So, I haven't been doing too well on losing my 15 pounds in 6 months like Molina requires.

I have chronic knee pain. I believe the pain causes depression. I was also in a couple car accidents, which caused some frontal lobe brain damage. That's where your memory and organization and planning happen. I can't seem to plan my meals. I think the knee pain and depression are making it worse.

The only thing I can think of is to start doing Protein shakes. They are a no brainer, no pun intended, I'd appreciate your thoughts and if any body knows the amount of Protein Shakes a day one should be drinking, that would be wonderful to know.

If I could get the weight off and start exercising, I think that would help my brain injury?

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I do the 1GM per inch of how tall I am....5 ft 6 in...so my minimum is 66 GM per day. I have short term memory loss due to a combination of my bipolar and fibromyalgia...so I focus on the day and the moment. If I make notes...I forget them...lol.

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Oh, yeah... I was so focused on the head injury, I forgot about the knee thing.

As someone who had to do 18 months of rehab for a knee reconstruction... GET IN THE POOL. Seriously, there is nothing better for getting moving without the pain as getting in water. I would water walk in the pool at my 24 hour fitness center, or deep water jog in the deep end (with a flotation belt) at the city rec center.

The pool is a great idea!

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What is 1 GM? I am a little confused.

Oh, yeah... I was so focused on the head injury, I forgot about the knee thing.

As someone who had to do 18 months of rehab for a knee reconstruction... GET IN THE POOL. Seriously, there is nothing better for getting moving without the pain as getting in water. I would water walk in the pool at my 24 hour fitness center, or deep water jog in the deep end (with a flotation belt) at the city rec center.

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1 GM....(gram) When you read the labels...it tells you how many GM,s are in each serving...so my minimum daily intake is 66 total GM,s. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

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Edited August 13, 201610 yr by Uniqbtrfly

Leebick, Love the idea of the Atkins meals. What do you think about the protein shakes at Wal-Mart? They have Atkins as well. I am going to go to the pool as well

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I thought if the OP is looking for something simple and straightforward, without having to worry about protein grams and calories all the time, a specific number of Atkins frozen dinners and a specific number of shakes each day might be the way to go. No hassle just keep track of the number of each that is consumed each day!

I am not a huge fan of the ready-to-drink shakes, so I haven't tried many of them. I didn't really like the Premier Protein chocolate, although lots do. I am tempted to try the banana one, just because it's banana! I keep EAS AdvantEDGE shakes on hand in case of emergency. I buy them at BJ's and they work out to a little under $1 each. The chocolate is OK, but I like the vanilla better... but as I said, ready to drink is NOT my first choice. My NUT's guidelines for shakes are (a.) whey protein source, preferably isolate, (b.) ~20gms+ protein, (c.)) less than 3 grams of fat, and (d) under 170 calories per serving. RTD shakes need to have less than 20 grams of carb, powders less than 4g carb. Atkins rtd shakes don't fall into this category because of the calories- I could only have about a half-shake at a time... and who wants to do that? Plus, they're expensive. Using skim milk w/powders changes the carb content and the protein by a tad, so I use unsweetened almond milk, which has way fewer carbs and calories than skim milk. Of course, if I use water than the nutritional info is the same as what is on the protein powder container (but man, it does NOT taste as good!).

My daughter loves the banana. I am lactose intolerant and that is why I recently started using Syntrax Nectar....love it and so does my body. I liked the taste of Atkins ready to drink...the mocha chocolate but it gave me diarrhea...I also have IBS...SO i was so happy to find Nectar...23 grams per serving....15 different flavors.

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Another thing that will drop pounds is not eating after 7pm-12pm the next day it's a fast but you will see pounds melt

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OK... I am having issues with mulit-quoting, so here are my responses to a few prior posts!

Syntrax Nectar is my protein powder of choice! It tastes great, and has "juicy" options as well as "shake-like" flavors. It's great stuff- so many flavors!!

My NUT recommends having that first protein shake within an hour of getting up in the morning, so that your body doesn't think it's in "starvation" mode and slow down metabolism.

Edited August 13, 201610 yr by leebick

Thanks Leebick

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This is the paper work I received from her today.

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I went out and bought Atkins meals. Kind of spend. Can we make our own meals? Chicken with vegetables, ect?

