Creative reuse!

I've been meaning to do something with my old jug of Dymatize ISO-100. So, cat food! Put the new jug next to it, for a before and after. :)

I am also working on crocheting a shawl. I just learned, so I'm totally in the zone. It's very good at distracting me from food, lol.

What I'm Eating, 1 month out

So, here's a snapshot/example of what my meals are currently looking like, as I continue to transition from purees to soft/solid foods.

Morning: protein shake, usually just regular protein powder + water

• Right now I'm using Dymatize ISO-100 whey protein powder, milk chocolate flavor (discontinued?) picked up at my local GNC. I recently reordered from Amazon, and went for the gourmet chocolate, so we'll see how that goes!

Mid-morning or mid-afternoon:   low-fat or part skim mozzarella string cheese

Lunch: 2 oz of lunch meat, lean

• Turkey or roast beef at the moment; ones that would be definitely out: bologna, pepperoni, salami, etc.

Dinner: "interesting" protein smoothie

• This is where I try out some of the recipes I find around the internet - I have a Pinterest board for those recipes, of course. I had to separate it out from my 'old' food board, since I didn't particularly want to wade through all the delicious stuff that I can't have anymore!

Dessert: optional! Sometimes I will have pudding, or an amazing apple cinnamon Greek frozen yogurt that they sell at Giant (store brand!), but that's only if it's around and/or made. Otherwise, by the time I'm done dinner, I probably won't be hungry again the rest of the night.

I am hoping to start more solid foods at dinner time, though. It's just hard at the moment because we have a lot of "Dave food" in the house, and not much "Laura food" other than a ton of smoothie stuff, lol! Sooo, smoothies are where it's at. I made a delicious maple cinnamon pancake smoothie last night...which unfortunately I can't seem to find on the internet. (I'll transcribe it later tonight for you guys!) And there are some really swell ones I've been making; not very many duds.

One of the savory things I have made is protein crepes. I did a manicotti-type filling with fat free ricotta, reduced fat mozzarella, and basil/oregano. It ended up being 26 grams of protein! Sweet. It made a kind of "smallish" crepe, imo, but I don't think it was meant to be filled like I filled it. Either way, it was fantastic. I made one for my boyfriend with spinach, mozzarella, tomatoes and basil (and oregano)... It was kind of ginormous so I had to fold it into a square shape instead. Either way, om. Nom. Nom. Delicious. So I'm very excited to make that again! (BTW, I used unflavored protein powder, though if you wanted to make one on the sweeter side, you could use flavors like vanilla or chocolate. Lots of room for experimentation here!)

Ok, onward and upward! (Or, downward, I guess. :D)

Small dietary drama and recipe reorganization

So, I was pretty eager to try and start on some soft foods. Last night I picked up a steamer bag of asparagus and steamed the hell out of them, so they were pretty mushy. I cut them up small, the "size of my thumbnail", and ate as slow as possible. I filled up so quickly, I couldn't believe it. I probably ended up eating 5 stalks total. They sat fine! I was so glad. Even if I felt much fuller than when I've had anything else.

So, today, for lunch, I went back to the asparagus and did it again. I don't know if I ate too quickly or what, but I've had an unpleasant pressure in my chest/stomach ever since. I took an anti-nausea pill because I was feeling queasy, and it wasn't helping for quite some time, but I'm feeling mostly better now. Not sure where I want to go from here, truthfully. Maybe I should try making cauliflower "mashed potatoes" or something that has a closer to puree consistency. Oh well :\

