Zannie

My clinic does recommend one apx 20-25g protein shake a day, just to make sure you are getting in all the protein the body needs to maintain muscle mass while loosing weight. They want us getting 90g of protein a day (that number varies from clinic to clinic, however). BUT!!! They are also very specific that we need to be EATING our calories, not DRINKING them. My band is pretty tight in the morning so I make a shake for breakfast & don't usually start solid foods until lunch.

:wub: This is the best secret in protein out there! Those shaker bottles are fantastic "juice" protein! (Thanks so much for this hint, MazieMommy!) The single-serve Pineapple Orange Shaker & Cran-Grape Shaker (more grape than cran) are my favorites. You just add water right to the powder in the drinking bottle they come in & shake. The flavors are all very mild & they have an apple juice-like consistency. It's perfect for when I need a change from the creamy, latte-style shakes that are my standard. The only problem is that you have to order it by phone (417.881.8600) if you are not local to Springfield -- no on-line ordering yet at www.healthy-weight-supermarket.com. And I wish they sold the powder in bulk canisters!!

Ha! I wondered if that was you -- 2 rows directly in front of me! :cheers2: There are so many new faces now that the support group follows the nutrition class... You should have said hello! Next time... :smile: Actually, I probably won't be AT the fashion show one...my parents sit the kiddies for me to go to support group since my husband works Thurs nights & I feel guilty asking them to pull over-night duty for me to play play. But definitely introduce yourself! Suzanne

HELP! I’m struggling & need feedback on your nectar experience. Specifically, I’m looking for Nectar recipes using Crystal Light or DaVinci Syrup, etc. I know it is an old one, but I hope you don’t mind my bumping this thread with the cross-post bellow! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- I just placed an order for a bunch of Nectar samples to fool around with again. I remember from my early post-op days that while all the flavors were heinous in my opinion (overpowering whey smell/taste), the texture of Nectar Protein was rather like fruit punch or Kool-aid. I’ve read all sorts of things on the net about mixing Nectar with Crystal Light but nobody ever says which flavor Nectar gets mixed with which flavor C.L. drink mix -- never mind what ratio of CL to Nectar is used to make these cocktails!?! Or if it is prepared or still-in-powder-form Crystal Light being used?!? Maybe there’s success with adding specific DaVinci S/F syrups to certain Nectar flavors...? What are your recipes/formulas for making Nectar tasty? It’s all a great mystery to me...but I’m desperate enough for something NOT creamy to try my hand at unraveling the secrets behind Nectar! Any suggestions?

I just love everyone at WLSC of HR -- especially Susie & Dr. T! He really gives it to you straight, but I've never felt judged at all for being super morbidly obese. There are a few other Bandsters from WLSC (probably more than few) who I've met here at LBT, too. Are you coming to the Support Group meeting tonight at 6:30 (it's down at the Careplex)? I hope to see you there! Suzanne

Helen -- I'm sorry to hear you've had so much trouble with your Lapband. I'm definitely one of the cheerleaders for our tool (this is the best thing I've done for ME in a long, long time) and I hate coming across such problem-plagued Bandsters! :wink2: It just doesn't make sense, does it...? Why this tool can be such a blessing to so very many & yet a curse to others at the same time!?! But you ARE right -- no one should contemplate WLS without serious consideration, because it is serious surgery with the risk of some pretty serious complications. Good luck to you with your band as our 2nd year begins... Suzanne

I just placed an order for a bunch of Nectar samples to fool around with again, because I remember that while the flavors were heinous, the texture was rather like fruit punch or Kool-aid. I’ve read all sorts of things on the net where people mix their Nectar with Crystal Light but nobody ever says which flavor Nectar gets mixed with which flavor C.L. drink mix! Never mind what ratio of C.L. to Nectar is used to make these cocktails! Or if it is prepared or still-in-powder-form Crystal Light being used! Maybe there’s success with adding specific Da Vinci S/F syrups to certain Nectar flavors...? It’s all a great mystery to me...but I’m desperate enough for something NOT creamy to try my hand at unraveling the secrets behind Nectar! Any suggestions? Suzanne

Oh, ick! :Dancing_shocked: Good to know! :thumbup:

I've heard people cook with plain & vanilla flavors quite a bit, and I've gotten the recommendation from my nutritionist to make jello & pudding with powders. But when I suggested microwaving the latte-style concoction I was told by several people NOT to do so because of the protein stability. I'd love to know the real answer to that question, too...

