Review of Protein Powders

As you may know, the reduced size of the stomach means that the post-op weight loss surgery patient needs to make each calorie count. For those who have had certain surgeries, including the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (my surgery), our bodies also have difficulty absorbing nutrients from the food that we can consume. This means that nutritional supplements become a very important part of our lives. I will review some products that are more along these lines in a future post.


I mentioned in my very first post that protein is a focus of the post-op diet. Because of our small stomachs and need for fluids, a lot of patients choose to use protein supplements in shakes and smoothies. Below are reviews of some different protein powders that I have tried.


This morning I had a Bariatric Advantage Strawberry Meal Replacement shake. If you follow the link, you will see that this supplement includes a lot of vitamins and various other nutrients, which adds to its appeal. I prepared this with 8 ounces of 1% low-fat milk, instead of the water recommended in the directions. The milk made it really thick, and I wonder if I might have liked this better with a thinner texture. On the other hand, I wasn't a big fan of the flavor. However, I think it may just be that I don't like artificial strawberry flavor. I'm looking forward to trying the other two flavors that I ordered: Chocolate and Banana.


Whole Foods 365 Everyday Value Whey Protein Powder
Natural Vanilla Flavor
The flavor link is to the LiveStrong page, for nutritional information, although the numbers don't completely match the label on my cannister. Lately, I have been mixing a scoop of this powder with frozen mixed berries, frozen banana slices, lemon-flavored liquid calcium citrate, and liquid whey that was strained from my homemade yogurt, and sometimes spinach. I wouldn't drink the whey powder without the fruit, but it tastes good in the smoothie described. 


Natural Chocolate Flavor
This is just okay in smoothies, but I recently had success mixing it with sugar-free fat-free instant chocolate pudding, made with 1% low-fat milk. In stage 2, this pudding counted as a "full" liquid, so it's a bulked up version of liquid and protein. It tastes pretty good too.


These are some reviews that I wrote on Facebook in late October.

Vega Whole Food Smoothie Infusion

http://myvega.com/products/whole-food-smoothie-infusion/features-benefits

I had this in my morning smoothie today (October 20th), along with frozen mixed berries (blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries), fat-free plain Greek yogurt, skim milk, a tablespoon of blueberry-flavored liquid calcium, and half of a banana.  This normally promising smoothie was utterly ruined by the powder!  I tried adding in a sweetener packet to lessen the effects, but was not successful.  It has a thick, almost gritty texture, in addition to the unpleasant flavor.

Tera'swhey Pomegranate Cranberry Goat Whey Protein

http://teraswhey.com/store/20-single-serve-pomegranate-cranberry-goat-whey.html

I had high hopes for this one, since pomegranate is my favorite fruit, and it ended up being "just okay."  Part of that may have to do with the way (whey, ha-ha) that I prepared it: straight with skim milk, shaken.  I might try it again in a smoothie setting - perhaps with actual pomegranate seeds and cranberries.

Tera'swhey Organic Blueberry Whey Protein

http://teraswhey.com/store/12-single-serve-organic-blueberry.html

I had this one with the same mix used today: frozen mixed berries, fat-free plain Greek yogurt, skim milk, a tablespoon of blueberry-flavored liquid calcium, and half of a banana.  I really enjoyed this smoothie!  I caught the faintest taste of the whey, but it did not overwhelm or contradict the rest of the smoothie flavors.

Jay Robb Whey Protein - Strawberry

http://www.jayrobb.com/cat_proteinWheyStraw24.asp

This was the first one I tried, and the whey definitely overpowered the smoothie.  This might have been overcome, had I added banana, which I usually do.  This smoothie contained frozen strawberries, fat-free plain Greek yogurt, and skim milk, in addition to the powder.  I would probably not try this one again.

Jay Robb Egg White Protein - Vanilla

http://www.jayrobb.com/cat_proteinEggVan_12.asp

I couldn't stand the Vega smoothie, so I dumped it and made the same combination, but with the Jay Robb Vanilla Egg White Protein powder.  Verdict, it smells great, but tastes, unsurprisingly, very egg-y.  I will finish this one, but I probably wouldn't buy this mix again.  The egg flavor really overwhelms the other ingredients, which is not what I want from a smoothie.

The other ingredients used, specifically, are:

• Hood Simply Smart Fat Free Milk http://www.hood.com/Products/prodDetail.aspx?id=599&lb=862
• Chobani Plain 0% Greek Yogurt http://www.chobani.com/products/c/nonfat
• LifeTime Liquid Calcium Magnesium Citrate - Natural Blueberry Flavor http://www.lifetimevitamins.com/products/lifetime_calcium750.html
• Wyman's of Maine Quick-Frozen Strawberries and Quick-Frozen Mixed Fruit (no sugar added) http://www.wymans.com/retail/products.php 
• Bananas - whatever is currently being sold at Shaw's Supermarket :-) 

Hello Again!

Hello, my dear, neglected blog readers! This post will be a bit lengthy, since it's been so long.

