WhoKnows

@@EarthyGoalie, I don't add it to the Soup on the stove (though the package says it can be used in falafel, so the heat might actually be ok). I usually just add 15g or so to the serving I'm gonna eat once it's cooled down so it won't burn my mouth. It clumps a little bit, but not like whey Protein. I've been adding it mostly to pureed Soups though (lentil, tomato, split pea, etc), and I don't know how it would fair in something brothier. Yesterday I knew I was going to a Turkish restaurant for dinner, and knew I would have lentil soup, so I just brought some in a little tupperware and added it at the table. I had to use a fork to really whisk it, but it wasn't lumpy at all. I would also say that since the taste isn't so "protein-y," when I have had a bit of a clump on my spoon, it hasn't turned me off. It's more akin to getting a mouthful of something where a certain spice has clumped up a bit.

I'm pre-op, and know you asked for post-op answers, but I have some ideas I'm planning to integrate into my life post-op. For example, I'm going make large batches of things like lentil Soup and then freeze them in ice cube trays. That way I won't have to thaw a whole big tupperware container if I want to reheat something. I can just pop two or three cubes into a put and warm, then maybe add some pumpkin seed Protein. I think having pre-made, home-cooked food is going to make eating clean a lot easier.

So, I'm doing my pre-op low carb/high protein diet. My surgeon didn't give me any exact numbers; he just said low carb/high protein. He said I can eat all the veggies I want (no fruit though) and a bit of fat. I've been tracking my nutrition using cronometer, and of course everything is a mix of carbs, fat and protein, so I can't get 0 carbs, but I'd like to have a number to shoot for, especially because I'm eating a lot of vegetables, which are mostly fiber (ie. carbs). I've averaged 1200 calories, with 102 grams of protein, 56 grams of carbs, and 69 grams of fat (which I know is too high) for the past three days since I've been dieting. I could cut my carbs down if I swapped out some veggies for another protein shake, but I'd rather not if I don't have to. Does anyone have any ideas of how many grams of carbs are ok? Or even what percentage of my total calorie intake can be carbs?

Sometimes I think about the fact that we evolved this way for a reason, but then again, large evolutionary changes can take hundreds of thousands of years, and as our technologies and ways of life have changed (especially post Industrial Revolution and post WWII), our bodies haven't had time to catch up evolutionarily. The surgery is a way of helping our bodies cope with a culture that they aren't really prepared for from a biological point of view.

I just made a post about this elsewhere yesterday, but I'll just copy/paste most of it here too since I'm just so thrilled about this discovery: pumpkin seed protein. It has all the essential amino acids to make it a complete protein (plus most of the non-essential ones as well). Per 100g it has 63g of protein, 6.7g of fat (but it's good fat, including the ever important omegas), and 10g of carbs (all 10 of which are fiber!). And the best part is, it doesn't really taste like protein! It just tastes kinda "green." It's nice, sort of smokey. I've been putting it everything savory: soup, salad dressing, stir-fry, salsa, hummus, etc. I love it! It was a little expensive, but totally worth it. The company is called "Sun & Seed" (though I believe other organic food companies in the US make something similar). They have a website, but it looks like it might be under construction (sunandseed.com). It seems like they're a UK company though, so I don't know how the availability of this specific brand would be in the US. All I can say is, I really, really recommend it, not just for vegans, but for anyone getting sick of the taste of other protein powders.

If I may ask, how drastic is the apron and would you say pants hide it and the thighs well enough?

That I have no idea about. When I lived in the US, I never had insurance, so I don't really know how closely American insurance companies eye that kind of thing.

I can't help but notice that our starting weights are similar. Can I ask how your skin is holing up?

There are plenty of ways to weigh in heavy without actually gaining too much weight. Eat heavy foods for a few days ahead of time; schedule your appointment for the middle of the day so you have time to eat and drink a lot before you go in, but not so late that you absolutely need to have bowel movement before stepping on the scale; wear heavy clothes (boots, jeans, a jacket, layers!); and maybe place some well hidden weights or roles of change in inside pockets or even in underwear. You don't need to gain 12 whole pounds. I bet you could gain six and fake the rest.

I'm American, but I live in Germany, so I use pounds and kilos. I just look at like I have two awesome milestones to achieve! But anyway, good for you! Well done on your progress so far!

If it's the dryness you're worried about, maybe some vitamin E?

A lot of people use MyFitnessPal to track calories and nutrients. I like Cron-O-Meter. Maybe do a little research and see if you can find a tool to help you stay in line. It's super helpful.

So I made an amazing discovery at the vegan (don't be scared!) supermarket in my neighborhood the other day: pumpkin seed protein. It has all the essential amino acids to make it a complete protein (plus most of the non-essential ones as well). Per 100g it has 63g of protein, 6.7g of fat (but it's good fat, including the ever important omegas), and 10g of carbs (all 10 of which are fiber!). And the best part is, it doesn't really taste like protein! It just tastes kinda "green." It's nice, sort of smokey. I've been putting it everything savory: soup, salad dressing, stir-fry, salsa, hummus, etc. I love it! It was a little expensive, but totally worth it. The company is called "Sun & Seed" (though other organic food companies may make something similar). They have a website, but it looks like it might be under construction (sunandseed.com). It seems like they're a UK company though, so I don't know how the availability of this specific brand would be in the US. All I can say is, I really, really recommend it, especially for vegans and anyone getting sick of the taste of other protein powders.