I love Shepherd's Pie! :thumbup: What a perfect Bandster meal it is -- even with real mashed potatoes on top! I've never tried the fake-out version with cauliflower though... This one sounds good!!! Thanks!

Choose one or the other. Why get banded when PLANNING to get PG? You will have it in place, but not get any of the benefits of the band because they just unfill you anyhow so your baby can thrive. So don't PLAN to do both at the same time. I was at exactly your point in Aug‘04 when I said to my DH that I needed to DO something -- either get cracking on TTC #2 (infertility treatments req. for #1, so i did not presume #2 would be easy), or get rolling with the Band. He picked TTC. Fine by me. :Dancing_shocked: Talk to your doc, to a nutritionist -- they will tell you NOT to get PG so soon after the Band. You just waste your time, and risk stunting your progress in terms of the band. You'll just have gotten into a grove with the weight loss only to need an unfill & halt the whole thing. It is not recommend getting PG until 2 years post-op, which is when your weight loss really ends. Sure, there are people who get PG before then anyway, but many of those are accidental pregnancies because with weight loss, your fertility can change (my problems with PCOS appear resolved, for example). Why PLAN for it?!? Make up your mind & stick to your choice. Better to get behind one or the other thing and give it your all. IMHO :thumbup: [i say [i]screw Aug'09[/i] -- get PG sooner rather than later, and get banded when the baby is about 6-months old! That still gives you plenty of time to plan the banding & one less thing to stress about during pregnancy. And by 6-mo, you've got the Mommy thing as down as it's gonna get in those 1st 2 baby years! :Dancing_tongue: Unless you'll be nursing -- then get banded the month Baby turns one! Don't ya love how I've got your whole life planned out for ya! :success1:]

Congrats! Way to go! Keep up the momentum by doing all the right things - protein, water, and movement! You can do this!!!!<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

Ha! Well, I'm a mom to a 2-1/2 & 5-year-old. And that Saggy Baggy Elephant is on the back of every Golden Book (and I read a lot of Golden Books :thumbup:)... At 100 pounds down, I do feel rather saggy & baggy and LBT is the place where there are others "just like me" -- which is the whole point of that book, after all. So it seemed rather appropriate as avatars go. :biggrin2:

That's the way I like my chocolate and/or vanilla Protein best -- served up iced cappuccino/latte style. I blend my shakes up with Water & decaf instant coffee granules, like Taster Choice or International Foods. And then I add a little non-dairy flavored creamer to the mix. They really are terrific that way -- if you go for the iced, sweetened, creamy drinks at the mall coffee shops, you know, the kind blended with or served over ice & topped with whipped cream. Which I do! :thumbup: I've actually become quite the pro at making them to the point that my kids (2-1/2 & 5) request protein shakes for Breakfast. My DH doesn’t turn one down either. I truly do look forward to my shake, most days. :thumbup: (And thank goodness, or really, I’d be so off track with my protein intake if I had not found a way to make my daily shake tasty.) But the milky-ness is getting to me lately. As the Coffee Talk Lady used to say, "I'm getting vaclemped” after my shakes now. Maybe it’s the burgeoning allergy season, but I’m suddenly phlegmy in the morning & these days my iced latte shake just is too thick & creamy for me -– even though I don’t use milk at all! I tried the bullets & found them way too syrupy for even my sweet tooth, which is saying a lot because I’d drink snow-cone syrup in a cup sans shaved ice if people wouldn’t look at me funny! :tt2: This debate over the quality of their protein never crossed my mind, but I’m glad y’all pointed it out since I was thinking about trying to make Jello with a tube of 42g. Always something new to learn on this journey, isn’t there...

