DLCoggin

I put this list together a while back. Hope it helps! pureed and soft foods suggestions: *cheese – String cheese, other cheeses that are light or low fat ones made with skim milk Bended *oatmeal made with skim milk. Small curd *cottage cheese, low-fat or non-fat. Smooth and creamy *yogurt, low-fat, no added sugar and no fruit chunks. Crackers containing less than 3 grams of fat per serving e.g. soda crackers, graham crackers, Melba toast, etc. Tip: try Kashi Pita Crisps, 120 calories in 11 crisps, 3g of fat, and 3g of Protein. Mashed russet, red, or gold potatoes and yams (no skins). Low-fat, no added sugar pudding made with skim milk. Scrambled *egg or *egg substitute. Peanut or other nut butters – creamy. Non-citrus fruit (peeled, seedless, fresh, soft fruits, canned fruit in its own juice). Pureed baby foods with no sugar added (usually 11 grams of sugar). Tofu. Canned *chicken, *tuna, or *salmon (packed in water). Low-fat mayonnaise. Low-fat tub margarine. Beverages: Low sodium V8. Decaf coffee, teas. sugar-free, non-carbonated drinks (e.g. Crystal Light). sugar free hot cocoa. Diet Snapple (but not diet Snapple Iced Tea). * Denotes protein foods

Welcome ladybug!

There are a ton of Protein shakes out there and since you're three months away from your surgery, now is the perfect time to do a little experimenting. For my money, Pure Protein and Myoplex are the best tasting shakes on the market. Pure has 35g of protein per serving and Myoplex has 42g. I prefer Pure because it's 160 cals. vs. 300 cals. for Myoplex. But Myoplex still gets the nod for the best tasting but not by much. A number of folks here on the forum are big fans of Muscle Milk. Others love Syntrax. And the list goes on and on. Protein can be expensive so buy one and see what you think. If you like it, great. If not, but one of something else until you find one that works for you. Once you find one you like, you may want to experiment with the powdered version of their product. powder is about 50% cheaper than the ready to drink shakes and there is usually is not much of a difference in taste. One more suggestion - check out Capella flavor drops. There are a bunch of them so finding one (or more) you like is just a matter of experimenting. Here's the link http://capellaflavordrops.com/. There's also a new thread "Protein shake Recipes" here on the forum that will give you some ideas. Down the road you can experiment mixing bananas or other fruit with your shakes but, depending on your doctor, you may not be able to do that for several weeks following your surgery. You can also search the forum for protein recipes and get some great ideas as well. Getting all of the protein recommended by your doctor following your surgery is quite important. Remove all of the Water from your body and 75% of the stuff that's left is protein. Every cell in your body contains protein. As cells die, protein is used by the body to replace them. Following surgery, your body needs protein to build new tissue. And protein plays a key role in protecting you from bacterial and viral infections - especially important following surgery. Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your decision. You're gonna love the new you!!

Hey Sherry - tried the PB2 with Premium Chocolate in my Pure Protein Frosty Chocolate shake - wow! That PB2 really is good stuff!!

Heck Nish, you're gonna have most of the hard part over in a couple of days!! LOL!!

I think there are a number of causes not related to obesity but if obesity is the cause, it absolutely got better for me. I've joined the "cold all the time" club!

Pretty tough to answer that one without a little more information. How far out are you? What stage are you in with your reintro to food? What did you have in mind to put in your shake? Theoretically you could put anything that is on your list of acceptable foods in your shake. Whether or not it would taste good - that's a whole different question! :-)

Embarassment implies a sense of choice. Science is discovering that is simply not the case. Take a moment and look at the video link in my post at - http://www.rnytalk.com/topic/1912-a-tough-nut-to-crack/page__fromsearch__1 Fascinating information from a leader in the field of bariatrics. You're gonna love the new you!!

Let me just echo what others have said - it gets better and easier and it does so quickly. Really! The first two or three weeks suck for everyone. It's the whole getting reintroduced to food again thing. Personally, on the occassions that I was having a hard time with folks eating, I just left the room and came back when they were done. I wasn't angry and they weren't hurt. Sometimes the most obvious solutions are the best. I knew they needed to eat and they knew it was difficult for me at the time. A little scared? That's a good thing. Dumping is not pleasant but it's not a tragedy or the end of the world. It's also not an absolute. Some folks never have dumping syndrome at all. Exception to the surgery? Very, very unlikely. Statistically speaking, you're probably more likely to have a hot air balloon fall on you while you're shopping at the grocery store. LOL! Stay focused on following the protocol. Stay active. And try to relax a little. You're gonna love the new you!!

You're certainly welcome kristi. You're off to a great start and just need to do a little "fine tuning". For what it's worth, I'd start working on the diet coke and beer (sorry!). Post-op all carbonated beverages are going to be taboo. Carbonation can stretch the pouch. I thought I would die having to give up soft drinks but it really wasn't as bad as I expected. I haven't had a carbonated drink in well over a year and I really don't miss it like I thought I would. Keep going - one step at a time!!

