not enough!!!

I try, but I never get enough water and I never get enough protein. My dr. said he didnt want me to eat protein bars or drink shakes. he wants me to get my protein from food. but I dont eat enought to do that. crazy. today I have had a blue bunny lite 85 coconut cream pie yogurt, well almost the whole thing. 8 grams of sugar, 6 protein. that will be it until lunch. so far I havent had any water. soon as my 30 mins are up I will start on a bottle. I know I am low on something cause I keep getting little dizzy spells. Sheila 8/31/2004 378/337/?

Sheila, I know exactly what you are talking about. My dr allows protein drinks and bars.. but I just cant seem to stomach them.. Its funny .. before surgery I had a cast iron stomach and could eat anything.. lol.. hence my problem...lol... I think the water is my biggest problem. For protein I snack on nuts and beef jerky. Also cheese sticks and peanut butter are staples in my diet. Still some days I just cant eat much so my protein intake is not up to par. I found I can drink alot of carb countdown oj but they say that dosent count in our liquids.. I wi**** did because for some reason I can get more of that down than water. I hope you get rid of those dizzy spells. they can be annoying... Sondra 8/25/04 362/318

Sheila, Sorry you're having so much trouble. I know what your doctor said about protein shakes, but what is he/she thinking? You can't possibly EAT 60 grams of protein a day....especially if you're not hungry. So, try the Carnation Instant Breakfast (liquid, not powder) drink (chocolate is my favorite). It's in a square-ish can, sold in packs of 4 in your grocery store cereal aisle. Be sure to get the blue package, which is for the "Carb Conscience"...and is very low in sugar. Each "can" has 15 grams of protein, and that's a good start. (Be sure to SHAKE it good before opening it! Protein drinks tend to settle on the shelf.) Another good source of protein: String Cheese....6 grams ea. Nekot cookies (Lance makes them).....7 grams a pack. Tuna is always a good source of protein, but some folks just don't like it. I discovered a snack bar today by Kellogg that has 7 grams of protein per bar....but they are not low sugar. About 200 calories per bar. One a day (or every other day) will be a treat for me. As for the liquid.....have you tried the Minute Maid "lite" lemonade or raspberry/passionfruit drinks? They are awsome! Crystal Lite is a favorite also....you can mix it a little stronger than the package says and add ice (you can buy great crushed ice from your local Sonic drive in.) I put a splash of pineapple/orange juice in mine and it makes a KILLER drink! You can make them as huge as your glass will hold....and sip on it for an hour. Then....turn around and make yourself another one and never be without a drink by your side. Another tip. When you go out to eat, always order water with your meal....but don't drink it at the table. Before you leave, ask your waiter for the largest "to go" cup they can give you and fill it with ice water. Sip on it after your meal and for the next hour. You'll get your meal AND your water within 1 1/2 hours! I usually skip a solid breakfast....my pouch is so sensative in the morning. I have a "carb friendly" protein drink for breakfast (chilled in my freezer for about 1/2 hours before drinking....makes it frosty). Then around 9:30 a.m., I have a protein bar or snack at work....while drinking a diet Minute Maid lemonade. For lunch, I have tuna and more lemonade or ice water. A BIG drink when I get home. Dinner when and if I can figure out what to have.... and then another BIG drink before bedtime. Diet popcicles are another good way to get your liquid, except you have to eat a lot of them to count. Can you make your own out of Crystal Lite? Eat them all day long, if you have to. Be creative, and talk with your doctor (or your diet counselor) about those protein drinks again. Maybe your doctor thinks you're going to drink the kind loaded with sugar. Assure him/her that you can find the sugar-free kind and see what they say. They could change their mind----which would make it a whole lot easier on you!!! GOOD LUCK! ~Laura Hughes Alabama

The dizzy spells sound like you are dehydrated as well as not enough protein. I could never get enough protein from food,just can't eat that much. The protein shakes are a must. I use Unjury from unjury.com. The taste is great. Some I have tried from GNC and Atkins make my pouch grouchy. Also another treat is Post low carb bars. They are found in the cereal section. Not sure amount of protein, perhaps 12 or 14 grams. These make great snacks or breakfast. Do speak with your doctor again about the shakes. No way to eat 60 grams of protein, at least I can't. Also, OJ, other juices (all fruit no sugar added) do count toward you water intake. Good luck.

