WHERE I AM

My surgery was on 2/16; and I have lost 37 lbs. Started at 242 and am now at 205. I have stopped losing this week; so I am looking for suggestions. I have to admit that I am not getting in as much excersize as I should; but I am doing good with water intake, and trying to get as much protein in as possible. The protein drinks gross me out, and every one I have tried makes me nauseated. I need suggestions for that as well!! I like fruity flavors, but am having a hard time finding anything where I live (suburb of Tulsa OK). I am pretty happy with my loss so far, but, like everyone else, I would LOVE to lose FASTER!!! suggestions are welcome; and so are emails. I check that alot more frequently than I do the msg boards

Sherri, Hello my February 16 SISTER!!!. I have learned from the wonderful people on this site, that we all lose at different rates. Also, us heavyweights tend to lose quicker. You are not a heavyweight. I have 95 pounds to go until I see 205, so this should make you feel great. You are so close to being under 200. Congratulations on your loss so far. I am very sick of protein foods, YUCK. You may have just hit a plateau. Put the scale away for a few days, it will move. Your body may also be holding on because it feels it's being starved.

you are doing great. just really work on the exercise. Once I started walking everyday, it is coming off even faster! The above post is very correct in that since I was soo heavy the weight is faster but you are doing awesome. keep up the good work. OPEN RNY 2/11/04 456/364/233

Sherri, I too like the fruity drinks rather than the milky ones. Have you tried Isopure. I get mine from the local GNC store, but I am sure that they can be ordered over the internet. My absolute favorite is the grape. They come in 20 ounce glass bottles with 40 grams of protein and the flavor is very light and on the tangy side (not too sweet). Now I have heard that the body will only absorb about 20 grams of protein at a time, so I usually drank half of it at a time and counted the whole bottle as two meals. I have also tried orange, fruit punch, sour apple, and they go down pretty good. When I was on the liquid part of the diet, these drinks saved me. I got sick everytime I tried to drink a milky drink. Something else that I found was "Bob's Redmill Soy Protein", they have a whole line of healthy flours and such. This protein is unflavored and I put it in all of my soups and hot foods. It has 5 grams protein for every tablespoon. Another suggestion that I recently heard about protein is to get some vanilla flavored and add it to your decaf coffee as a flavored creamer. That way you are getting an extra couple grams of protein in your coffee (plus I prefer the vanilla flavored coffee anyways). Just be careful that your coffee is not too hot when you add the powder as it may clump up. My dietician told me that 80 grams of protein is my daily requirement and since I really do not like the taste of most of what is available out there, I had to get really creative. Believe me, I have very fine hair and I am the last one that wants me to loose it, so everyday, I strive to get between 80 and 90 grams. You will find something soon, good luck and don't give up. Dorothy 325/271/165 5'8"

2/16 must have been a busy day for GB doctors, I also had mine that day. I was 252 and I've only lost 31 lbs and I had actually gained about 5 lbs back the past two weeks (and I have not had my period since 2/1). Fortunately I am losing again and have lost the 5 lbs this week alone. Very discouraging though giving up sweets completely and not losing more. I had the pleasure of spending time with my GB counselor and I watched her eat and asked her questions, she has seen 600+ people come through and even if you lose slow you still lose, it just might take some of us longer than others.

I order protein shake samples from wlssupplies. I don't much care for the fruity ones, I prefer the creamy ones, but they have both. I liked the ability to order the samples and try it first, because then I can go back to their site and order the ones I like in the normal big sizes. Of the fruity ones, so far, the only one I've been able to drink and not gag on is the fuzzy navel by Syntrax - tastes sort of like orange/peach juice.

Hey Sherri, I can relate to the protein shakes. Anything creamy makes me ill. I order my supplies from VITALADY.COM. It's a cool website run by a husband and wife team who both had the RNY done. They sell fruity as well as creamy protein shake samples. Most of the time they even give you a discription of the taste as well as mixing suggestions. My two favorite flavors are sour apple and grape. Since I've switched, I've had no problems drinking my protein. BTW, don't worry about your wieght loss rate. Your body is loosing as much as it can handle; which is much more than you probably could have without the surgery. Enjoy the journey. Best wishes, Darrin