6-month nutritionist appointment

I had my six-month appointment with the nutritionist a few days ago. I was two pounds lighter at home than I was in their office, which completely annoyed me. If I take the weight I was at home (which I do, dammit), I lost five pounds in the last month, so the plateau I'm on isn't as bad as I thought. Also, slo-w-o-o-o-owly, clothes are still becoming too big, bit by bit. If I take the weight I was at home (which I'm going to, just because--it was 208), I've lost about 70 pounds now.

The nutritionist said I was doing really well. My labs were all good, except my cholesterol remains a little high--but I did just start exercising and the ankle isn't yet tolerating more than once or twice a week. We talked at length about protein, which I am still using in supplement form three times a day. She said, "Maybe you should try to eat more 'real' food."

OK, WTF? I can't exactly eat a lot of 'real' food. I don't cook. I don't have a family to feed, so I can just have a protein bar or bullet or drink for a meal replacement if I want to. If I'm getting in all my vitamins and minerals, losing weight and have good labs, why should she care what I eat? Sometimes I have a couple of bites of my husband's 'real' food, and I try to eat things with protein whenever possible--cheese, chili, etc. Feh.

She was also ruminating about my protein bullets of choice--she is trying to research whether or not they contain the type of protein that actually 'counts'--but my labs had fabulous results for protein. I was happy to discover that my local Wal-Mart carries a protein bullet I can use (and which is almost a dollar cheaper apiece than anywhere else I've seen) in their pharmacy area, but I started buying the Body Choice ones directly from the manufacturer (the ones that used to be at Costco, but that have been recently discontinued). Body Choice also sent me a freebie, a large bottle (a quart or so) of liquid protein that has 20 grams for every six tablespoons. It doesn't taste too bad.

My favorite ready-to-drink remains the Believe drinks--they look like bottled Starbucks Frappuccinos. There is no gritty texture--they are extremely smooth and don't taste like a protein drink. As of now, they come in Italian Cappuccino, Mocha Latte' and Soothing Chai Tea, and they can be ordered from BariatricEating.com. They're not cheap, though, especially when shipping costs are factored in.

I see the bariatric surgeon for the six-month follow-up Tuesday.

Frappuccinos: the post-WLS reasonable facsimile

I miss Frappuccinos. Not the kind they mix up at the coffee place, though those are good, too. I always preferred the ones that came ready to drink in the little bottles. I liked the convenience, sometimes they were available on sale, and my cats always enjoyed chasing the crackly piece that sealed them shut. After gastric-bypass surgery, due to the sugar content, they are not an option.

The folks at BariatricEating.com carry a line of protein drinks that feel somewhat similar to Frappuccinos-in-a-bottle. Frankly, I am thrilled to come face to face with some much-desired flavor variety. Protein bullets are "fruit punch" or "orange sunshine"; Amino 2222 is fruit punch; Muscle Milk is chocolate or vanilla, the scarcely-available Muscle Milk mocha latte tasting like the MM chocolate; the Pure Protein shakes are chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, banana or cookies and cream, the last of which tastes suspiciously like the corresponding beverage's chocolate flavor also. There are some powders I have not yet tried on the Bariatric Eating site, but I have had bad luck with the powders so far. I have great expectations, however, due to the fact that there is some further flavor variety to be had. (My pocketbook forbids me trying more than one or two new of these things at a time.)

The brand of these drinks is Believe and they come in Soothing Chai Tea, Italian Cappuccino, and Mocha Latte. They have 20g of protein and 3.5 g sugar in each single-serving bottle.

I took the plunge and ordered a case of the chai tea, since I love chai tea, particularly iced. Initially, I found it a bit bland, but after adding two packets of Splenda it tastes great. I tried adding a teaspoon of vanilla extract as well, but that was too much. The Splenda made it perfect.