Hi Joanna. I use "Tap and Track" because it had the best reviews when I was looking for an app. Lots of folks here on the forum use My Fitness Pal or Spark People and I've never heard a bad review for either one. I'm sure there are probably a ton of other good ones out there as well. Have a good day!!

Stay focused on following the protocol. Stay active. And stay away from the scales. There are better ways, MUCH better ways, to gauge your day to day success than the scales. For example, I use my little iPhone app to log everthing I eat and drink - every meal, every snack, every drink, every day. With a push of a button I can see what I've eaten at any moment in time. Calories, protein, fat, carbs, all of it. I can see the exercise I've done and the average nutrition values for a day, a week, a month, or any period of time I specify. Any time. Any where. I know that if I follow the protocol, it is simply impossible that, in the long run, I will not lose weight. Period. I celebrate my success every day. Not based on what the scales tell me. Based instead on my knowing that I have made and am following the lifestyle changes necessary to reclaim my life. That's what's important. That's all that is important. Sometimes you will lose weight quickly. Exciting, but not important. Sometimes you will lose more slowly. Nerve wracking, but not important. Sometimes you won't lose at all. Bummer, but not important. It's all part of the process. It happens to everybody. And it's not important. Persistence, along with absolute belief, can never be defeated. Now that's - important.

In my case, the surgeon told me straight out - no weight loss, no surgery. I haven't ever heard of an insurance company denying a surgery on the basis of pre-op weight loss but that doesn't mean it never happens. Either way, the pre-op weight loss is important. It reduces the size of the liver which makes the surgery easier to perform, reduces the time to do the surgery by as much as a half hour or more, and ultimately makes it safer. It's also a great opportunity to get started on the all important prime directive - lifestyle changes. You can do it and you're gonna love the new you!!

Show time! The anticipation is so much worse than the surgery. By this time tomorrow it will be behind you and the miracle journey begins. Have a speedy recovery and let us know how you're doing! Walk, walk, walk!

If you're far enough out, you might want to try canned tuna with diced sweet pickle and tablespoon of light miracle whip. I practically live on it! When you're far enough out, I like to dice some celery in it as well. Very tasty and very rich in protein!

The protein will probably do more to help minimize hair loss than anything else you could take. Has anyone not had constipation would probably be a better question - LOL! Milk of Magnesia is what my doctor recommended and it works. Be sure to get the flavored kind - the unflavored is really nasty stuff. There are other options as well. You can probably just call your doctor's office and they'll give you some ideas over the phone. It's miserable but it passes (no pun intended :-) pretty quickly.

Great job!

Sending you tons of white light Jenneliza! The anticipation is much worse than the surgery. Let us know how you're doing when you've had a little time and walk, walk, walk!

Welcome to the forum! You're certainly among friends, most of which have a history of problems with sticking to diets! LOL. Pretty much everyone is nervous about the surgery but the reality usually isn't nearly as bad as what you imagine! You're gonna love the new you!

Beautiful pics on the link. I'm jealous!

Wow! 30 mile trail - sounds amazing!! Does it have multiple access points so you could walk different sections? What a great, great resource!!

costco is one option.

Good afternoon Ms. Jenneliza! I walk at least four times a week (more if possible). I started on my treadmill but that got pretty boring so I moved on to walking in a park near my home. I'm currently walking about 2.8 miles and about 50 minutes each time. I love being outside and my black lab thinks it's pretty cool too! There is absolutely not the slightest doubt in my mind that it has not only helped me achieve my weight loss goal but it also has helped me feel better than I have in a long time. I found after several months that it's actually quite "addictive". If I don't walk for more than a couple of days I not only "feel" it physically but mentally as well. I get irritable and just generally "out of sorts". I have no explanation for it but no point in looking the proverbial gift horse in the mouth! Personally, I think the key is to start slow, gradually work your way up, and above all else don't push so hard that you're not really enjoying it. If you push yourself so hard that you dread every exercise session, it won't be sustainable which eliminates it as an addition to the all important lifestyle changes. Five years of moderate exercise is much more valuable than five weeks of trying to be a hero. LOL!!

"rny-a-thon" - I love that!! Sparklette, you just keep writing and keep on obsessing. You are going to be absolutely unstoppable and both you and your boyfriend and going to love the new you!! I think the day will come when you will cherish being able to go back and read all of your thoughts leading up to and following your journey. Good for you!!

Hey Ms. Sherry! Just bought a 2 lb tub at Target yesterday for $19.88. Not as good as the $15.99 price but still a very good price. Looking forward to trying the Frosty chocolate powder with the PB2 here in the next couple of days. I'll keep you posted!!