avaswlsjourney

There is a website/blog out there where a person with a very precise scale measured a patch before and after use, and the weight difference was significantly less than the weight of the Vitamins which were supposed to have been absorbed. So his conclusion was that there hadn’t been transfer of that volume of vitamins off the patch.

His analysis didn’t try to answer whether the weight that did leave the used patch was Water evaporation or actual vitamins. He also didn’t answer if any vitamins were absorbed.

But his analysis showed that, best case, assuming all the weight difference was absorbed vitamins, significantly less is being absorbed than the patch claims.

My doc uses ProCare bariatric vitamins (1 capsule) $20/mo and then regular Citrical caplets (need to be crushed) which are avail at costco for $10/mo. But I don’t like the idea of crushing pills, so I went with the Bariatric Advantage calcium citrate with D and it cost me $55 for 270 pills of 500 mg. It was $25 for 90 pills, but if you order from their website and get the 270 pills with auto refill, you also get free shipping.

It really tastes quite decent for a chewable. I even convinced my little ones to take them.

Honestly? I'm doing this pre-op and anticipate this will continue the rest of my life.
I pick my most important meal of the day (happens to be dinner for me), and that's the meal that I will put a little effort into. (Like 10-15 minutes of effort. )
That means, the other 2 meals, 3 Snacks are pretty repetitious, crazy easy, and boring--designed only to fill my piehole with Protein and veg/fruit. If I get tired of a meal, I'll take it out of rotation and put something up in its place.
If it were me, and I was a truck drivin' man (thank you Toby Keith), I'd do the following during the week cuz I could make and package stuff ahead:
Breakfasts--I'd rotate 3-4 of them:
1. Egg "muffins (portable, soft, easy to digest, dense protein). You can make these any flavor you want. They're essentially just crustless quiches (and real men DO eat quiche) !!!
2. Breakfast taco made with low carb tortilla.
3. Mixture of cottage cheese, yogurt, blueberries, Fiber One, toasted slivered almonds.
4. Green protein smoothie (frozen blueberries, frozen spinach, scoop of banana Protein Powder, Peanut Butter powder, unsweetened vanilla coconut milk or Fairlife Milk for more protein)

Lunches--I'd rotate 3-4 of them:
1. Turkey or ham roll-up(s) + grape tomatoes (1 oz Boar's Head lunch meat + 1 string cheese = 1 roll-up)--eat 1-2 + 3-4 grape tomatoes
2. Little containers of leftovers from previous dinners that are pre-measured. Stop to pee at a truck stop, nuke 'em and enjoy with a spoon and a smile. Works great for things like chili, Eggface's Ricotta Bake, layered enchilada casseroles, etc.
3. Lettuce wraps (lunchmeat, sliced cheese, romaine leaves/curly lettuce leaves, cucumber spears, onion slices, etc)
4. Little containers of a meat/seafood/egg salad (tuna or canned salmon or shrimp, mixed with boiled egg, cottage cheese, green onions, dill pickle relish, low fat mayo, Dijon mustard, spices) + sliced apple or jicama or carrots.
5. Smorgasbord: 2oz leftover meat, 1oz cubed cheese, 3-4grape tomatoes or 2-3 strawberries or 1/4 c blueberries or blackberries.

Snacks--KISS (Keep It Simple Sweetie)
1. Hard boiled egg
2. String cheese and beef/venison Jerky
3. 1oz nuts
4. sliced apple/peanut butter or almond butter
5. My favorite trifecta satisfies me for 3-4 hours: 1 string cheese, 1.75oz GS apple slices, 8-14g of toasted almonds. So dang yummy!!!

Dinner--Make something lovely for yourself and make enough to freeze 2-3 meals of leftovers in small containers. Label with tape: I make lots of "base" meats and buy pre-made/low to no sugar/low cal/low fat sauces and freeze them in ways that I can measure out an ounce or 2 into a container. I portion sauces in ice cube trays or small freezer containers. Then it's so easy to grab things and mix and match like Garanimals for food! Never a dull meal!
Name of dish
Qty of the Dish
Date frozen
(if possible, then put the nutritional information on it)

I believe it's ok to eat those if you can stomach the smell and/taste. From a convenience standpoint they seem dead easy and my RD told me it would be fine. And certainly, adding spices will help!
Here's a couple of quick fix options if you want to do semi-homemade purees. I have a hand blender/burr blender/stick blender or a mini food processor. I just heat the stuff up and then puree it with the stick blender, using broth to thin them out to the right texture. You can scale these up to make and freeze some!
They both make "about" 1/4 cup of puree give or take.

Chili with Beans
1 serving about 1/4-1/3c
1/8c prepared chili (I make my own low carb 2Alarm Chili and use a portion of it)
1/8c Trappey's Jalapeno Pinto Beans (drained and rinsed)
10g Isopure Unflavored Protein Powder
1 tbsp salsa
1 tsp sour cream
3.5g Benefiber (optional)
1/3oz cheddar cheese
134 cals; 14g protein; 6g fat; 5g carbs; 2g fiber; 3g net carbs

Creamy Alfredo chicken Puree
1 serving about 1/4-1/3c
1oz cooked boneless skinless rotisserie chicken
2tbsp grated parmesan cheese
2tbsp Lite Asiago Roman Alfredo Sauce (Classico)
6g Isopure Unflavored Protein powder
3.5g Benefiber (optional)
granulated garlic, pepper, salt, oregano, basil to taste
169 cals; 20g protein; 8g fat; 4g carbs; 2g fiber; 2g net carbs

My doctor forbids the use of Advil and other NSAIDS (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs)...Advil is ibuprofen.... it can damage your new stomach.
That said....he also said that if you ever needed to use it...sparingly and rarely...you could protect your new stomach by eating an antacid like Tums with it. But he prefers we stay away from these meds completely.
Tylenol is safer and doesn't irritate your stomach as much.

Thanks for posting this question, I’ve been sick with flu like symptoms and headache and have to work. So I’ve been taking Tylenol arthritis and fever reducer.

Absolutely No Advil or no to any NSAIDS
Tylenol is the only OTC Pain Medication allowable from our doctor & most all bariatric periodicals are the same. You should be able to call or email your doctor/nutritionist anytime there are questions about your choices about anything. Good Luck hope this helps answer your questions & hope you get to feeling better. Have a Merry Christmas & Safe & Happy New Year