Dances with DS

I’m very proteined up at the moment!  Hitting 120gms at least  a day with the additional supplementation - which means I strive to push my water levels up too. I do find I get really thirsty. I seem to do well on around 80-90gms of protein nowadays, so this is unnecessary surplus in my case.

I could of course just supplement a drink for a meal, and that’s exactly what I will be doing over the next week or so. Not looking forward to it as I’m just so in the habit of eating my three meals a day I’m  probably going to go into a complete  funk! LOL.

These protein drinks can be a big bonus - I can see that, but I kind of long for my MarvelFM. I just like the lack of artificial sweetners in it and the the fact that it is au-natrel and tastes good!  I wish they would use something like stevia or low GI fruit sugar in the protein drinks, sweetners worry me. I can’t help it. I always wonder if those diet drinks we all thought were so much better for us in our obesity haunted days were not in fact contributing to throwing our endocrine systems way out of whack.  There seems to be more evidence coming to light that this could well be the case. That said sugar does a good job of doing that as well - it’s a bit of a no win situation. In any event I discovered that Syntrax do indeed make a stevia based drink. Seems it is not available here in the UK. I read one US review where the person said it was revolting!  She was suprised as she thought the regular nectar pretty good.Ah welllllll….so much for that then!

I try to tell myself the benefits of the drinks outweigh any risks…which they do if the drinks are used on supplemental basis only…but some WLS patients practically live off these drinks.   That worries me considerably. But what the heck do you do if you have solids intolerance for example?  Or lactose intolerance?  I’d probably also supplement daily.  It’s way better than being badly malnourished that’s for sure. One thing I would be doing if this was my reality would be to choose several drinks. They do vary quite a bit in things like added vitamins and amino acid profiles. Much like food -  possibly the only way to get a good balance is to frequently change the drinks.

For those of us that don’t have these sorts of problems,  I flash on my old mind-buddy which is ‘moderation in everything.’   Easy to say if you are not starving because you can eat decently. *sigh*.

I find with the  Syntrax especially, I still hit fast satiety levels. Mind you as Laine commented on the last blog, time will tell if this lasts.

However I’ll be remembering the Syntrax if there comes a time that I need to lose some weight again, but right now I quite like to have a little appetite on my side. Never thought I would say that in a million years!!!

My neighbour worked out that on her WW diet she could have 2 ‘rollups’ for 2 points if she only used egg white and not the yolk as a binder and water not milk to loosen the mix. I think it will be even drier without the yolk,  but perhaps one could get used to that.  Oh the joys of WW!  I’m so glad I don’t need to be doing that anymore. Take my hat off to her though, she is doing really well.

I decided to revisit the Atkins shopping site. I did order things from them in my younger DS days, but can’t remember what!    I spent a couple of hours browsing the site and seems there is a lot more choice there nowadays. There are sugar free syrups for example,  in several flavours. I did not buy any of them but it’s nice to know we can now get such things here in the UK.   I’ve bought a couple of store cupboard basics to try out and I’ll review those too, when they arrive. If you fancy browsing here is the link:

http://www.avidlite.co.uk/

I have written to IDS about their protein ’shooter’. Thanks to A alerting us to collagen in some of the shooters, I double checked their shooters and there is collagen in it. Mmmmmmm. To the manufacturers credit they are open about it and state that it provides little protein. They state it is used to create a full amino acid profile and to improve taste and texture.  I read somewhere it comprises 31% of the drink & wanted to confirm that. I wanted to know about how much available protein there would be from the  remaining proteins ( it also has whey & casein ).   I have heard nothing yet, but who knows I might still.

I’m deliberating over this one and have not yet ordered it. A handful of studies suggest collagen could be useful for arthritis and osteoporosis. Also for pain control. I found a good few anecdotal reports where people had felt it dramatically helped them, but scientific evidence does seem a bit thin on the ground. My nana used to swear by gelatin capsules for her hair, skin and nails. So even if the collagen is hopeless protein wise…it may just be beneficial in other respects. I know of so many patients with knee and joint probs that WLS could not resolve…this might be worth an experimental try for them?

However,   I still think the Dymatize Elite vial is probably better on the protein front.

I also have ordered Nectar Roadside Lemonade, hopefully it will get here soon.

I’m champing at the bit to get on with more reviews!!!  I’m sooooo impatient!

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

SYNTRAX MATRIX

Info quoted off the suppliers website:

‘Syntrax Matrix 5.0 - Sustained Release Protein Blend protein

1. Mixes instantly and completely with a spoon
2. Anabolic and anticatabolic proteins
3. Micellar CASEIN , whey and egg albumin
4. Incredible taste even in water
5. Ideal for everyone including bariatric patients

