Two big WOWS! But a big noo..

So I am a little over 2 months out from surgery. I am VERY happy to say that I have lost a total of 50 lbs since surgery and 75 lbs since July! I am below my pre-pregnancy weight and in 10 lbs away where I was in high school. Im wearing clothes that make me feel good. For about a year there I felt like a frumpy mommy and only wore sweats.. even in the Phoenix heat.. UGH. But im back to my jeans and cute shirts. I have a trip planned for Mexico next month and I was hoping I would be a little smaller but im happy that ive gotten this far.

Now for the bad part.. Im very upset with my self, but I have big cravings. I try watching what I eat, but I havent been getting in enough protein.. I dont do well with milk so I cant really have shakes, so I have tried other forms of protein. I only one I can tolerate are the New Whey bullet things, and my NUT says we arent allowed to use them.. I also snack alot during the days. Ive been getting better and trying to stay more busy so im not home all day snacking. I have never had a sweet tooth and im not into that kind of thing, but I love carbs.. Im horrible with breads and crackers. Plus once in awhile I drink either once while im eating or almost everytime within 10 minutes after eating. .. Im so upset with myself and I know I can do better.

I enrolled in school this week and it starts in a month. Im also getting a part time job and my toddler will go into daycare. I think this will help alot. My main probelm is that im home all the time bored.. and when im bored I eat.. so I know this will help. I need to find a protein that I can tolerate.. or maybe a protein bar.. SO if anyone has any suggestions that would be awesome. It took alot out of me to confess that im not doing what I should be, so no bashing please! Thanks guys!

You are a brave woman :)

I enjoy Powercrunch bars every once in awhile.  They're a bit high in sugar for me so I have a slight reaction without using them cautiously.  But!  They're delicious!!!

Congrats on getting back to school!  That'll help alot... and where are our pictures??

Eating and drinking is a HUGE no-no... you will stretch your stoma out by doing this - the only way to fix a stretched stoma is with surgery. I have spoken to a local surgeon that does revisions and he said the biggest reason he sees people regaining is stretched stomas. Also drinking when eating or after will allow you to eat more and be hungrier sooner because you are washing food out of your pouch. The fear of stretching my stoma and facing more sugery has kept me from eating/drinking.
As for the snacking - I would work on getting on a food schedule and sticking to it... if you stop the eating/drinking that should help since you will have to wait to eat again. It will also help you to get your protein in since you can break it out amoung your meals. Not all surgeons allow protein suppliments - if you work at it you can get all your protein in without suppliments - dont waste pouch space on crackers when you can be eating protein - as you can tell by my avie I eat carbs - however I always make sure to get my protein... if you eat a bread/starch carb eat protein with it - and keep it limited... when you get further out you will be able to eat more carbs.

A few high protein foods you should be able to eat at this point - greek yogurt (up to 22g protein per 1 cup), tuna fish, cottage cheese... not sure what you eating plan allows for but squeeze in the protein wherever you can. Have you tried Isopure drinks? GNC sells them - 1 bottle has 40g protein... they are around $3 each so they are pricey but if you drink only 1/2 a day you can stretch it out and get 20g of protein from the drink - they come in a few flavors so try them all some are better than others!

I agree 100% with Jennifer. Drinking while eating or even shortly after eating is NO BUENO. The surgeon has this rule for a reason. Why go through all that you've gone through to screw it up over something so simple.

The Isopure drinks that Jennifer mentioned are really not that bad. I buy a case of them and just drink half a one a day and it lasts me almost a month, just a week shy. My favorite flavor is apple melon. Plus, they are zero carb and zero sugar. How can you go wrong? Plus, at GNC and Vitamin Shoppe you can find these protein wafers made by Oh Yeah! They are delicious and have 14 grams of protein in one package.

I just had my 3 month post-op appointment in Houston and while I was there I met with the Dietician and she said I should be eating breakfast in the morning. I never ate breakfast really after my surgery since I felt like all I ate was bread with my meal. However, she suggested I try some Kashi cereal with some milk to get me more regular, if you know what I mean. I am not a huge fan of milk either right now but I have to say it's delicious. I get the Kashi Go Lean Crunch. It goes down just fine too! Hope these suggestions help. Believe me, I know it's hard to try not to drink while you eat or wait the allotted time (my mom always asks if I need something to drink) but I know the rule is there for a reason. So just keep up the hard work and it will pay off.

Thanks for the support and the suggestions. I really am embarrased that I do these things. I think that not drinking any protein supplements has been bad, but I do try to get in all of my protein during the day. Lately my mom and I have been big fans of pinto beans. I usually eat them about 4 times a week with alittle shredded cheese and salsa. I also have about 2 eggs a week, and I like to have the cheese sticks. I have tried the isopure drinks and I couldnt drink them. They tasted very strong and I didnt like the taste. I have some Nectar protein and about 5 times a week I drink a glass of that. I think im only about 15 grams shy of what I need to be at. My NUT says I need 100 grams of protein a day(which is alot, I think) and ive been getting about 80-85 a day.. Im going to stop snacking during the day especially on crackers and bread, and im going to stop drinking during and after eating too. Do you think ive done alot of damage this past month by doing that?

First 80-85g of protein a day is *excellent*... while you NUT says 100 and you should still aim for that 80g is a lot higher than most people get at your stage of the game. Again you dont have to do the suppliments, especially if you are getting in 80g from food - you can add another high protein food source in to jump you up higher.
I dont think you have done damage... just stop the eating and drinking and move forward, you should be fine... its really continuning things over a period of time that is harmful... especially when you eat more solid foods.. the mushies move thru pretty easily themselves so water on top isnt doing much damage... just washing the food out of the pouch quicker and letting you eat more.

I'm not a huge milk fan either - but a little tip to help it go down better - when I have cereal, before I dump the milk in, I add in some SF Torani syrup (usually in blueberry or strawberry) - it gives the milk a fruity flavor and is almost like adding fruit to your cereal. Just a suggestion.

I had a hard time with the drinking and eating too - it's very hard, especially when you have dry foods. I find the hardest time is when I'm eating tuna fish because it's very dry. But as Jennifer said, the rule is a rule for a reason. You'll be surprised at how long you stay full for if you don't drink right away. This will help in your grazing too. I noticed after I stopped drinking with my meals that I was full for a long time. The times when I did get bored and went for food, I tried to go for something that would help me out - like instead of crackers or pretzels, I would go for a cheese stick or a snack size cottage cheese.

Aw sweetie,

First off, congratulations on asking for help when you needed it.  I am pre-op, and I worry that this might happen to me. 

I think, and people can correct me if i am totally wrong, that for the drinking with meals thing you just have to do it.  I mean, it's not easy or fun, but so many things in life aren't, and we do those, right?

As for the protein drinks, what don't you like about them?  Are they too sweet, or too thick, or too artificial?  I have been drinking protein shakes for years now, and can tell you sometimes you have to try quite a few to find one's that you like.  If you can pinpoint your objections to it though, I will see if I can make some suggestions.

Also, another easy way to "hide" protein, is to buy unflavored whey and add it to soups and sauces.  I use it as a thickener of sorts, and it works fairly well.

Good luck, and power to you!

-S...