nolongerhere

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Cool... that will be my main protein source, I'm sure. Glad I like it!

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So I tried the hemp samples from Manitoba Hemp... SO GROSS. Also had an almost immediate allergic reaction of hives, itchy mouth and throat, so add hemp to my list of allergies... Next I tried a pure egg white Protein powder from Now Sports. The taste was better, consistency was smooth but rather thick and there was an odd chemical aftertaste. After about 5 sips my stomach was hurting and I felt nauseated... I had an idea the other day that seems so obvious and simple now that I've thought of it... I can eat Greek yogourt with no issues... I'll just Water it down to make it thin and that will get my protein quota in just fine till I can eat real food after surgery... I sweeten it with xylitol and frozen berries... Any reason that wouldn't work just fine instead of a Protein Powder?

Don't have any experience with the lapband, but I do have trouble exercising due to pain in my back/hip. I bought a deskcycle stationary bike and I LOVE it. It cost less than $200, it fits under the table or a desk, and is super convenient to use when you're doing other stuff. You could even use it at work if you're brave enough... At night when I'm catching up on youtube videos I sit at the table and cycle for as long as I can stand it. Just an idea for getting more fitness in...

I'm actually shocked I'm not allergic to stevia as it's a ragweed and I'm allergic to almost everything green outdoors.

I haven't read all the responses, so I'm sorry if this contradicts or reiterates what others have already said... I can't really speak to the binge eating, but I can speak to the whole Canada waiting dilemma. I started the WLS process in Nov of 2014, my surgeon is in Victoria, BC, and i know exactly what you're going through. I'm told I should have a surgery day by November of this year. After I had my first consult I decided to start with small changes, my perspective is that even if I didn't see the scale moving at first, at least I was moving in the right direction. I started out just logging what I was eating, no restrictions, to get an idea what I was eating on average every day, and started doing just 5 min of yoga every day. I learned a lot about myself in those first few days... I use myfitnesspal.com to log what I am eating. I made a deal with myself that I would cut my calories back by 20/day every week, and every week I'd also add 1 min of exercise to the 5 min/day I started with. I also set small goals. I switched to decaf coffee at Christmas, and I slowly started replacing higher carb/calorie items with higher Protein things as I finished what I had in my pantry and fridge. Each time I go grocery shopping I buy more protein, fruit and veggies, and less high carb foods. I'm now on day 20, I've gotten my calories down to 1960/day and stayed below my calorie goal for a full week as of today. The first week and a half was ROUGH, I went over my calorie goal most days, I struggled with a lot of hunger and feeling discouraged by how unfit I am, but now I've found my stride and it's getting easier... I'm even breezing through 30 minute work outs now. If I have a day where I'm not feeling it, I still make myself do the min amount I set for myself, this week it's 7 min of exercise per day. Small changes add up to a big lifestyle change. My mantra has become this. Motivation comes from action, not the other way around...

Seriously! LOL I'm sure I'll find something that works eventually. Having so many allergies, particularly to whey and nuts, certainly eliminates a LOT of great options...

Update on the Protein powder saga... I got a free sample of hemp Protein Powder from Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods and tried it today. Here's my review... it tasted awful just blended with Water, still had a mild "green" aftertaste as a fruit and greek yogourt smoothie, and minutes after trying it I had a pretty bad allergic reaction - hives, itchy mouth, congestion in my chest. I eat everything else that was in the smoothie all the time, so i know it was the hemp. Cross that one off the list too! Next up, I've ordered a pure 100% egg white protein from swanson Vitamins to try. It's unflavoured and I'm hoping it will work well...

Just wondering if there's anyone who has had WLS in Victoria?

I haven't had weight loss surgery yet, but I have done a lot of personal work to deal with past trauma and very low self esteem. Some of the tools I've used were somatic experiencing therapy with a trained counsellor to deal with trauma. Then after my divorce I did a life vision workshop over a long weekend to figure out where I wanted to go with my life and who I was now after freeing myself from an abusive situation. I also did a week long personal growth program called Come Alive at a local resort a couple years ago. It's an ongoing work in process that I will revisit as needed for the rest of my life. You have to find the tools that work best for you and resonate with where you are now.

Thanks! I have used Jarrow and Nutribiotic brand brown rice Protein powder but never tried it in our nutribullet. Good tip. I usually buy the berry flavor and shake it up in a Blender Bottle with unsweetened cranberry juice. It's gritty but if I chug it back not too bad. Chugging shakes back won't be a good idea after surgery so hopefully I can sip on it after using the nutribullet... I've contacted a couple companies who are going to send me some free samples... They are Growing Naturals (sending brown rice and pea protein powder) and Manitoba Market Hemp. I've contacted a number more but haven't heard back from anyone else. I'll update with a taste and texture review once they arrive.

@@BLERDgirl do you have any suggestions for me?

Do you all find you're eating really low fat? I noticed when I was doing a low fat, low carb diet that I became REALLY touchy and cranky. Once I added fat back in I felt much more like my normal easy going self again. Just a thought... not an expert or anything...

I have a good brown rice Protein that I can use for shakes but it's really gritty and tastes pretty awful just with Water. I ordered samples of a different brand that claims to be smoother from Growing Naturals but haven't received them yet to try. Suggestions of other brands I should try? I'm thinking about the first couple weeks after surgery, is there any clear protein powder/shake/shot that would work for me? All the clear liquid Isopure, etc ones I've checked have whey. I'm hoping there's one I haven't heard of yet that would work for me? Also, I'm in Canada so will need to be able to get it shipped here. Same with Protein Bars. They all have nuts, whey and/or soy... I haven't found a single one that doesn't! I've been looking for recipes to make my own, but so far the ones I've found are very high in carbs. Suggestions on recipes or ones that don't have nuts, soy or whey, low carb, high protein, would be awesome!