talkingmountain

Klolojadie, I feel your pain! All I can think about lately is biting into a head of crunchy iceberg lettuce! (And normally I'm not even a big iceberg fan, but it looks amazing right now). Fortunately my program allows us to start eating fresh fruits and veggies at 4 weeks so I have to wait only one more week. (Although my experience having banana a couple of days ago (allowed) set off two full days of nausea so I know that I'd better take it really slowly!) For now the only crunch I'm allowed is saltine crackers. As long as I limit them to 4-5, they agree fine with me. At least it is some form of crunch!

I got a card and plan to carry it, but I doubt I'll use it often. Most "kid menus" are health-crushers like mac'n'cheese, chicken nuggets, etc. I'd be more likely to order from the normal menu or appetizers.

PS, please share your tofu pho recipe!

Tell your misinformed family to read the blogs of bariatric surgeons Matthew Weiner and Garth Davis. Have them read the extensive nutritional information provided free by PCRM.Org, Drmcdougall.com, Colin Campbell foundation, nutritionfacts.org, jeffnovick.com, and dozens of other scientifically valid websites that aren't subsidized by the meat and dairy industries. Get them to watch the movie Forks Over Knives. If they won't do this, then they don't want to know the truth; there is no healthier way of eating than eating plant-based without added oils (natural fats in nuts and olives are actually good). Your food looks amazing (assuming it's a meal, not the whole day)! Your child(ren) will be healthy and will likely never suffer from the obesity and related health problems that led you to having weight loss surgery!

Hi everyone, I'm 2 wks post-op (RNY) and was wondering when others started to see a significant drop in their blood pressures? I was under the impression that most people's bp goes to normal levels with 48 hrs of the surgery but mine hasn't budged!

I'm 2 wks postop (gastric bypass) and am wondering if the constant painful bloating and burping will ever end? It doesn't feel like the gas from the surgery- it seems to be inside my digestive tract. I'm careful to avoid all dairy products so it can't be lactose intolerance. And I'm careful to avoid Splenda and sugar alcohols. I haven't been able to tolerate Protein drinks so am just trying to eat high protein foods (about 2 tbsp split pea Soup & 1 egg a day) plus drinking lots of Water. I am up and down all day (due to contracting pneumonia, I don't have the energy yet to "exercise" per se). I'm eating gas-X strips like they were Christmas candy. But both seems to alleviate the gas!

You probably need to take a probiotic at least daily. This won't cure the existing yeast infection but it will help you from getting more. Cheapest way is to eat a yogurt each day with "active cultures." But I'm lactose intolerant so that doesn't work for me. You can buy probiotic pills at any health food or grocery store. My and my dr's favorite is Primal Defense Ultra, usually found int the refrigerated supplements section. It's pricey but is one of the few that contains both a wide range of probiotic species AND the one that has been found to reduce c. Difficile infections.

HI, im 55 and am 2 wks post-op (RNY). Had to stay in the hospital for a wk (vs normal 1 night) because I couldn't keep anything down & got dehydrated. Then, the night after i was discharged I woke up with 104.7 temp, violent chills, and most frightening was unable to breathe more than the tiniest sips of air. Went to urgent care and they had called an ambulance even before they finished their assessment. Ended up being a hospital-acquired pneumonia and I spent another week in my local hospital. I probably caught pneumonia because I was not allowed to take my maintenance inhaler the week I was in the hospital from the surgery (any asthmatic knows not to skip your maintenance inhaler). I complained daily of a tight chest, and had asked daily if I could use it but the nurses refused, saying "dr hadn't prescribed it." Please, if this happens to you, INSIST on them contacting the dr and getting that prescription!

If you are. Bypass patient, you will have to take a multi-vitamin with minerals, iron, calcium citrat, & vitamin d. The difficulty is that iron and calcium need to be separated by several hours.

Today is the first day of your new relationship with food! I'm on day 4 and have been very low in energy and quite "Teary." I've lost all taste for sweets so just ordered more unjury chicken Soup. I expected the low energy but not the other stuff. Thepoint of that being, expect the unexpected. Try to be gentle with yourself. The purpose of the pre-op diet is to mm ale the surgery safer, but it has the added benefit of helping you start identifying those things that have driven you to eat in the past, as well. I hope your pre-op diet goes well!

