Embarassing Moments and More Vodoo

Let's talk about accountability. In January, MS and I joined Planet Fitness because they had the $99 for a whole year deal and I wasn't so sure I was going to stick with a gym plan at that time. I still wanted to take other classes etc, so I also took advantage of a benefit that is offered by my company. They pay $40 towards a gym membership at the YMCA or Lifetime Fitness every month and the remainder gets taken out of my check. Well Lifetime is super expensive, but with the Y membership costs me $1.80 and it's taken out of every paycheck. Not bad, $43 out of pocket for the entire year. In return, I have to go to the gym at least 10 times in a 3 month rolling period.

I knew I hadn't gone to the gym a whole lot in the past three months, but oops. I really hadn't been going, because yesterday I get an email from one of our HR people that says this:

Hi!

 

Just wanted to send a friendly reminder about the gym subsidy. You are doing a great job! Keep up the good work by going to the gym at least four times in (month). You can definitely do that!!!

June: 1

July: 1

August: 1

 

Goal for Sept: 4+

 

 

OMG. How embarassing is that? I only went to the gym 3 times in 3 months? That can't even be possible. I used to go almost 9 times a week! Well, I've already been 3 times this month and I would like to just knock out the 10 required visits right away so I don't have to worry about it! Plus, if I'm not working out, I'm not losing weight. Plain and simple.

 

Now, onto Vodoo. Last night after the gym, I was craving a fruit smoothie for some reason. So we stopped at the grocery store and I bought everything that i needed for this Green Cleansing Smoothie I found on pinterest.  http://www.fitsugar.com/Kimberly-Snyders-Green-Smoothie-Recipe-Weight-Loss-18356998  I thought it was delicious and I could tell this morning that it cleanses like it says it will! The only problem is that is makes an entire blender full of smoothie, at least 3-4 servings. I put the remaining shake in an airtight container and refridgerated it over night.

This morning I took it to work, shook it up and poured about 1 cup of it in my little blender, added vanilla bean torte protein powder, a splash of almond milk and some coconut oil to make it more of a meal. I think it's just delicious. Try it out if you're into vodoo!

 

FRS - Product Review

I'm on liquids for the day because of my fill so I tried this new Pre-mixed protein drink.

It's a nice departure from the same old protein shakes. If you don't like Pre-mixed shakes to begin with, you won't like this. But if you don't mind those shakes this is pretty good!

Protein Review - Matrix Mint Cookie

I just got a delivery of Matrix Mint Cookie Protein Powder per the reccomendation of my fellow NC bandster Stephanee. Did the price searching online and still ended up buying it from www.mybariatricpantry.com

Although Syntrax Nectar Protein Powder is nutritionally superior, Matrix is also made by Syntrax so it has the wonderful flavor and spacks 24 grams of protein/140 calories per scoop.


So, how does it taste? OMG. Have you ever had a Shamrock Shake from McDonalds? This is better. You don't even have to mix in sugar free syrups and get fancy with this. Mix it with a cup of Milk, Almond Milk, or Soy Milk and little bit of ice and pass out from the goodness.

Protein Review - Isopure Protein Drink

3 Words

Dis. Gus. Ting.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Protein Shake

My bff gave me a jar of simply fruit the other day because she didn't like it. It's been sitting in the fridge at work and today it gave me the inspiration to make a fab new shake.

The Almond Milk I've been using is really good. This week I have the vanilla flavor, but I honestly can't taste the difference in my protein shakes.

Here's the recipe  (I put ice in this as well)

Tip - if you use coconut oil make sure it is in liquid form and do not put it on the cold ice or milk or you'll end up with little waxy balls of coconut oil. First pour in the ice, then milk, jelly, protein powder and then throw the oil in last. If you stack it that way in the blender, the oil will mix in well and you won't have a weird texture.

Blueberry-Spinach Protein Shake

I have been dying to try a shake with some fresh spinach in it because quite frankly I haven't had very many greens lately. When you're eating such a small amount it's hard to fit it all in. And quite frankly, my intestines are screaming for a little extra fiber if you know what I mean. So,try this, it's delicious.
1 oz of baby spinach
1 oz of blueberries (I used fresh, but read my notes below, frozen may be better)
1 cup of your favorite % milk
2 scoops of Vanilla Protein Powder
2 packets of splenda Blend until smooth.

I didn't have enough room in my little blender cup to put ice in this one, but I definitely wanted it colder. I put my fresh blueberries in the freezer to help with that and making milk ice cubes might even been another good option. Either way this was super delicious and had 45 grams of protein!

