Am I a freak?

lol - well Jay, I guess it's not 100% accurate for me to say I don't exercise. I don't go to a gym and weight lifting has to be done VERY carefully lest I cripple myself. But I do do resistance exercises (with bands, balls, etc) and I do walk - quite a bit actually. And chase my dog around my yard and clean house, etc. Just nothing formal or organized.

Hey Tooter! Lost 227 with shakes for the first year and without the second year. Now on the 3rd year back to drinking them at least 5 times a week. Maintaining below goal really well. But find when I do drink them, though I freakin' hate them, I do feel better. But I don't care for food anymore so I don't eat right either. Can't eat much meat at all really. So, I guess I'm one of those in between. Now ask me if I'd like to lose the protein powder by the side of the road.........hell yeah. But I'm too scared to give them up. Jeannie

I guess my point behind the whole post was we each have to do what works for us - within (hopefully) the guidelines of our healthcare pros. I just get so sick of hearing "You MUST do XY, and Z to be successful." And it's just not true for everyone. Sigh....I hope you find your balance

I posted on the main board. But short story - very very very limited amount of protein drinks - only really did them when I was sick - doctors orders. I lost well over 100 pounds.

thanks for chiming in!

I am over 200 lbs loss and still do the protein supplements...I probably could chop it out but I know there are days I don't make it to my minimum requirement so its like a safety net for me. You can call it my insurance policy for 90 calories and 30 grams! I know there are days I could do without it but since I do it for breakfast every day it hard to say don't do it today. I am just lazy when it comes to breakfast...since I know I have to eat I just do this. One day I will reach the personal goal.....Don't look for it soon though. Debbie

Yeah breakfast can be hard. I was never much for eating breakfast and still push that 2 hour window really hard! Sigh...well anyway, yup, we're all different - thanks for posting, Debbie!

Hi Toots, I guess I'm with Debbie. We're not supposed to eat and drink together and I take all (except iron) my vitamins and supplements in the morning instead of eating breakfast, so I wash the vitamins down with a bottle of AchievOne (20 grams protein) each day. And let's face it, I LOVE, love, love the taste and would drink them regardless! I feel like the drink gets my metabolism moving in the morning, but I don't rely on protein drinks to get in my protein for the rest of the day. I have no problem eating enough to get in the protein and yet I can stop eating and haven't gained any back (yet). Jan P.S. - No matter WHAT my answer would have been, I still consider myself a FREAK!

Being a freak can be kind of fun LOL Thanks for posting to this Jan. I'm really REALLY glad you found what worked for you. And I'm not saying I'd NEVER do shakes. Time, labs, weight - all play a factor in my decisions - and those do change over time. Thanks again!

My surgeon was, at the time of my surgery 3 years ago, very set against protein shakes at any point of the journey. And since he'd have remarkable success in more than 20 years of WLS, I followed those rules. I lost 30# pre-op without them, and 110# post-op in 10 months without them. I did try sample packets of them thinking it would be handy for times when I was in a rush, but they tasted so nasty to me that I didn't order more. I've maintained my weight fairly well, gaining 10 pounds a few months ago but losing it again mostly by eliminating the snacking that had snuck back into my routine. Interestingly, as a couple of younger surgeons have joined my surgeon's practice, as the availability and promotion of protein supplements has gotten so intense, and since local support groups representing many surgical practices, some of which even encourage using protein supplements, have become so strong and influential, my surgeon now "allows" them for 1 meal option per day while losing weight, but still strongly encourages patients to stick to animal and vegetable proteins. It's just my personal opinion, but I think one of the reasons for my success is avoiding shakes. I can't imagine getting enough "eating satisfaction" out of them, and if I'm going to eat so little, I definitely want it to be delicious. Have a wonderful day. Ann