Need Help

[SueS]

Hi My name is Sue, and just joined today. I am 5 weeks post op and I am having trouble with the protein and have every since I started. When I open the container the smell makes me sick. I have mixed it in stuff but does not help. When I try to do the protein it comes back up. I eat a lot of cottage cheese and protein bars to get it in but I know I am not getting enough in. I have used bottled protein and protein water ( which the water I can't afford at $5.86 a bottle) I also would like to know how many calories you should get in in a day. In class we were not told how many to get in in a day, the leader said she could not say how many we should get in. One person said she was only getting in around 300 and another said 500 and they were told that was not enough. Was also told that if that was all the calories they were getting in they would stop loosing weight. I have now stopped loosing weight because I do not get that much in in a day. Any help with this will be so thankful.
Sue

 

[dancinbr]

Hi My name is Sue, and just joined today. I am 5 weeks post op and I am having trouble with the protein and have every since I started. When I open the container the smell makes me sick. I have mixed it in stuff but does not help. When I try to do the protein it comes back up. I eat a lot of cottage cheese and protein bars to get it in but I know I am not getting enough in. I have used bottled protein and protein water ( which the water I can't afford at $5.86 a bottle) I also would like to know how many calories you should get in in a day. In class we were not told how many to get in in a day, the leader said she could not say how many we should get in. One person said she was only getting in around 300 and another said 500 and they were told that was not enough. Was also told that if that was all the calories they were getting in they would stop loosing weight. I have now stopped loosing weight because I do not get that much in in a day. Any help with this will be so thankful.
Sue

Welcome Sue.

I don't know what protein shakes you have tried.

There are many out there.

IT IS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL THAT YOU GET YOUR 60 GRAMS OF PROTEIN IN EACH DAY AS WELL AS YOUR FLUIDS.

Otherwise, you will have a lot of difficulty. I am so sorry that whatever it is that you are using makes you sick. Also, throwing up is not good either.

You really need to get back to your surgeon and his support team with these issues and figure out how to get past these issues.

I don't know about protein water at $5.86 a bottle. However, I use Isopure (grape flavored) for about 1.75 per 12 ounce bottle to help get my protein in. I order this by the case from Amazon.

I also use Premier Protein Shake (vanilla flavored) and it is roughly in the same price ballpark area as the Isopure. It also comes in chocolate. I buy this by the case at Costco.

In the early go you don't worry about calories. You work on getting your required protein intake and fluid intake. In reality most of us after a few weeks find ourselves getting about 800 to 1000 calories intake as time progresses. In fact, my surgeon and support staff wants me always to stay below 1200 calories a day. I finally get up to this amount and I am 2 months post op. Early like week 1 to week 4 I was probably around 800 calories per day. AGAIN CALORIES ARE NOT IMPORTANT IN THE EARLY STAGES OF OUR RECOVERY.

Again, work with your surgeon and his support team.

Ralph

 

[SueS]

Thank You

Ralph,
Thank you for the information. I went to Amazon and could only find one place that had the grape Isopure in 20 oz bottles and it was $42.99 a 12 pack plus $5.99 shipping. What place do you buy from on Amazon that you can get it for $1.75 a bottle? Thanks again for any help you can give me.
Sue

 

[dancinbr]

Ralph,
Thank you for the information. I went to Amazon and could only find one place that had the grape Isopure in 20 oz bottles and it was $42.99 a 12 pack plus $5.99 shipping. What place do you buy from on Amazon that you can get it for $1.75 a bottle? Thanks again for any help you can give me.
Sue

I go into Amazon and enter Isopure.

I come to this product

http://www.amazon.com/Isopure-Prote...=UTF8&qid=1389798042&sr=8-15&keywords=isopure

The price is 43.67 for a pack of 4 each pack has 6 bottles in it.

Take 42.67 and divide it by 24 and you get a price per bottle of 1.82. I was off a little with the 1.75.