Awh, I was hoping I could count on you! :shades_smile: And with that, I shall humbly yield to the Challenge Queen.

What are y’all struggling with now that a year has gone by? And can we “band” together to help one another through it? (Sorry – I couldn’t resist the pun!) Anybody else needing some motivation? I know I am!:shades_smile: I propose another challenge for April. My problem area is & has always been with Exercise so I default to the ol’ standby, but I’m totally open to suggestions! Travelgirl, babygrl1234 … care to drag my sorry (if smaller) butt through another round? :teeth_smile: LBT is a great source for Bandster camaraderie, and I think I could use as shot of that about now. Suzanne

I’m just over a year post-op, have lost just over 100 pounds and am stalled out… Mentally and on the scale. I’m trying to get back to basics and the 1st step there is Protein. I do remember the early days of protein-protein-protein, and not with much fondness! While I did eventually come up with a “latte-like” recipe I’ve used with all sorts of vanilla & chocolate powders, I am just sick of the cream-base. The only non-milky Protein powder I can find locally is the nectar line. I’m big on juice & kool-aid, so I was excited to test them out. In fact, I tired all the flavors last year, and didn’t like any of them on its own merits. I did buy a tub of Crystal Sky but it has a strong whey aftertaste to me thus in the pantry it remains. After that purchase I started getting sample packs of Nectar, so I didn’t have much with which to experiment. Only if I mixed them with juice were they actually palatable, but that is NOT what I was looking for newly post-op! But I’m so bored with creamy protein that I’m ready to play around with my Crystal Sky & all of the Nectar flavors again… What specific mix-in (Crystal Light, kool-aid, etc) flavor combinations did y’all successfully use to transform the different Nectar powders into tasty drinks?

Okay - not a single post to our thread in all of February! Egad! I've got no room to talk, but that is BAD -- especially since we all passed that one-year mark in February... Time for Bandiversary Updates, everyone!! As for me, I'm down 5 pounds since my one year weigh-in...finally having broken through that damn plateau (many thanks to my DH & all the stress at home that finally propelled me forward). I hit 100 pounds down at the end of November, gained back a bit over the holidays, and was back to -100.5 at my Bandiversary. I'm at 213.5 now, down from 320 at my height on the morning of surgery! 106 pounds lost!!! WAHOO! :biggrin: I now weigh less than my husband, which has NEVER been the case in the nearly 20 years I've known him (even if HE is getting close to his highest weight again). We crossed paths on the scale at 218. That was one of my mini-goals, to weigh less than him -- whatever that number was! Sure -- I'm still 78 pounds overweight, but every mini-milestone is something to Celebrate, inspires me on, and makes it seem actually possible that the final goal (a "normal" BMI number) is achievable. My surgeon predicts based on my progress that I'll hit about 160 (his goal for me by 2-years post-op) & then stall out. That's a loss of 5 pounds a month from the 1-year to 2-year post-op anniversaries. He thinks at that point I'll have about 20 pounds of excess abdominal skin & about 5 more between both my arms, and I'll be a good plastics candidate. I haven't given too much thought to more surgery, but maybe by 2-years post-op I'll be ready to consider it. And maybe I'll have come into the additional $12K so that I can afford it! :-P HA!! :smile: Okay... NEXT!!!

My arms are huge... They've always been that one body part I'd change if I could! But having lost 100 pounds (today is my 1-year Bandiversary :eek:), they remain HUGE!! At the droopy part, they started at 23" each, and are 18" each now. And wave on for days after I've stopped. I have a long way to go before goal, so there is still TIME, but how much HOPE is there really that smaller arms without surgery are in my future!?! I'd love to know the magic formula that would spare me even more surgery...but I have a feeling there isn't one! And these arms have got to GO!!!