In trying to find more recipe suggestions for soft foods and the like, I've been turning to a few books, as well as the internet. (Well, mostly the internet, because I prefer to pin my recipes...) I already own Recipes for Life After Weight Loss Surgery by Margaret Furtado and Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery by Patt Levine. From my local library I checked out The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery, also by Margaret Furtado. (I also accidentally took out an earlier version of the first book mentioned...whoops!) Of all of the books, I find the first one to be the most helpful. It's laid out very clearly in what stage you would be at for that recipe.  However, the only book that's mentioned VSG (vertical sleeve gastrectomy) on its own is the Complete Idiot's Guide - and for that I am very grateful. For a surgery that is increasingly common and/or "popular", it should really bear greater mention then just "oh, you kind of follow the same dietary track as the Lap-Band."  Lastly, the book by Levine also has a great strength in that it lists ways to customize any of the recipes for whatever stage you're at. All of these books have their share of strengths and weaknesses and absurdly similar titles (hence my accidentally checking out an earlier edition of a book I already own).

Onto something else...

I have been doing a lot of experimenting lately with different protein shake/smoothie recipes. Some of them have been absolutely fantastic, some of them....mmm not so much. I am on a crusade against bananas at the moment, i.e. don't want them in my smoothies or shakes, since the banana flavor overpowers anything else. I like bananas well enough, although pretty much just raw is fine by me. But...yeah. Anyway! Moving along. Looking for new things that have different components, so I can build on the basic protein powder flavors I have. (Currently I have vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, unflavored, and "banana creme" for Dave, not me obviously.) In any case, there are obviously tons of resources online. Two great resources that I especially liked tonight were a pretty comprehensive list of shake recipes at Dashing Dish, and a quick-n-dirty table of 144 different protein shake recipes at Fit Desk Jockey. The recipes at FDJ aren't specifically for weight loss, though - the ones that are specifically for bulking up say so. But, obviously, you can use your best judgement - "Wait, this has a Snickers bar in it? Uhhh..." (Random example - I don't think any of them actually have that.)

Also, as I mentioned earlier, I prefer the interwebs to books just because I love having recipes on my Pinterest! Today I spent a good while weeding through my recipe board to separate out the healthy vs regular recipes. Granted, some of the ones on mine aren't healthy across the board for everybody - there are some buttery almond bars that have gobs of butter. Low to no carb, but very high in fat - so there are things with both positives and negatives obviously. The board won't be for everyone, though some of the recipes are just general low-calorie or low-fat options as well. In any case, I definitely want to share my pinterest board - http://pinterest.com/raphaelsmuse/om-nom-the-super-healthy-laura-version/ - as a resource as well. Many of the online forums have recipe threads as well - gastricsleeve.com, verticalsleevetalk.com, and thinnertimesforum.com (just found out about the last one!) - so those are also incredibly invaluable resources.

Family updates & Shopping

I've sort of "rounded up" the people that will be visiting me in the hospital. Dave's mom and grandmom will probably be there, as well as his friend Mani and possibly his friend Rick (and possibly his respective wife Masha). I realized that even if it is kind of a "crew," it's not anyone I really wanted. I'm scared, and I want my mom. Yep, basic child-based instincts. But it's true! No one in my nuclear family has gone in for major surgery and stayed 2 days in the hospital. I believe when my mom had her hysterectomy, she might have been in overnight one night, but I don't think it was more than that. (I was pretty young, so I can't remember.) 

So I sent my mom an email, more or less begging her to come down. And then I completely forgot that they had a scheduled vacation...that they were leaving for very early the next day (after my surgery). She suggested I reschedule it or postpone it. It's too late in the game for that, really - I'm just waiting on what time my actual surgery is going to take place. But then she talked to my sister about it, and she is happy to come down! She's coming down Friday (the day after), which is fine - I'm sure I won't be all "heyoooo" the first day, since I'll most likely be sleeping a good amount. I'm really glad she's coming - and she's even voiced some support, which means so, so much to me. I am so happy that I'll have "one of my own" with me. 

