Pouchie-Poo

Protein Samples

2009-07-15T18:31:00.021-05:00

This is a work in progress and always evolving. I love my protein shakes and I can be pretty demanding! My mom has put me on a strict budget so I can only try new flavors if I find a sample. Luckily, she loves buying me samples.

Here is a list of places to find samples:

True Protein - Love these 30 flavors! Discount Code: MYM647

Nashua Nutrition - Huge variety of brands with fast shipping

VitaLady – Another huge variety of samples & quick shipping..

BariatricAdvantage – Many various samples. I love the meal replacements and they come in sturdy foil packets that travel well in your purse for a day out. ** You can also order samples of their Vitamins

BodyBuilding.com - Gold Standard Sample – 16flavor packet samples for $18.99

Unjury – The basic flavors plus Chicken Soup - try something new.

Enjoy Health - Found an option here for 19 different samples & packages

BarixClinic - Nice variety of different items although I haven't tried these

Chike – They have a special now with a sample of all 5 flavors and you just pay $5 shipping – these are yummy!

GastricBypassSupplements.com - Lots of different sample packs

BSN Online - They have a trial kit of their lean desert flavors. Sometimes they run specials for $5 with free shipping.

SmartForMe - Starter Pack with various flavors for about $19

Nectar Syntrax - You can sample all 11 flavors for about $11 bucks including shipping. Contact Rick Davis Medical Sales Manager nectar@si03.com 1-866-333-7403 ext. 803

About Time - Order 2 samples for $1.99 and free shipping

Netrition - Variety sample pack with 14 flavors for about $18

Whole Foods - If you have a local store near you, they carry a lot of protein and have sample packs of various different ones. The Jay Robb brand was my favorite.

Champion Nutrition - You can request free samples by mailing sales@champion-nutrition.com - here are the flavors: Cookies & Cream, Cocoa Mochaccino, Tropical Sunrise, Banana Cream, Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry. If emailing doesn't work, you can buy samples here: CarbEssentials for $3.00

CytoSport Complete Whey - you can request free samples by emailing them at customerservice@Cytosport.com - here are the flavors: Banana Cream, Chocolate Mint Chip, Vanilla Cream, Cocoa Bean, Cookies N Creme, Strawberry-Banana

Other Ideas:

1. One GREAT idea is to try different flavors from GNC or Vitamin Shoppe if you have them local. They both let you try and RETURN if you don’t like it!! GNC will actually give a refund and Vitamin Shoppe normally gives you in-store credit which is really easy to spend since they have tons of stuff. Get a GNC Gold Card and get great discounts the first week of every month.

NOTE: Vitamin Shoppe will also order items for you! I called last week to see if they carried Nectar Latte Cappuccino since they have the other Nectar flavors. They didn't have that one but offered to order it for me and call me when it got there. It arrived 3 days later!

2. Support Groups - This is a great place to have a protein trade. I had several jugs I didn't like and I traded them for some I do.

3. Variation - Don't like a certain powder in shake form? Try mixing it in yogurt or sugar-free pudding -- I have a few flavors I love mixed in greek yogurt, but don't like to drink.

Don't forget your protein!

2009-06-14T22:59:00.019-05:00

Maybe the reason I feel like iron-man is the fact that my Mom makes me drink 80-100g of protein A DAY! It sounds like a lot, but I love it and it keeps me healthy. She is a bit of a shop-a-holic and seems to give me a new flavor everyday. I'm not too picky, but some of them are just nasty -- so why not let you know my opinion?

Favorites:

Body Fortress - Believe it or not, this is a cheapie from Walmart but it tastes really good! It has 26g of protein in one scoop. My favorite is cookies and cream or chocolate in shakes. The strawberry is yummy in yogurt and so are the others. I hope she lets me try vanilla soon! Here are the stats.

Syntrax Nectar Latte Cappuccino - This is the one non-fruity flavor made by Syntrax and I love it. I especially like it mixed with about 4oz skim milk and 4oz water. It's really good in cold coffee too. I love that its only 90 calories and 23g protein. Vitamin Shoppe actually orders it for me and calls when it comes in - then I don't have to pay shipping! In a pinch, I'll grab it from Nashua Nutrition.

HealthSmart - Hot Chocolate, Cappuccinos - these are awesome! They only have 15g of protein but they are great little fillers for snacks. They dissolve right away into very hot water which is a bonus so they are great in coffee too. I love the Amaretto, Raspberry Chocolate and Cinnamon but I've tried them all and love em'. They come in really convenient packets so they are great to take on the go. These are mail order only from Nashua Nutrition.

