calicojack42

If you hate the taste of standard whey isolates, you might want to consider calcium caseinate (a whey derivative) or soy isolate. Both have a complete amino acid profile which is essentially all the proteins your body needs. Be aware though, that the soy protein has traces of a plant enzyme that breaks down into estrogen when consumed. Eat enough of it, and it may throw some hormones out of whack.

I'm analytical by nature, so during the run-up to my surgery last August, I devised this spreadsheet to help me with choosing the right Protein for me. At this link, you can see what I evaluated, how I rated it (ratings are at the bottom of the sheet), how each one adhered to the requirements of my hospital's program (The colored cells on the right), and my thoughts on each one. Everyone has different tastes, but this sheet helped me to keep track of what was good to me and what I wanted to stay away from. I hope some of you find this useful. http://goo.gl/Vb3Me

Question for the more seasoned sleevers out there. I'm almost 4 months post-op, and I notice that if I eat too much or too fast, my stomach goes through this process that normally lasts an hour or two. There's a pain that builds over the course of about 2-4 minutes, and just as it reaches an apex of discomfort, I hear a little gurgle, and the pain subsides, then the process starts over again. Sometimes it will get so bad that I get nauseous, and have to visit a bathroom, but the only thing that comes up is a bunch of mucous. If I abuse my poor little pouch too much, I have to give it a soft-food day of rest before I can think about solid foods again. Does this sound familiar with anyone?

Matrix is my favorite Protein so far, though I did just order some samples of the nectar. Matrix is smooth, has little to no froth post-mixing, and no artificial sweetener aftertaste.

I didn't touch any food while I was on my liquid phase. I know it sucks, but it's only temporary. Best not to push the limits of what's left of your stomach and risk a leak. Of course, any changes to your intake should be reported to your dietician.

I like the HealthSmart Hot chocolate drinks from Nashua Nutrition, but when I look at the ingredients, I'm kind of concerned. I know that whey and Soy Protein are pretty much my two options when it comes to high biological value powders. It looks like the hot chocolate uses the following: Calcium Caseinate, Hydrolyzed Gelatin, Cocoa, Quic Milk, Natural & Artificial Flavor, Salt. Is its protein value derived from the Calcium Caseinate or the Hydrolyzed Gelatin? If the former, how biologically valuable is Calcium Caseinate? If the latter, that's a lower value but not as low as collagen, correct? I just want to make sure that I get an accurate tally of my protein intake before I feel too good about myself.

For those who may be also curious, here's the response from the company that makes it: Protein value is a rather elusively defined concept. The more import factor is that the product provides a complete amino acid profile at the same that it provides a good tasting product that the patient can use and enjoy. For a product like the hot chocolate, we avoid using whey to avoid the slightly “off” taste of whey. Casein like whey is a quality milk protein fraction but one that provides a richer, creamier mouth feel which does not have the whey taste. The product provides with each serving 15g of quality protein. Together with the hydrolyzed Gelatin the two protein sources provide a complete amino acid profile as seen below: Sucralose Hot Chocolate Essential Amino Acids Nonessential Amino Acids Nutrient Value Unit Nutrient Value Unit Tryptophan 0.091 mg Arginine 551.378 mg Threonine 122.721 mg Alanine 592.227 mg Isoleucine 109.197 mg Aspartic Acid 408.659 mg Leucine 225.173 mg Cystine 0.020 mg Lysine 265.872 mg Glutamic Acid 765.589 mg Methionine 41.001 mg Glycine 1401.932 mg Phenylalanine 143.215 mg Proline 905.719 mg Valine 163.715 mg Serine 211.250 mg Histidine 41.001 mg Tyrosine 20.739 mg Also, doing some poking around, I found that Calcium Caseinate is a whey derived protein that absorbs slowly over about 8 hours. So it's pretty darn good!

I had my sleeve proceedure performed 3 months and 6 days ago, and so far I've lost 120 pounds. I feel great, my protein intake is around 75-95 g per day, and I seem to be able to tolerate (within reason) anything I try to eat. My concern is the rate at which I am losing. My surgeon and dietician both seem to be OK with things, so I should probably just calm down. Still, I wonder if this rate of loss is unhealthy. I haven't hit a stall or plateau yet, and I am wondering if I'll skid right past healthy and become too skinny. or I'm just being dumb and worrying over nothing.