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Spendy I meant

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You are correct- the Atkins meals are pretty expensive, maybe around $4 each in my area.

First... a disclaimer. I am NOT a nutritionist, and have never been a registered dietician. I have a degree in nutrition but decided to go to grad school rather than into practice, so while I have education in nutritional biochemistry, my experience is in academic research and NOT clinical practice. What I've written here is what I understand from my education/training, as well as what I know has worked for me. (and honestly, if I was able to make it work for me and stick to it 100% of the time, I wouldn't have a BMI of 41 and be looking at VGS surgery! I guess I can "talk the talk" but struggle with "walking the walk!"). Regardless of how much info you can learn from these boards, always talk to your own doctor/nutritionist if you need to confirm something!

You can TOTALLY do this without buying the pre-made, frozen meals! I suggested them because you seemed to be wanting something that was easy, something that you could eat without having to plan or think about it much. However, when I suggested them I had NO IDEA that you were talking about a 6-10 week diet; most of the time when people refer to a "pre-op" diet, they are talking about a 2 week semi-fast, just before surgery. There's no way I could afford to do Atkins frozen meals twice a day for 10 weeks!

Your doctor has given you some great material to work from when doing your meal planning. Just remember- NO fruit, NO dairy, NO bread, pasta, rice, potato, limit your cheese to about 1oz per day. I think your biggest hurdle will be portion control- I know mine is! Measure, weigh, eyeball it... and when you are done, don't have more!

It sounds to me like your doctor wants you following something similar to the Atkins Phase 1/induction diet, so here's a link to the foods that are approved on that diet: https://www.atkins.com/how-it-works/atkins-20/phase-1/low-carb-foods

One thing that your doctor's paperwork doesn't talk about is fats... butter, mayo, salad dressing, etc. I don't know if this means to cut these out or what. Atkins suggests using the real thing- no reduced fat margerines/spreads, no low-fat or no-fat mayo or salad dressing, etc. I have found that I am more satisfied when I use the real fats rather than the diet versions, and of course the low/no fat versions all have sugars and more carbohydrate fillers than a low carb diet can tolerate. Honestly, most of what I'd use butter on is not allowed on the diet (because it's carbs- bread, pasta, etc), and for cooking I use a minimal amount of olive oil or spray. For salad dressings, I read the labels carefully and choose those with minimal to no carb/sugar (good think I love blue cheese dressing!) or I simply use some olive oil with some kind of acid (flavored vinegar or a squeeze of lemon juice).

Here is a carbohydrate content list; it's VERY comprehensive and detailed. Double check anything you are not 100% sure of. http://www.carbohydrate-counter.org

If you cannot measure/weigh your food, here're some suggestions on how to estimate a portion. Just remember that there are some things on this list that you are not allowed to eat (like the refined carb stuff): https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000337.htm

And here's a chart, for the visual: http://www.healthyeating.org/Portals/0/Documents/Schools/Parent%20Ed/Portion_Sizes_Serving_Chart.pdf

Since you can have high-protein shakes, you might want to try a variety of brands, both ready-to-drink and powdered, so you know what you like when you have to go on the protein-shake-only pre-op and post-op diet. My favorites are Syntrex Nectar, which are made from pure whey protein isolate. They have 15 flavors and can be made with either skim milk, unsweetened almond milk (MY choice, as it's lower in calories and carbs than dairy milk), or water. If you go to their webpage (http://www.si03.com) and run your mouse over the space on the right that says "monthly special" you can get the info for calling to order a sampler pack. For $16.99 (incl. tax/shipping) they will send you one serving of each flavor, so you can decide what you like without a major financial investment. You might also ask your doctor/nutritionist if she has any free samples of Unjury, or you can order an Unjury starter kit (http://www.unjury.com/unjury-starter-kit.html) for about $20 plus shipping. It has 10 packets in it, as well as a shaker bottle and thermometer. It's a little pricy, but better than buying a big honking container of something you discover you cannot stand!! You might find discount coupons for Unjury if you look around the internet. I can't help you much with the ready-to-drink shakes, because I really don't like them, but I keep a case of EAS AdvantEDGE shakes (I get them at BJ's or Sam's) for an emergency/convenience. I haven't tried their protein powder, because it has more carb and sugar than my Nut suggests. Cost-wise, I usually figure a shake should cost me somewhere around $1. Sometimes it's more, sometimes less... I look for coupons for the different brands, for almond milk, etc. (Almond Breeze is my preferred almond milk, but the store brand at Walmart tastes and feels exactly the same!)