Matrix 5.0 solves all of the problems currently afflicting those other “five pounders”. Most importantly, we completely stayed away from cheap, inferior protein sources such as denatured sodium and calcium caseinate. We knew that to be the best, we had to use only the highest quality undenatured protein sources such as ultrafiltered whey protein, ultrafiltered milk protein, undenatured egg albumin, and glutamine peptides. The costs are much higher, but the rewards are significant. These proteins not only taste great but they are unmatched in their ability to improve overall health as well as build critical bodily tissues and processes.
Supplement Facts: Serving Size: 1 Level Scoop Servings Per Container: 76 Amount Per Serving: Calories 110 Calories from Fat 15 Total Fat 1.5g 2% Saturated Fat 1g 6% Cholesterol 30mg 10% Total Carbohydrates 2g 1% Dietary Fiber 0g 0% Sugars 2g Protein 22g 44% Calcium 160mg 15% Phosphorus 140mg 15% Magnesium 20mg 6% Sodium 105mg 4% Potassium 200mg 6% ‘

Supplier:  https://www.sshealthfoods.com/pages.php?page=lt.powders&details=0518

Cost: 29.99

I bought this one based on the suitability for Bariatric Patients.  If you can call my surgery by it’s generic name I am interested!

This arrives in a very large stiff plastic packet with zip lock top. Mine did not ziplock easily so I had to find a clip to reseal it.   I kind of prefer  the ‘Nectar’s’  plastic tubs, but it’s a small detail.   Syntrax manufacturers both the Nectar, Essence and Matrix range.

As you may have read above,  the info on the package proudly states it will instantly disperse in water or milk. No fancy gadgets required for mixing. I added the scoop to my milk and with a fork I mixed it in beating as I went along.  I mix, it forms blobs on top of the milk. I continue to mix and just when it looks smooth more blobs arrive on the surface. Maybe I did this wrong. Maybe I should add the milk to the powder instead.

In any event I can’t get rid of the blobs by hand, but to the products credit, on standing a little they do dissolve a lot more and are not hard and crunchy, or floury!

First sip. Well, this is not chocolate, not how I think Choc should taste anyway. But I have the taste of real chocolate firmly imprinted on my brain which sets a very high expectation!  This is more slight chocolate with malt. Not bad but it is sweet. Very sweet. I think for those used to artificial sweeteners this won’t be off putting at all, but I am a girl who takes real sugar in her drinks.  I like the texture - it’s just thin milkshake. No gloppiness. I’m not a fan of ‘thick’ milkshakes at all.  So this is good. Taking another sip.  Mmmmm - not bad.  My mouth is adjusting to the sweetness and it’s less intense as I continue to sip. This is not bad and I think I could live with this one.

I’m trying to wrack my brains and remember the Nectar I once had, several years back. Given the choice I’m not sure which I would prefer. They are quite different drinks. I think I lean slightly towards the nectar based on it’s ‘lightness’ and just to have something that is not diary based for a DSer makes a change from all the creamier richer protein sources. That said this might be the better choice for winter, while the Nectar for me was very much a summer drink.

However based  on the type of proteins used in the drink, this would be my choice. It has several different proteins in the mix and a nice amino acid profile.    Using milk, not water,  as a mixer appeals to me as well. While it is richer and ‘heavier’ on the tum, there has to be something better about using a natural nutrient rich product in conjunction with a man made one. Certainly it gives a protein drink  a better nutrition profile. Depending on how much milk one uses - the protein count will be higher than just the 23gms the scoop of powder provides.

I’m not finding drinking this too difficult.  It goes down quite easily and the aftertaste does not linger for too long.  5 mins later I have polished off the glass and I feel quite full it must be said. 23gms of protein plus the milk I had it in - iro of 30gms.   This could probably do me as a liquid snack inbetween my meals.  Unfortunately I have tested this just before breakfast and now I really don’t feel like eating.  Let’s see how long this feeling of being full lasts.

This does have a small amount of sugar in it - worth noting if you are a RNYer who tends to dump on sugars. But if you can tolerate a little this really should do no harm. Check what your safe allowance is though. If I was a RNYer or a Dser struggling the dreaded regains and in need of low carb protein on an everyday basis this would be my choice.

This is good ‘workhorse’ protein. Cheaper than Elite shooters and I think one could add a banana, cocoa, coffee or peanut butter to this drink to notch up the nutrition and flavour  easily.

One disadvantage of my usual marvel fortified milk (MFM) drink is that I find it never satiates me for very long . This might be due to it’s relatively high amount of carbs.  MY DS is very attuned to carbs - I eat them, I get hungry faster. I justify this mild drawback of MFM by the fact that for taste, nutrition  and value for money it’s a good exchange imo.  Also, bear in mind I don’t need to hit some weight loss target. Or to fight a regain at this point in my DS life, though things might yet change for me.

There may well be truth in the info on the pack that this is a slow release protein formula based on my experience with it below.

With this drink I found I had zero need for a snack and I felt kind of full all day long (but not at all bloated or uncomfortable).  This was something in my head… my appestat was at work. Apols for the poor explanation of this but sometimes finding vocabulary to describe things is difficult. I think if I could name this I would coin a new phrase : Neuro-satiety. Very unusual for me to get this with a drink.  If this happens to others using this drink and it is not just a weird personal quirk, it could be a very real advantage for people struggling to curb an out of control appetite and a useful aid to help bring them back in line.  It may have the same benefit for those struggling regains. Mix with water instead if it is in conjunction with meals - milk if it is a meal replacement. Might be worth a try.

