Question...

Where do you buy your protein powder, meal replacements, water? Can you buy it at a regular store...i.e. Walmart or do you need to go to a health store here is Ontario?

What are your favorites?
Cheapest place to buy...lol.

What am Ilooking for in a protien drink/powder/meal replacement?  How much protien, what kind (whey/soy/rice).

Obviously sugarfree. 

Do Atkins shakes do the trick?

Thanks for the questions.

Many people shop at Walmart, GNC, Costco, Shoppers Drug Mart or even the bulk food store for protein powder. You can get premade shakes which are good to have on hand but expense to buy, Weider premade is one that a few people have mentioned as well as the Atkins Advantage. The large powdered protein jars are probably the most economical.

Taste is very individual for protein shakes more so than anything else, you either hate them or love them and that even changes after surgery. What you might like the taste of pre-op, you could hate afterwords, which is why it is recommended not to stock up on any before your surgery. Get a sample of as many different ones to try and take it from there. Many people prefer to get the unflavoured protein powder so they can add it to just about anything. There is also something called protein bullets which are a liquid protein you can put over ice and drink.

There are also many online places to buy protein powder/shakes such as www.bariatricadvantage.com, www.nationalnutrion.ca, www.supplementscanada.com, www.well.ca or www.vitalady.com/.

The type of protein doesn't matter, that's were the individual taste thing comes in, people who are lactose intolerant can't use whey, some people can't tolerate the taste or smell of whey. Most protein drinks have anywhere from 17 to 34 grams of protein per drink which is why they are so useful, especially in the beginning to get your daily quota in.

Many surgeons recommend not using shakes for long, that as soon as you can, start taking your protein in as dense a form as possible because it stays with you longer and keeps you feeling full. Many people find that just cannot get all their protein in without shakes.

Here's a thread where people talk about different brands that you can look through:

www.obesityhelp.com/forums/on/3907027/PROTEIN-SHAKES-OK-LETS -TALK/, here's another one www.obesityhelp.com/forums/on/4052658/Eureka-I-found-it/

Good luck!

LIST OF HIGH PROTEIN FOODS This list of high protein foods is designed for optimum nutrition and good health. You'll notice that, although the fat count is included, there's no listing for saturated fat. This is because the high protein foods included below are low in saturated fat. For example, there's no red meat on this list of high protein foods. The reason is simple. Red meat is generally high in saturated fat and has also been shown to increase inflammation, which can cause pain, suffering and numerous health problems. List of High Protein Foods BEANS  FOOD AMOUNT CALORIES PROTEIN CARBS FAT Black beans 1/2 cup cooked 113  7.6 20.4  .5 Garbanzo (chickpeas) 1/2 cup cooked 134  7.3 22.5 2.1 Kidney beans 1/2 cup cooked 112  7.6 20.1  .4 Lentil beans 1/2 cup cooked 115  8.9 19.9  .4 Lima beans 1/2 cup cooked 108  7.3 19.6  .4 Navy beans 1/2 cup cooked 129  7.9 24.0  .5 Soybeans (edamame) 1/2 cup cooked 127 11.1 10.0 5.8 Tofu 1/2 cup fresh 94 10.0  2.3 5.9 DAIRY  FOOD AMOUNT CALORIES PROTEIN CARBS FAT Cheddar cheese 1 ounce 114   7.1   .4 9.4 Cottage cheese 1/2 cup 110 14.0 3.1 5.0 Cottage cheese, lowfat 1/2 cup   90 16.0 3.0 1.0 Egg 1 large   75   6.3 0 5.0 Milk, lowfat 1 cup 121   8.1 11.7 4.7 Milk, skim 1 cup   86   8.4 11.8   .4 Muenster cheese 1 ounce 104   6.7   .3 8.5 Swiss cheese 1 ounce 107   8.1 1.0 7.8 Yogurt, lowfat 1 cup 144 11.9 16 3.5 Yogurt, nonfat 1 cup 127 13.0 17.4   .4 FISH FOOD AMOUNT CALORIES PROTEIN CARBS FAT Anchovies, in water 1 ounce 37  5.8 0  1.4 Halibut 3 ounces 93 17.7 0  2.0 Mackerel 3 ounces 180 15.8 0 11.8 Salmon 3 ounces 121 16.9 0 5.4 Sardines, in water 1 can 130 22.0 0 5.0 Tuna, tongol 1/4 cup 70 16.0 0 0 GRAINS FOOD AMOUNT CALORIES PROTEIN CARBS FAT Oatmeal, rough cut 1 cup 145 6.0 25.2 2.4 Pancake, buckwheat 1 4" diameter 54 1.8 6.4 2.2 Pancake, whole wheat 1 4" diameter 74 3.4 8.8 3.2 Popcorn, dry 1 cup 54 1.8 10.7 .7 Rice, brown, cooked 1/2 cup 108 2.4 22.8 .8 Rye bread 1 slice 56 2.1 12 .3 Whole wheat bread 1 slice 56 2.4 11 .7 POULTRY  FOOD AMOUNT CALORIES PROTEIN CARBS FAT Chicken breast 4 ounces 193 29.3 0 7.6 Chicken, light meat, no skin 4 ounces 196 35.1 0 5.1 Chicken, dark meat, no skin 4 ounces 232 31.0 0 5.1 Turkey, light meat, no skin 4 ounces 178 33.9 0 3.7 Turkey, dark meat, no skin 4 ounces 212 32.4 0 8.2 Articles you might also enjoy: Online Glycemic Index List of Foods Fish Oil and Weight Loss Research All Natural Health Supplements For Humans How To Lower Cholesterol Naturally