BariatricAdvantage Meal Replacements - These are another favorite. I like that you can buy individual servings or a jug. I like to take the packets on trips or to work and this makes it really easy. For 140 Calories, 2g net Carbs and 27g protein you can't go wrong. These aren't available local but you can buy them right from BariatricAdvantage (they also sell great vitamins)

BSN Lean Dessert - I love this brand. So far we've tried Cinnamon Roll, Chocolate-Coconut, Banana Nut Bread and Vanilla - and I loved them all. I found these at GNC and Vitamin Shoppe so I can get it local - but if you can't, Nashua Nutrition is one of my favorite places to shop - they ship FAST and they have great prices. Here is a link to the Lean Dessert flavors. (Per Scoop: Calories 130, Carbs 7g, Sugar 3g, Protein 20g)

CLICK - This is great Espresso flavored protein powder. I like most of mine mixed with coffee and I don't need the coffee with this one. I haven't found it local yet, so I buy it here. (Per Scoop: Calories 120, Carbs 12g, Protein 15g) Due to the high carbs I don't get it often.

Matrix 5.0 - I love the Vanilla and Chocolate and can't wait to try the other flavors - Bananas & Cream, Cookies & Cream and Orange Cream. I hope they are just as good. This is another you can often find local at GNC/Vitamin Shopp - otherwise try here.

Muscle Milk Light - I love the Cake Batter and Peanut Butter best. I find them locally at GNC and Vitamin Shoppe which makes things easy. A lot of online shops don't sell the special flavors, just the Vanilla and Chocolate (which are great too). These have such great flavor you don't need the full 2 scoop serving either. I have ordered them from bodybuilding.com in the past and they carry tons of the flavors. (Per 2 Scoops: Calories 195, Carbs 11g, Sugars 2g, Protein 25g) Because of the carbs, I often just use one scoop.

Dymatize Whey Elite - I've only tried the gourmet vanilla but its quite yummy so I look forward to trying some of the others: Berry Blast, Cafe Mocha, Chocolate Mint, Orange and Banana. My local GNC/Vitamin Shoppe has a lot of these flavors but if not, I will order them right from here.

Body Fortress Liquid Protein Bullet - Fruit Punch - this bullet is yummy and its from Walmart! I thought some of the other were sooo sour or had a funny flavor I couldn't even hide with Crystal Light. This one tastes great and you gotta love being able to just run to Walmart for it and not pay any shipping. Here is more information..

OhYeah! - Vanilla or Chocolate - both are great! These are ready-to-drink shakes in a plastic bottles. I usually use them coffee creamer so a bottle lasts me a good day or two. They are also really handy to grab if you're on the go - and lactose free if that's an issue for you. You can get these at GNC/Vitamin Shoppe, or online here.

Protein Wealth - Pro-to-Go - This is about the only fruity drink I actually love! They come in plastic bottles without the liquid, so they are light and easy to mix when you're ready. I've only tried banana berry but it was great! I can't wait to try Creamsickle or Razz Chocolate Truffle or any of the others. (70 Calories, 15g protein) Can't find local, so check out all the flavors at Nashua Nutrition.

Maybe Later or Just Yucky?
(Don't like these much right now, but maybe in the future)

Syntrax Nectar - I'm not too fond of sweet things so maybe thats why I dislike these. I tried the Twisted Cherry first and the only way I can finish it, is by mixing in a lot of Raspberry Ice Crystal Light and diluting it. The Fuzzy Navel wasn't much better - an odd tasting tang. I think these just have an odd aftertaste. I tried these again at my 3 month mark and they are MUCH better now. I still don't think they are that great, but I can actually drink them which is an improvement. I buy them here.

Inspire - Cinnamon Cappuccino, Peanut Butter Cookie - these have a nice flavor, but only if you mix them with about a shot glass of water. I like my shakes big and cold and I want to sip on it for at least an hour! These both taste pretty good mixed in yogurt. The Peanut Butter doesn't taste much like peanut butter but its easy to doctor by adding some sf syrup. The biggest downfall is that its always out of stock or backordered so it often takes weeks to arrive. You can buy here - but note that your whole order will be backordered if one piece is out of stock.

Isopure Ready-to-Drink Bottles - Man I wish I liked these. It's easy to pick them up at GNC and they have so much protein and no carbs - but they are soooo sweet and sour! Even when I dilute them and try to hide the flavor with sweet-n-low or crystal light, it just doesn't work. I know a lot of people like these, but I just don't. Learn more about them here.