Late night I got chronically creative    and decided to try experimenting. For me a powder has to be as versatile as possible to be worth it’s salt.  This powder reminds me of pancake mix for some obscure reason, and this odd association played on my brain all day long -  so I decided to try making a pancake out of it.

I beat one large egg, added one scoop of the protein and dribbled milk into it (without measuring it out) until it resembled  a slightly thick pancake mix. Beat until smooth. Using a little coconut oil ( I am sure any oil would do) I proceeded to fry it just like one would a pancake.  I did this on a fast high heat in an effort not to denature the protein too much. Watch it does not burn!!! Just like a pancake when the edges look kind of dry and the batter on top is set, it is time to flip it.

Viola!  It made a perfect cooking batter. I sprinkled cinnamon on it and am eating it as I type. It is actually really good!  A drier texture than a pancake, and thicker, it reminds me of cake more than pancake, but it rolled up well and it’s really tasty. It’s thick but not doughy which I would hate!   And not too sweet either…for me it’s just right.   If I had cream I think this could be my pancake or cake alternative in the future. RNYers might find some of that low fat whippy cream in a bottle good to lend this a little moisture, if they tolerate it.   It needs no syrup - it has good sweetness by itself. Might be nice with nut butter too - or banana’s, cream and chopped walnuts.  I think I will call this a ‘rollup’. You decide what type of rollup it is: cake, pancake or scottish pancake or anything else you think it resembles.  

My poor long suffering normal gut hubby, who loves a good pancake, was roped in to give it a taste. He thought it was quite nice…’very similar to a scottish pancake’.  Now that is high praise by  anyone’s standards!

This could be a bonus for those who crave carby things from time to time.

I think one could make 2 medium size thick rollups with the amount of batter it gives.  Assuming one dry scoop of powder equals 23gms - plus the egg and milk at around 8 grams of protein - that is 15.5 grams of protein per rollup - not bad!!!

As the first rollup was quite dry I made the second one with a teaspoon of ground nut oil added to it. I think it improved the dryness somewhat. Experiment if you buy this powder to your own taste preferences.

I managed one and a half of these rollups and then I felt stuffed. Excellent for staving off a hungry moment! Or is it just me?

My neighbour is currently on a diet and says that she is very hungry at night. It’s the bane of her life as she tends to find she’ll sabotage the diet in the evenings. I might ask her to test drive this protein drink to see if it helps stave off her night hunger. I’ll update her experience if she is okay with being my guinea pig!

QUICK RATING:

Ease of use :  8/10

Taste: 8/10

Versatility: 9/10 - making a rollup with it is a nice change!

Packaging: 6-7/10 (bearing in mind mine was damaged and would not close.)

Protein power: 10/10

Value for money: 8/10

Longerterm use:  8/10, it’s a generous amount of powder, should last a while.

Good for:

Daily drinks.  Rollups make a nice fast breakfast bite or snack (even if the manufacturers never discovered this! ;-)  )

I think it may be an excellent choice for those battling weight regains as it knocked my appetite on the head for most of the day after I had it at breakfast time.  For those craving carbs, eating the rollups should help dispell cravings and allow them to have a protein high replacement.  A good drink for the longertermers but newbies might find it quite rich and a lot to get down initially. The lactose in it might also cause them some discomfort if milk does not yet agree with them.

Bowel/ gastric issues:  I had none.

Possible side effects:

Again, highly unlikely but listed just in case!

Sucralose (Splenda): diahorrea, gastric discomfort

Acesulfame-K:   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acesulfame_potassium

Contains:

Glutamine Peptides, among other amino acids.

  L-Glutamine acts as a brain fuel.  It is sometimes used to treat senility (perfect for me then! ). It also supports immune function, improves insulin metabolism and inhibits fat storage. It helps preserve muscle mass during times of stress…which is a good thing for bariatric patients who may lose muscle as well as fat on the journey.

It also appears to help with healing after surgery & to have some benefits to the gut:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutamine

Well, that’s it for now!  I’m in the process of buying in a few more drinks and will review them soon. So far I have learned a lot. These drinks are a bit like WLS,  one type does not suit all!  Considering what one’s needs are is paramount to getting a good drink that sits well with one.  For those who struggle to eat, a small variety of supplements could be a very worthwhile investment. They all have different ingredients so if one was going to rely on them heavily due to temporary circumstances, then much like food it would be best to try to get variety of drinks in.  While I am a big stickler for us patients using natural foods over these drinks, they do have a very relevant place in our lives at times. Sometimes needs must. They are designed as supplements and most manufacturers make it clear that they be used as such.

BTW, I have opened my comments box on these blogs. Usually I keep it shut because when it was open I got all sorts of junk posts on them that directed people to websites of dubious content.    So please feel free to comment. You may want to tell us about any type of drink you are taking and provide us with a link to the supplier, or just share a thought.

To use the comments box just press the little red ‘no comments’ that is on the left hand side of the page under the blog heading. Your comment might take a little time to appear as it comes through admin for approval, but it will appear!

