gymnastics junkie

I'm not a vegan but I'm allergic to dairy. I love this brand. I add half of an avocado to make it creamy (along with high protein soy milk and a banana). It's delicious and filling.

I'm allergic to dairy so I use one sold at Whole Foods called Vega One (I use soy milk). When you add half of an avocado the shakes come out very creamy. I add a banana, too. Lifetime Fitness sells a couple of dairy free ones but I find Vega One to be smoother--not at all gritty.

I'm exactly 8 months to the day past my surgery. My surgeon said to take in 72 grams a day. It was difficult for me at first because I'm allergic to dairy and severely allergic to eggs. I also don't like the grit that I've found in most of the vegan protein shakes. I actually found a great vegan shake at Lifetime Fitness, you just can't let it sit for a while because it gets narly. I found a soy milk that has 7 grams per cup of protein so I use it in coffee, too. The extra protein soy milk is the only way I can hit the 72 grams. Chicken and tuna at lunch or dinner also helps, as does pork.

My surgery was in March and I hated garlic until July. I'm part Italian and used to use a lot of garlic. Your tastes change but my body was clearly trying to help me. I had bad acid reflux so garlic and onions would be stupid. I like garlic now (6 months out). I'm still careful with it. You might find that you'll like it again. I was off coffee for months and had much more energy. It doesn't taste the same to me, either.

I had open gastric bypass and was out of work for 3 full weeks. I think they do that because they assume you're on pain meds. I didn't need any after I left the hospital but you do need to rest up. If you're not on pain meds you could probably work after 2 weeks. Just remember to get up a lot and keep moving.

My surgeon only does the open type. I had my surgery in mid March and had no pain whatsoever. The last pain medication that I had was the day after surgery. I never filled the prescription because I didn't need it. The only issue I had was really bad acid reflux. I can't start the day with anything but Water. 2 months ago I added a decaf soy latte after 16 oz of water (I'm allergic to dairy). I have soy milk with extra Protein. That holds me over until after the gym. (Last month I added caffeine coffee but Illy is low acid coffee and I have a full cup of soy with a 1/4 cup coffee). After gym I have my shake. That's how I deal with the acid reflux--liquids first. My surgeon has a very conservative eating plan after surgery and I followed it carefully because I didn't want any complications. I asked one of his assistants why he cuts us open and they said because he can see the organs and everything much better. That was fine with me. Part of the scar is fading now. I didn't need any help at home except for bending and picking up things. I sent my husband to buy that grip thing that old people use, with the long arm. It was great. Just remember you will have new plumbing and you need to allow it to heal. They also said the blod clot possibility can last for 6 months after surgery so keep moving. That scared the crap out of me. I was walking the hospital floor on day 2 and kept moving. My surgeon said no ab work foe 6 months so I'm starting that now. Follow your surgeon's orders and you will be fine. Don't be afraid. The weight loss is wonderful. I'm down 72 pounds. I like exercise so that helps. One feels better in the gym when one is lighter. Good luck.