Whey Gourmet - We tried several of these and they all tasted pretty gross. They didn't make me sick or anything, but I sure don't want to drink them again! We tried Blueberry, Cookies & Cream, PeanutButter Chocolate and Orangesicle Swirl. How dare them give these icky drinks such yummy sounding names! If you just don't believe me, you can get it here.

NOTE: There are numerous places you can buy these, including Amazon.com. The reason I like Nashua Nutrition is because they ship the same day, they use fedex which is cheap and faster than other sites. They also offer free samples for orders over $49 -- or you can order various individual samples on their own. In addition, they have a decent return policy if you don't like something. (Most online companies have no policy like this). Oh you also get free shipping if your order is over $75. They should hire me as their spokes-pouch.

Don't forget your vitamins

2009-06-14T20:16:00.019-05:00

After weight-loss surgery it is extremely important to make sure you're taking good vitamins & getting enough of everything you need. Our absorption is inhibited so we won't get by on chewable baby vitamins anymore.

Each doctor has different recommendations but there are some common vitamins they all agree on listed below. The amount you need of each will depend on your lab results.

Multi-Vitamin - Look for a good chewable vitamin that you can tolerate. I personally love the Celebrate version, but I also liked the Centrum Orange chewable which is a lot cheaper. I am spoiled and only like the best :)

Calcium Citrate - My doctor recommends 1500mg per day. Since I can only absorb about 500mg at a time, you'll need to take 500mg three times per day for the best effect. Make sure you're getting citrate and not calcium carbonate. Since it can be hard for us to swallow pills, look for a good yummy chewable! My favorite is Celebrate which is made just for pouches.

B-12 - Look for a good sublingual that dissolves under your tongue. My favorite is Solgar Cherry flavor - they melt quick and taste yummy. The Bariatric Advantage and Celebrate both seem to take forever to dissolve and don't even taste as good. My doc recommends 1000mg once a week but I take one every day.

D3 - My doctor recommends 1000IU per day. Since my Calcium and Multivitamin both have 800IU - I am getting 1600IU a day so I don't take additional D3. It's very common for people to need a lot more of this so make sure you get your labs checked often!

Iron + C - Taking iron with vitamin C helps with absorption. DO NOT take iron within 2 hours of your calcium citrate - that will hinder the absorption. I take Celebrate Grape Iron + C so I don't have to buy an extra C vitamin - its all built in and tastes yummy.

This is my vitamin schedule:

- Breakfast: Celebrate Multi-vitamin, Celebrate Calcium, B-12

- Lunch: Celebrate Calcium Plus, Sugar-Free Benefiber Chewable

- Dinner: Celebrate Multi-vitamin, Celebrate Calcium Plus, Biotin

- Bedtime: Celebrate Iron + C

These are the vitamins I use and where I buy them:

- Celebrate Multi-Vitamin, Orange - Celebrate

- Celebrate Calcium Plus - Celebrate

- Celebrate Iron + C - Celebrate

- Celebrate D3 - Celebrate

- Solgar B-12 N - Whole Foods (I buy local), amazon.com

More information about vitamins:

- Vitamin and Mineral needs of Bariatric Patients

Full-Food Stage

2009-06-14T19:46:00.014-05:00

I was allowed to start trying just about anything I wanted at 3 weeks so it was an exciting and scary time. In the past, carbs were a "trigger" food for Mom so you'll see them in the "never feed Simon" list at the bottom of the page. A lot of Doctor's say these are fine but while they won't hurt you, a lot of them are mushy and will make it much easier to eat too much of them -- then it will be like I was never born at all!!

Guideliness I follow for my new meals:

- Less than 5g sugar per serving

- Less than 10g fat per serving

- Buy nothing with sugar listed in the first 5 ingredients

- Stop drinking 30 minutes before a meal

- Don't drink for 30 minutes after meal

- Don't drink during a meal!

Here are some of my favorite things:

- Turkey Roll-ups, fat-free mayo, dill pickle slice
- Trader Joe's Turkey Meatballs with various sauces
- Shrimp! I love it cold and dipped in sugar-free cocktail sauce
- Shrimp Salad with light mayo, frozen green peas, turkey bacon crumbles
- Refried Beans, Sour cream, guacamole on soy chips
- Scrambled eggs or egg-beaters with mushrooms, turkey bacon
- Grilled Scallops from Japanese Hibachi joints
- Zucchini Lasagna, Eggplant Lasagna, Eggplant Parmesan
- Egg, Chicken, Turkey, Ham, Shrimp, Crab Salad
- Crustless Quiche with ham, cheese and veggies

Snacks I enjoy that fill me right up:

- Smoked Almonds (only takes about 5-7 of them)

- Genisoy Soy Nuts (very few and I feel full again)

- Protein Shakes (yum!)

