Yep gotta ask more ???'s

Morning all Yes, it is I with more questions. Thanks to all *****sponded about the exercising, weight lifting etc. I'm incorporating many of those things into my daily doings. But, it doesn't stop there. I am doing this "cleansing" over haul on my life and it's been weird but for sure one of THE best things I'm doing. K...I know get to da ????'s... 1) How many carbs do you get in a day? Is there a limit we shouldn't exceed? Detail anything you think would be helpful here about carbs and the good/bad ones please. 2) Do you eat protein bars? If so, what kind specifically? Also, I refuse to use protein bars in excess. I am looking for ones that are worth me consuming them when I need to run out of the door for a period of time, am on the go and the choices are NOT nice/good/right/healthy etc. I have been doing some research and it would SEEM some of the Power Crunch ones are good. Do share.... 3) Do you have a recipe for healthy granola bars/chunks? I am interested in trying some that are good for us. 4) What are your main sources of protein OTHER than protein drinks/shakes? 5) How often do you eat? How many times a day? Any suggestions, comments etc welcome! Thanks in advance! Kitty Kat

Hey Kat! Being only 5 days out I really can't answer most of your questions but the South Beach bars are AWESOME and have something like 10g of protein...They are not heavy and dense like a lot of the bars...they more resemble a chewy granola bar...really good! And South Beach is all about low carbs so I'm thinkin they'll fit in well! Also, have you tried going on fitday.com. You can record all of your intake and it make reports etc...really cool and FREE Good luck! Christine

Keep in mind sweet pea that the soutbeach bars have soy protein .. not good on the BV value scale .. you need to make sure that your bars when you start doing them {Too early out for them now} .. are those that are made from whey isolates and whey concentrates . Soy .. well ... just does not complete what we need .

Kat.... I am terrible at all of this. I see my doctor tomorrow so hopefully he can get me back on track. Since I have had this stricture for 2 months I have never had meals...maybe just a nibble here and there. I was drinking 100g of protein but have slacked on that. Now I am luck to get 0-60g daily. The carbs we eat should be from natural items and not processed. But actually, anything in excess, even protein, can be converted into fat. FACT. I do random exercising. I use to run distance in high school..but never been very sporty. I will jog 3-4 times a week now and ride my bike, do videos, etc..But no set program. Boy do I need to do arm weights. I have NO upper body strength at all. The calcium citrates are too big and with this stricture would send me over the edge so OCCASSIONALY I now will take 2 sugar free Tums. I DO take Synthroid because it is .175 mcg and Cytomel 5 mcg every am and 2 chewable Disney vitamins a day...Sometimes the subligual B-12. Yesterday I bought some crab legs for the freezer to take out when I wanted them..because I thought they might be an enticing form of protein. We will see !! I did like Pinto beans as a good source of protein..but my husband and kids didn't like me too well afterwards...hehehe I bought tons of protein bars before surgery. After surgery they didn't do it for me. I think I would rather eats grubs !!!! You are really on a roll. I need some fine tuning as you see. maybe you could get me straight !!! Good luck on all this. You are inspiring me already !! Hugs, Dana

Hey girl! I bought some chewable calcium citrate from bariatric advantage and they are not tooo bad...certainly no coconut donut but really not completely horrible. And yep, they're big too! Christine

Good morning gorgeous lady. I wanted to comment on your calcium also. The tums are calcium carbonate I believe and do not absorb correctly. There are a couple of different options you can try for chewables that are calcium citrate though. There are the chewable wafers (I got mine at Vitamin Shoppe), Bariatric Advantage makes some also (avaiable on line) and now Citracl makes chewables (yummy flavors like chocolate & carmel, etc) available at Walmart & Target. I may have some of the Bariatric ones that I am not using. Are you going to Richmond, I will bring them to you. Courtney

Thanks for the suggestions on the Calcium Citrates. I know that that is the type we should be using but I haven't even bothered. Since I have been having these stricture issues my WLS just wants me to make sure I get the liquids in..but I know I need to develop better habits now, early out. I will look for the caramel ones in wallmart. You said those are Calcium Citrate also? For some reason I though Citrical was Calcium Citrate. No, I won't be going to the June event. I will be out of town that weekend !!! I look forward to hearing about it from everyone though !!! Dana

Hey Dana, Gotta get my 2 cents worth in here. Everyone is right about the citrate being absorbed where the carbonate (Tums) is not. Funny thing is, even non-WLS people absorb less carbonate than they do citrate. Docs are more and more recommending citrate over carbonate, especially to women. And yes, even at 3 + years out, I still don't do those damn horse pills. For a while there, I was crunching them up, which isn't bad because they really have no taste, but that is bad for your teeth. Now I order (online) UpCal D calcium citrate + Vitamin D. It is powdered calcium that you can mix with anything, food or liquid, or just put it on your tongue and swallow with some water. They have a new formulation that is not gritty at all, and it comes in either a cannister or little single serving pouches. I keep the pouches at work for a mid day dose in my yogurt or cottage cheese and have a cannister at home. I wish I could find this in drugstores but so far only online. Google it to find the best prices. Or use a mortar and pestle to make your own with the horse pills. There is always a solution. Good luck, Carole

Thanks Carole !!! I will deffinately look that product up. Dana

Good morning Kat. 1. I do not know the exacts amount of carbs I get but I do have carbs with almost every meal (approved wiith my nut.) because of low blood sugar issues. I usually have whole grain, wheat, or multigrain breads, pastas, etc. And also the carbs that are included in my fruits & veggies. 2. I have tried a couple of protein bars but I do not care for them too much. My nut. reccommends high protein snacks such as cheese sticks, beef jerky, & nuts. 3. Sorry no recipe for Granola bars/chunks. 4. My main source of protein is regular foods such as yogurt, oatmeal, chicken, steak, shrimp, beef, cheese, eggs, tuna, etc. 5. I have 3 meals, 2 shakes and 1-2 snacks a day (because of my blood sugar issues). If you have long days and use lots of energy (which I suspect you do), it may benefit you to start trying to add in a few protein rich snacks to keep your metabloism going and keep your energy up. Courtney