Really...? I have not had red meat (and NO pork is not the other white meat -- I mean what color is ham or bacon! Oh, sorry -- tangent!) since 9th grade/1989. It was an animal rights vote at the time, but now it's just habit really. (And my fear that if I tasted ground chuck I'd upchuck at the thought...) But since my banding, I feel so limited by the restrictions I've put on my own diet that I've started tossing around the notion of eating ground beef again. How is it that you get enough variety AND "Protein first" foods with a vegan diet? Maybe your protein finds would help shake me from my "food is boring" funk.... Suzanne

I couldn't agree more... Saggy skin DOES suck! And I've got tons of it... My boobs have gone from a plump if pendulous 52DD to a flat, droopy, crepe papered 38H. Yes H!!! I wasn't an H while breastfeeding for pitty's sake! And my underarms wave on for days after I've stopped... I know my jiggling thighs are going to be problematic, too. And the apron area is awful! Talk about your Dunlap (as in: done lapped over the belt)! Egad! But I'd take saggy skin over that ~100 pounds ANY day! I read something once by a pro-exercise guru-type that said if we hit our real ideal BMIs that the skin, being an organ and NOT crepe paper, after all, would eventually respond to the new shape of our bodies & re-conform to the slimmer contours. That as WLS patients we give up on the skin & go for reconstruction before the organ has had a real chance to adjust to the weight loss... What do y'all think about that? Of course my WLS doc just said to me this month that I can start interviewing plastic surgeons at 18 months for tummy tucks etc at the 2 year mark. So who the *bleep* knows!! But I so do not like the thought of even more surgery....:rolleyes2:, so I'm hoping the guru-guy is right!

[Warning: whining ahead, and please pardon the cross-post!] I was really doing very well with my Band -- until the holidays. I started a 320 on my Band-date of Feb 15, 2007, and lost 100 pounds by the end of Nov'07 – my doc said that was “bypass results” & was very happy with my progress. I did just fine thru Thanksgiving, but “Christmas” isn’t a single day in my world. It’s an entire season beginning the day after Thanksgiving and ending on the 12th day after Christmas, and one celebrated primarily with food. While I didn’t over-eat at a single meal even once over “the season” it seems a treat or two several days of the week sure added up!!! I gained 6 pounds from Nov 30th to Jan 2nd – SIX POUNDS! (And that 6 feels more like 60 – suddenly I understand where those skinny people complaining that they’ve gotta drop those 5 holiday pounds are coming from!) I went in for my 1st fill since July on Jan 10th and am quite tight, the tightest-feeling fill yet actually. (I had my 2nd ever foamy, slimy spitting up last week -- a homemade turkey meatball. I started to think I might even need an UNfill because my meatballs have never caused me problems before, but I have not had additional stuck/PB incidents since then, so...) Over the last 3 weeks, I have lost 4 of the 6 pounds I gained, but basically I wasted Dec & Jan in terms of loosing the original pre-Band weight!! I'm so mad at myself.... Anyhow…my point is that I’d been doing quite well until the holidays – I thought I had this LapBand thing down pat. Pretty cocky of me, eh? :rolleyes2: But now I miss all the yummy, comforting foods & am totally bored with “Band foods” that were my steadfast standbys. And these chalky Protein shakes :ack2: that were a part of my daily life just can’t compare to my mom’s holiday cooking! Also, I totally dropped my exercise program what with the changes of routine in December, and I just can’t seem to motivate myself to start again!!! (Sheesh, it was hard enough to start in the 1st place when I had threats of post-op blood clots dangling over my head! ) I got to be 320 because I just couldn’t be bothered with doing any “extra” physical activity beyond day-to-day living. And that's where I am again, mentally. I have cut out the “I’ll just have one” snacking since holiday treats are gone anyway, but that alone won’t get the scale tipping in the right direction. I know that I need to get it in gear again, but I can’t seem to force myself on the friggin' treadmill!! Any excuse will do not to exercise – the current one is that I have a wicked cold & feel just miserable, but really I think a hangnail would suffice. What I need is a swift kick in the A$$, but I’d settle for a (motivationally intended) lambasting! I know participating again at LapBandTalk would be helpful to me. It was very inspiring in the beginning of this journey to be surrounded with people (both in person & on-line) who are traveling the same path, especially starting with a BMI of 58. But (woe is me) I’ve had my share of "personal crisis" since my Banding (working with my therapist thru a fairly big depression resulting from it), and I just haven’t felt the “taking care of me for a change” drive that used to bring me to LBT several times a day. Anyhow! I don’t want to hit my Bandiversary in 3 weeks still UP from my 100# loss from November!! I was so proud of myself for hitting that mark, and am so dissapointed in myself for slipping back down from it... And I really was shooting for a loss of 104 pounds by 1-year – that mythical 2 pounds a week! Six pounds between now & Feb 15th -- that's just 21 days...I doubt I'll make it at this rate. :bigear: I don’t know how/what to do to get myself back on the Bandwagon. But I do KNOW I’ve GOT to DO something about my lack of motivation, boredom & general attitude… Thanks for listening to me whine… :ack2: I'm done now! :wub: Perhaps dumping it out here at LBT by way of update & confession to y’all will serve as a purge of sorts!