Ralph

 

[Karenina]

Welcome to the forum! I'm sorry you are having trouble with your protein, but like Ralph said, it is absolutely essential to get it in, and after 5 weeks you should be healed enough from surgery to tolerate more. You didn't say what surgery you had or what eating phase you are in. If you are eating solid foods you can get a lot of protein from chicken breasts, tuna, greek yogurt, etc. You won't get 60 grams a day in just by eating however. You have to supplement.
I use the unflavored Unjury to mix in sugar free jello, broth, sugar free puddings, and smoothies. The only thing you have to watch out for is adding the Protein powders to liquids above 140 degrees. It will clump badly. So for jello I boil the water and add the jello mixture. Then I let it cool for 5 or 10 minutes before adding the Unjury. Once it's mixed you can put it back in the microwave and heat it up (for broths and hot chocolate). You can mix in some greek yogurt to jello also.
Its true that you shouldn't worry too much about calories right now, but if you get in less than 800/per day (for a female) your body will go into starvation mode and hang on to all those fat cells. I don't feel good if I get less than 800 calories a day in. (I'm counting calories since I'm over 3 months post-op).
Also, what kind of protein bars are you eating? if they are from a grocery store they probably have too many carbs and too little protein. Protein bars from a bariatric store would be more balanced. Again, the expense, but look at how much money you're saving on food!

 

[SueS]

Ralph,
Thanks, you have been a great help. I have placed my order and should be here by the 20th of this month.
Thanks again.
Sue

 

[SueS]

Thank you Karenina for the welcome and information. I had the by-pass done 12/9/13. I have ate chili from Wendy's which they said was a good source of protein also. I have also had tuna fish and it is fine but have tried tilapia twice and it did not set well either time. The protein bars I bought are ones that a friend of mine ate when she had the by-pass done. They are EAS AdvantEDGE with 17 G High Quality Protein and 4 G Carbs and 240 Calories. She said that was what she was told to buy. I just started the bar as I was not able to get the protein powder to stay down. I feel fine as long as I set but when I get up and start moving around I just drag. Went to Wal-Mart today and thought I would never get through the store. I feel like I did when I was very low on potassium one time. Again thank you for the help.
Sue

 

[SueS]

Thank you for your help. My surgery was 12/9/13 and I started at 394. and now down to 360 but I have been there for a week. One of my problems is I have to force my self to eat, I am not hungry at all. Before surgery I would drink water all day long and now I have to force myself to drink water and sometimes it makes me sick at my stomach. I do better if I suck on ice chips all day. I will not give up, but I have got to feel better soon, it just takes all I got to get up and move.
Thanks again
Sue

 

[Cheyenne]

Thank you for your help. My surgery was 12/9/13 and I started at 394. and now down to 360 but I have been there for a week. One of my problems is I have to force my self to eat, I am not hungry at all. Before surgery I would drink water all day long and now I have to force myself to drink water and sometimes it makes me sick at my stomach. I do better if I suck on ice chips all day. I will not give up, but I have got to feel better soon, it just takes all I got to get up and move.
Thanks again
Sue

Hi Sue, WELCOME to the forum!!! You have done SUPER losing 34 lb in a month post op! It's normal that your body hits a plateau every few weeks. This happens to most everyone. However many calories you take in, be it 500, 800 or 1200, your body will lose and then plateau and then lose again. I have been at a standstill for the last 2 weeks. This morning I have dropped my weight by a few pounds. The body won't lose at a constant rate. As far as protein, can you eat eggs? Scrambled, hard boiled, soft boiled or an omelette with cheese. Chicken, lean pork or beef cooked in a pressure cooker or cooked long and slow and tender has worked well for me. Freeze small amounts in baggies and thaw as you use it. Being tired a month after surgery is a very normal thing. Get enough rest! Your body is still healing and adjusting. Drinking enough was a problem for me too. Just sip, sip, sip. Good Luck!

Cheyenne

 

[dancinbr]

Thank you for your help. My surgery was 12/9/13 and I started at 394. and now down to 360 but I have been there for a week. One of my problems is I have to force my self to eat, I am not hungry at all. Before surgery I would drink water all day long and now I have to force myself to drink water and sometimes it makes me sick at my stomach. I do better if I suck on ice chips all day. I will not give up, but I have got to feel better soon, it just takes all I got to get up and move.
Thanks again
Sue

I followed a good advice point in the early go for me.

I bought a camelback sippy bottle. I fill it with water. It is always nearby. So whenever I take a sip. You cannot take too much all at once; you know that. So I spread it out over the day. it is about 4 full glasses of water when completed. This plus my milk and juices keeps me hydrated now. But again, sipping slowly is so important to stay comfortable and let the gas out. Burp when you can; just like a baby.

 

[fkrebs]

Sue, the best way to feel better is to get in your water and protein, these are critical during the early days as they promote healing and weight loss. As for hitting the stall, are you measuring yourself? Start measuring yourself every time you step on the scales, if you're exercising more, chances are the body is building muscle mass. Muscle, by volume, weighs more than fat, so you could be losing inches, but the weight is the same. This journey is about becoming healthy and losing inches is as important as losing fat. Relax when you hit the stalls, and you will hit more along the way, it's your body adjusting and catching up to your weight loss. You're doing great.