INSTONE HIGH PROTEIN PUDDING

Flavour: Milk Chocolate

20gms of protein per tin

Low carb

Calories 100

Product details:  https://www.sshealthfoods.com/pages.php?page=lt.bars&details=0170

I opened the tin thinking it did not look like too big a serving. At first glance the contents looked very chocolatey. Mmmmm, I thought - lookin’ good! I was feeling upbeat about this one. I scooped some onto the spoon, it wobbled a little - but I thought that was par for the course…it’s got carrageenen thickener in it after all. I gave it a hefty sniff. I could smell little chocolate in it and it had a faintly beany smell to it. But not too bad. Clearly I don’t learn from my Holland Barett experience of beany proteins. I knew from the start that this was Soy based, but I had hoped in the 5 years since I tried a soya protein drink, things had evolved.

The first spoonful was okay. Bit bland and pretty sweet, even just a little creamy. The texture was okay.  I even thought - hey this is not too bad. But then the full taste from hell hit me.    YUCK!!!

How can I describe it?  Firstly the small cheap hint of chocolate just disappeared. In it’s place came wave two of flavour - something not akin to how I would imagine mouldy beans mixed with a wee touch of old boot to taste…with the bitter twist of a high note of saccarine, although the sweetener is actually sucralose.

But I don’t give up easily. I’m ever hopelessly optimistic. I put another spoon in my gob. It tasted even worse than the first spoon. I did a little dry heave. The aftertaste was foul and hung around as I tried to drum up my courage.

Still doggedly determined to make good of the opportunity,  I attempted spoon three but I just could not inflict it on my body.  What was a dry heave was fast turning dangerously into a wet heave. Say no more!  I spat it out…and rinsed my mouth. Several times.

Chocolate pudding???  Yup,  in yer dreams!!! What the heck were the manufacturers of this gross affliction thinking as they formatted this one? On the tin they write:  designed as a healthy snack alternative - truly delicious, satisfying and guilt free.’   Truly delicious!!! Satisfying???   I would rather be guilt laden than eat a tin of this.

If it is true that Arnold the bodybuilder movie star, eats this then I have to say the man has taken leave of his tastebuds.  I can think off my batt of a recipe for wls chocolate pudding that would boast more protein than this and be a lot more tasty.  So I don’t understand it. I can only think it was an attempt at chalking up the moola rather than a genuine move to create something that tastes if not fantastic - at least reasonable. If it boasted an extraordinary amount of protein then I might consider gagging my way through the tin…but the 20 gms of protein in it is just not worthy of what would be, imo, a considerable effort.

I’m not even going to bother to fully rate this. All round I give it a 2/10…for looks only.

Risk buying it at your own peril!

Well my protein package has arrived!   I had paid extra for a fast delivery as I am impatient, but expected it might arrive tomorrow. Instead it is here one day later which is excellent and makes me feel I’d order from this company again.

There are some limitations about doing protein reviews. First off - of course it’s a matter of personal taste. I might love a drink but you could think it’s the dogs bottom. The same brand can do two flavours. One may be mediocre but the other could be amazing. A drink could sit beautifully with me, but give you bowel trouble.  Secondly, I can’t tell you if it has any immediate effect on my rerouted guts. Not immediately (at least I should hope not! ) This means in the bowel issues department I will need to update the review some time after I have written it - probably the next day.  So check back to see whether I was up all night visiting the loo. Suffer the thought!  Thirdly, I am not in cahoots with anyone. If I find a supplement vile I’m going to tell you. Straight.  I also want to do my own rating chart, but right now as I’m starting out on this adventure into readymade protein world, I can’t compare it with anything else. Well, other than marvel fortified milk. So I’ll come back once I have tried as many drinks as I can and add a little rating chart for future reference.

Also, please feel free to contribute your thoughts. You might have tasted the same brand and completely disagree with me. I want to hear about that and I’ll paste any of your thoughts onto my review page. So feel free to comment & write to me: jane@weightloss-surgery.com

Also if you have a readymade protein that you love and a little time on your hands, I’d so very much appreciate a sample and your comments about it. At the moment I am buying the drinks in full quantities and living in fear of never seeing real food again as I will have to polish off the majority of what I have bought!   More samples means I can review the drinks faster too.  I think we patients sometimes waste a lot of money and time sometimes trying to find the perfect drink so hopefully if we pull together we can make the process easier for others. Especially our new WLS bebes and those who are struggling with ill health. See - it’s a worthy cause - so much so I am willing to be an experiment and forego my steak for a while!

But enough rambling!  Let’s start with the Elite Liquid Protein from Dymatize Nutrition, seeing as this was part of my breakfast today!

ELITE LIQUID PROTEIN - DYMATIZE  NUTRITION:

3 fl.oz per bottle (around 88ml’s)

45gm Protein  Zero Carbs Zero fat

6 Tube shaped bottles

Flavour: Fruit punch

Cost: £12.99

Link to buy: https://www.sshealthfoods.com/pages.php?page=lt.bars&details=0987

On the pic’s of the product the vials look really small and as I was clueless about ounces I was surprised when they arrived and looked somewhat bigger than I thought.  But that’s just me - I’m never good at  weights or amounts.  I poured out half a vial into a large wine glass and I’d say if one decanted the lot it would not be more than half a big wine glass full. So not that much. The colour is a nice cherry red. It smells quite artificial with a strong whiff of cherry flavouring. It sort of reminds me of the cherry lollilops we used to buy when we were kids. It’s not unpleasant, just strong. Just under that I pick up the bouquet of protein. ;-)   This is hard to describe - it’s not beany in any way thank heavens but it has a kind of organic smell, if that makes any sense. It’s very slight - I am being extremely picky here. I think it is the whey in the product combining with the sweet smell of the sucralose sweetner.