[Warning: whining ahead, and please pardon the cross-post!] I was really doing very well with my Band -- until the holidays. I was banded Feb 15, 2007, and lost 100 pounds by the end of November – my doc said that was “bypass results” & was very happy with my progress. I did just fine thru Thanksgiving, but “Christmas” isn’t a single day in my world. It’s an entire season beginning the day after Thanksgiving and ending on the 12th day after Christmas, and one celebrated primarily with food. While I didn’t over-eat at a single meal even once over “the season” it seems a treat or two several days of the week sure added up!!! I gained 6 pounds from Nov 30th to Jan 2nd – SIX POUNDS! (And that 6 feels more like 60 – suddenly I understand where those skinny people complaining that they’ve gotta drop those 5 holiday pounds are coming from!) I went in for my 1st fill since July on Jan 10th and am quite tight, the tightest-feeling fill yet actually. (I had my 2nd ever foamy, slimy spitting up last week -- a homemade turkey meatball. I started to think I might even need an UNfill because my meatballs have never caused me problems before, but I have not had additional stuck/PB incidents since then, so...) Over the last 3 weeks, I have lost 4 of the 6 pounds I gained, but basically I wasted Dec & Jan in terms of loosing the original pre-Band weight!! Anyhow…my point is that I’d been doing quite well until the holidays – I thought I had this LapBand thing down pat. Pretty cocky of me, eh? :rolleyes2: But now I miss all the yummy, comforting foods & am totally bored with “Band foods” that were my steadfast standbys. And these chalky protein shakes :ack2: that were a part of my daily life just can’t compare to my mom’s holiday cooking! Also, I totally dropped my exercise program what with the changes of routine in December, and I just can’t seem to motivate myself to start again!!! (Sheesh, it was hard enough to start in the 1st place when I had threats of post-op blood clots dangling over my head! ) I got to be 320 because I just couldn’t be bothered with doing any “extra” physical activity beyond day-to-day living. And that's where I am again, mentally. I have cut out the “I’ll just have one” snacking since holiday treats are gone anyway, but that alone won’t get the scale tipping in the right direction. I know that I need to get it in gear again, but I can’t seem to force myself on the treadmill!! Any excuse will do not to exercise – the current one is that I have a wicked cold & feel just miserable, but really I think a hangnail would suffice. What I need is a swift kick in the A$$, but I’d settle for a (motivationally intended) lambasting! I know participating again at LapBandTalk would be helpful to me. It was very inspiring in the beginning of this journey to be surrounded with people (both in person & on-line) who are traveling the same path. But I’ve had my share of "personal crisis" since my Banding & am working with my therapist thru a fairly big depression resulting from it, and I just haven’t felt the “taking care of me for a change” drive that used to bring me to LBT several times a day. I do appreciate that several of you have noticed my absence & cared enough to check in on me… I feel the love, ladies! :wub: Even if I’ve been in such a funk that replying seemed a monumental task… Anyhow! I don’t want to hit my Bandiversary in 3 weeks still UP from my 100# loss from November!! And I really was shooting for a loss of 104 pounds by 1-year – that mythical 2 pounds a week! Six pounds between now & Feb 15th -- that's just 21 days...I doubt I'll make it at this rate. I don’t know how/what to do to get myself back on the Bandwagon. But I do KNOW I’ve GOT to DO something about my lack of motivation, boredom & general attitude… Thanks for listening to me whine… :bigear: I'm done now! Perhaps dumping it out here at LBT by way of update & confession to y’all will serve as a purge of sorts!

