cknhealthyme

Add Benefiber to your diet. It mixes well with Water and has no odor, color or taste.

I also had a difficult time finding a Protein powder that would work for me. whey powders and drinks made me sick and most of the plant based powders were gross (strong taste of green peas). It was an expense but I kept trying different kinds until I finally found one that works for me, GNC Superfood Soy Protein Unflavored. It's flavor is easily disguised by what you mix it in. It has 13 g protein and only 60 calories and no sugar. Of course you can mix it with milk (Cow, Almond, Coconut, Soy, whatever she can tolerate) but I like to mix it in humus to boost the protein since humus alone does not have much. For Breakfast I usually mix a Scoop of the Protein Powder (13g protein) + 5.3 oz Non-fat Greek Yogurt (15g protein) + 1/4 cup Bear Naked Honey Almond with the almonds picked out since the NUT has not added nuts to my diet yet (10g protein). That's 38g protein for breakfast. Eat it slowly (takes me about 45-60 minutes to consume and keeps me full for hours).

I hope your DS went well. I had mine at the beginning of February and in that short amount of time went from wearing a 28W to 22/24. After a lifetime of seeing the weight and dress size spiral up, it is a great feeling getting to experience them going down. Like LisaMerg said "walk, walk, walk" and make sure to get in all your Protein. Be prepared to experiment with many protein powders and drinks before you find the right one for you. That was probably my toughest challenge in this journey (I just found one I can tolerate without gagging a couple weeks ago).

I use it instead of rice and to make pizza crust.

I had my DS surgery on 2/2/16 so Protein supplements are important for me to get my protein in. I am really struggling with finding a powder I can tolerate. whey Proteins were way too sweet and it turned out a was having allergic reactions to them so I had to switch to plant-based. Pea protein was nasty. Soy protein was tolerable for about a week then it started to make me gag. Mixed plant-based is just as bad as pea by itself. I'm finally in Phase One of sampling real food but it is very hard to get at least 60 grams of protein in a day from the short list of items we can choose from unless I eat chicken all day (2oz every 3 hours). How have you handled the protein supplements?

One of my surgeons gave me an alternative that worked yesterday. Since I can tolerate Greek yogurt, I can mix 1 serving non-fat Greek yogurt (about 15g protein) with a couple tablespoons of berries and blend until smooth and liquidity. I also added about a teaspoon of sugar free jello powder to improve the taste. Thanks to everyone for the tips and all the best on your weight loss journeys.

My milk allergy goes beyond just lactose. That is what I thought it was at first, until I tried a lactose free milk and it still made me very sick. Hopefully, I will be able to work the protein out without supplements or figure out how to hide the taste of plant-based protein supplements in food.

Thanks for the ideas. One of my problems is that I have a milk allergy. All of the pre-made protein drinks seem to contain Whey.

I found the pot of goal this afternoon. I was just out and about and came across a pizza restaurant with a full bariatric menu... Georgina's Pizzaria in Morrisville, NC. I ordered two meatballs with marinara for less that $5. The meatballs were probably large enough to make two meals (I haven't had my surgery yet so I was able to eat both). Taste great. They have a regular menu as well.

It has been a while since you wrote this post but would love your feedback. My DS surgery with Dr. Sudan at Duke is in two days. I just wanted to know how things are going with your WL journey since the surgery?

My liver shrink diet is for 1 week so feeling lucky. 3oz lean meat and 1 fruit (half banana, small apple, or cup melon) for breakfast, 1 string cheese and fruit for snack, 2oz lean meat and cup cooked veggie (preferably green leafy) or 2 cup raw veggies for lunch, 8 oz high protein milk or 6 oz Greek non-fat yogurt for snack, and 2oz lean meat and half cup cooked or 1 cup raw veggies for dinner. Dill pickles, sugar free popsicles are freebies. Day before surgery will be all liquids and magnesium citrate. I don't care for dill pickles but had to break and go get some to stop my tummy from rumbling at bedtime. Can't wait for 2/2. Good luck to everyone.

Having the switch. I took 6 weeks off.

2-2-16.

Haven't had the surgery yet (scheduled for 2/2/16) but in the pre-op class this past Monday, the nurse said we would are not going to be cleared to shower for at least 48 hours.

I've never been a fan of cauliflower but I was craven pizza and did not want to ruin my pre-op 1300 calorie diet so I found a recipe for pizza with a cauliflower crust. It did not turn out pretty but, surprisingly, I did not hate it.

I have been using Sparkpeople.com for years off and on. I've been trying to be more consistent since I decided to have WLS. I am currently pre-op, the big day is 2/2/16. Although logging can be time consuming, I love Sparkpeople. Not only can you log food, you can log exercise, link it to your Fitbit, calculate recipes, search/save/share/log recipes, read articles, watch exercise videos, join teams, etc. They have an android app as well, which I prefer to use over the website to log food and Water as it seems to respond faster. I also log my water intake to make sure I get in my minimum 64 oz. I use Carbdroid (free in the Google store). It is pretty basic but I like that it does not have a bunch of annoying advertisements.

Deciding to have the surgery was a tough decision to make. I just own it. I've told my siblings, friends, boss, co-workers my plans and why I am working so hard to lose weight pre-op. Most of them have been encouraging about it, only a couple of people (including one brother) have tried to talk me out of it. I told the naysayers that it was my decision to make, I researched it before making the decision, and I am sticking to it. This is your life, live it!

My job allows 6 weeks every two years to recover from surgery without using leave accruals. I didn't take advantage of it when I had both of my knee surgeries, now my knees are jacked up. I am going to take the 6 weeks this time; not taking any chances. I also have a desk job but the restroom is way down the hall and the kitchen on another floor. I think I would prefer getting used to the new way of life at home.

I was a premature birth, just over 4 pounds. They tell me I was overweight by the time my mom could take me home. I've been overweight every since. I have no idea what it means to be skinny.

My surgeon found the hernia when he did my endoscopy. He just said he will fix it while he is performing the DS.

My DS is scheduled for Feb 2. I've been on a general weight loss diet since September (put myself on it). The pre-op diet of liquids only is just 24 hours before surgery. Have a bunch of pre-op things to do tomorrow starting at 8am. It rained ice and snow for about two days here and our neighborhood has yet to be cleared. Hope I am able to make the appointments.

Initial appt at end of October 2015 (meeting with surgeon, psychologist, and nutritionist, and lots of blood drawn for testing and EKG). November sent to cardiologist because of a false reading on the EKG, had an ultrasound. Early December had an endoscopy with biopsy and met with another nutritionist because the first one the appt center sent me to cannot clear patient for surgery. Received call in January to schedule surgery date, February 2, 2016. I thought the process was long but reading the other comments about the length of the process, I guess I should stop complaining. Not sure if it is normally this quick with my insurance or if it is because they found a hernia in my stomach that needs to be fixed with surgery so I am getting 2-in-1 (hernia repair and WLS).

I am on a 1300 calorie pre-op diet. I feel full most of the time even with the drastic calorie cut. Here are the tips my Nutritionist gave me: 1. Eat within 1 hour of waking up. 2. Sip 2 oz of Water every 15 minutes (except 30 minutes before, during, and after a meal). Minimum daily goal=64 oz. 3. Eat every 3 hours. Try to get between 80-100g of Protein per day. Best of luck to you.