Things I do not eat - not even a bite!

- Bread, Toast (not wheat, white, or even low-carb - none)

- Buns, Rolls, Croissant

- Pancakes, Waffles

- Pasta, Rice, Brown Rice, Couscous

- Pastries, Donuts, Cake, Cupcakes

- Stringy Citrus Fruit (oranges, grapefruit)

- Stringy Veggies (raw celery)

- Fried Foods

My favorite recipes:

- MissMaryMac - Veggies & Beans

- MissMaryMac - Turkey & Chicken, Beef & Pork

- MissMaryMac - Eggs, Cheese, Dairy, Yogurt

Puree & Soft Food Stage

2009-06-14T19:18:00.018-05:00

I moved from liquid to puree after just a couple days and to soft foods a few days later. They are so similar and they sort of meld together to I listed them all together. Just remember you still have to chew to applesauce consistency!

I loved these stages and never found anything I didn't like. I never felt full but I never felt hungry either! My mom is very good about measuring and making sure she only gave me 2-4oz at meal time.

Here are the things I loved the most (and still do!)
(Note: I often use fat-free or low-fat when possible)

- Cottage Cheese with Salsa (more ideas...)
- Refried Beans with Sour Cream
- Cream Soups (watch sugar, fat, carbs)
- Ricotta Cheese with low-sugar Marinara
- Ricotta Cheese with sugar-free jam
- Pureed cooked shrimp made into salad
- Egg Custards, Flan (sugar-free)
- Scrambled Eggs, Egg Beaters (cooking spray, not butter)
- Egg Salad (no stringy raw celery)
- Greek Yogurt with various mix-ins (more ideas...)
- Carb Control Yogurt, no fruit
- Sugar-Free pudding and jello cups
- Mashed cauliflower (with cheese its better than mashed potatoes!)
- Cheesecake popsicles

Things I personally do NOT eat at all:
(Some Doctor's say these are OK - but they aren't for me... )

- Instant mashed potatos (shocked they recommend this!)
- Rice, Pasta, Oatmeal

My favorite Recipes for soft foods:
- MissMaryMac - Cheese & Dairy Recipes
- MissMaryMac - Dips & Spreads
- MissMaryMac - Soups
- MissMaryMac - Veggies & Beans (most of these are soft)

Liquid Diet - Pre-Op Stage

2009-06-14T18:32:00.007-05:00

To get ready for my arrival, Mom to go on a liquid diet for 10 days.

The reason a lot of surgeons request this is because the patient may have an enlarged liver or raised liver enzyme count and this helps correct that before surgery. Liquid diets are nothing when you think of the outcome - a successful, easy surgery!

Here are the things she was allowed during this phase:
- Water, Decaf coffee, sugar-free ice tea
- Carnation Instant Breakfast (low-sugar - she was diabetic)
- Cream Soups - strained of any veggies or other chunkies
- Ensure, Boost
- Skim Milk, Soy Milk
- Sugar-Free pudding, jello, popsicles
- Sugar-Free applesauce
- Sugar-Free yogurt or greek yogurt
- Protein shakes
- Crystal Light (any flavor)
- Sugar-Free Hot Cocoa
- Bouillon - I liked the vegetarian version best

Note: A lot of these drinks are NOT good as post-op because they have way too much sugar and other baddies - don't overstock them thinking you'll be drinking them later!

Final 24 Hours - clear liquid only!
- Water
- Broth
- Crystal Light (white grape, nothing colored)

Problem Foods

2009-06-14T18:09:00.003-05:00

So far, nothing I've tried has bothered me but Mom is very careful with what I eat so a lot of the items on this list I haven't tried yet. I have been really lucky so far! We only had one "incident" where she gave me real banana pudding mix instead of sugar-free and yikes! I let her know pretty quick that I didn't like it.

So, here is a list of foods that may cause irritation:

- Bread Products, Pasta, Rice (lead bombs! ouch!)

- Cow Milk Products (a lot of pouches become lactose intolerant)

- Fatty foods and fried foods

- Candy, chocolate

- Sugary foods or beverages

- Carbonated beverages

- Bran cereal and other bran products

- Corn, whole beans, peas

- Dried fruits, Stringy fruit like oranges

- Coconut- untoasted

- Canned Tuna, Imitation Crab

- Beef, Pork (I love pork but I am iron man!)