I feel your your pain! I'm on day 3 of a 10-day liquid diet. we can push thru the next 7 days together!

So you all have me wondering (I'm10 days pre-op) -- is this fractious relationship between you and your respective sass permanent? Or do things get back to normal after a year or so?

I am going thru a center of excellence and though I'm confident about the surgery, I don't think they've done a good job preparing me for it. I've received a few random pieces of paper and have heard lots about eating Protein and not smoking. My "counseling" consisted of listening to a retired counselor talk a out her grandkids & her religious beliefs for 4 hours, then 20 minutes of standardized tests that anyone with a brain would know how to defeat if they wanted to. My 7 hours of "education" thus far have consisted of watching movies about how wonderful life will be af ER surgery, and brief 15 minute intros by the gazillion different players in the program, with a few random paper handouts ("it's important to set goals!" Says the psychologist on staff, she hands out some goal setting sheets, then leaves...). The only person who came prepared with a coherent list of what to do was the insurance coordinator, God bless her soul! I think each of the individuals in the program is knowledgeable and cares about the patients. And maybe I'll get some kind of coherent direction at my pre-op; if I do, I'll edit this post. But really, how hard would it be for them to put together a binder of pre and post op instructions, things to expect, etc?, and give that to you once you meet with the surgeon (cuz at that pt you are clearly serious)? Wow, I didn't mean for this to turn into a full-on rant! Guess it was bugging me more than I realized!

@alex, I just ordered a case or orgain high protein drink so if you can wait a few days I'll let you know what I think of it! I've tried many brands of flavored vegan powders and they were all undrinkable -- unbearably sweet with a strong g bitter stevia taste. Haven't been able to try any unflavored vegan powders except pure pea protein, which tasted like dirt. I'm you can find a vegan powder that has a mixture of protein types (but stays in the 0-8 carbs/serving range) and uses monk fruit instead of or in addition to stevia, that would be awesome!

Sliding down the slide with my daughter. I was never able to do that when she was little because my arms weren't long enough to reach past my belly and hold her. Now she's 17, so she may not enjoy it as much (or at all, lol), but it's GONNA happen!!!

I wanted the simplest possible regimen so I take Celebrate 2-in-1 and a generic iron+C pill. The Celebrate 2-on-1 sold only on the Celebrate website and on Amazon. It has everything except Iron (because it has the calcium, they keep iron out of it). It tastes like a grainy sweet-tart (emphasis on the tart!). It contains a sugar alcohol, unfortunately, so it makes me quite gassy for a little while after taking it.

For what it's worth, Bariatric Advantage non chewable vitamins failed an independent assay done by the testing agency ConsumerLabs.com. They were the only Bariatric vitamins that ConsumerLabs has tested to date.

My doc doesn't allow tea. Says the tannins in it irritate the stomach lining. But he does allow 1-2 cups of coffee a day. It's amazing how different everyone's requirements are!

@@BLERDgirl, where do you find these? And are they Bobs Red Mill or some other brand? I haven't seen anything in either health food store...everything's sweetened with stevia (yuck!). I'm trying to find a vegan Protein powder that is a mixture of Proteins and that is no more "grainy" than your typical whey powder. Anybody have suggestions? Unflavored would be best but something that's very lightly sweetened would be okay.

Not a good topic to include as the input is purely subjective. What one person thinks is wonderful makes the next person gag.I respectfully disagree. If a relative scale is used for each attribute, you can easily describe drinks in a way that will help people know whether they are likely to like or dislike that product. Consumer reports, movie critics, and food critics do this all the time. Everyone would recognize "smooth" vs "slightly grainy" vs "very gritty" for example. You're not telling them whether you like it or not, and it's up to them to know what they prefer. For example, I prefer the "grainy" texture of protein powders over ultra smooth ready-to-drink liquids (it makes me feel like I'm actually eating something.) whereas other people gag on drinks with that texture.

Lol my family kinda sucks at Christmas time. So much tension and all those unresolved issues! But I love 'em to death all the same. For really festive cocoa, stir in a tiny sprinkle of red pepper (or a tiny drop of hot sauce), a little cardamom & ginger if you have it, a little cinnamon, & top w a cinnamon stick! Or for a minty recipe, stir in a drop of peppermint flavor in & add a sprig of mint or a sugar free candy cane (don't eat the candy cane unless it's one you can have, tho!)

