyzed Proteins, used by the food industry to enhance flavor, are simply proteins that have been chemically broken apart into amino acids. The chemical breakdown of proteins may result in the formation of free glutamate that joins with free sodium to form MSG. In this case, the presence of MSG does not need to be disclosed on labeling. Labeling is required when MSG is added as a direct ingredient. (from a legitimate USDA source: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/help/faqs_flavorings/index.asp#5) Because human studies failed to confirm an involvement of MSG in "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome" or other idiosyncratic intolerance, the JECFA allocated an "acceptable daily intake (ADI) not specified" to glutamic acid and its salts. No additional risk to infants was indicated. (School of Biological Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 5XH, Surrey, UK: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10736380) MSG per se is fine. It is a salt though and as such has the same indications as salt - don't eat too much of it - but not because it is MSG but because it is SALT.

I really prefer the Fage 2%. Even though it has 2% fat, it has basically the same amount of calories (more calories per cup but also more grams). It is creamier and not as tart and has 17g of Protein for 130 calories. If you think the 0% Chobani is too tart and dry, try the Fage. And if you don't like it at all, mix it with a little bit of milk to make is creamier.

Don't worry, you'll catch up on your sleep over the next few days. My husband said after the surgery, I slept and when I woke up, I said "I am soooooooo tired" and fell right back asleep. He said it was almost comical because I repeated this for a couple of hours :-)

You are brave - I am way too scared to eat anything like a sandwich. But like you, I am at a stall too, with similar stats and I think I have read at least 2 or 4 other posts about this. It's pretty much impossible to actually lose 21 pounds of weight in 14 days - do the math, it is 1.5 pounds a day. 1 pound of fat is the equivalent of 3,500 calories, so in order to lose 1 pound of fat, you have to eat 3,500 calories than you need. I only need about 1,600 calories (at my current activity level) or so to sustain so even if I eat nothing, I would only lose 1 pound every two days - so if I lose more than that, I know it's muscle and dehydration. My take on it is this: I believe post surgery, I dropped a lot because I was dehydrated and I also believe my body was in some kind of shock. Now at this point, my body catches up with hydration and comes out of the daze and while I am now actually losing body mass, the fact I am getting proper hydration and just getting healthy again somewhat balances that out on the scale. Just imagine your 21 pounds - the volume of 6 gallons of milk, it's not really possible so there is no reason to worry. You body is rearranging and rethinking. Other than that, if you are really worried about your intake, start logging you calories.

I believe the Daily Plate is really inaccurate for calories calculated for exercise. There is a huge discrepancy, duplicate entries etc.

November is half through, good luck to the other half of November sleeves!

I am out of the hospital since Thursday, and they had removed the IV that noon. I have showered 4 times since then and washed my arms and hands numerous times, but I still have residue from the adhesive on my arm. What the heck is the stuff? I want it gone! So, I could take some nail polishe remover or so, but what freaks me out more is that this is the same stuff that I have on my belly. My instructions say to wait until the tape over the incisions falls off and that should take 7 to 10 days. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like it is coming off any time soon and it starts to itch and be reddish and irritated. Now, even if it comes off, what if it is as persistent as the stuff on my arm - I wouldn't want to use nail polish remover over my incisions. I have no allergies but I am getting a little freaked out by the adhesive from hell! Is it just me? Susanne

I am feeling so great, but I seem to hit the ceiling every time I want to do something - even just going to the store - because I am getting tired. I feel it is because of the low amount of calories I get. My post-op diet is all Protein supplements which include 70 calories (fruit drink), 80 calories (beef broth, tomato bouillon), 80 calories (Cappuccino, hot cocoa, mocha), 100 calories (berry protein shake). So I get 4 a day from this selection, which usually leaves me at 330 calories. I then have a bottle of coconut Water (60 calories) and regular water (0 of course) so I generally stay in the 400 calorie range with 60g of protein. This is crazy and it also goes against anything I have ever heard about diets. I know they are trying to be really pushing the post-op weight loss but this seems insane. Over the last years, I kept hearing that too low a calorie goal is causing starvation mode and shutting down my metabolism and what not. When I called my NUT and asked about the coconut water she said I'd better take a supplement to avoid calories. Really? 60 calories for a bottle of coconut water seemed like an issue? Does anyone have an idea about this? It is not that I am particularly hungry - even though the food starts to bore me to death - but I am starting to worry that this small amount of calories actually hampers by success? Susanne

