grownazzkid

Me too NurseKelly. I am excited... I imagine I won't be able to sleep tonight. Like a kid on Christmas Eve.

How about real crab meat! You can't eat much anyway so splurge!!

Yes, True Results is hardly a turn & burn lol. They have made this process go much smoother than I am reading from other people. Your doctor may be great and all but that doesn't mean someone else isn't.

First, Vitamin Shoppe > GNC. Second, there are lots of great options. I am currently using Gaspari Myofusion, 25g Protein 5g Carbs per scoop. I have the chocolate & the Peanut Butter cookie dough. Chocolate is really good, PB is eh. If you are a peanut butter fan while you are there pick up a jar of powdered peanut butter, throw a spoon of that in either and it is excellent. It is also low carb and I think 1g of fat. Oh yea, Myofusion is about $40 for 2lb jug which is about 24 scoops.

Self pay should be quick because there are no insurance hoops to jump through. I went for insurance (BCBS Fed). My first consultation was Oct 14, had 3 more appointments in Nov, Dec, and Jan. Last consultation was Jan 14, insurance approval letter Jan 22, surgery scheduled for this Thursday the 21st.

I have BCBS Fed and got my approval in 7 days. I am working with True Results, which is like a chain clinic so I am guessing they have the system down pat. I spoke to the dietician at every one of my 3 monthly meetings. Stay strong and keep at it. You and you doctor figure out what exactly you need to do next to get this done. Do not give up or be discouraged.

What pre-op diet are you on? My doctor uses Adkins and I am losing about a pound a day. The hardest part for me was giving up bread. I love sandwiches. But that is fine since I will not be eating much bread post-op either. Keep it up! I am scheduled to be banded this Thursday, the 21st. See you on the other side.

I am pre-op, and I loved sandwiches, tacos, & spaghetti... but I have resigned to know I will never eat them again. Not so much worried about the carbs, more the fact that with such a small meal to eat why waste it on filler. Plus how do you take a sugar cube size bite of a taco? I enjoyed whatever to excess, which is why I am here today. With the band everything changes. But that is just my opinion.

You do not have to go chewable, there are some very quality liquid options. I use Max Effect, got it from Vitmin Shoppe. Great profile and it tastes very good. http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/browse/sku_detail.jsp?id=U9-1003#.UR6-AWfyB8E

Almond milk all the way. I gave up cow milk a few years ago... you know what is in that stuff. The protein you lose switching is negligible, easily made up elsewhere and unsweetened almond milk is half the calories of skim cow milk.

I got a liquid at Vitamin Shoppe. Taste great and portable. They also have a large bottle if you do not need portability. http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/browse/sku_detail.jsp?id=U9-1003#.URvuuGfyB8E

Bike bike bike! I have horrible knees and the bike is my savior. You can also look into supplementing Glucosamine, Chondroitin, and MSM. Help me a lot and there are lots of liquid options.

I found a great liquid Vitamin at Vitamin Shoppe, Max Effect. http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/brows/sku_detail.jsp?id=U9-1003#.URu2K2fyB8E Protein, I have been using Myofusion Elite. Low fat, low carb great taste: http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/browse/sku_detail.jsp?id=YH-1075#.URu2f2fyB8E As for Water, get a bottle, I use the tall Blender Bottle, and just keep it with you at all times and drink it. I have one at my desk and one at home. It is the only thing I drink and when it is empty I fill it immediately. I do not track my consumption, but I would guess that I drink 3-4 full bottles a day (tall blender bottle is 28 oz). I use Mio - fruit punch does suck, but the orange-tangerine is great, so is the sweet tea, and the lemonade. Mixing them is also fun - sweet tea with lemonade, orange-lemonade. Crystal Lite also has some liquid water enhancers. Peach Belini is delicious (drinking that right now), Pomtini is excellent as well.

Vanilla is a win-lose... by itself usually not to great, but it is an excellent pallet for adding flavors. Crystal Lite/ Mio works good for a fruity flavor. PB2 or Betty Lou's powdered peanut butter is awesome, they have both plain pb and chocolate pb. Not sure if you are restricted on carbs but obviously blended with frozen fruit will be awesome.

Something I found today... if you love Peanut Butter but do not want the fat, sugar, and pain of mixing - Vitmin Shoppe has powdered peanut butter, both a plain & chocolate. I got the chocolate and it great. Mixes very easily and has a great choco-pb flavor. Two tablespoons is 45 cal, 1.5g fat, 4g Protein, 5g carbs, 1g Fiber, 2g sugar. I only used one and wow it is great! I am sure it can be found elsewhere, but that is where I got mine. http://www.bettylousinc.com/products_detail.php?id=287&ref=0

Just got done with my pre-surgery meeting. 10am on Feb 21st I go under the knife !!! Surgeon gave me a script for liquid hydrocodone & some anti-nausea suppository. BTW - two weeks on Adkins pre-surgery diet and I have lost 12lbs.

One day certainly will not hurt. And depending on your level of physical activity your necessary Protein intake will be higher. So you can shoot for 80 a day but I would not stress on going over every now and again. Of course talk to your physician and/or nutritionist for a more "official" position.

Skim milk stil has a lot of carbs (12g per 8oz) so I would go Water. I have long given up cow milk, you dont wanna now what is in that stuff. Almond milk is a nice alternative, good taste, and much lower in carbs if you get unsweetened.

Try Isopure. Cant get lower than zero . They are suppose to be very good. Lots of flavors to chose from. http://www.theisopurecompany.com/en/powders#zero_carb I know they have this at Vitamin Shoppe or you can find it online.

Try Isopure. You can find it at Vitamin Shoppe or online. It mixes clear and they have fruit flavors. Think Gatorade, but its protein and very low carb (I believe zero carb actually). And they are suppose to be very very good.

I was recommended Max Effect Liquid Multi and its really good. Great Vitamin profile and a bunch of other goodies. They also have a 30 shot pack if you need something portable, which is what I use. portable http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/browse/sku_detail.jsp?fromCatId=cat12358&id=U9-1003 bottle http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/browse/sku_detail.jsp?fromCatId=cat12358&id=U9-1004

Good luck!!! You are taking the next step in your journey.

I also have Federal BCBS, started in Oct, paperwork was submitted Jan 14, approval letter was received in the mail Jan 22. Going under the knife 2/21!! You have come this far, its coming!

There are several good ones available at Vitamin Shoppe: For just a protein shake, Myofusion is probably one of the best tasting with lots of great flavor options and a solid profile. For more of a meal replacement I like LeanPro8, very good profile with healthy fats. Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberry are all very good. I have heard good things about Syntrax Nectars but I have never tried them. Good thing about Vitamin Shoppe, if you do not like it bring it back and they will let you exchange it. Dont be afraid of fats with protein shakes. They are usually high quality, omega3/6 and/or medium-chained glycerides. You need these especially since many essential vitamins are fat solubile, meaning they are better absorbed when consumed with fats. You do not want sugar, but that is easy to avoid because most have very low sugar content.