*sniffle, wibble*

Ok, onto other news. I ordered a goodly amount of supplies for myself: EZ Sweetz liquid stevia (holy cow, the ratios on that are ABSURD), 5 lbs of almond flour, a pill crusher obliterator, liquid tylenol, Wellesse liquid calcium supplement, and a B12 sublingual (dissolves under the tongue) tablet. In addition, I picked up some additional protein shakes, some Isopure, some Powerade. GEARING UP. Still need a recliner, though - finding one in my ideal price range is very difficult. In addition, I stopped into GNC (yet again) today, and picked up some Lean Shake 25 packets for emergency work protein (lol~), some protein bars (specifically PowerCrunch Protein Energy Bar Original - Wild Berry Creme; QuestBar Natural Protein Bar - Lemon Cream Pie (for Dave); NuGo Slim Brownie Crunch; NuGo Slim Raspberry Truffle; Kind Nuts & Spices - Madagascar Vanilla Almond), protein pudding from MHP (Maximum Human Performance), and a box of Atkins Day Break Oatmeal Cinnamon Baked Square[s]. AAAND I got all that stuff from GNC just now for just over $12 (p.s. there is tax on food in MD). Hooray, savvy shopping to the max! Seriously. I can't really afford all these fancy-to-do protein supplements and bars and whatevs, so I gotta get the cheaps when I can.  I am really excited to try these out and give you guys a report back. I've enjoyed the Quest Bars recently (I believe I had Apple Pie and Chocolate Brownie), so I may review those while I'm at it. But some of these are ones where I've tried the brand before and coming back to explore other flavors. Neat how I do that, huh? ;)

Protein Powder/Drink Reviews

SO! Time for some reviews! It's been awhile, and I've been trying lots of stuff, so hopefully I can remember enough to do a goodly amount of reviewing. Also, I've been busy, so buckle your seatbelts.

Let me start off with my beverage this morning.

Jay Robb Whey Protein - Tropical Dreamsicle
(basic details per serving: 110 cal, 0g fat, 1g carb, 0g dietary fiber, 25g protein)
I picked this up at Vitamin Shoppe (which I pronounce vitamin shop-ee of course) on Monday, and decided to try it this morning. It's very low in calories and thus pretty comparable to the Isopure protein waters. Honestly, I think this is pretty tasty! It kind of has an orange creamsicle plus pineapple. I am still kind of sketchy on fruit-based protein drinks, mainly "clear" ones, ever since my first experience with Nectar (to be reviewed immediately following this one). However, I think I would consider buying more of this and trying more flavors, since it mixed well, tastes good, and is cheaper than Isopure.

Syntrax Nectar - Pink Grapefruit
(basic details: 150 cal, 0g fat, 0g carb, 0g dietary fiber, 36g protein)
This was the first protein powder I tried. And it didn't go so well. I don't know if I didn't mix it properly (it was clumpy), the flavor was not good, and it definitely had that gritty taste. If I were to try this again, I would of course use my newer method for mixing protein powders (put in jug, shake the hell out of it), but probably add it to like pineapple juice or something. Stand alone, I won't be having it again. But a lot of people swear by this brand, so I may not be able to shove them off my plate completely... It might be worth another go-round.





Max Protein from GreatProtein.Com - Vanilla (no image available)
(basic details: 126 cal, 2g fat, 5g carbs, 0g dietary fiber, 22g protein)
I picked this up on a recommendation on the gastricsleeve.com forums. I ordered the three samples - strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla, and when the package arrived, as soon as I opened it the smell of the vanilla was so powerful and delicious I couldn't resist trying it asap. And it really was fantastic!! The flavor is wonderful, it tastes full bodied and mixes incredibly well. There's no grittiness, and it's hard not to gulp that sucker down. I can't wait to try the other two flavors, I loved this one so much!

