wildnick

I have been using the app called "Lose it" which seems to better integrate with Apple Health Kit. Apple health is a database that is included with IOS, apple's built in software. The advantage of Apple Health integration is that the apple watch and other step and exercise data are automatically fed into the app. Plus any other app that queries the Apple Health Kit database can pull up your nutrition intake that you have entered into Loose It. This app has a bar code scanner and has a huge database of products. Really easy to log food intake, set weight goals and monitor calorie consumption and burn levels. WN

Splenda which is the brand name for Sucralose seems to be the better sweetener. You can cook with it and it is sweet like sugar without the calories and the bad effects of sugar. Aspartame is made from amino acids, but some people have a reaction or don't like the taste of it. Also, you can't cook with it because the heat destroys the sweetness of it. It is cheap, so lots of products still use it. Since Sucralose went off patent a number of years ago, more and more products have switched over to it. This is good because now sugar free products taste as good as sugar rich products without the negative effects of aspartame and its inferior taste. Rebiana or Truvia is another compound that is sweet like sugar. I don't find it as sweet but some people like it. Don't believe the hype that some sweeteners are natural or artificial. They all start with natural ingredients and processes them. Aspartame comes from protean and the two amino acids that make it are separated. Sucralose comes from sugar and is processed to make it hundreds of times sweeter than sugar. Truvia is an natural extract which is processed heavily. There were earlier studies that showed Truvia to be carcinogenic, but were later refuted. There are some who say sweeteners trick the brain and make you hungry. I never found this to be true. I think sweetness is a flavor and there are different ingredients which have this flavor. Some are really bad for you like sugar or corn syrup and some are fine like sucralose and truvia. Tricking the brain? give me a break. WN

Sorry to hear about your slippage. I heard it was caused by vomiting before the band healed into place. Is this what happened with you? As for drinks, go get crystal light or Dasani squirters. See http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2/181-0144597-3724455?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=dasani+drops Order vodka on the rocks and a glass of Water on the side. Squirt some flavor into the vodka and you can add water. It will make a delicious drink that has very few calories. 1 oz of vodka only has 64 calories. Do not be tempted to do vodka and cranberry. Too much sugar. You could also order a rum on the rocks. Same 64 calories per oz. Then get the pineapple coconut flavor and you have a 64 calorie pina colada. They are great. Cary the squirter around with you. Don't mix with pain meds. We don't want you to do a Prince. Let me know how it works. WN

I had a vodka drink day 8 while still on liquids, but not on pain meds and it hit me hard. I used to drink beer a lot but the carbonation is too much. A lot of people I have spoken with drink wine with the lap band. From a calorie perspective, I would stick with vodka on the rocks with a squirt of sugar free flavor like crystal light. The drink will be under 70 calories. If you had 6 of them, you would feel nice and be at the equivalent of maybe 2 Protein shakes in terms of the number of calories. WN