You can do this!! Look at it like a hobby, a game. Make a list of what you like and can eat, and stick to it. It's pretty easy, if you stick to protein sources and salad for your meals, as well as the two shakes per day. Honestly, I think if you can stick to the Atkins phase 1 food options and the shakes, and start doing some kind of exercise (I never thought of pool exercise as I'm allergic to chlorine so can't use a pool), you should be able to lose that 15 pounds in NO time!!

Edited August 13, 201610 yr by leebick

ALSO... has your doctor talked to you about taking vitamins? I take 2 chewable (NOT gummy) vitamins with iron a day, and two chewable calcium/vitamin D chews. Can't take them at the same time as stuff in the vitamins interferes with the absorption of stuff in the chews, but that's not an issue. There are many days when I look forward to those 2 chocolate chews as my big treat for the day!

(Full disclaiimer: I am doing the gummy vitamins for the time being. I really hate the way the chewable vitamins taste. I will swap over to the chewable vitamins just before surgery and stay on them after surgery, but for now, for me, it's gummy vitamins. I like the berry version from Target!)

Another suggestion: If you are a coffee drinker, start weaning yourself off coffee. Drink the half-caff version for a few weeks, then swap to decaf. It'll be much easier in the early post-surgery days if you are not battling a screaming caffeine-withdrawal headache along with everything else!

You are correct- the Atkins meals are pretty expensive, maybe around $4 each in my area.

First... a disclaimer. I am NOT a nutritionist, and have never been a registered dietician. I have a degree in nutrition but decided to go to grad school rather than into practice, so while I have education in nutritional biochemistry, my experience is in academic research and NOT clinical practice. What I've written here is what I understand from my education/training, as well as what I know has worked for me. (and honestly, if I was able to make it work for me and stick to it 100% of the time, I wouldn't have a BMI of 41 and be looking at VGS surgery! I guess I can "talk the talk" but struggle with "walking the walk!"). Regardless of how much info you can learn from these boards, always talk to your own doctor/nutritionist if you need to confirm something!

You can TOTALLY do this without buying the pre-made, frozen meals! I suggested them because you seemed to be wanting something that was easy, something that you could eat without having to plan or think about it much. However, when I suggested them I had NO IDEA that you were talking about a 6-10 week diet; most of the time when people refer to a "pre-op" diet, they are talking about a 2 week semi-fast, just before surgery. There's no way I could afford to do Atkins frozen meals twice a day for 10 weeks!

Your doctor has given you some great material to work from when doing your meal planning. Just remember- NO fruit, NO dairy, NO bread, Pasta, rice, potato, limit your cheese to about 1oz per day. I think your biggest hurdle will be portion control- I know mine is! Measure, weigh, eyeball it... and when you are done, don't have more!

It sounds to me like your doctor wants you following something similar to the Atkins Phase 1/induction diet, so here's a link to the foods that are approved on that diet: https://www.atkins.com/how-it-works/atkins-20/phase-1/low-carb-foods

One thing that your doctor's paperwork doesn't talk about is fats... butter, mayo, salad dressing, etc. I don't know if this means to cut these out or what. Atkins suggests using the real thing- no reduced fat margerines/spreads, no low-fat or no-fat mayo or salad dressing, etc. I have found that I am more satisfied when I use the real fats rather than the diet versions, and of course the low/no fat versions all have sugars and more carbohydrate fillers than a low carb diet can tolerate. Honestly, most of what I'd use butter on is not allowed on the diet (because it's carbs- bread, pasta, etc), and for cooking I use a minimal amount of olive oil or spray. For salad dressings, I read the labels carefully and choose those with minimal to no carb/sugar (good think I love blue cheese dressing!) or I simply use some olive oil with some kind of acid (flavored vinegar or a squeeze of lemon juice).