The first mouthful is very sweet. Then a cherry flavour arrives on the palate. Not bad, but I don’t think it tastes much like my idea of fruit punch. Still that is subjective. For me it is more cherry flavoured than fruit punchy.  The texture is as smooth as silk and slightly thick. Like jelly (or jello) which is in the first stages of setting. Still liquid, but when I had finished the serving it coated the sides of the glass.  I like the texture. If someone did not, this could easily be made into a thin drink by adding water.

Infact I did just this with a little of it. A 50%  protein, 50% water mix gives a really pleasant thin cordial like drink. I was surprised because as drinks go this could really do me. Adding water muted the sweetness and took the edge off the strong cherry flavour. For a new post opper this is important as most of us complain about how incredibly off puttingly sweet, sweet foods can be.

For a brand new WLS patient this could be made into a frozen cherry crush, nice and soothing for a raw tum and good to eat too! I think it would further subdue the sweetness as well.  The other thing is that it could go into a mega dilute form, by adding it to a bottle of spring water. For a new patient this is going to be sipped on during the entire day so effectively you could be drip fed your protein plus your fluid requirement all in one.     I’m impressed.

The other thing is this. Even if you hate the taste you are not going to find this much compressed protein in any other source (except maybe another brand of the same thing). So then it is medicine right?  We just pinch our nose and swallow fast & viola there’s some protein in our system.

My half glass of undiluted Elite was gone in 3 large gulps. This has to be the easiest protein drink I have ever had!  YEHAAAAAWW!  Can you tell, I am quite excited by this.    22.5 grams of protein for zero effort. The aftertaste did not linger for long at all.  I might change my mind about supplements right here on my first try!

For me this means that in conjunction with my breakfast ( had 2 eggs plus 2 bacon rashers = iro 26gms of food protein) I score a net intake of 48 grams!!!        And I don’t feel stuffed either which is a BIG plus. This means for an oldie like me I can just use half a vial a day (split in 2 again) to get a significant dose of extra protein. This would cost me iro £1.08 a day for a half vial.  Not cheap but very do-able for the times that I am too preoccupied to be bothered with tallying up my protein counts.

I’d not drink all of it in one go. Yes, I know there is debate about whether it is true or not that we only absorb 30 grams of protein per meal/drink, but why run the risk of wasting the grams?  As this is not a cheap protein source, it is more economical to split the drink in two or more portions.

The other thing I like is the shape of the bottle. This is perfect for a gals handbag!  It’s a good unfussy shape, small enough to fit most bags and relatively lightweight.

Some idea’s I have for this one:

Could be added to a give a fruit smoothie lot’s of protein power.

Milkshake?  I tried it in milk - it’s okay, quite creamy but I prefer it as is.

Banana Sundae?  I drizzled this over mashed banana & this worked well. The banana masked it’s flavour and it had a kind of strangely cheery effect on me. I think that’s because it made me remember the olden days of ‘Drive-in Cafe’s’.  Not sure if the UK ever had those,  but in South Africa you’d drive into a vast parking lot near the beach,  roll down your car windows and the waitress would bring a tray that clipped over your door. We’d order burgers and chips & finish off with huge banana sundaes that had that red-pink syrup drizzled all over it  plus loads of whipped cream.   And there was always a  big red cherry on top!

In Jelly I think this would work well, I’d use a berry flavour and decrease some of the water using this in it’s place.

QUICK RATING:

Ease of use :  10/10

Taste: 8/10

Versatility: 8/10

Packaging: 10/10

Protein power: 20/10

Value for money: 10/10 for occassional use, you can’t beat this!

Longerterm use:  6/10, it’s around £2.16 for one vial daily. That’s around £67.00 a month!

Good for:

Times of illness or stress. Excellent for fast ‘boosting capacity’ if there is a protein deficiency. Excellent for very restricted longerterm patients. Easy to use for new  WLS patients. I liked the copper & zinc in it as I need more of those right now.  Might help those who feel perpetually exhausted.

Contains:

Milk

Water

Proteins: Whey protein Isolate, Biopeptide, Casien protein Isolate

L-Glutamine

Citric acid, Natural & artificial flavours, Red#40

Sodium:  125 mg  5%DV

Calcium:  10%DV

Iron: 8%DV

Phosphorus: 6%DV

Zinc: 15%DV

Copper: 70%DV

Fats: 0%

Carbs: 0%

Ingredients meet or exceeed FDA Specifications.

Possible side effects:

Included because we always need to be aware of anything we put in our bodies. Bear in mind most people won’t have reactions especially when supplements are used short term.  Newbies should always test the waters using half doses at first, then building up as required.