@@songsmith Maybe it's because I live in a rural area, but I have been unable to find many sample sizes to try locally. GNC is great about letting you try &are turn. But that's a lot of time & hassle. Sample kits that I've ordered are usually minimum of $20-30 ($10-20 for the samplers and $7-12 for shipping...plus tax). All in all I've spent several hundred dollars. FYI, I posted my "reviews" in the Nutrition/Protein forum in case it might help others save a little time and money by narrowing down the number of things they have to try!) I did look at the few Toroni syrups available in my area but they are all sweetened with sucralose which doesn't seem to agree with me. I've purchased several Crystal Light type products to try, since they have aspartame or saccharine, both of which I find preferable in taste and don't disagree with my GI system. Can't wait to be past the Protein shakes stage 'cause it's all toxic fake food as far as I'm concerned!! The good news is, I have finally found two that work for me! 1. Muscle Milk Naturals chocolate actually tastes nice; not overly sweet and almost no artificial sweetener or better stevia taste. It is higher in carbs (10) than my NUT wanted (6) but below her absolute max (11). It has the standard protein-powder texture which I don't mind, and it's very filling. it's lactose free and is a mixture of Proteins that includes whey isolate, which I like (I know there's a lot of buzz about whey isolates being the "best" but I haven't seen any scientific evidence if this. Until I do, I like mixtures because that's more the way things occur in nature) 2. Jay Robb Whey Protein chocolate is a little too sweet for me, but not much, and amazingly does not have the horrible bitter taste that usually attends stevia-sweetened products. And it has this really creamy, milk-chocolate flavor that I love. At only 1 carb per serving, it makes my NUT happy. It's very smooth, too, for those who don't like the "protein powder" texture. 10 vs