Frank

 

[Gr8k8]

Sue I have the same problem. I just can't stand the smell of the protein shakes, powders,etc. I would drink it as if it were medicine just to get the protein count each day and as soon as I could I ate my protein in the form of soft foods. But that can be difficult too.

Then Ralph recommended the Isopure and thankfully I can drink that easy. It doesn't have that smell (p. U.) and the Grape flavor is like grape KoolAid so it is good. I tried the Green Apple/Melon, but it is a little strong and the Passion Fruit is yucky, but there are many more favors to choose from. I got a 22oz bottle from The Vitamin Shoppe for about $3.50 and it has a whopping 40 grams of protein. I just spread out the 22oz drink throughout the day and then I only have 20 grams of protein to get with low fat cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, tuna, chicken, soft boiled eggs, etc. then my next struggle is the additional 40 oz of fluids I need for the day. I'm six weeks out and although it is getting easier, it is still a challenge.

Anyway, I recommend you try a bottle of Isopure Grape and see if that helps. Good luck and don't give up, you'll figure it out and we'll help you too.

 

[lsales4363]

I go into Amazon and enter Isopure.

I come to this product

http://www.amazon.com/Isopure-Prote...=UTF8&qid=1389798042&sr=8-15&keywords=isopure

The price is 43.67 for a pack of 4 each pack has 6 bottles in it.

Take 42.67 and divide it by 24 and you get a price per bottle of 1.82. I was off a little with the 1.75.

Ralph

I went on line to see if there was someplace to buy it in a smaller quantity. The company web site says you can buy at RiteAid, GNC, Winn Dixie to name a few. When I had to buy the protein shakes, I bought a small 4-pack at the local grocery store (Vons/Safeway) before buying at Cocsto. At least I knew I liked it before buying bulk. Lower cost per item doesn't help if you end up with a lot of stuff you don't or won't eat. But thanks for the suggestion for the Isopure drinks.

 

[dancinbr]

I agree, buy small before you go for bulk

I went on line to see if there was someplace to buy it in a smaller quantity. The company web site says you can buy at RiteAid, GNC, Winn Dixie to name a few. When I had to buy the protein shakes, I bought a small 4-pack at the local grocery store (Vons/Safeway) before buying at Cocsto. At least I knew I liked it before buying bulk. Lower cost per item doesn't help if you end up with a lot of stuff you don't or won't eat. But thanks for the suggestion for the Isopure drinks.

I did exactly that as well. What I had going for me is an excellent bariatric support group led by our nutritionist at least twice a month. Quite often, she would bring in samples of many products and we all got a chance to try before we buy.

This is how I was introduced to Isopure grape flavor.

The Premier Vanilla Protein shake, I took a chance. I have always like vanilla and I know I could always "add to it if required" to make it more tasty. But I liked it.

Ralph

 

[Karenina]

How about adding your favorite Crystal light flavor to a vanilla shake and see if that improves the taste?

 

[SueS]

isopure

Ralph
I received my shipment of Isopure grape yesterday. Thank you so much for telling me about it. I love the flavor of it and will be ordering more. First time I have got all my protein in since I started. I even got more protein in yesterday than they said. I didn't realize that lean pork loin had so much protein in such a small portion. I only used two Isopure bottles of grape for the day. Thanks again.

 

[SueS]

Got my grape Isopure yesterday and it so good. I will be ordering more, it is going to be my protein life saver. Thanks for the encouragement, I will not give up.

 

[SueS]

Thanks, I got the grape Isopure and I do like it, it is going to be my protein life saver.

 

[SueS]

Thanks Frank,
I have the Isopure water now and I do like it so I know I will get the protein in that I need every day now. Maybe the weight will start back up that I will be getting the right amount of protein in every day. I will also get that tape measure out and start checking inches.
Thanks again
Sue

 

[dancinbr]

Thanks Frank,
I have the Isopure water now and I do like it so I know I will get the protein in that I need every day now. Maybe the weight will start back up that I will be getting the right amount of protein in every day. I will also get that tape measure out and start checking inches.
Thanks again
Sue

Sue,

Glad we all could be of help to you.

That is what this forum is all about.

I have two cases of Isopure in my home on standby. Amazon is great for shipping quickly too. I am a Amazon Premier member since I have a kindle. I get all kinds of instant videos free as a premier member and also my shipping is usually free; depending on the provider.

Ralph