Here is a carbohydrate content list; it's VERY comprehensive and detailed. Double check anything you are not 100% sure of. http://www.carbohydrate-counter.org

If you cannot measure/weigh your food, here're some suggestions on how to estimate a portion. Just remember that there are some things on this list that you are not allowed to eat (like the refined carb stuff): https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000337.htm

And here's a chart, for the visual: http://www.healthyeating.org/Portals/0/Documents/Schools/Parent%20Ed/Portion_Sizes_Serving_Chart.pdf

Since you can have high-protein shakes, you might want to try a variety of brands, both ready-to-drink and powdered, so you know what you like when you have to go on the protein-shake-only pre-op and post-op diet. My favorites are Syntrex nectar, which are made from pure whey Protein isolate. They have 15 flavors and can be made with either skim milk, unsweetened almond milk (MY choice, as it's lower in calories and carbs than dairy milk), or Water. If you go to their webpage (http://www.si03.com) and run your mouse over the space on the right that says "monthly special" you can get the info for calling to order a sampler pack. For $16.99 (incl. tax/shipping) they will send you one serving of each flavor, so you can decide what you like without a major financial investment. You might also ask your doctor/nutritionist if she has any free samples of unjury, or you can order an Unjury starter kit (http://www.unjury.com/unjury-starter-kit.html) for about $20 plus shipping. It has 10 packets in it, as well as a shaker bottle and thermometer. It's a little pricy, but better than buying a big honking container of something you discover you cannot stand!! You might find discount coupons for Unjury if you look around the internet. I can't help you much with the ready-to-drink shakes, because I really don't like them, but I keep a case of EAS AdvantEDGE shakes (I get them at BJ's or Sam's) for an emergency/convenience. I haven't tried their Protein powder, because it has more carb and sugar than my Nut suggests. Cost-wise, I usually figure a shake should cost me somewhere around $1. Sometimes it's more, sometimes less... I look for coupons for the different brands, for almond milk, etc. (Almond Breeze is my preferred almond milk, but the store brand at Walmart tastes and feels exactly the same!)

You can do this!! Look at it like a hobby, a game. Make a list of what you like and can eat, and stick to it. It's pretty easy, if you stick to protein sources and salad for your meals, as well as the two shakes per day. Honestly, I think if you can stick to the Atkins phase 1 food options and the shakes, and start doing some kind of exercise (I never thought of pool exercise as I'm allergic to chlorine so can't use a pool), you should be able to lose that 15 pounds in NO time!!

Thank you so much for taking the time out to give me all that infornation????soooo very nice of you. I tried to message you through inbox, but it's not working and I don't have a computer, so I use my, so called smartphone. It is as slow as a snail, so Ian having trouble responding to people. My email is northstar9148@yahoo. I think that would he quicker.

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Hope I'm not too late on this, but thought I'd share what my program has us eat. Meals are basically:

3oz weighed Protein

2 servings veggies (2c raw or 1c cooked)

1 serving carbs

1 serving fat (tsp butter/oil)

Doesn't seem like much, but it's actually quite filling and satisfying. It also works best if you eat the protein first -- takes longer to digest, so makes you feel full faster and longer.

Eat 3 of these meals a day, 4-6 hours apart. I've been losing about a pound a day on it, with no added exercise

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Tgank you byako!

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Thank you I meant

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What do you eat for carbs?

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We were told no Pasta or rice, and if you have bread you have to toast it well (so it can't absorb Fluid and expand in pouch). I usually stick to the one piece of toast and put some seasoning on it to make it less bland (I like ranch seasoning). You can also have a small/med potato with skin -- that's where all the good stuff's at!

I've also been doing Protein shakes in the morning because I'd just bought a ton of powder. I like the optimum nutrition mocha or chocolate flavors. Only problem with the shakes is they're liquid so they run through you quickly and you're hungry again. So I usually make mine with 2 scoops protein powder, half a frozen banana, ground chia and flax seeds, and some peanut powder. I also use only about half the Water, and add about 6 ice cubes. All this thickens it, and I'm good for hours on it. My drs hate it, but now that I'm out of it, I really really miss it, lol!

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Edited August 15, 20169 yr by byako

Sounds good. My dietician told me, no fruit or starchy vegetables. I can only have Protein, and non starchy vegetables, and popcycles

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