Milk: possible lactose intolerance.  Casien has lactose. On the other hand, the advantage of casien is that it has the amino acid tyrosine, which is body stimulating. So this may be useful for patients who feel tired or sleepy all the time.

Sucralose: (This is ‘Splenda’ ):  diarrhea, intestinal cramps and stomach pain.

Did I have any gastric/ bowel issues? Whey Protein isolate can sometimes increase malabsorption, but this sat well with me. I had no bowel or gastric issues.

Been thinking on this subject again. While I am not a huge fan of longerterm use of these drinks, bars etc, there is without a doubt a place for them in our lives. There have been times I used them & I was grateful for them. I used to use mainly Weider products which I found okay. Not delicious by any means but it never made me gag as the more beany Soya based protein drinks do. To my amusement I read on the forums occasionally of others who bought Holland and Barretts Soya protein. Buyer beware!  The stuff is really awful.

However using these supplements  was a long long time time ago and I am kind of out of date on any new developments in the protein world. So today I decided to change that.   It’s a real shame we don’t get samples as freely here as people do abroad …it would mean I could cover a lot more ground in the protein products world. But it is not to be it seems.

So, this will be a slow process but bear with me.I’m planning to cough up the money and try out some of the new stuff as and when I can afford it.

I just placed an order for some Nectar - a slower release type of protein that looks promising. I like that it has no ‘ols’ in it. I have tried Nectar before some years ago. A tropical no carb version. It had sweetners in it - as I recall,  but it caused me no problems despite that. The tough part of that drink was the incredible blueness of it all. It reminded me of a blue fabric softener and I had to always work to overcome that aversive thought before the first sip. Once I made it through the colour hurdle, it was okay. Somewhat slightly artificial tasting but not off puttingly so & it was very light and easy to drink down. Not unlike a slightly thick cordial. This line of Nectar is imo still the best protein drink out there for those who can’t tolerate milk, as is not uncommon with us WLS patients. Most people vote the Roadside Lemonade tops out of the flavours, so if you are thinking on it, it might be worth a try. I never got around to trying it myself so I can’t comment on how it tastes, but I might buy  some in the summer for sipping on the patio, cocktail style,    during those long balmy warm days. (She said,  verry wistfully).  It is also zero fat & Zero carb.

With ice, the tropical one made a good summer drink. I just tried very hard not to look at it too much!

I’m keen to try out this newer version. Firstly it is chocolate…so that sounds rather nice. It might help those with chocolate obsession beat it in a healthier way?  Let’s see if it holds up to it’s chocolate flavour promise.  I live in hope!

Next on the order is a protein ‘pudding’. It looks unpromising I must say - carageen is the thickner.  So I presume it will be watery tasting, I am hopefully wrong and it will be dellllliccccious!!!  Just as the blurb proclaimed!  I admit I thought ‘yuck’ at first glance of the ingredients but I thought it might be good for new WLS patients that need something very digestable, but still just a little bit like feeling one is actually eating something.

Finally I ordered some 45gm protein shots. Little vials that pack a punch. I’m very interested in these in particular.  I’m hoping with all my heart I don’t have to pinch my nose and swallow.  Later this year I plan to travel again and having these with me for back up protein would be really nice.   The problem here is the page did not list what was actually in these - so they could be packed with chemicals. That’s part of the hazard of buying off the net - too little information far too often.

This little lot set me back in excess of £50.00 with postage - not cheap. And like it or not I am going to have to do my level best to finish off what I have bought! I’m going to be one heavily proteined up person for a while it seems!

Meantime I’m planning to also experiment with a few homemade drinks…I’ll post up recipes for any good tasting ones that I make.  I’m also trying out various toffee calcium recipes…so far I had one relatively good batch and 2 appalling mess ups.   

One was pale and never set and the other - well there is nothing like burned toffee to really make one want to weep - all that effort!  I had two extremes, but the one batch that did well was worth it really. Anyway - what I need is a sweet making thermometer so that I can be more exact and share the recipe with those of you that are interested in it. I’ll get one as soon as possible and try to replicate my 3rd batch of calcium citrate toffee, that was pretty good - even if I say so myself! 

So watch this space. As soon as the orders arrive, in a couple of days with any luck, I will start blogging about them!

Meantime - talking of calcium toffee - I think I had better go and eat one right now!

One thing I love about my DS is NO MORE DIETING.  NO MORE!!! PLEASE NEVER!

I still remember the bad old days of the aftertang of artificial sugar, no fat, lean stringy dried out meat.  I did not find dieting fun. Even though I tried very hard at times to euphamise: ‘healthy eating’, ‘lifestyle changes’…spring to mind.   The curious thing is one could say that these two once well nigh impossible concepts, now live in my DS life. But it’s not an effort, it’s not a feeling of being deprived and of adopting a euphamism to get one’s head (and body) through it. I honestly don’t know what happened. We WLS patients often say we wish the surgeons could have done surgery on our heads too, but for me, I think my DS did affect my brain at some core level tbh.

