Got Poop?

OK, bad subject line. I had Irritable Bowel Syndrome pre WLS and have been a constipated mess since surgery. I finally broke down and started making the shakes that I drank pre-wls and it seems to be helping. They're a little high in calories, but full of protein and they keep m full all morning. Small carton of yogurt with live cultures. Right now I'm using DanActive Immunity, but any yogurt will do as long as it says it has live cultures. Watch the sugar. 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed - provides fiber and essential fatty acids. fresh fruit - strawberries and 1/2 a banana are my favorite to add, but add whatever you want. 1 scoop of whey protein powder. Vanilla works best for me, but whatever floats your boat. Blend it all up and you'll end up with a pretty large shake. Takes me about an hour to finish mine. I get about 28 grams of protein - mileage will vary with the protein powder you use. Downside is cleaning the blender evry morning. Upside is being regular and not feeling like I have a bowling ball in my gut. Connie

Ice!! - I forgot to tell you to add ice.

Sounds great, but seems since I moved here I am not having the constipation prolblem as bad, so maybe it has to do with the really dry climate AZ has, as well. I have also walked 2 out of the 4 days I have been here, so maybe the exercise has lot more to do with it than I once thought. Go figure!! Marilyn, the Bearlady.

Hey Connie, Sounds like an interesting shake. I am doing reasonably well with the 'regularity' thing anyway, but I do make a protein shake in the a.m. that I carry with me to work. I stopped doing it in the blender because I hated having to clean the blender, so I just toss in a cup of crushed ice (from the fridge thru the door dispenser), 2 cups of water, my scoop to scoop & 1/2 of protein, instant coffee for flavor, a shot of SF kahlua or hazelnut syrup, some coffee creamer, and a couple of packets of equal and just shake. It's probably a little gritty when it's first shaken up, but by the time I get to work and shake it again, it is like drinking an iced coffee drink from one of those pricey coffee places. I snack a few times a day on sunflower seeds and I find that helps my urge for salty as well as helps with the regularity too. Hugs, Mo

i just started using the protein shakes again after all these years! i wanted to up my protein intake. i had been snacking on things that weren't bad but weren't just right either. this way i am able to have anice snack that last better for me over the afternoon. i love the atkins ones becasue they dont' have alot of sugar in them. to think i coud't stand them right after the surgery! i didnt' now how i was going to survive cause i'd bought cases of those things and ended up giving them away. the thought of drinking one back then made me want to hurl. we all need to poop. i'm pretty regular. thank god i hate th bowling ball in the gut feeling. presurgery i always had diareerh. i'd eat something i'd run to the bathroom. i knew every bathroom from ct to Nh to fl you name it i'd been in it. wasn't fun. after the surgery i got consitpated for the first time. dint' know what it was! hahaha now i'm regular. i do every day but do not any more have the scarey fear that if i eat something i've got to know where the bathroom is. my kids use to tease me about it. now its gone. i dont understand it but am thrilled that it is a wonderful side effect for me from the surgery.

yes yes yes....I know it's been a while. Life has been quite hectic. I moved, I'm looking for work in my new town, daughter is not happy at school and transferring, dad passed away, mom not taking it well.....a whole boatload of stuff. I still have that extra 10 pounds I'm trying to lose. I actually went to weigh****chers. I still like their plan. I have the opportunity to have a tummy tuck in the Dominican Republic for less than half the price they want here in the states. I'm supposed to meet the doctor in NYC on sunday for a consult. Not sure about this thing. Anyway, the poop issue. I've been constipated since the surgery as well, but I think I finally hit on a solution. Every morning, I have a 1/2 cup of Grape Nuts (my favorite cereal in all the world) with a couple of packs of splenda in it. In the afternoon, I have a small serving of Lays Light Original Potato Chips. Yes, the ones with OLEAN in them....recall the oily poop controversy when they first came out? Well, what gives a normal person a severe case of the plop plops, actually makes me regular. Since I started this, I've been going like clockwork every morning. It's almost 3 years, and I can't face another protein shake. I'm trying to eat normal, of course, I always look at protein first...that's tattooed on my brain, I think. I hope and pray everyone is well, and I promise I'll check in more often. Take care, Connie and everyone, Joanie