Question:
After being 3 yrs. post op , do we still need protein drinks?

I was wsondering, I started off at 254 now I range frim 150 -155, which is ideal for my height. But I did get down to 143, and everyone said I looked sick, but I think it was because Ilost so fast. Now I want to break the plateau, that I have been on for almost 2 yrs. I fell into some grazing, but am getting that under control, what do yall think about protein drinks, being almost 3 yrs PO do I still need them, especially to resart my WL? ANd also what about fine lines after all the weightloss, my face looks so drawn still, I drink lots of water so much sometimes that when I go to the restroom, I can actually urinate cold water, am I abnormal or what?    — cindy C. (posted on April 22, 2004)

April 22, 2004
To break your plateau and start the weight loss again, its pretty simple. Eat less and move more. Even with WLS, its still a calories game and apparently you are eating the right amount a day to maintain your current range. To change that, eat a few hundred calories less a day and start a good cardio workout (or add an extra workout a week if you are already doing cardio). Protein shakes, especially the whey protein isolate is the most easily digestable and absorbable form of protein for us no matter how far out you are, but it still has calories in it. Keep in mind when you do lose weight, if you go back to your old eating patterns you will regain. If you say 150-155 is ideal for your height, why change? As for the fine lines, water can only go so far...can we say face lift?
   — Cindy R.

April 22, 2004
Dunno about the cold urine thing (and I'm afraid to ask how you even know that, lol!), but, my question would be, how are your lab results? If you've been doing protein shakes, and your results are good, I wouldn't quit doing them. If you're thinking of doing them as a way of getting some weight loss back on track, well ... they might help with that, and they might not. Some say the shakes help with "head hunger," but for me, sometimes they help, sometimes they don't. I do them for the nutritional benefits they provide me, and because predigested whey protein is easier for my body to absorb/digest that protein from food (which I also happily consume, but why not mix it up a bit, I figure, by using both).<P>I can appreciate your comment on the fine lines on the face. For some of us, the price of a lower weight/smaller size is a face with more lines in it; if you look healthier in the face by carrying an extra 8-10 pounds (or more), and you're still within a healthy weight range, AND you have food control (meaning, you aren't gaining and fooling yourself that you're in control when you're not), then, barring a face lift, you have a choice to make. Smaller size/older face, bigger size/larger waist (or wherever it also goes, on you). Not to mention, you could wind up denying yourself some foods you enjoy, or eating less of them, just to get to an arbitrary number on the scale at which you may not look your best. Society has us sooooo focused on the number on the scale, and on the tags inside our clothing, we can really lose our minds on this topic!
   — Suzy C.

April 22, 2004
? how in the world do you urinate cold urine. when your urine is held inside your warm body. ???? anyhow I think to jump start your wl, just go back to basics. I think you have held your wl pretty good, you haven't gained to much in those years. It seems to me you have kept some control. Good Luck
   — B4real

April 22, 2004
What do you mean by protein drink? I'm almost 10 yrs post-op, but distal, so using them is not optional. However, I use more than is required. I swear my skin "fits better" with the extra drink I take per day. I also use it as appetite, volume and craving control. I'm not naturally a grazer, but if I'm ultra tense, I use 'em almost like I used to smoke! lol. I "light up" a protein. They are one of the tools in my tool box. They were developed for normies, after all, so we can use them any time.
   — vitalady

April 22, 2004
I'm convinced that protein supplements are a "forever thing" for optimum results. After a 15 pound weight gain following having to begin using hormones (as the doctor was writing the word PREMARIN on the prescription pad my body just blew up before I even left his office!) I have gone back to basics and supplementing protein. The weight is coming off slowly but let's face it - if you only need to lose 15 pounds it's not going to come off at the same rate as it would for a new post op. I'll be supplementing protein forever! It just makes me feel better and it ABSOLUTELY will stop the cravings! Best wishes!
   — ronascott