CytoSport Monster Milk - Chocolate Mint
(basic details (per bottle): 320 cal, 9g fat, 14g carbs, 5g dietary fiber, 45g protein)
So, this was delicious. I was a tad concerned when I picked it up because I love chocolate mint flavor...It's one of my absolute favorites. So I was like, "Nooo, what if it sucks and makes me dislike that flavor?! My FAVORITE FLAVOR?!" Well, thank goodness, it was tasty as all get out. And it kept me full for an incredibly long amount of time Granted, it's big - 20 oz - and most of the protein powders I take in are in 8-10 oz of water. But this was truly delicious, and kind of a treat. (Another goodie from Vitamin Shoppe.) Also, higher calories - but one of these would last me all day when I'm working through the full liquid phase. Dave also tried the banana creme flavor, and LOVED it. He is skeptical of all the protein powders and beverages, but he said he liked it so much he could drink it every day. Sooo, clearly a hit on a few levels.


Nutrology Tripact Protein - Chocolate Milkshake
(basic details: 130g cal, 1.5g fat, 4g carbs, 1g dietary fiber, 25g protein)
So, this is the first one I've actually bought a big jug of. I was skeptical.... I didn't want to commit... But I kinda sorta got the hard sell at GNC when I was there. However, it's great. And I was thinking about returning it if Dave wasn't in on it at all, but he likes it well enough. It dissolves well, doesn't leave a weird coating on my teeth, has low "stats" in all the right places, and I feel like I could drink it every day... The cost in the end is much cheaper than purchasing Special K shakes. So I am being dedicated to drinking this, and dedicated to my jug!

New Whey Liquid Protein - Fruit Punch
(basic details: 180 cal, 0g fat, 2g carbs, ?g dietary fiber, 42g protein)
So, I picked up this tube on a lark - things with this kind of packaging design make me wary as all get out. However, it's kind of like a shot of protein - whether you want to think of a shot like a needle or a drink. However, I think "liquid" is kind of a loose definition - it's more like syrup. Tasty, kind of medicinal, but syrupy to the max. It's good to get down, and I could drink this for one portion in my meals (though who knows exactly if it's clear or full liquid?), to bolster my protein if I'm not getting enough. However, I picked up another bottle (different flavor) to run it by nutritionist to see what she thinks. It might be over-engineered and bad for my system, so I don't want this little guy to be too good to be true.

GNC 'Total Lean' Lean Shake 25 - Rich Chocolate
(basic details: 200 cal, 3g fat, 17g carbs, 8g dietary fiber, 25g protein)
This little guy was tasty too! A GNC proprietary brand, so a bit of an up-sell as usual. It's part of a full program, so that's something I'm not a huge fan of - but so are all the Atkins products, and they're recommended by my nutritionist, as well as South Beach, Weight Watchers, and some others. The thing I like best about this one is that it has high dietary fiber. Since I know constipation is a common problem with those who've undergone a gastric sleeve procedure (and possibly any bariatric surgery, though I couldn't say for sure), having more fiber is better, definitely, definitely. I may pick up some more of these, but I don't think it will be my go-to because of the "above average" carbs and fat (compared to the previous ones).

Recipes from gastricsleeve.com

Puttering around the recipes section, I wanted to copy some of those recipes here. There are a ton that are Mexican food-based, and I am not a fan of that, so looking for things that aren't refried beans or black beans or pinto beans etc is kind of tricky.... So I definitely want to keep track of recipes that catch my eye! These are definitely for all different stages - mostly smoothie/puree and beyond.

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Baked Salmon and Egg Puffs by user Briezy_Bee
Ingredients:
2 small cans salmon
5 eggs
1/2 chopped finely onion
1 tsp pepper
1 tbs soy sauce
Shredded cheese


Directions:
Mix all the ingredients except cheese in a large mixing bowl
Spray cupcake tin with oil
Pour mix into cups (makes 11)
Put cheese on top
Bake for 25 minutes and servce.

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Double Deluxe Chocolate Fudge by user Gal
Mix 1 serving of chocolate whey/soya protein powder according to directions. Add 1 packet of Swiss Miss fat-free hot cocoa mix and 3 icecubes. Blend for 45 seconds and serve.

