30-day post-op nutritionist appointment and some resulting findings

In all the hubbub, I never blogged about this...

They are really happy with my progress. (As of today, 33 pounds lost.) I have been tracking my food in terms of calories, protein, and fluid intake. I talked about the issues I've had and they seemed to be relatively common ones.

(1) I hate protein powder. It's all lumpy and clumpy and I hate the texture, and yes, I do use my blender or Magic Bullet knockoff. I can tolerate the Chocolate Peanut Butter Muscle Milk Light powder, probably because I like the taste. I think the Bariatric Advantage Meal Replacement powders taste the worst of all of them, but some people just love them (and Bariatric Advantage makes AWESOME vitamins and supplements). The nutritionist was telling me that it is totally individual and all a learning curve. She is actually going to do some protein tastings and I am donating her all my unused stuff. I haven't tried the unflavored protein powder yet but am going to try to build up a tolerance to it so I can add it to things to meet my RDAs.

(2) Not fond of the liquid protein supplements either, except Amino 2222 and the Perfect Protein Shakes. If you put four tablespoons of that into your drink (Crystal Light or what have you), it is 22 grams of protein. Though it has a decent taste, it is still quite strong, so I have cut it to two tablespoons per 16 ounces of Crystal Light/sugar-free Hawaiian Punch/insert sugar-free drink here and it is much more palatable. I put two tablespoons in a glass of Diet V-8 Splash (the tropical one) and I can't even taste it, but it's still 11 grams toward that 60-80 grams per day goal.

(3) I have struggled with keeping eating and drinking separate. I am supposed to shoot for a 30-minute window between them. Since I have been making a more conscious effort to comply with it, I have felt much less discomfort. That has actually been one of the most difficult adjustments to make.

(4) When we went over things that had caused me problems, it totally made sense. Like those low-carb breakfast tacos--it was a soft tortilla, which isn't great; eggs tend to clump up; and the grease content of the bacon sent me over the edge. The salmon that was problematic for me was too dry. She told me to really pay attention to moisture, to cook meat to 160 degrees rather than 165, and to buy things like those rotisserie chickens from the store. We just ate some California rolls that were also great--very moist, and one makes me full! I just have to make sure there isn't wasabi already added.

(5) She keeps pushing the Greek yogurt as a good protein source but it has not impressed me. However, she wants me to try it with Stevia or Splenda and I haven't yet. I can't figure out why it is so much more expensive than the other yogurt. She also recommended edamame beans with the skin removed. I ate one at work today and they are okay--I can get used to them as a snack, no problem. Another suggestion was the turkey meatballs at Trader Joe's, because I could microwave one at a time and that's a meal.

Edit: tried the Greek yogurt with the Splenda. Not bad. Liked the plain and the pomegranate best. It comes in weird flavors, like fig.

(6) One thing that blew my mind--she told me to go for 80% fat in ground beef if I used it because I need the fat. WTF? She's worried about me getting enough fiber, so she said to try cold cereal, but stuff like Fiber One and Total. I didn't find one that didn't have a buttload of sugar in it. I actually bought some plain Life Cereal at Target and ate that and didn't have a problem with it. I think it has 6 g protein per serving instead of the 5 g limit, but my serving is half a cup and theirs is 3/4 cup.

(7) She reminded me the hair loss starts at 2-3 months "but it's temporary". My hair has actually been looking thicker and better (probably from all this protein) and I'm really hoping I can keep enough in me to prevent much of it.

(8) My coworker made some great bran muffins that I could actually eat! I was able to enjoy one today. :)