OK, I just got an email back from my NUT and she sent me the plan for week 2 to 4: http://www.bananatummy.com/2010/11/food-for-week-2-4/ I am so excited - and no calorie limit (not that I'll won't be careful)

I think the OP means the Wheybolic, which has 60g, but I am confused about the post in general. It starts about "low calories" and then lists Protein and not the calories. Are you ruminating about calories or protein? And for me, the Wheybolic chocolate tastes nice I think, but in all honesty, the powder alone has 280 calories. Together with 12 oz. of skim milk, that's over 400 calories - and that twice a day makes over 800 calories just in a couple of shakes. I am not sure I'd want to use the majority of my calories in a couple of shakes? That seems like A LOT! I mean, don't mind me if it works for you, I don't know at what stage you are but I just want to throw out the word of caution...

Clarification on "Full Liquid" - I just googled this and found this link: http://www.livestrong.com/article/213702-bariatric-full-liquid-diet/ Does that agree with what everyone considers a full liquid diet? Again, my surgery was on 11/2 and I am still on more or less clear liquid diet

Thanks a lot for the spirited discussion - this seems to be an issue for many. First, a little misunderstanding - they didn't tell me to follow a < 400 cal diet. It just comes out like that with the supplements I picked. I am not sure, maybe there were some with more calories and I just happened to pick the lo cal options (and seriously, that would be the first time, LOL) My real goals are 64 oz. of water/beverages and 60 g of Protein - and I don't have a problem with either goal. These supplements are the ones I have to use in the first two weeks after surgery for the healing period. And the healing aspect is the only reason why I am not straying away right now. I once had a wisedom tooth poking through my gums leaving a very small hole which happened to catch a little bit of food and leaving me with a bad infection. I envision a similar scenario for my stomach staple line if I eat anything but my shakes and broths. I played phone tag with my NUT today which was really annoying and I sent her an email now asking for advise. I am not sure what she'll say, I wasn't very happy with the last few times where she advised me to use a potassium supplement instead of drinking natural coconut Water becasue of the calories (Zico coconut water has 60 calories for a bottle). I thought that was absolutely ridiculous. My follow up appointment is on 11/18 and my 2 weeks post-op are over on the 15th but I am at a point right now where I am looking at the damn supplements and rather eat nothing than that stuff because I just can't stand it anymore. From what I understand, other people start full liquids already during the second week - is my surgeon overly cautious? I had bought a few Soups before surgery, these http://www.pacificfoods.com/our-foods/carton-soups (Chipotle Sweet Potato, Roasted Garlic Mushroom Lentil, Poblano Pepper with Corn) I was wondering if I could blend and eat them? How about some yogurt? I could mix some Greek yogurt with herbs and spices as a heart option? How about mashed potatoes - thinned with more milk than normal maybe? I am just a few days away from "full liquids" I need some hearty flavor or I'll go absolutely crazy!!!

I had set my goal at 160 pounds for 5'5" - and even that seemed so small to me. I cannot really compute my self-image as a normal size person. Then I realized that 160 pounds is still over weight!!! So, just for good measure, I set my goal weight as the highest "normal" weight for my size, which is 145 pounds and that's what I am going with. It still looks like a pipe dream, but who knows - this is a major step, so I felt the rather drastic goal may be the way to go!

3? I see 6 :-) Maybe you can send a quick note to an admin or so?

LowCHO, I am so sorry to hear that. I am the same day and I am feeling pretty good. We seem to have the same stats and I am wondering, why did you have a drain? Good to be a loser, ey

Please just call your nurse/surgeon or anyone who knows. You are only 4 days post op and it sounds very dangerous to try and eat anything. I am 3 days further along but I wouldn't dare to eat anything else. You are throwing food into a "bag" that has just been patched with a few staples - envision it -- how much do you want to trust this right now?