Stick to your surgeons instructions. As long as you're hitting your water and protein, you don't need to eat a larger portion just cause you can. Are you using some sort of nutrition tracker?

@@aNewLife14, I'm dying to try Crossfit! My surgery is on May 28th, so it'll be a while until I'm able to work out hard, let alone hold my own in a Crossfit class, but that's definitely a NSV I'm looking forward to! Also, I'm a lot less concerned about losing pounds than I am about wearing smaller clothes and having a low body fat percentage. Here's hoping the sleeve helps me get there!

Cardio burns fat and is good for your heart, but strength training is arguably more important for longterm health. As bariatric patients, we tend to lose a lot of our muscle along with our fat, even if we meet our Protein goals. I'd highly recommend finding some way to build muscle. It's crucial for burning more fat when you're resting, helps keep your bones healthy, and gives your skin something to grip on to as your fat burns away. Also, if you have lower body injuries (as I do), weight lifting can be a good way to get in some targeted exercise that won't hurt your weak spots. Oh, and it's good for your heart too -- cardio doesn't have the monopoly on that.

There are other good reasons to take Probiotics as well. For one, some studies have shown that people with robust gut flora are better at maintaining a healthy weight.

I think I'm still ending up with roughly 50g of carbs a day because even though I'm only getting them from non-starchy sources (veggies, lemon juice, tofu, dairy), since I'm pre-op, I'm still eating a pretty large volume. I'm gonna see if I can cut it down to 30g, but I'm already getting sick of protein shakes, and I know I'm gonna really need those later so I don't want to hate them already. I'll see how it goes today.

I'm terrified of this. I get hiccups a lot already...

I think @@Bob2013 does have a point about the volume problem. Vegan body builders and athletes tend to eat a lot and they don't usually do low carb since most vegan sources of Protein also have a significant amount of carbs (not that that's a bad thing for most people). I've worried about this myself, and like I said above, that's why I plan to be lacto-ovo until I get to maintenance (and source out the least ethically problematic sources of dairy and eggs I can during this time, though of course that's not easy since I don't run my own farm). Not eating meat definitely isn't a problem though. Fat-free Quark for example (which I don't think you can get easily in the US, but it's a curd cheese that's kind of like a mix of greek yogurt and ricotta) has almost 30g of protein per 100g serving and only something like 4g of carbohydrates. I put it in my salad dressing, Protein shakes, on top of soup or Beans instead of sour cream, and when I'm post op and can have fruit again, I'll mix it with berries, and maybe even freeze it for popsicles. You're supposed to get one gram of protein for every kilo you weigh, so @@Bob2013 that means you'd need about 75g of protein a day when you get to goal. Once you're done losing, you can probably up your calories to around 1200-1500, depending on how much you work out, and 75g of protein on a standard clean vegan diet shouldn't be a problem. Minimizing your consumption of animal products by going vegan is a wonderful goal, and if you can make it work, then I totally applaud you and I wish you luck! Hopefully I'll get back there at some point too.

Oh, also, my surgeon knows I'm a vegetarian and sees no problem with it. He agrees though that it's best not to go fully vegan until I'm done losing.

I'm on my pre-op low carb diet, and I'm doing ok vegetarian. My plan right now is to do vegetarian until I get to maintenance and then go back to vegan. I'm pretty committed to adding unflavored Protein powder to a lot of things. Today I ate a total of 1200 calories and got 106g of protein. I had one Protein shake, two tofurky sausages, and a salad with a homemade fat-free quark/lemon juice dressing. I'm certainly not at 0 carbs, but I'm doing a lot better than normal, when I usually ate a lot of bulgar, rice, etc. Post-op, I know I'll be eating less though, so, like I said, I plan to use a lot more unflavored Protein Powder to boost the protein in things like lentil Soup or refried Beans. Also, today I came across a vegan pumpkin seed protein powder. I'm just not sure if on it's own it's a complete protein, but it looks interesting and like it would be good with savory dishes! If you ever wanna swap vegetarian/vegan recipes, just let me know!

Oh boy, whoops! Well, if you're happy with your current WLS surgery situation, then maybe it's time to "come out." Since I'm pre-op and I don't know how things will turn out, I'm being pretty secretive, but if in a few years it's been a complete success, then I'd start telling people. Maybe it's blessing in disguise!

So my surgeon hasn't said anything about liquid Vitamins (I honestly don't even know if they exist in this country), and I know my friend who had the surgery a week ago isn't taking any. How long after surgery until I can take pills? I'm very good about my vitamins, but other than my B12, they all need to be swallowed. Also, I don't wanna be off my Metformin too long.

Thanks @@SparkleCat!