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Breakfast boost by user Gal
Blend 8 oz of orange juice with half a cup of non-fat yogurt, half a banana and 1 serving of whey/soya protein, 1 tablespoon full of flax seed oil, 4 frozen peach slices and 3 icecubes. Blend on high speed for 45 seconds and serve.
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Protein Brownies by user jemaz - *altered to exclude caffeine*
Ingredients:
3 TBS almond butter (raw unsweetened, can be found at Trader Joe's)
1/4 cup raw oats
2 scoops of chocolate Whey Protein powder
2 TBS chopped almonds (raw)
2 TSP vanilla extract
1/2 cup water
6 packets of Splenda
1 TBS cinnamon
1 TBS Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa mix, sugar free
     optional: 2 small bananas

Directions:
1. Grind almonds in a food processor, or chopped with knife either is fine
2. Grind oats in food processor, or leave whole, it all preference.
3. Add all items together in bowl and mix well.
4. You can microwave in bowl or you can bake in bread pan / cupcake pan.
5. Bake at 15-20 minutes @ 350 w/ bananas 25-35 minutes
     OR microwave for 1.5 - 2 minutes on high, very dependent on microwave.

You will have to play with cooking time to see how you like it. I personally cook some a little longer than others. This way I get some nice moist ones and some harder more crunchy ones, depending on what I'm in the mood for. Some are easier to take on the run as well.

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Link to Chike brand protein smoothie recipes from user accordingtome - http://www.chikenutrition.com/recipes/

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High(er) Protein Jello by user accordingtome
(NOTE: Regular Jello only has 1g protein in 1/2c)


Ingredients:
1 Box Sugar-free Jello
1 cup boiling water
1 cup Isopure/Cytomax fruit-flavored protein drink

Directions:
1. Mix and stir until Jello is dissolves.
2. Add 1 cup of either Isopure or Cytomax fruit-flavored clear protein drink (this is where the added protein comes in)
3. Refrigerate and serve. Each 1/2c serving of Jello now contains MORE flavor and 5 grams of protein! 

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Ok, I think that's all I can take for now - for myself and my wallet. (All these different protein powders come up that I want to try in the meantime, so you know I've added a few to ye olde shopping cart!

Soft Chews Reviews

So let's start off with the major reason for this post:

I really hate swallowing large pills, also known as "horse pills" in my world.

Vitamins and supplements are generally in that form all the time. SO! I pretty much do everything I can to find pills/caplets/tablets/etc that are small, or chewable! Therefore, I have acquired a good deal of experience.

In addition, I went to GNC today to find out some new info on other protein, and they had a goodly amount of soft chew samples! So naturally I took one of each. I don't have a ton of information to review them, other than ranking them in order of flavor, and a little research into their benefits through the website.

 So, the ones I tried were Garden Greens Lychee-Mango Super Fruit Chew, GNC Women's Ultra Mega Soft Chew Multivitamin - Mixed Berry, and GNC WELLbeING be-Beautiful Hair-Skin-Nails. (I can't believe the absurd length of some of these names...) The first one I tried was the Lychee Mango, and it was definitely my favorite. It was a bit gooey and sticking to my fingers, but that annoyance was only very minor. Here's a quick n' dirty description from the website - 


"The Lychee fruit originates in Southern China and the name Lychee is derived from the Chinese word "lee chee" meaning "one who gives the pleasure of life". The mango fruit is a tree native to West Africa. The fiber from mango helps to reduce cholesterol and boost energy. Garden Greens™ Lychee-Mango contains no cholesterol, virtually no fat and low in sodium. Lychee and mango help the body to digest food properly for the best nutrition and an added boost of health to promote weight loss."

Overall, it doesn't seem like it's got oodles of nutritional value, but it might be a nice thing to supplement someone's weight loss. Not for me at the moment, though. And, truly, none of the ones I sampled today would be ones I continue taking, due to their cost and availability.