Several (four) months have passed and many things have happened since my last post. I've celebrated my 30th birthday, traveled for work (I can actually tighten the airplane seatbelt and no longer need the extension!), gone home to see friends and family for the holidays, and more. Last Monday was my 5-month milestone since the surgery, and I can hardly believe the changes I've seen.

It's been a while since my last weigh-in at the Weight Center, but based on other doctor's visits, I estimate that I've lost over 85 pounds since the surgery. That kind of blows my mind! Even more surprising was trying on clothes when I went home at Christmas. I had only bought a few items of clothing up until then, because I knew my weight was still fluctuating, and because I knew that I would be doing a lot of shopping over the holidays. I was absolutely shocked when I tried on clothing from high school and found that items fit or were even loose!

Before I went in for surgery, I was wearing clothes that were between sizes 28 and 32. While I was shopping this December, I was able to wear 18s and 20s, going down even further for some tops and dresses. It thrilled me to be able to buy and wear items from the "regular" section at Target, even if they were the largest sizes in that section. I got some cute, heeled ankle boots that I wore all over, which would have killed my feet a year ago.

Despite all of that excitement, and the joy of seeing various friends and family, this surgery has not turned my life into a bed of roses. I've still been engaged in my annual battle against seasonal depression. My digestive system has still been sensitive, although I'm learning how to adjust better. I still have days when I can't handle (or barely handle) public transit.

It's been a long winter in my part of the country (over 5 feet of snow and counting), and I still haven't joined a gym. Every now and then I take a walk during the work day, and I still walk to run errands and go into the office (when I can get out of the house). I need something more, but continue to make excuses or just put it out of my mind. I have some DVDs, so maybe that's the next step.

I've decided to try to get more resources and learn more about others' experiences after weight loss surgery. My first round of post-op appointments as the Weight Center were somewhat helpful, but still left me with lots of questions. Hopefully the upcoming series of six bi-weekly lifestyle classes will be more helpful. I've also started listening to some podcasts by BariatricTV and looking at blogs. BTV mentioned Gastric Bypass Barbie, so I'm checking out that site and her new blog, Bariatric After Life by Cari. I'm also looking forward to watching some of the cooking videos on BTV.

I still read the Hungry Girl emails, but I haven't tried any of her recipes since my disappointing experience with Fettuccine Hungry Girl-Fredo. I've made two attempts at making my own Greek yogurt, and while I'm improving, it still needs work. Hopefully I will work out the kinks and be able to make it more often or in bigger batches, because I eat a LOT of that stuff.

I also started eating a lot of protein bars after my last post, based on a recommendation from the nutritionist at the Weight Center. It's an easy alternative, if I can't find something to eat while I travel, although it also just makes for a no-brainer meal. I keep looking for ones that aren't glorified candy bars though - I get so sick of the same chocolate and peanut butter flavors and the sort of gritty/nougat-y protein filling. Easy meals also include a cheese stick, a glass of milk, chili, beef jerky, and nut butter on sandwich thins.

I'm so glad that there are sugar-free and no-sugar-added popsicles (they count as clear liquids!) and that I even seem to handle the no-sugar-added fudgsicles pretty well. You would think I wouldn't want frozen things in the midst of this winter, but you would be wrong! :-) I enjoy some sugar-free candies, but try not to over-do it. They are still empty calories, after all.

Some of the foods I used to crave hold little to no appeal any longer. Fried chicken used to be one of my favorite foods, and there is a restaurant between my house and the grocery stores that makes it particularly well. I tried to have their rotisserie chicken (forgot to remove the skin, but still less fatty than the fried variety) and felt wretchedly sick after a few bites. Ever since, I've had no desire for their food. Talk about aversion therapy! Likewise, when I saw a lot of the traditional sugary and fatty holiday foods, while I thought that they would probably taste good, I knew that they would make me sick and that knowledge obliterated any desire that I might have had for them.

That's the main part of this post, although I will end with a couple of paragraphs about a sort of sensitive topic. If you are male or squeamish, you probably want to skip the rest. I'm writing this last bit for the benefit of other young-ish women who are considering or undergoing the surgery.

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As I gained weight over the years, my menstrual cycle got increasingly erratic. The time between periods got longer and longer, and the flow was very irregular. I once went 8 months without a period. My gynecologist had just prescribed some hormones to take every other month in order to induce menstruation. I ended up taking one round before I had to stop for the surgery (they didn't want the pills to cause problems with my blood pressure or anything else). I stopped about 3 months before surgery and was told to wait at least 3 months after before starting them again. I waited another month (7 total) and ended up having a period without taking the hormones. One month later, I'm menstruating again, without the pills. I'm hoping this will keep up. While the cramps, pads, and messiness still suck, it's kind of a relief to have my body behaving "normally."

A lot of obese women have this problem, and it is often linked with other conditions that are associated with obesity, like Poly-cystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and Cushing's Syndrome. Theses diseases can be complicated by obesity and also make it harder to lose weight/easier to gain weight. The menstrual irregularity is just a symptom, along with obesity, of certain diseases. The diseases themselves can cause even worse problems, so it's very important to discuss your cycle openly with your doctor. I always hated getting the "If you lose weight" lecture when I brought up my irregularity, but it's dangerous to ignore the body's signals.