But they don't have 32G.  My band size is too small for the "big girl bra" companies.  Apparently, I had a tiny frame hiding under there.

The time is going to fly by!  You will be on the loser's bench before you know it.

Happy day!  Just opened my letter from Blue Cross - expecting a denial, but they approved it!  No more scouring the internet for hours looking for 32G bras (trust me, they are scarcer than hen's teeth).  And I'll be able to find shirts that fit my bust without falling off my shoulders.  Life is good.

Kudos to you for getting back in the ring!  You can do this, and we are rooting for you.  Keep us posted on how you are doing.

Now, to answer the question you didn't really ask, this sounds like a diet to me, and diets don't work.  I would figure out the calories and protein in the shakes and duplicate it with FOOD!  I don't see the advantage of shakes over food, other than the fact that it's easier and quicker for the nurse to tell you to drink shakes than it is to help you come up with a food plan.  I could be wrong, but I bet your bariatric nurse has never had a problem with her weight.  Why do some medical professionals persist in the idea that dieting will resolve our food issues?  If that were the case, none of us would be here having this discussion.  We'd all be out shopping for size 6 jeans and forgetting to eat.

To answer your actual question, I have been told that whey protein is what we absorb best.  The "nectar" line of Syntrax brand is my personal fave, but Unjury is another one I like.  Also Pure Protein, which is available in most grocery stores (at least around here), has decent stats and acceptable flavor.  More commercially popular brands like Muscle Milk are too high in calories, and often lower in protein. There are some powders especially formulated for bariatric patients, but they are more expensive, and I think it's more of a marketing ploy than an actual difference in how well they work for us.  But then, I am a cynical girl.

I didn't wear my own clothes, as they wouldn't work with the IV and the catheter.  I wore lose yoga pants and a t-shirt to go home.  All I needed was chapstick, lotion, and *light* reading material.  I was way too dopey to read anything heavy.  The nurses told me when it was time to take my first walk, and then after that, I told them when I wanted to take a walk.

Tell him that weight loss surgery is like using a washing machine instead of taking your clothes down to the river.  It is the most effective way to get where you want to go, and there is no virtue in working your a$$ off at something that is not effective just so you can say you worked your a$$ off.

Sorry, I guess I wasn't clear.  I only use my bread machine to make dough, then I bake in the oven.  If I were actually going to bake it in the bread machine, I would probably use the whole wheat cycle.

I have been playing with bread recipes for months, trying to find a bread that my family liked that was high enough in protein for me to eat, as well.  I know some of us can't eat bread, but I can eat the heck out of it, unfortunately.  I have always been kinda famous (possibly only in my own mind, but I'm okay with that) for my buttermilk rolls, and it occurred to me that there might not be a lot of difference between baking with buttermilk and baking with Greek yogurt.  That got me thinking, and experimenting... 

So, here is my recipe for Yogurt Quinoa Bread.  You can't taste the quinoa at all, and the yogurt just gives a little tang, kind of like sourdough.  And for a special occasion, you could use all white bread flour, and it would still have 6 grams of protein per slice (but 146 calories and 27g of carbs, which is why I say special occasion).  You could add nuts or seeds to this to make it even higher in protein.

I make mine in a bread machine, and I add the ingredients in this order:

1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt, warmed to room temp or a little warmer **

1/2 cup cooked Quinoa (not hot, let it cool first)

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon butter (optional)

1 cup Atkins baking mix

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup oat flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon yeast

** Note: check the protein content in your Greek yogurt.  It can vary widely, and some so-called Greek yogurts are just regular yogurt with gelatin added to thicken them.  I use Fage, Chobani or Oikos, but  Fage is my first choice.  I buy it on clearance for 1/2 price and freeze it for later use in baking (freezing changes the texture, so it's not going to be good for everything, but it's fine for baking).

Mix all the ingredients on the dough cycle, then let it continue to rise for an extra 30 minutes.  Punch down, place in loaf pan, and let rise for another 90 minutes.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Stats for one slice (1/20th of a loaf): 100 calories, 15g carbs, 8g protein, 7g iron

If I were going to make it without the bread machine, I would follow the instructions for a basic whole wheat bread recipe, using the yogurt mixed with Quinoa as my liquid, and adding 30 minutes to each rise. 

Yes, it could be gas.  I had that problem early on, thought I was hungry, but I wasn't.  I found that antacids and anti-gas chewables helped a lot.  Whatever your doc says is okay for you to take right now. 

It could also be head hunger, but that usually kicks in around week 4 for many people.  Is it driving you crazy, and you want stuff like pizza?  That would be head hunger, and in that case, my best advise is to turn off the TV and stay out of the kitchen.  It will pass.  Mine did!

Best of luck to you, and congrats on your new life - and on following your food plan!

My guidebook from the surgeon says that decaf counts toward liquid intake.

I always, always drink with a straw, and I started about two days after surgery.  I get more air in my mouth when I *don't* use a straw, so I can't help thinking that someone just pulled that rule out of their behind one day.  That's just one person's opinion, but it is so counterintuitive.  Like, how would you get more air using a straw?  By slurping when you get to the bottom of the cup?  I don't get it. 

I think it sounds like you either ate something that disagreed with you, or you have a little flu bug.   I would recommend doing what you would have done in this situation before surgery - eat gentle foods and get lots of liquids.  But, by all means, call your doc if you want to.  There's nothing wrong with that if it will make you feel better.  And I hope you feel better soon!