Thanks very much. I tend to get myself worked up over nothing, and lately when I look in the mirror I swear it's some other guy looking back at me. Then I go back and look at old pics of myself (like the one to the left of this post) and I think "My god, how did I get so big and not notice?"

I had my sleeve proceedure performed 3 months and 6 days ago, and so far I've lost 120 pounds. I feel great, my Protein intake is around 75-95 g per day, and I seem to be able to tolerate (within reason) anything I try to eat. My concern is the rate at which I am losing. My surgeon and dietician both seem to be OK with things, so I should probably just calm down. Still, I wonder if this rate of loss is unhealthy. I haven't hit a stall or plateau yet, and I am wondering if I'll skid right past healthy and become too skinny. or I'm just being dumb and worrying over nothing.

I was sleeved on August 12, and I have found that over time as the pounds fall away I am able to do more and more, so I try to do just that. I'll admit though, since the cold air has settled in over the northeastern US, I don't make it to the gym as often as I should. When I'm there though, starting out, the best piece of equipment was the recumbent bikes. After that, I moved up to the treadmill and now I'm hitting the ellipticals and feeling the pain in the morning.

Monday marks my 6 week post op date, and to be honest, I seem to have more bad days than good. Everywhere I look I see food I can neither tolerate physically, nor have room in my protein goals to have. My wife and I went to the store today to do our weekly grocery shopping, and as we passed through the produce, I found myself longing for fresh fruits and vegetables. We went down a few more aisles, and I saw a pasta with cheese sauce side dish and thought to myself, you can't have that because the opportunity cost of losing out on the protein is too high. I can't seem to handle much more than 2 ounces of solid food, and with this limitation in-place, I cant find joy in eating- much the opposite. I don't like meal times. If I could take in everything IV I would at this point. Today, I really wish I hadn't gotten this done.

Like many, before my surgery, I was using a CPAP to treat sleep apnea. On Monday, I'll be 5 weeks post- op, and while the CPAP has never caused me pain, It is causing a different issue. Whenever I sleep on my side, I hear a loud gurgling sound eminating from my gut. I cant force a burp out most of the time, and sometimes the sound is so loud it will wake me up. In the morning I have a little bit of flatulence, but nothing one would expect- perhaps it's evacuating when I sleep. At any rate this gurgling sound is rather distressing. Does this sound normal? I have my one-month post op visit with my surgeon on Tuesday, so I plan on bringing it up with him.

Ha! I knew it was always wrong to say 20 pounds. I took a before and after picture and the most drastic weight loss is around my chin and neck. This is absolutely something for my pulmonologist .

I've got a nice tight seal on my face- plus at 20 punds pressure I can feel leaks when they happen as well as hear them. I'm going to bring it up with my surgeon when I see him on Tuesday. I'm not in any pain, but the sound is pretty disturbing, and who knows what could happen in the long-term.

I'm down around 70 pounds at this point... maybe I'll make that appointment with my pulminologist

As of Monday the 16th, I'll be 5 weeks post-op, but I don't feel like I am. So far, I can manage only about an ounce and a half of solid food, so I am still on 2 shakes per day to reach 60g of Protein. I don't know if this is normal or not, and I'm getting impatient with the healing process. I found out my anxiety meds aren't absorbing as they should so my primary changed them up, and I'm hoping that helps. Yesterday morning bore witness to a panic attack, as my brain took a perceived protein deficiency and sent it through a positive feedback loop. Eventually, I was convinced that I would be on Protein Shakes for life, and I would never again taste real food. I know everyone heals at their own rate, but I'm always reading on the message boards about how painless and swift recovery is. I don't think I'm there yet, and I'm worried I may never will be. Are there any other slow healers out there? How are things for you now? How long did it take before you could get enough protein without having to rely on the shakes as your primary source?

Thanks very much for the words of experience. Knowing what to expect helps to arm me against anxiety, and I was feeling a bit disarmed. I have my 1 month follow-up with my surgeron on Tuesday and I plan on being rational at that point. And ElyQuint- you hit the nail on the head. I'm a pretty introverted person, and I tend to internalize my issues which gives them chance to grow. I'm glad I spoke (or wrote) up this time.

Checking in! I was sleeved on 8/12