PLEASE, SUGGESTIONS NEEDED

I WILL BE ONE MONTH POST-OP THIS FRIDAY. HAVE BEEN DOING GREAT FOR THE MOST PART. HAVE HAD A FEW DAYS WHERE I FELT ROTTEN BUT NOT ENOUGH TO . MY WEIGHT LOSS SEEMS TO BE ABOUT 3 POUNDS A WEEK. DOES THIS SEEM RIGHT TO YOU? THE REASON I'M WRITING IS THIS: I'M HAVING A HARD TIME GETTING IN ALL MY FLUIDS. I'M NOT DEHYDRATED, BUT CAN ONLY GET IN AROUND 30 - 40 OUNCES A DAY. I FEEL LIKE I'M SLOSHING WITH EVERY STEP I TAKE. I'M ALSO HAVING A PROBLEM W/ PROTEIN. HAVE TRIED SO MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROTEIN SHAKES I'VE LOST COUNT AND ALOT OF MONEY. I CAN'T STOMACH (LITERALLY) ANY OF THEM. I'M TRYING TO EAT FOODS HIGH IN PROTEIN BUT ANY SUGGESTIONS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED. THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP DONNA, SFY

Hi Donna, I remember how awful everything tasted when I got home from surgery. The good news is that it gets better every week. Your taste comes back as well as your thirst. I know it seems like theres some magical solution to getting in everything your surgeon says you need. Fluids are important so you don't dehydrate and helps to carry the fat out of our bodies. Baby food meats are great if you can stomach them. Add some water or milk to thin the consistency. Milk is another great source of protein. (skim) Try yogurt ...there are some low-fat, low-sugar yogurts on the market these days. If you have a blender you can puree meats & beans. I remember pureeing white beens and alittle salsa and it was heavenly. I made pot roast for the family and took the meat which was already tender and popped in some carrots and potatoes along with some of the gravy and made a great goulo****hink we miss the spices so if you can spice your foods a tad that might help them taste better and they satisfy the palate. The protein shakes will taste better eventually....I know you probably find that hard to believe but they will. The protein shake at vitamin shoppe "Isopure" comes in chocolate and vanilla. I buy the chocolate and add 2 scoops to 3 or 4 ounces of cold water, then add a few ice cubes. Isopure blends well (no clumps) and has 50 grams of protein in 2 scoops. So one 3 or 4 ounce drink has most of your protein for the day. Yippee !!! Hope this helps and best of luck ! "ENJOY THE JOURNEY" Susan

Donna, I did the "Any Whey" protein powder and here is a link to it. Mix it with grits, oatmeal or whatever you can, refried beans or cream of wheat and it will give you 17 gms per scoop. It is totally dissolvable and tasteless, really. http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/opt/any.html Protein Delite is THE best tasting protein powder on the market, really it is!!! http://www.a1nutritionproducts.com/buy/SciTec/protein_delite/1lb?utm_id=1&utm_term=Protein +Delight&gclid=CNiGpI3KtogCFRt2YAodWVqm1A The other really good thing to do is to buy some Dannon Light n Fit yogurt shakes and I take a big sip, and then add 1 scoop of Any Whey to it and shake and mix and its really good. Here is the link so you know which one to buy. Make sure it says Carb and Sugar control, only 2 or 3 gms of sugar http://www.dannon.com/dn/dnstore/cgi-bin/Brand_Cat_240859_NavRoot_200_ID_486936.htm If you do those 3 things, I promise you will get your protein in, and make sure you drink enough "water" the flavored kind always works better, the real plain water hurts my pouch for some reason....you will lose. 3 pounds is not bad, and Dr. Byrne told us that if you are over 50, it is a little harder to lose because of metabolism is lower, and your body is just, well, older. I have 3 friends who couldn't get to their goal weight, but got really close, because of the lower metabolism. Just keep walking and up your protein to at least 60gms per day, and the pounds will melt off. Hope this helps girl, you are doing soooo great!!! Love ya!! Deb

PS If you get sick on milk, I even did on skim milk, due to the lactose, then buy some Carb Countdown milk by Hood's. It is in a green or blue container. The green is fat free, so I typically bought that one. Regular yogurts have too much sugar, so read your lables. The carb control kind is okay or Atkins was okay too. Puddings and so forth are good for adding the "Any Whey" to. Love ya!! Deb

Hi Donna, You are almost done with the most difficult stage of this journey ... everything will start to taste better, and you will be able to drink more as time goes on. Stay positive ... you are doing just fine!!! I ate, and still eat a lot of cottage cheese. I buy the 2% kind, and mix Splenda and blueberries in it now ... but at your stage, I mixed in some Splenda and cinnamon. It's good, and a good source of protein. Also, lowfat ricotta cheese, mixed with a spoonful of spaghetti sauce, and bit of mozzerella cheese ... heat it in the microwave ... delicious! Dawn