I can't believe your doctor wants you off shakes! I haven't had any problems getting any food down and there is no way I could get 60+ grams of protein in a day without having a shake! I know people who are 2+ years post-op who still have a shake every day! I understand about the bars - they're very high in calories and not that great for you - but I do have them from time to time (Atkins bars) when I'm on the go... If I were you, I'd at least try to stick with a shake a day. Over time as you're able to tolorate more food then you can transitition out the shakes. Take care, Nicole -80lbs!

Sheila, I have been off protein drinks for a little less than a month now, and I am able to get in atleast 50g of protein no problem. I have never been able to eat the bars. Do you have a nutritionist at your doctor's office? Maybe they can give you a sample menu of how to get in your protein. As for the water, I am having the same problem, but I have to wait an hour after eating to drink! I am tired of Crystal Light and SF Kool-Aide. And juice doesn't count because of the high calorie content. Just today I started getting dizzy, too. I am going to try and get all my water in today and see how it goes. Anyways, if you need some sample menus and can't get it from your doctor's office, please e-mail me. I have sample menus form my surgeon. [email protected] Talk to ya later! *~Amber~*

I'm sorry your havong problems. I also had dizzy spells and turned out I had inner ear problems also, but I started on the Unjury protein shakes and I felt a lot better all the way around and only get dizzy turning over in bed now (that's inner ear) I mix mine with water so it counts as water intake also. In the morning I mix it with sugar free hot coco and it's great. I can't eat in the morning so I drink... I hope you get to feeling better soon. Linda

hi sheila, i know how you feel, i had the same problem not long ago. heres what i do... as soon as i get up, i mix a carb countdown yogurt( i like strawberry banana flavor) with 8 oz of carb countdown skim milk , together it has 24 grams of protein and tastes like a strawberry shake from burger king and only has about 5 carbs. i hate the protein mixes, they smell awful and are way too expensive for me. about a half hour after that i have breakfast, usually cottage cheese, which is 14 g of protein. i found these protein bars called carbwise and i love the smores flavor, they have 20 g of protein and not hardly any sugar, and are only 1.16 at walmart, i eat those sometimes for a snack. then lunch i may have something like tuna casserole, or wendys chili, both are packed with protein. and stouffers tuna casserole is yummy, and i only can eat less than half and sometimes save the rest for dinner if the kids dont take it LOL chicken and dumplings settle good too and have lots of protein. i make sure to have a bottle of water with me at all times, if no****er, then sugar free kool aide is my next choice. i hope this all helps you . Linda -78 pounds

Hi Sheila, If you like yogurt, buy the Atkins Carb Countdown yogurt. It has only 1 or 2 grams of sugar (depending on the flavor) and 12 grams of protein!!! It is a little bitter compared to other yogurts and it is a bit of an aquired taste, but I now eat one daily, sometimes two. Give that a shot instead of the Blue Bunny. Another thing I have been making lately are cheese crisps. I use cheddar (one ounce 8 grams protein). Get a non-stick skillet. Drop your shredded cheese on the hot skillet, letting it melt. Using a spatula, push the edges in towards the pile of cheese, keeping the circle flat with not too many holes in between the shreds. Lift up a side to see if it is browned. When it is brown, flip it and coo****il the other side is brown. Then dab with a paper towel to remove access grease. Put on a plate and eat right away or let it sit a couple minutes to harden. I eat it with salsa and it is so yummy! Tastes like cheddar goldfish! You could always use mozzeralla cheese, too, I would think. Hugs, Denise

Hi Denise, I just wanted to let you know that you're beautiful and tell you congratulations on your loss so far. I just peek in on this board every-once-in-a-while and so some off the faces look familar to me, but yours didn't. So I clicked on your profile to see who you were and I saw your previous picture and realized I know that face! You are so cute. Way to go on making it to the 100's. Hopefully I'll be there soon too! Angelina 253/206/140