Roll Call/Check In!

1) What is your favorite protein shake/drink? Where do you purchase it? 2) Do you know anyone personally who could benefit from WLS? Would you share your experiences regarding surgery with them, if the topic came up in conversation? 3) Since WLS, have you cheated by eating something blatantly bad for you? Be honest! ******************* My answers: 1) I like several. Whey Gourmet (most of the flavors), Isopure powder and liquid, Champion Whey Stack in Banana Scream flavor, Protein Delite (most of the flavors) and Designer Whey. I have quite a collection. I purchase them online and at GNC. 2) Yes I can think of a few people and yes I would be happy to share any information I could with them. 3) Yes I cheated about a week and a half ago with a friend (who also had WLS and is on the Feb06 board if you are reading! ). We were at an event and each took literally a mouse's bite (smaller than a pea) of a dessert. That was the first time anything overtly "illegal" went past my lips and I haven't "cheated" since. I do eat "legal" treats now and again such as a SF cookie, piece of SF candy or No Sugar Added ice cream bar. I don't consider this to be cheating, but that is JMO! Chele

1) My favorite protein drink is Achiev One, either the Cappucino or the Mocha Java. I purchase them on-line. 2) I know a couple of people who could benefit from surgery. I will probably wait a couple of more months before I share with them my surgery experience. Just to make sure that I am still on track and everything is O.K. (So far zero problems.....but just want to be sure) 3) So far I have not cheated at all. The thought of is enough to keep me honest. If that had been the problem my whole life I never would have been overweight!!!!!! Kathy

Hey you little bugger!!! I came on here to do roll call and you jumped the gun!! That's okay. I couldn't think of any questions anyway. QOD: 1) What is your favorite protein shake/drink? Where do you purchase it? This one is hard for me because I have only tried 4 different types. Of the 4 I had Protein Delight would have to be the favorite. I sorta prefer the bars to the shakes. 2) Do you know anyone personally who could benefit from WLS? Would you share your experiences regarding surgery with them, if the topic came up in conversation? Yeah. Yes, and I have. I feel like a spokes person for WLS sometimes but that's ok. The only thing is I am careful to speak TOO highly of it to my extremely morbidly obese family members that are over 50. Only because they are more subject to complications and I couldn't live with myself if something happened to them and the reason they had surgery was because of my hyping it up. 3) Since WLS, have you cheated by eating something blatantly bad for you? Be honest! Yes I took a finger full of the butter cream filling of my daughter's doughnut the other night. It was delish. I didn't even feel bad because that is the only time I have cheated and that little bit wasn't hardly anything. Dawn

Sorry...I was bored when I checked in this morning. Just wanted to get some chatter going! Chele

Hi Chele, 1) What is your favorite protein shake/drink? Where do you purchase it? I am a cyclical person, I like something a lot, use it until I can't stand it and then move onto another variety. Right now, I am drinking SportPharma Low Carb Whey Protein in Vanilla, bought it at Costco - 20 buck for 6 pounds and it actually tastes good. I also like the profect drinks, the flavors are all ok, and you get 25 GOP in 3 oz 2) Do you know anyone personally who could benefit from WLS? Would you share your experiences regarding surgery with them, if the topic came up in conversation? Yes, I know a few people who could benefit. One is a very close friend who probably weighs at least 400#, she has been through a bunch of the preop stuff. Now she is too busy at work to move forward. She is almost 40, when she was 33ish she had a major heart attack. I think this surgery would improve the quality of her life sooo much. It does scare me because she has the ongoing heart condition. I do not want to push her b/c ... what if she did not make it out of the operating room ... I would never ever be able to deal with that. Also, my father, he is SMO. In the last three and half years, he has lost over 100 pound, but is still up in the high 300's. He is on a supervised diet program that is a precursor to the surgery through a local hospital. He has degenerative disc disease and if he lost a bunch of weight, I think his mobility and life would be so much better. They (he and my stepmom) were concerned with me having the surgery; they were supportive but just worried. 3) Since WLS, have you cheated by eating something blatantly bad for you? Be honest! My surgeon has a very very generous post op diet. By his standards, I can eat almost anything. Pasta, rice, white flour products - the list is really amazing. With that being said, I had Fritos and a sip of my husbands coke - that coke was delicious. I have had no sugar added ice cream at a birthday party - not sure if that is considered cheating b/c it was sf.