That’s not to say I don’t waver on the rocky carb road from time to time. I’m far from exempt from the odd delicious dessert or chocolate and I have certainly had my rocky road moments when I thought I was going to fall into the terrible patterns of my past for good.   But somehow my DS wins the day for me & overides my self destruct button.  It readjusts me with a good bout of the carb laden trots for example.       It sends me a desperate urge to cook up a lamb hotpot, or make a roast chicken with garlic, lemongrass and ginger or a juicy steak with onions and lot’s of fresh veggies on the side.  It can get me to eat the same food tirelessly over several days then suddenly decide it’s had enough of the fish, thank you very much.  It seems to know what it needs most of the time. I have in the past thought I’d have pasta for dinner, even fancied it for a change and then ended up reaching for the meat and veggies…my DS is the director. What can I do!?  Sometimes I even catch myself thinking - ‘okay DS what shall we eat for lunch?’  :lol:  As if it has a mind of it’s own, which more often than not it does , it seems.

I’ll never forget the day I sat infront of the telly and suddenly realised I was actually watching a REAL foodie program, instead of the usual ‘ slimmers success stories’ type of program.  Halfway through I realised I could actually cook and eat anything on that program, no taboo’s!  :-)  Later in the day I cleaned out my kitchen bookshelf and I threw all my ‘Diet Recipe Books’ away. A substansial number of them. It was a better moment than even buying a size 12 top!

Anyway - here is a link to some 70’s WW diet recipes. I found some of them so funny …omg, the fluffy mackeral pudding nearly had me gip. And let me not mention the extreme green dish…or anyone fancy the melon dessert…

If you need putting off food, this will do it! Thank heavens we have moved on from the 1970’s!:

http://www.candyboots.com/wwcards.html

I wanted to write this into my blog so I’d remember it if I ever got alzheimers!

Ever since we got Ruby,  Zenni has not been a very happy bunny about the new addition to the family. She is very sweet with him mostly. Lumbers over to him tail wagging, only to be met by his frosty  ‘feck off’ stare. Sometimes he bares his teeth and looks like a demonic beast from hell. Don’t know what he is thinking really - he is a tiny thing and she could seriously take him out. Mostly she ignores this behaviour.

I have tried to tell the boy he is dicing with death or injury but Zenni does’nt care. In his mind he is super dog, a Foo boy from another dimension…   and Ruwbs is just a stoopid insignificant run of the mill  bull terrier…. pffffft!  Or more as he would say:’ grrrrrrrRRRRRRR!!!! 

My dogs have a large catflap through which they hop if they need to go outside. Recently our Ruwbs has become a pesky midnight barker which drives us mad as we have to rush outside to call her in. I worry about disturbing our neighbours, lovely as they are. If a dog is yapping away in the wee hours it can be trying. So before we go to bed we usually slot the flap closed.

During the height of the snowfall we looked everywhere but the closing piece was no where to be found, so we pushed the kitchen bin near the flap instead. Off we went to bed…2 little animals behind us. I tucked Zenni into his warm little blanket - I know I am so pathetic tucking in my dawgs!   I stroked his little head and told him what a lovely good little man he is. Then we all went to sleep.

At 3.30 am Ruby started running up and down the stairs…then into our room near Pete…then down the stairs she ran. It went on for several minutes.  She was barking madly and Pete  thought her behaviour was strange.  Once downstairs  she rushed at the flap, so he thought she probably needed some urgent business doing. He pushed the bin out the way and to his surprise in came a very forlorn, frost covered shivering little Zenni.

His big sister must have heard him and she was not going to just let us lie there while her brother was in despair in the cold.

We worked out that Zen had been able to squeeze out the flap through a small gap behind the bin. The flap swings inwards so on his return the bin blocked it from opening enough for him to get in. Heaven knows how long he had been there, but he was very cold indeed. And he is not a strong old man, his heart is not good.

Thanks to Ruby he is absolutely fine, but without her barking so wildly and emphatically  we might have lost him. I can’t bear the thought!

So Ruwbs is our family heroine.

We all went back to bed. In the morning we woke up and Ruby went to say hello to Zenni in her usual sweet way.

Ungrateful little git growled at her.      Obviously he’d made a full recovery!

I had to laugh…business in the Colman household as usual!

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PS. I have turned into a redhead overnight!  Not sure I like it but I may still get used to it.

I am now just waiting for the skinny diva part to take hold of my spirit. It’s taking it’s time. Sigh.

Today the snow is melting and I am sad to see it go. Hoping for another good fall on the weekend though!

The cold makes me hungry. I swear it does!  I seem to be eating non stop at the moment. And I have a serious pork need going on. Which is strange because pork is not usually a meat I go for. Last night I did a huge pork roast with sage and ginger rubbed into the rind.  It tasted so good. We had it with gravy, mash, roasted butternut and good old broccolli. I ate a big plate of it - more than I would normally eat.

Today I had 2 soft boiled eggs and a slice of burgens toast for breakfast.  Then another slice of toast with honey. An hour later I ate some yogurt and mashed banana. Add to that interim snacking on the crispy left over pork crackling which I love.   And here I am thinking about what to cook for dinner tonight. I don’t think more pork will go down well with my family somehow, so it’ll probably be meatballs with a rich tomato sauce.  I don’t know what has got into me with this sudden food focus,  but at least it’s healthy food.

