angryspice

I use genepro in sugar free pudding for a high protein treat. I love it. I haven't found many other uses for it though.

started blazing at 4 months post-op. seems to be going ok. I don't think it's a big deal, but I am wondering if I should mention it to my medical team in my next post-op appointment. oh and just gotta watch the munchies as always

I am also looking for some indoor cardio because I hike and walk hills and am worried about what cardio I am going to do when it gets snowy or too cold outside. The plan was to take up kickboxing, but I don't want to go to a gym at this point or wear a mask while I am working out. So I recently discovered old school Taebo workouts on YouTube which should give me my cardio/kickboxing fix this season. there are plenty of cardio vids on YouTube, but I admit that it does take some sorting through to find something that you like. I like Madfit because she has some great HIIT, low impact (no jumping), cardio vids I am going to try. I also like the Popsugar and Xhit (for strength mostly) channels. T25 was recommended to me and may be available on YouTube. I also purchased a jump rope which is excellent cardio. running stairs, especially as part of an hiit circuit, is great if u have an indoor flight of stairs. dancing to your favorite music is another option. get creative. you can def get in a good cardio workout at home.

I thought getting a food scale was a little fanatical, but I recently broke down and got one and use it ALL THE TIME. I always weigh meat portions at home. sometimes I go little crazy and weigh the bones after when I eat bone-in meat so I know exactly how many ounces of meat I consumed. I have also used it to weight pasta (once), nuts, block cheeses, granola, and basically anything that has the weight specified on the nutrition label to ensure I don't overestimate portions. the only things I don't care enough to measure are veggies since the more the better really. I also use measuring cups and spoons a lot, especially for liquids, but found them to be inaccurate for things like cashews or whatever (for example, a 1/4 cup of cashews is usually more than 1oz which is the proper serving size), which was another reason to get the food scale. I highly recommend getting a food scale if you don't already have one. it has definitely helped me track protein and calories more accurately.

it took me about 1.5 months before I had the energy to really start working out and another half of a month to get back to it. I walked here and there in the first couple months, but my energy levels were way low and it was exceptionally hot out and it really wore me out. it's tough to get the energy when you aren't really eating much in those first few weeks. Now I am a little over 3 months post-op and I work out everyday for about an hour and make it a priority. I do 3 days of 30-minute full-body strength routines and aim for 250-300 minutes of cardio a week, usually hiking (2 hours a week but I am trying to do more) and walking (usually 2.5-3+ miles at a time with hills). I also add in random 10-min barre/toning workouts a few days a week when I have the time.

not nonsense for people that are sensitive to carbs or have trouble metabolizing them (i.e. diabetics and the like), especially bad ones (bagels, sweets, white bread, etc...). but I agree with another poster that it does affect satiety levels which is probably leading me to eat more calories. although my calories are still pretty low at this point and I exercise like madd now.

early on, carbs made me tired, but now I can eat small amounts of basically anything. carbs don't fill me up and satisfy me for long periods of time the way protein (mainly meat) does, but I can eat them if I want. they also aren't as good as I remembered and usually not worth it. carbs slow down weight loss and keep me in grazing mode.

I also don't like room temp/warm protein drinks. it usually takes me about an hour to drink an 11-12oz shake. a hydro flask or yeti or basically any insulted tumbler will keep it cool for at least an hour. I have multiple ones now because I use them so often. a lot of times i put my shake in the freezer for 10-15 min before I pour it in my tumbler.

I was finally able to find fairlife core power shakes at my grocery store (bottom shelf - they were hiding from me). I have tried chocolate which tastes just like regular chocolate milk, strawberry which tastes just like strawberry milk (but not as fruity as I would have liked. still the best strawberry shake out there though), and vanilla which tastes like melted vanilla ice cream and might be my new favorite shake. they are all awesome. I now see what all the hype is about. if you can find them, get them!

I have tried all kinds of bread (bagels, pizza, sub roll, etc...) and even rice at this point and have not had any issues other than not being able to eat much in one sitting (like a quarter of a bagel for example). I am definitely trying to limit carb consumption going forward because it does seem that my weight loss is slower despite the fact that I work out 6-7 days/week now. also, the carbs have been somewhat of a gateway to other junk in my diet (like chocolate and sweets). so I am currently trying to clean up my act. but to answer your question, pita should be just fine especially since you are so far out.

