When you’re post-op gastric bypass, anyway. When I think about what I’m going to have for a meal, whether it’s at home or at a restaurant, I process the food choices by running through the following criteria:
- How much protein is in it?
- How much of it would I have to eat in order to get at least 10g of protein out of it? 1
- Can my stomach pouch tolerate it? 2
- Will it cause any other issues? 3
Many of the popular protein shakes, for instance, promise to deliver “high protein”. And they do… but they also deliver that protein in anywhere from 10oz to 20oz of liquid. It will take me two hours or more, literally, to consume that much liquid. Picture one of those little bathroom dixie cups, you know, the ones that hold 2-3oz of water? If I drink one of those full cups in one gulp I will more likely than not throw it up, because it’s just too much liquid for my pouch to handle at once.
I purchase super-expensive protein shake powder from Bariatric Eating, but the stuff is worth it because just one scoop offers 15g-20g of protein, and you only need four ounces of liquid (water or milk; I usually use milk since it’s creamier, and it alone offers 1g of protein per ounce) to mix up a shake. Lately I have been forcing myself to work protein bars into my day, though again, the standard ones on the market are way too thick, chewy and just too big for it to be really worth the hassle. So again, hello pricey bariatric-oriented supplements. And again, it’s worth it. Also worth it? Beef/ostrich jerky. I know that sounds pretty gnarly, but it’s not bad tasting, though its relative “smoothness” compared to traditional beef jerky can be initially off-putting. Also? One stuck serves up 15g of protein, and I can polish off one stick in an hour or so. Sweet!
Welcome to my daily life, where something as “natural” as eating can be a bit of a production. Weighing foods, trying to make the right choices, having really good days, having the occasional really bad day (and paying for it by generally feeling like absolute shit all day long), and the good/average days in between.
(This entry brought to you by the yogurt I finally finished eating. It took me an hour to eat something I’m not totally crazy about, and it only offered 6g worth of protein? Pfft. I’m crossing that one off the list!)
I freeze my yogurt and let it thaw for a while before eating. You may want to try it that way. Now, I have only done this with Yoplait Thick and Creamy, so I don’t know it works or even tastes good for other brands. But, it does “feel” like your eating ice cream or a dessert.
Hope you find some food you can tolerate. Good luck!
I know it must be tough. I hope you can find foods that you can eat and wont make you sick. I sort of have the same thing with IBS even though the bariatric surgeon doesn’t think thats what I have. I have my good and bad days. I just wish I knew what was triggering it. They won’t do a upper GI or anything like that because they say I am “too young” BS!
I will let you know when I go and get your protein. I will get you whatever you need and come over and see you. They have the big bottles of protein (like the one I gave you) too. Its great because your not paying taxes. I know first hand those protein and vitamins are so super expensive.
I hope this doesn’t come across as rude, because it’s certainly not what I intend, but every time I read about your gastric bypass issues it makes me very happy that it wasn’t/isn’t an option for me. It just seems like a huge, lifelong hassle that you’re going to be dealing with. I’m happy for you, that you’ve been able to benefit from your surgery so well. I also have a lot of sympathy for how rough it is to have to literally focus on eating all day long.
I admire that you’re able to get so much else done on top of all of that too.