My middle favorite was the Ultra Mega. The flavor was good - kind of like a perfect fake grape flavor. Its consistency was pretty good, and I enjoyed it. If I was in the market for a new multi-vitamin, this would most definitely be a consideration. Also, it is definitely CHOCK FULL of vitamins, now that I investigate it more, so I think it is actually a strong competitor for my regular multivitamin I take (just regular centrum chewables, orange flavor). Kind of as a nice bonus, it had the least calories of the two (though, generally, they are kind of negligible), and slightly more importantly, had protein! So good on ya for that, GNC W.U.M.S.C.M. (wum scum? that's an awful acronym)

My least favorite was the be-Beautiful. The taste was so-so, but the consistency was not pleasant - kind of gritty. For what I would take this for (the biotin, which is definitely strongly on my radar), the biotin is such a small amount that I'm not impressed at all. Nice try - would definitely sell to people not doing their homework. 








In addition to the ones I tried, I am already taking Viactiv Calcium Supplement Soft Chews (Milk Chocolate) and VitaFusion Fiber Well Gummies for Weight Management (Peach, Strawberry, Berry).  The Viactiv chews smell kind of awful as all get-out in the actual container. But when you unwrap them, they're kind of taste like a little tootsie roll! So it's almost a treat. 

The Fiber Well Gummies are pretty good as well, though definitely not a ton of fiber - 5g is kind of small potatoes. But, what the hey, why not add a supplement in there as well, right? Also, I take them at the same time I take my Centrum Chewable in the morning, which is sour and gritty, so they go down well together. These gummies are definitely very chewy, you'll be working on them for a bit after you pop them in your mouth. They taste good but not awesome. I'm not sure if I'm going to buy them again, but it's not for the flavor reason - it's for it being a kind of minimal amount of fiber for the price.

Soon to come: Isopure Protein Water Reviews, Protein Bar reviews, etc!

Dieting, making changes, and studying

So, I've started up using My Fitness Pal again, and by starting up, I mean I have totally already started falling off the wagon... It's because I tend to want to not admit to myself what I'm eating, or feel guilty/ashamed of what I'm putting in my mouth. But, I should still be 100% honest with myself.... I just am having difficulty with it. :( I am making a concentrated effort to eat better, and I think it's apparent to me and my coworkers, but once I get home... it's like no holds barred. Especially if I've got chocolate there. And if I don't, I'm moaning and whining for it... Sooo much chocolate addiction!!

Speaking of which - caffeine and soda. I have been able to cut back on soda to approximately 1 serving (bottle or glass) a day. Which is pretty great, IMO, considering where I've come from. The soda I've been drinking is 80% caffeine free. However, I am still needing caffeine a goodly amount - I am always so tired, whether from lack of sleep or depression or medications. So tired that I have problems staying awake driving on my commute - which is only half an hour! Both the morning and evening commute. I have tried a lot of things, and am still trying to figure out ways. It's definitely a struggle.

Thankfully I am drinking a ton of tea and water, so that's good. However, I'm not being discerning in my tea necessarily - that is, not check to see if it's decaffeinated or not. I have a lot of tea I've had for some time, so I'm not really investigating it excessively. Also, a lot of labels don't say if they are or aren't! I am a notorious label reader, so this lack of info is something I definitely take notice of.

And then on to studying. I have been thoroughly reading the information that was given to me at the nutritional information appointments I've had, highlighting, making copies to put in prominent places, etc. There are so many important pages that it's hard to keep track! But I am definitely paying very strong attention, and focusing in on that protein. I've been puttering around trying to find samples (whey protein isolate), but it's not cheap... And neither are the supplements themselves. So I definitely want to try samples! When I can find them, they are usually $3-ish apiece. Which is a tad frustrating, since I don't have that kind of money to try a bunch of samples of things I might not like! I will probably need someone to gift me protein supplements in the end anyway. :( Oh, this is so not cheap. Maybe eventually, but sure as hell not for the first year or more.