Hi Chele~! 1. I drink Isopure and I use Unjury Unflavored Protein in my Atkins Advantage Choco Shakes. 2. My mom needs it but her health won't support it, she wants it now that she see's my progress. 3. I CHEAT all the time. I eat little pieces of chocolate, chocolate chip cookies and brownies at work. I used to be a big cookie or brownie eater so when somebody brings them in I take ONE and nibble on it now. I don't dump and this way I don't feel deprived. I know I shouldn't but I do! Dana

1. Carb Countdown with added protein 2. Yes, my friends mom could positively benefit from the surgery. My friend shares my pictures with her mom. 3. Yes, for my daughter's birthday @ Red Lobster. I had ONE bite of her chocolate cake. I found it to be too sweet but did NOT Susan

1) What is your favorite protein shake/drink? Where do you purchase it? I don't use protein shakes - they're "no-no's" on my program. 2) Do you know anyone personally who could benefit from WLS? Would you share your experiences regarding surgery with them, if the topic came up in conversation? Hmmm...I have one friend who is significantly overweight and she is the only one I can think of. She is the only person, other than my husband, who even knows I had it. I answer the questions she asks, but I would never try to influence her. 3) Since WLS, have you cheated by eating something blatantly bad for you? Be honest! Yes, my husband buys a pound of See's nuts & chew every week - it's his treat since he had to give up everything else because of high blood pressure. He keeps the box in his office so I'm not tempted. However, he doesn't like marshmallow so he gives me the scotchmallows that are in each box. Since there are 2 of them in each box, I cut them in half and I have 4 tastes of yummy chocolate at my disposal when I just HAVE to have it. Other than that, I've stayed away from everything we're not supposed to eat.

Good questions! 1. I like the Protein Delite Alpine Chocolate flavored protein powder. I also supplement with the ProCrunch Bars. I have had mucho problems gagging down the shakes, but the Protein Delite flavors aren't "heavy" like the others. 2. Yes, I know a few people who could benefit from surgery and one of those is actually scheduled for Sept and using me as her sounding board/test case. I always share my WLS experience when asked (and sometimes when not - LOL). 3. Per my surgeon's diet, I am on all regular food as tolerated, the advice being to make good choices. That being said, I have really cleaned up the way I eat, but also the way I look at eating. I no longer binge eat. I no longer eat the "wrong" foods all day every day. So, I follow a high-protein diet, making good choices for the most part, but have a taste of other things now and then (daughter's birthday cake, couple of fries from my hubby's meal, etc). My rationale is that depriving myself of "bad" foods will cause me to binge/overeat those very same foods. BUT if I can learn moderation, then there are really no "bad" foods. Make sense?

Hi Chele!!! Oh I'm sure that desert was super yummy! 1) What is your favorite protein shake/drink? Where do you purchase it? *** I really like the Royal Chocolate from Atkins, but purchased some others are GNC to try. I'm not a chocolate person, but the vanillas I've tried make me gag. 2) Do you know anyone personally who could benefit from WLS? Would you share your experiences regarding surgery with them, if the topic came up in conversation? *** Yes, I know a couple people- my sister included. I would share what happening if they asked and actually knew I had the surgery lol. I'm not really outta the closet 3) Since WLS, have you cheated by eating something blatantly bad for you? Be honest! *** I have cheated. My doc doesn't allow carbs until month 6 and I've tried mashed potatoes and burrito wraps. I haven't tried anything like yummy full deserts, but I do have a SF candy or desert as a treat about once a week lol. We deserve it! *~*Jaci*~*