? about the hungries.....

Well, natural sugars or not, they may be okay for having them if you don't dump, but my body doesn't discern natural and refined sugars when it hits the ol' colon! I dumped on saltines....it's just the carbs in general. As for the 4 oz pouch, I have come to discover that it's based on surgeon preference. Many in the US are more agressive with the smaller pouches. Odd thing though is that the pouches are all supposedly going to end up the same size after a year or so - 1 to 1.5 cups of food worth. Isn't that odd? I was a bit alarmed at first but once I understood it, I'm much more comfortable with it. I actually feel it's better for me so my mouth isn't still wanting to snack when my tummy is full. I have seen great success with the folks on my surgeon's forum, so I know it's still quite effective - just might be slightly slower of a loss though. Dina

Well Dina, As many surgeons are out there so are the post-op insturctions - amazing. My plan consists of 5 small meals/day. 3 meals are made up of 70% protein and 30% fruit or vegie. The other 2 are protein only (ie - string cheese or a snack called Glenny's (high protein rice cakes made from soy) or cottage cheese - whatever). the total amount of each meal should be 2 ounces. (I've been full after that anyway). Inbetween all of that (with 30 minute no intake barriers before and after meals) I get to sip sip sip sip sip. I've been going back and forth between crystal light and diet snapple - not the teas though due to the caffiene. With this I'm supposed to get in 60 grams of protein. After the first week of 2 protein shakes a day, I just can't stand them anymore. So I'm using SF Carnation Instant Breakfast made w/skim milk (12 grrams) and supplementing it and my snapples with BeneProtein (6 grams of protein / scoop). That easily gets me up to 60 and sometimes over. mgm

Ah-HA! Another Beneprotein user! I SWEAR by that stuff... For some reason, the Carnation Instant Breakfast doesn't set off any swollen tongues or numb mouth on me, even with the aspartame in it (my nutritionist said there's just a TRACE of aspartame in it, so it's minimal enough to "get past" my allergy...and am I thankful!). So my breakfast since coming home is one packet CIB, 8 oz skim milk, one scoop of Beneprotein AAAAAAAAND one scoop of my protein "shake", MetRx Protein Plus Vanilla Buttercream flavor. Shake that bad boy up, and it gives me a whopping 31 (yes, that's THIRTY ONE) grams of protein, all in one glass. I'm sticking to it. That's HALF of my protein for the day! Kimmer Queen of the Niners, Instigator to All Marchers, High Priestess of Giggles

Hey Kimmer - I'm a Beneprotein user - thanks to you! When I read some of your pre-op posts talking about it I ordered some to try. I only ordered one can to try, and now plan on ordering the larger order and leaving a can at my desk at work! Thanks for the tip!!! mgm

Oh, the pleasure is mine! Glad ya did what I did: tried it. Makes life so easy, doesn't it? It's just nice not having to worry and calculate how much protein I'm lacking for the day. It's just too easy with Beneprotein. I've only missed my minimum ONE day, and that was 'cuz I slept off and on all day...even missed my water that day - it was just an off day. Kimmer Queen of the Niners, Instigator to All Marchers, High Priestess of Giggles

That's incredible. I just have a hard time stomaching all that protein at once. I need to though. I should look for that stuff and see if it sets well with me. Dina

Dina... You can only get it thru Walgreen's Pharmacy online: walgreens.com. It's called "Resouce Beneprotein" (the maker is Resource). It's Whey Isolate and is perfect for our needs post-WLS. My dietician made me PROMISE to try it, said she'd buy the canister back from me if I didn't like it: money-back guarantee? Yup...so I tried it and found it to INDEED be tasteless/odorless and easy to use. It'll be a standard 'stock item' for me from here on in. Kimmer Queen of the Niners, Instigator to All Marchers, High Priestess of Giggles

I found a rice cake (mini-cakes, actually) the last time I was in Canada that was made of soy and had a high protein count to 'em. (I go shopping in Canada at least once a month...God Save The Queen!! Just LOVE that exchange rate!). They were made by Quaker and looked JUST like regular rice cakes, which I've snacked on for years. But they had a real unusual taste to them and were much better than the regular rice cakes. Thanx for reminding me...probably will go next week and now have 'em written on my shopping list for when I get to graduate to the "crunchy" stage of this diet (having been through the "see through", and "runny stuff" stages so far, and am currently in the "slop" stage, otherwise known as blenderized/pureed ). Kimmer Queen of the Niners, Instigator to All Marchers, High Priestess of Giggles

I'm still on liquids (stage 3) so I'm not much of a help. Right now I have to have 3 CIB's a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and can have one snack (yogurt, sf pudding or tomato soup) and I'm supposed to get in 64 oz of fluid a day which has been impossible for me. Anyway, when I go on to the soft/pureed foods (stage 4) I will not be allowed any snacks. I have to drinks lots of fluids between meals. I guess that is supposed to keep me full. Also when I'm on the soft/pureed foods I am not allowed to have anything but protein. No starch, no veggies, and no fruits. Finally when I get to stage 5 around May 7th I will be able to have "normal" foods again. Just less of course. Kelley

Hey, toots... My 1st two weeks were fluids, 1st week was "clear", 2nd week was "full fluids" (or as I termed it, "runny stuff"). 2nd week was when I had to start with 3 'meals' per day...oh-gret (what my nieces/nephs called yogurt as toddlers), smooshed 'taters, cream of wheat - you know the drill. I was drinking non-stop from the time I woke 'til the time I went to bed (and kept a bottle of something next to my bed if I woke up and was thirsty). I found that drinking non-stop like that really went a LONG way to dull the 'hunger pangs' that I think I had: not sure if that's what they were, but Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaarl would start getting mouthy 'n when I'd drink, he'd shut his yap, 'n it resolved. This week I'm on blenderized/pureed, and am expected to do SIX 'meals' with snacks in between. There's NO WAY I can eat that much right now...I'm trying, but I only got in three yesterday, and only 2 the day before. I'm still drinking a lot (I average about 90 oz. per day...I know that's way high, and my nutritionist is thrilled 'bout it, but it's not on purpose, I've just always been a thirsty person, even pre-op). But fitting in the food is annoying to me: I'm not hungry and don't feel like eating, and my meals yesterday didn't feel good when I ate 'em: they tasted GREAT, they didn't hurt, but they just didn't FEEL good in my pouch. I've always hated feeling full (again, even pre-op), so this is the same thing, only to an extreme. This six meals per day thing is going to be a challenge for me...been up since 5:30ish this morning and I've only got one in so far: not 'on track' like I should be... The only thing I can say is that drinking a LOT like I've been doing may help with your hungries...??? Kimmer Queen of the Niners, Instigator to All Marchers, High Priestess of Giggles