[Warning: whining ahead, and please pardon the cross-post!] I was really doing very well with my Band -- until the holidays. I was banded Feb 15, 2007, and lost 100 pounds by the end of November – my doc said that was “bypass results” & was very happy with my progress. I did just fine thru Thanksgiving, but “Christmas” isn’t a single day in my world. It’s an entire season beginning the day after Thanksgiving and ending on the 12th day after Christmas, and one celebrated primarily with food. While I didn’t over-eat at a single meal even once over “the season” it seems a treat or two several days of the week sure added up!!! I gained 6 pounds from Nov 30th to Jan 2nd – SIX POUNDS! (And that 6 feels more like 60 – suddenly I understand where those skinny people complaining that they’ve gotta drop those 5 holiday pounds are coming from!) I went in for my 1st fill since July on Jan 10th and am quite tight, the tightest-feeling fill yet actually. (I had my 2nd ever foamy, slimy spitting up last week -- a homemade turkey meatball. I started to think I might even need an UNfill because my meatballs have never caused me problems before, but I have not had additional stuck/PB incidents since then, so...) Over the last 3 weeks, I have lost 4 of the 6 pounds I gained, but basically I wasted Dec & Jan in terms of loosing the original pre-Band weight!! Anyhow…my point is that I’d been doing quite well until the holidays – I thought I had this LapBand thing down pat. Pretty cocky of me, eh? :rolleyes2: But now I miss all the yummy, comforting foods & am totally bored with “Band foods” that were my steadfast standbys. And these chalky protein shakes :ack2: that were a part of my daily life just can’t compare to my mom’s holiday cooking! Also, I totally dropped my exercise program what with the changes of routine in December, and I just can’t seem to motivate myself to start again!!! (Sheesh, it was hard enough to start in the 1st place when I had threats of post-op blood clots dangling over my head! ) I got to be 320 because I just couldn’t be bothered with doing any “extra” physical activity beyond day-to-day living. And that's where I am again, mentally. I have cut out the “I’ll just have one” snacking since holiday treats are gone anyway, but that alone won’t get the scale tipping in the right direction. I know that I need to get it in gear again, but I can’t seem to force myself on the treadmill!! Any excuse will do not to exercise – the current one is that I have a wicked cold & feel just miserable, but really I think a hangnail would suffice. What I need is a swift kick in the A$$, but I’d settle for a (motivationally intended) lambasting! I know participating again at LapBandTalk would be helpful to me. It was very inspiring in the beginning of this journey to be surrounded with people (both in person & on-line) who are traveling the same path. But I’ve had my share of "personal crisis" since my Banding & am working with my therapist thru a fairly big depression resulting from it, and I just haven’t felt the “taking care of me for a change” drive that used to bring me to LBT several times a day. I do appreciate that several of you have noticed my absence & cared enough to check in on me… I feel the love, ladies! :wub: Even if I’ve been in such a funk that replying seemed a monumental task… Anyhow! I don’t want to hit my Bandiversary in 3 weeks still UP from my 100# loss from November!! And I really was shooting for a loss of 104 pounds by 1-year – that mythical 2 pounds a week! Six pounds between now & feb 15th -- that's just day...I doubt I'll make it at this rate. I don’t know how/what to do to get myself back on the Bandwagon. But I do KNOW I’ve GOT to DO something about my lack of motivation, boredom & general attitude… Thanks for listening to me whine… :bigear: I'm done now! Perhaps dumping it out here at LBT by way of update & confession to y’all will serve as a purge of sorts!

Ladydi -- congratulations! :clap2: A 16 -- WOW!! :girl_hug: I haven't been a 16 since graduating high school... That's the top end of "normal" sized clothes, as I recall! :biggrin1: No more "W" for you now! WAHOOO!!!