Hints to Help get your daily 64 ounces of fluids in

Remember, all fluids count towards the total - coffee, protein coffees, tea, ice tea, green tea, flavoured water, protein water, protein shakes, sf hot chocolate...

Many people can't tolerate water after surgery so finding something to add to the water helps:  SF syrups, lemon, mint, sf koolaid, crystal light...

Walmart in the states carries their own brand of crystal light, they have an apple flavoured one that you add to water, you can then heat it up, add a little Cinnamon and voila!
They also carry a product called K2O by Kellogs, it's like crystal light but has 5 grams of protein and 5 grams of fibre

Once you are finished eating, set a timer for 30 or 45 minutes, whatever guideline your surgeon gave you, to remind that you can start drinking

Use and online food journaling site to help track your water

quick question, I see a lot of suger free however is this the same as low fat,  I am allowed pudding for my next stage I bought low fat is the same of what everyone is talking about or is there actually (maybe in the states) 0 sugar pudding.  I am a bit confused on low fat and no sugar when buying food.

I also want to thank you for all the wonderful information...

Low fat is very different that sugar free or no sugar added. You definitely need sugar-free with an RNY. The low fat would likely have sugar in them. You should be checking the labels and looking for servings with 2 grams of sugar or less.  You might want  to post a thread asking for suggestions for where to get sugar free products.

Probiotic use after RnY

(HealthDay News) -- Taking a probiotics supplement after gastric bypass surgery helps patients lose weight faster and avoid vitamin B deficiency, a new study finds.

Probiotics are the "good" bacteria found in yogurt and in dietary supplements that aid digestion.

The Stanford University School of Medicine study included 44 patients who had Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery and were randomly assigned to either a probiotics group or a control group. Both groups received the same bariatric medical care and nutritional counseling and both were allowed to consume yogurt, a natural source of probiotics. Patients in the probiotics group also took one pill per day of a probiotics supplement.

After three months, the probiotics group had a 47.6 percent weight loss, compared with 38.5 percent in the control group. Patients in the probiotics group also had higher levels of vitamin B-12 three months after surgery than those in the control group -- 1,214 picograms per milliliter as opposed to 811 picograms per milliliter, a significant difference since B-12 deficiency is common after gastric bypass surgery.

The study appears in the July issue of the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery

Ever wonder why so many WLS patients talk about high protein/low carb diets being the way to go?

Here's a great thread that answers the question nicely:

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/VSG/4076579/Whats-up-with- the-whole-protein-thing/

This thread is from the VSG forum but it has a lot of good points that emphasizes the importance of not drinking with your meals that would apply to any surgery type.

www.obesityhelp.com/forums/vsg/4072530/Life-after-VSG-Still- No-Drink-Food-Combo/