I'm not a vet, so I still do a protein shake or protein powder (usually genepro in pudding) on most days of the week, but there are definitely days I go without a supplement. on those days, I am typically eating some combination of the following foods: 3-4oz of meat or fish (~20-28 grams), greek yogurt (15g), a cup of beans (~15g+/-), Yasso frozen greek yogurt bars (5-6g each) various cheeses (~5-7g per serving), cashews (~5g per ~1/4 cup), eggs (6g each) oats (~2-3g per 1/4 cup). chia seeds (~2-3g per tbs), ground flaxseed (~1-2g per tbs), some veggies (peas in particular) and even bread and other carbs have small amounts of protein, and It all adds up at the end of the day. I always get 60+ grams per day, but usually more. I don't eat a lot of meat and try my best to limit all deli/processed meats, but I do find that is the easiest, most efficient way to get the protein in without a supplement.

many people on these boards seem to love fairlife. I have had a hard time finding it but definitely want to give it a try.

ditto on premier cafe latte. it's my fave. I can drink it everyday. I have the powder too, but it's not as good as the shake. sometimes I mix one scoop with cold coffee, milk, maybe chia seeds, and ice in my vitamix to make a frappuccino type drink. I am currently trying to get my hands on the pumpkin spice. the premier oat protein shake apple cinnamon flavor is good for a change of pace and has a lot of much needed fiber (7g). I honestly don't love the ingredient list for premier shakes and powders, but I have tried many brands and I find premier to be the best tasting even if it's not the "cleanest."

it took me a little over a week to finally meet the liquid and protein goals, and I had to work very hard to get there. it took me about two weeks before I was doing it consistently. but again, with a lot of hard work. I still have a hard time meeting the water goals everyday if I don't start early enough in the day, but it gets easier as time goes by. protein is much easier now since I am starting to eat meat.

commenting on someone's weight gain/loss is plain rude imho. although, I have noticed that there are many people who are more easily able to spot a 5-10lb weight gain than a 50lb weight loss. go figure. saying "you look great" or something along those Iines is fine and about as much of a compliment as I would give anyone regarding their weight, but when I am on the receiving end, the cynic in me wonders how much of a beast you thought I looked like before. that said, I have noticed that for me at my highest weight, it does take about 50 lbs to get any comment at all. The heavier you are, the more subtle a 50+ lb weight loss is. I have learned to celebrate my own victories instead of relying on others to encourage me. congrats to everyone! you all must look great! lol. but seriously, the compliments and encouragement I get from people on these boards is more meaningful than most of the reactions I have gotten from people in my day-to-day life thus far. it's a mixed bag of genuine happiness, surprise, scrutiny, jealousy, etc....

oikos triple 0 baybel polly-o string cheese cashews sugar free pudding mix Trader Joe's salmon patties (Costco makes good salmon burgers, but I am not a member) riced cauliflower canned tuna Yasso bars (these are a treat plus they have 6g of protein) I am still trying new foods, but these have been regulars on my grocery list post-op. I also have all kinds of dry beans and seem to be tolerating them well. I just started eating chicken and want to start buying tenderloins or possibly drums since they seem to be perfectly portioned.

congrats! you must feel awesome. I hope you reward yourself (with something non-food related of course). I am stuck at a stubborn 200. hoping to get to onederland very soon.

I Take the barbaric advanced ea multi. I don’t like them plus they are expensive, but they have everything that my doctor and nutritionist want me to take in the right doses and forms. Flinstones complete has a surprisingly similar nutritional profile (but smaller yet seemingly sufficient doses of most things) for a fraction of the price plus it’s widely available. but I would need to take a b12 and possibly iron supplement on top of this. I may switch to the flinstones after a few months. I’m following the doctors orders for now and choking down the bariatric advantage. It doesn’t make me sick and is a convenient all in one. My doc recommended crushing them and putting it in a protein shake...I didn’t like this option...

I like benefiber too. it is flavorless in water. however, I have found that this is not enough and I still have issues.... I like to add ~1tbs chia seeds to my diet somehow, either in yogurt or blended in a protein shake. the combo of chia and benefiber is great and keeps me regular. I am admittedly not disciplined about getting in the chia even though I used to have double+ the dose pre-op pretty regularly. as everyone knows, it's tough adjusting post-op with all the meds, vitamins, protein, etc... but this thread is a reminder that I should really try harder with getting the chia in again....