A lot of people ask for Protein drink advice, and since I've had a really hard time find a Protein Drink that I could tolerate, I've tried a LOT of them. Most of the time, the suggestions we get are "try drink X, I love it" but it can be hard to tell if you will like the same thin because everyone has different tastes. So, I thought I'd write up my assessments here in case it helps someone else. To help you gauge your tastes to mine,:I do not like sweet drinks like sweet tea, nor do I care for artificial sweeteners (including stevia) or sugar alcohols; I don't mind the mild texture that is a given with protein powders. So if I say a drink is "extremely sweet," and you love southern sweet tea, you might like it whereas I gagged on it. Also, My tummy seems to be somewhat intolerant of sucralose and/or acesulfame-K, which are in the vast majority of flavored Protein Drinks. Unless otherwise stated, all the items listed have at least 15 G protein and no more than 6 g carbs per serving. "RTD" means ready-to-drink, I.e. drinks in bottles or cartons. Everything else is a powder. All powders are either whey-based or vegan/plant Proteins. All whey items state that they are lactose free. I haven't been able to bring myself to try the new " beef proteins" (basically gelatinized bones & hooves of cows) ! All powders were mixed with 1 cup unsweetened almond milk and ice cubes in a shaker jar/ball. Texture of drinks made from powders would probably be even smoother better using a blender or bullet. ********************* Ready-to-Drinks: Premier Protein, RTU, vanilla, from Walmart. Extremely sweet, with a strong artificial sweet taste from sucralose (Splenda) and aculfesame-K (ace-k). Strong artificial vanilla flavor. Very smooth texture. Medium body (I.e. Thickness, as in a milkshake vs juice). Gave me a stomach ache & made me burp and feel a bit bloated for a while after drinking (probably the sweeteners) ATKINS ADVANTAGE, RTU, coffee flavor, from Harris Teeter grocery. Extremely sweet, although the coffee flavor cuts it a bit during the first few sips. Sweetened w sucralose & ace-k. Very smooth texture. Medium-thin body. Gave me a headache & stomach ache. GNC TOTAL LEAN 25 shake, RTU, strawberries & cream, from GNC. Very sweet, with a artificial sweet taste from sucralose (Splenda) and aculfesame-K (ace-k). Light strawberry flavor. Very smooth texture. Medium-thick body. Very filling but it does make me burp and feel a bit bloated for a while after drinking. NOTE - the powdered version of Total Lean 25 is MUCH higher in carbs. OH YEAH! NUTRITIONAL SHAKE, RTU, strawberries & cream, from Harris Teeter grocery. Very sweet, with a artificial sweet taste from sucralose (Splenda) and aculfesame-K (ace-k). Bright, full-bodied strawberry flavor. Very smooth texture. Thick body. Very filling but it does make me burp and feel a bit bloated for a while after drinking. This brand has recently started being carried in Harris Teeter grocery stores. Haven't seen it anywhere else. MUSCLE MILK, RTD, chocolate, from Walmart & Harris Teeter grocery. Very sweet, with a more natural sweet taste. Sweetened with fructose & sucralose. Very smooth texture. Thick body. Very filling but it does make me burp and feel a bit bloated for a while after drinking. Powders: unjury, chocolate, from BariatricAdvantage.com Very sweet, artificial sweetened flavor. Sweetened w sucralose $ ace-k. Very smooth texture, especially for a powder. Thin body. I found this not to be filling at all. 100% whey isolates. Like all whey proteins on this list, claims to be lactose free. NOW SPORTS PEA PROTEIN, unflavored, from GNC (vegan). Unsweetened. Tastes a little like dirt. Might be good in Soups, or blended with fruit post-op, but would taste odd with sweeter drinks. Standard powdered protein texture (sort of chalky but not gritty) . Medium body. 100% pea protein from yellow split peas. PERFORMANCE AMP WHEYBOLIC EXTREME ORIGINAL, unflavored, from GNC. Unsweetened. Mild whey flavor, would be fine with anything. Standard powdered protein texture (sort of chalky but not gritty) . Medium body. Whey isolates and whey hydrosylates. Like all whey proteins on this list, claims to be lactose free. MUSCLE MILK NATURALS, chocolate, from GNC. *my favorite!* Perfect, mildly sweet, with no artificial sweetener flavor. Moderately chocolatey flavor. Sweeteners are fructose, stevia, & monk fruit. Least sweet of all items reviewed. Standard powdered protein texture (sort of chalky but not gritty) . Medium-thick body. Very filling. NOTE - this has 10 g carbs & 26 G protein per serving. It's more than the 6 carbs per serving my nut wants but less than the 11 g she said was the absolute max. To reduce carbs/protein ratio and keep the flavor, I sometimes mix it with protein-enriched almond milk and Water. Unlike Muscle Milk RTD, this does not make me bloated or gassy, so I think it's the sucralose in the RTU that bothers me, not the Muscle Milk itself). Mixture of milk-derived proteins, including whey isolates. Like all whey proteins on this list, claims to be lactose free. JAY ROBB WHEY PROTEIN, chocolate, from GNC. *my 2nd favorite!* Sweet, without artificial sweetener flavor. Lovely milk-chocolate flavor. Sweetener is stevia but this lacks the strong bitter aftertaste that many stevia-sweetened products have. Only 1 carb per serving. Smooth texture, especially for a powder. Nearly as smooth as Unjury (but more filling). Medium-thin body. 100% whey isolates. Like all whey proteins on this list, claims to be lactose free. VEGA ONE, chocolate, from GNC (vegan). Extremely-sweet, artificial sweetened flavor. Slight gritty/grainy texture. Thin body. GARDEN OF LIFE ORGANIC PLANT PROTEIN, chocolate, from health food store (vegan). Extremely sweet, artificial sweetened flavor. Slight gritty/grainy texture. Thin body. GARDEN OF LIFE RAW PROTEIN, chocolate, from GNC (vegan). VERY sweet w slightly bitter aftertaste (sweetener is stevia). Slight gritty/grainy texture. Thin body. RAW FIT, coffee flavor, from health food store (vegan). Sweet but missy taste, w slightly bitter aftertaste (sweetener is stevia). Extremely gritty texture. Tastes like you are eating ground up leaves & sticks. Thin body.

Good observation Karen! When I get a chance to, I will go back and edit the listt to add what type(s) of Proteins are in each product. Does anyone know if there is a way to attach an excel or google spreadsheet, or a pdf, to a post? I could post my spreadsheet which would make it much easier for others to compare products..

I've tried so many protein drinks now that I decided to write up my finding in case they help others. Look for the "PROTEIN DRINKS - ASSESSMENT ..." post in the nutrition/protein & vitamins forum if you are interested.