HELP!

Hey Fellow/Fella Journeyers! Here's the scoop.........I'm 7 months out.....down 80 lbs.....and still can't keep protein down! I mean any kind! I eat everything from beef-chicken-fish.....and it comes back up.........now of course pretzels and homemade sugarfree cookies go down just fine! My weight loss has slowed to a crawl.....I feel great, no complaints....its just I still need to get off another 60 lbs and know if I could do protein I could do it! HELP! Even protein shakes turn on me and I'm yuckin' them up. Crazy I know, because pre-op I went on and off Atkins and always ate protein, so its not a food preference thing. Anybody have this issue? My surgeon would flog me if he knew! My metabolism has slowed to a crawl, but I just can't hold protein. I keep thinking that eventually I'll get it down......positive, positive! Any ideas, suggestions welcomed! Hey..........Happy New Year Everyone!!! And it is! Love and Laughter! Sally RNY 5/28/05 318/240!

Sally, First I'd say talk to your surgeon. Secondly, although I don't bring up protien it does at times make me feel yucky. I can eat mash potatos, steamed veggie or other carbs and I feel fine but some protien makes me feel awful (lean ham, pork, some beef). I have found the less fatty the more I can tolarate it (skinless chicken, fish). I have found the clear protein liquids to go down more easily (like isopure apple/mango protein drink (low carb)). I also do fine with the stallone protein pudding. It was just on sale at drugstore.com. Much cheaper that at GNC directly. I hope you fine a good source of protein that agrees with you. Chip

Dear Chip, Goddess Bless You! I'm going to try the isopure drink and stallone protein pudding. I agree...mashed potatos and steamed veggies do fine......naturally! LOL! I feel fine, but I have had a lot of muscle loss, you can imagine! My age and post-menopausal status don't work in my favor as well........BUT I'm not complaining! I feel great.....I'm off ALL meds, sleep like a baby WITHOUT c-pap/O2 and wake up without headaches ready to take on the world! LIFE is good.....and I know I should tell my doc about this, but I don't want any invasive fixes....i.e. dilitation to my pouch....or silastic ring. So I'll go in for my lab work and follow up this month and hopefully everything will actually be as great as I feel! I guess my only real complaint is the slowed weight loss.....but then I'm the only one I know who actually lost an inch over the holidays! How far out are you? Did you ever have protein troubles? And thanks for your love and support! Sally

Hi Sally! What about protein in "non-meat" forms? How do eggs, cheese, milk, beans sit with you? I get about 1/3 of my daily protein from these non-meat forms. And they do feel better to me than meat. If pretzels are what sit fine with you, look for the soy varieties that have more protein than most. And talk to your surgeon or nutritionist! They should be able to help! Jen

Hey Jen! Thanks for the kindness! Actually, just this morning I vowed to give eggs yet another try.....my nutritionalist said that things will change/improve and to keep trying....and I'll be darned!! The little protein packed power house stayed down!! See just when you reach out for help....an egg stays down! It didn't turn me green or anything! No yuckin' up a white rubber ball.......sorry, I know to much information! LOL! Cheese does work in some forms....like the softy types.....but I have a huge post incisional hernia from my emergency hysterectomy a year before my RNY, so I'm super cautious not to get constipated....I can't afford ... $ or physically...to have this hernia blow until at least a year from now......its always something! LOL! I talked to my nutritionalist about beans.....she said they are too high carb.....if she only knew what the count in prezels is! Another LOL! I did make a ministroney soup-stew thing with beans last week and that did great! So okay.......I'm now officially upping the beans! No constipation problem with those! Any...whose.....thanks for your help and feedback and support! Its just nice to know I'm not alone.......and I'll try chopped eggs on veggies again! Love and Laughter! Sally

Hi Sally- You know, you could also try some legumes other than beans...like peanuts, almonds, etc. They have protein as well. Jus****ch the carbs (and make sure you get the unsalted variety)--they taste great and give the crunch that we are all looking for. I do eat some peanut butter, and so I don't get backed up, I have been putting it on carrotts and celery. Jen is right about the milk thing...every ounce of skim milk is one gram of protein. You can get skim that has been fortified to taste like whole if that is what you like. Also, if you have carb room to spare in your day (ha!!), Quaker oatmeal came out a couple of months ago with weight control oatmeal. Two flavors--cinnamon and banana bread. Each package contains 7 grams of protein. Good luck!!! -Cheri

Cheri, Protein in oatmeal! WOW! I am behind the curve ball...thanks! Peanuts and nuts of all sorts I love and do well with....in fact I'm chewing on one of my homemade sugar-free, organic peanut butter cookies right now......."you can take the girl out of .... the cookie shop .... but not the cookie shop out of the girl!" I feel better about my whole inability to keep "protein" down, I guess I'll just be the vegetarian bariatric gal! Now if I can just tolerate milk with my peanut butter cookie!! Milk must be toooo high sugar for my old ticker, 'cause it makes me take to my bed with that awful cardiac reaction......which I assume is "dumping", although I never know if that's what everyone means when they say dumping?! I've never had diarrhea, just a cardiac reaction...I am therefore super viligent to keep away from any kind of sugar.....its been a blessing because otherwise I'm sure my sweet tooth would have its way! Hey.........thanks for the feedback........I've got alot of great ideas today! Loving and Laughing! Sally

P.S. I'm ready for an updated picture!!! I have cheek bones now! I'll work on that! Sally

Hi! I am a vegetarian post-op. I was before the surgery, too, and my doc said he'd only had one other vegetarian before me. That said, except for an ulcer, I'm doing well. I'm down 116 at four months and four days. I eat beans, lentils, soy cheese, s/f, f/f soy yogurt, homemade potato/soy cheese soup, sloppy joes made with vegetarian crumbles, beef stroganoff made with steak analog, fat free sour cream and serve it over mashed potates, spaghetti sauce over ricotta cheese and spinach, topped with mozarella and baked, and vegetarian chili (my favorite) with lots of chiles and hot pepper flakes and gunpowder (powdered jalapenos). If you would like recipes, give me a shout. They only time I've urped since surgery was when I tried a piece of salmon (my doc was convinced that I needed fish...apparently not). My recent bloodwork came back great - my cholesterol is 111, down from 268 prior to becoming vegetarian full time, my diabetes is completely gone, my hematocrit is 43, and all other bloodwork is normal. I'm off meds, my apnea, high blood pressure, kidney disease and edema are all gone. Life is good. Abrazos, elizabeth 359/243/160

Tell me how you make your ricotta/spinach sauce dish. Sounds delicious! I've been craving spaghetti but don't want to go there! Jen