I take bariatric advantage advanced ea chewable multis. they are quite expensive and taste bleh but I have no problem getting them down and they have everything including iron (my doc specifically required ferrous fumerate form which I have had a hard time finding even in vitamin stores or online) and a hefty dose (1,000mcg) of b12. many other brands do not include iron and b12 in these doses/forms. pre-op I was taking a cvs brand multivitamin/mineral which is one of the only multis I found that had iron (ferrous fumerate) and b12 although it was a smaller dose but seemed to be enough. but what do I know? I'm no doctor and my doctor and nutritionist both said that certain vitamins/minerals are not absorbed properly or efficiently after surgery hence the specificity of the form/dose. the cvs brand are horse pills and I am not sure if can switch over to them this early post-op and I also can't find the specific one I was taking pre-op. my doctor did say that at some point down the road (I think 6+ months), I would be able to switch to pills versus chewy/chewables. ironically, I also found that the flinstones complete (without iron although it still has iron in it) had similar nutritional profile as the bariatric advantage, although smaller doses of some vitamins/minerals like iron and b12, and I am trying to consolidate and take as few vitamins as possible. but I keep the flinstones on hand in case I run out of the bariatric advantage in between orders and have considered them for long-term. I am also curious as to how this would affect bloodwork, particularly for iron and b12. right now, I am just trying to follow the doctors orders and take all the vitamins and minerals in the required forms and doses. I also take the calcium/d3 chewy bites from bariatric advantage and love them. I may take those for life unless I find another brand that is as good. however, they are also somewhat expensive. they make the multi in chewy bites which are great, kind of like a starburst, but the chewy ones don't have iron. I believe pre-menopausal women and probably anyone with a deficiency should be taking an iron supplement. anyway, I won't have labs done for another couple months. so I can't say how it affects bloodwork, but I am curious myself and can keep you posted.

I am probably in the minority because it seems like many people on these boards bounce back almost immediately. but for me it took about 2 weeks before the stomach soreness got better...at that point I could still feel the stomach but it didn't hurt if that makes sense...it took about 3 week before I resumed my yoga routine. when I did certain poses, I could feel it a little. now at a little over a month out I don't feel anything. I took all my meds as directed.

tuna 8 days post-op sounds very early tbh, but check with your team. I waited about 2.5 weeks before I tried a salmon burger. it went down fine, but I had to go very slowly or else I had some chest pain. I was able to eat the whole patty over the course of 20-30 min but it was definitely heavy in my stomach. I tried canned tuna about 3 weeks in. again, it was tolerable. this early out I personally would stay away from tuna. you will probably not be able to eat much or even any of it anyway. the most solid food I was eating 8 days out was pudding, greek yogurt, or 4-5 spoons of cream of wheat....hadn't even moved on to cheese at that point. I know everyone is different, but it takes like 1-2 months for those staples to heal so advancing your diet too quickly can be dangerous. you will get through this! the first 2 weeks are the hardest. stay strong!

my doctor said I would be fine at 160 (which is still overweight). fine enough to avoid all the health complications I was worried about prior to surgery at least. based on the nutritionist plan, it seems that she was tailoring my eating plan to around 140-145, which is the upper end of a healthy bmi range. I think I would look perfectly fine at 150, but I would love to be 125-130. however, I am questioning whether that is a sustainable weight for me and sustainability is important to me. my personal goal is 140 because I desperately want to be "normal" bmi as silly as that sounds. I realize that bmi is not the sole indicator of health.

I love to hike and was doing short hikes 3-4 days/week prior to surgery. i am still trying to get my energy levels up from surgery. I'm about a month out and still can't handle walking hills so I am worried about doing even a short hike. I used to eat a bowl of oatmeal or a substantial breakfast with carbs before my hike, but when I tried oatmeal post-op, I didn't tolerate it well. it made me very tired. I usually hike in the morning and now that I start my day with a protein shake or yogurt, I am worried that I won't have enough fuel in me to get up the mountain. I think packing a lot of healthy snacks and maybe a protein water would help. it's just annoying to have to stop to eat in the middle of a hike. maybe by next year you will be able to eat enough to get properly fueled and won't have to stop as much.

I like to add 1 scoop of genepro to sugar-free pudding mix and whisk together. then add 2 cups of skim milk. I start with about half a cup and whisk well so that i don't get lumps and then add the rest of the milk in two parts and continue whisking for a couple minutes. you really can't taste the protein at all and the pudding does end up being more filling. however, this is certainly a slider food for me so I am trying to cut back on it. it is very easy and delicious, and it helps me meet my protein goal without consuming yet another protein shake.