Patients who have had any type of weight-loss surgery should avoid the following: (unless artificially sweetened)

- the stringy portion of celery, asparagus, string beans

- high caloric, high fat foods, and high caloric beverages

- Ice Cream, Popsicles, Sherberts, Sorbets

- Pudding, Jello

- Sweetened, Fruited or Frozen Yogurt

- Dried Fruit, Candied Fruit

- Canned or frozen fruit in heavy syrup

- Fruit Juice, Sports Drinks

- Carbonated Drinks

- Sugar-coated or sweetened cereal

- Cakes, Pies, Cookies, Donuts, Rolls

- Jellies, Jams, Honey, Molasses, Syrups

- Regular soft drinks/Lemonade

- High fructose corn syrup sweetened beverages

- Candy and Chocolate

- Sweetened Gelatin Desserts

- Regular Chewing Gum

- Pancakes and waffles with syrup

- Milkshakes and chocolate milk

- Sweet pickles or relish

- Rice, pasta, potatoes

- Sugared ice tea, Snapple®/fruit drinks

- Nuts, seeds, skins (includes potato skins, onion skins, fruit peelings, and the membrane between orange and grapefruit sections)

I <3 Greek Yogurt

2009-06-14T17:31:00.014-05:00

One of my favorite things is greek yogurt because you can make it taste completely different just by mixing in different things - but it always gives you a nice little protein boost.

My favorite greek yogurts are Fage 0% or 2%, Trader Joe's brand, Chobani or Voskos. I bet you can find at least one of these in your local grocery store or even super-target and walmart if you have those. Whole Foods is another great place to look.

Here are some ideas for spicing up your yogurt!

Scoop of your favorite flavored protein power
Sugar-free pudding mix (I love Pistacchio with little bits of pistacchio nuts)
Sugar-Free preserves (great with chocolate protein)
Low-fat Peanut Butter or Powdered PB2 (great with lots of other flavors)
Flax Meal/Wheat Germ - great breakfast with a fiber boost
Granola (make sure you look at the carbs and sugar!)
Whey Crisps (yummy little protein nuggets!)
Dashes from a packet of veggie soup mix or onion soup mix
Scoop BSN Cinnamon roll + tbsp instant coffee
Scoop BSN Chocolate-Coconut Candy Bar Protein + unsweetened coconut flakes
Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries
Packet Chicken Soup flavored Protein + salsa
Veggies! (I often stir in cooked cauliflower, zucchini, eggplant, mushroom - love them alll!)
Scoop unflavored protein + any flavor you want!

Other ideas for Greek Yogurt that you can try:

Use in place of mayo in egg/tuna/chicken salad
Use in place of sour cream with salsa & refried beans
Use to make Tzatiki sauce for dipping. Yum!

Flavor Combinations

There are so many great protein flavors, sugar-free syrups, pudding, jello that you can create just about anything if you're creative. I am sensitive to sweet so I don't overdo that part, but some people LOVE sweeties and even add extra splenda to their creations - be creative!

Chocolate Protein Powder + PeanutButter SF Syrup
Cake Batter Protein + Banana SF Pudding Mix
Vanilla Protein + Instant Coffee + Hazelnut SF Syrup
Vanilla Protein + SF Orange Preserves = Creamsicle!

I <3 Cottage Cheese

2009-06-14T12:01:00.012-05:00

After a few weeks of nothing but liquid, it was a real treat to finally get cottage cheese. There are so many yummy things you can stir in for variety - and its very easy to digest. If you buy small curd, very little extra chewing is required. I can eat 2-4oz at a meal so the mixers below are based on that size - you won't need much!

I prefer savory over sweet - but I included some sweet mixers that others have mentioned but I haven't tried those!

SAVORY

- Salsa - this adds great flavor and spice which I crave!

- Guacamole - it doesn't look that pretty, but man is it good mixed in

- Unflavored protein - I can usually taste these, but its a good way to boost your protein

- SF Marinara, ground meat, sprinkle cheese on top and nuke for a few seconds

- Cooked veggies like cauliflower, zucchini, eggplant

SWEET

- Sugar-Free pudding flavors

- Sugar-Free preserves, jam, jelly

- LeanDessert Chocolate-Coconut protein powder

- Crushed nuts + favorite sweet protein or puddings

Add Cottage Cheese to:

- Scrambled eggs, egg beaters

- Faux Lasagne

My favorite recipes with cottage cheese:

- MissMaryMac - Cheese & Dairy Recipes