And from the mouth to the bum…happy to report my rrhoid is much better but I am still in a quandry about taking calcium as a result of the remembered pain. I’m thinking hard and fast about how I can combat the constipation that leads to rrhoid flares.

Some idea’s I have yet to put to the test:

Take the calcium, then eat a mashed banana with 1 heaped teaspoon of coconut oil (maybe more but will test the waters slowly.)

Change part of my calcium to Ellactiva, milk protein might mean less bowel grief. Continue with half dose of calmagD just incase the Ellactiva is all hype.

Eat a slice of Tesco’s lemon pie after calcium intake. Guarenteed to give the runs. However I believe it has hydrogenated fat in it - not good but deffo what gives me diahorrea.  Only if the top two options fail though as this is the stuff xenical is made of!

It’s really ironic that here I am seeking diahorrea desperately!  I just can’t stand constipation.  I’ll post up here if my planned tactics do reduce the constipation in the days to follow.

Our renovations are on hold. We decided to get hold of some old plans for an extension that were passed on our house before we moved here. They are still valid, so it may be viable to build on rather than try to make do with the small space we have. Just as well we never started as suddenly Pete must go away for a week to Poland.

I have decided to dye my hair red. I’m pretty terrified of doing it as it might be wildly avant garde. But I’m a bit sick of brown hair.

The truth is I have got stuck in a rut style wise. I have gone through such huge changes physically that I think I have had overload. I just wanted to chill out and not bother with my physical looks anymore. I got to a point where I accepted that this was how I looked and I entered the comfort zone. Think being in the mid forties has not helped much either. Suddenly all these infernal wrinkles are appearing and the grey hairs! Say no more!  It’s easy to just frump out.

I also think I’ve kind of lost the drama of losing all the weight. Add to that that my dress sense is already somewhat unconventional and I’m not actually a confident type by nature. It’s an awful dichotomy to live with.  People often register surprise when I divulge my inner secret. I think I do have a lot more body confidence since I lost weight. I socialise much more easily than when I was bigger.  But deep inside I am not sure I’ll ever be truly confident about my psyche.

I can’t say that weightloss surgery has totally changed my inherent nature. Unfortunately.  I still baulk when people who have not seen me ask how it feels to be the new me?  I want to say - what new me for heavens sake?  I am just me full of my nonsense as always. Maybe I am even a little ‘more me’  in that as my weight fell off,  my mind started shedding a lot of old stuff as well. So maybe I am just a more authentic transparent me.

But I don’t like embarressing people, and I know this sort of question is actually well meant,  so I usually gabble off something completely untrue to keep the peace and help the moment pass quickly as possible. However later I start really sweating my insecurity…should I be a new me???   Maybe the old me is just not good enough now that the body has changed so dramatically?  Gad, I think I am really quite fooked up when all is said and done.*sigh*

I don’t dress as I do to get attention - I just feel it fits me internally if that makes any sense. I have never been into truly modern high street gear really. High fashion interests me but only from a helluva distance - lol!   I like vintage clothing with an oriental slant and BIG jewellery, but I think I only ever take it to about 50% .  The rest I try to tame down to avoid attracting any attention and perhaps if I am honest, to try to fit in. With what… I honestly don’t know.  It’s pathetic. But I always feel like a square peg in a round hole…kind of half baked but too afraid to take it to the limit!

Which is a pity because there is fun to be had in being able to rewrite one’s image as one pleases.

So enough of the comfort zone!  Time to step out and take back some of the fun. Booger 40-something!  To hell with grey hair,  insecure moments and the ever lurking lack of confidence!  Going red is a bold step for me. I might hate it. It might turn me seriously eccentric. I might become a skinny diva and the new me,    after all.   Or,  I might have extreme panic and not go out until it has been undone and I am back to my good ole basic brown.  But, on the other hand, it might kick start my theatrical imagination so I am biting the fear and doing it anyway! 

If this is global warming warming - well you could have fooled me!

Despite the globe wrecking politicians,  my world is beautiful right now. Our house and garden and road is covered in pristine snow. It’s early morning - past 2 am and I can’t sleep. I want to take this in - it’s magic.  At  the hairy hour of midnight my daughter and I could resist no longer. Enough standing at the window,  the outside was calling us to play. We donned hats, coats and gloves and made a snowman on the bonnet of Pete’s car!  A lady one with the boobies I wish I had.   Then we went scatty and had a snowball fight. I laughed so much my DS is still hurting.

Times like this I lose my 40-somethingness and let my inner child live out loud. Fun & wonderment in nature resurface and in the moment we are so incredibly free.  Came inside and ate 3 cherry liquer chocolates to warm myself up! Left overs from Christmas still! 

It’s the first time Ruby our lovely bulli has seen such deep snow. She hucklebutted accross the lawn and then stood nose to the wind staring into the sky ,  absorbing the phenomena of snow around her.  Then she went molly again running and bucking up into the air as only a bullterrier can do. It was so lovely to watch her.  After losing our Petal this one has arrived with her own great sense of life & sass, and there is not a moment that I don’t treasure her presence.

We measured the snowfall - over 11 cms so far and more to come!

Update:

Woke up and can’t believe how thick the snow is. I’m warmly wrapped and off to play!