ProtiZyme Protein Review

I've mentioned MyBariatricPantry.com before because they have really great prices on protein and I am really impressed with fast shipping and rewards program.

It's hard to commit to a 2 lb container of protein powder if you've never tasted it. The sample packs are right up my alley because I can have a variety of flavors and if I don't really like one I'm not out very much.

Last week they had a sale on sample packs and I was able to try another really great tasting protein powder. I was intrigued by this one because it is specially formulated for bariatric patients. Check out the description from the website:

Specialized Designed Protein Protizyme from Metabolic Nutrition is a premium pharmaceutical grade engineered protein that is ideal for pre and post bariatric patients.

It is designed to increase protein absorption and that is a very important feature to bariatric patients. In scientific terms, the secret lies within the unique manufacturing process of Protizyme, which differentiates from all other regular proteins in the marketplace. Protizymes 10x ultra-microfiltered process preserves the essential protein-peptide structure which delivers greater concentrations of amino acids, glutamine and BCAAs. Each gram of protein in Protizyme is coated with only the most potent digestive enzymes dramatically increasing digestion and absorption, therefore eliminating gas and bloating. What does this mean to you? It means you can absorb more protein per meal. More protein absorption means increased protein synthesis, thus faster results than other regular proteins!"

 

 

The peanut butter cookie powder mixed with  8 oz of skim milk and some ice made a killer breakfast! Definitely a must try!!

 

Nectar Chocolate Truffle Review

Two Words:

AHH MAZING

Special Delivery

I'm so excited!!!! Remember how I was saying I was sick of chocolate protein powder? The other day at the store I saw 2 lb jars of  a brand of  protein powder called Nectar but it was close to $40! Now i don't know about you, but I'm a sucker for packaging. This is what the description says on the back of the jar:

"Gone are the days of low quality whey protein. Gone are the days of those blah-tasting protein drinks that promise much but deliver little. Nectar once-and-for-all breaks the mold by combining Promina, the highest quality whey protein isolate ever developed, with a flavoring system that is so fruitilicious that you will never drink another whey protein shake ever again. If you like the refreshing taste of fruit juice, you'll love Nectar! With its mouthwatering fruit juice flavors, Nectar is truly a protein drink you will look forward to drinking each and every day. Whether it be Chocolate Truffle, Roadside Lemonade, Caribbean Cooler, Strawberry Kiwi, Lemon Tea, Fuzzy Navel, Strawberry Mousse, Vanilla Bean Torte, Twisted Cherry, Apple Ecstasy, or Cappuccino Latte. Nectar will keep you coming back for more. What's more? Well, Syntrax did something totally amazing by engineering Nectar to be so delicious that you can eat it right out of the container. Imagine putting a protein powder in your mouth and it tasting like candy. Imagine this protein powder having zero carbs and zero fat."

Are you kidding me? Is that not the best sales pitch for protein powder you've ever heard in your life? I wanted to buy one so bad but my inner cheap skate kept telling me it was a rip off. So instead I bought something I didn't want for less. boo. (that's getting returned of course)

I've come to realize that you should price shop protein powder. Like I said in an earlier post, we paid $26 for the same 2lb container of body fortress powder at kroger that was $14.99 at wal mart.

When I got home I searched for Nectar online and not only found 2 lb jars for $26 but I found this fab little variety pack for $16!!!! Reviews on a few Bariatric websites were all excellent, so I ordered my variety pack.

The package arrived today and it was like christmas all over again. I can't wait to try them

Look at all these flavors!

Just as I was typing this, I searched for that packaging message, and found this sample pack for $3 less than what I paid. Go figure! Here's the cheaper link:

http://www.mybariatricpantry.com/SYNTRAX_NECTAR_PROTEIN_POWDER_SAMPLES_p/nectar-sample.htm

2 More Protein Ideas

As a follow up to yesterday's post I have some good news. This morning I mixed 2 packets of the Designer Whey 2 Go with 12 oz of milk in my little GE blender. I was pretty pleased with the results.

Although the Designer Whey has a funny smell. If you can just kind of stop your self from smelling as you drink it, the taste is actually quite good. I drank all of the liquid but there was quite a bit of foamy texture left on top of the liquid. I didn't want to waste the protein, so I grabbed a spoon and to my surprise the foamy stuff was quite satisfying. It's like a mousse lemon dessert.

I'm not going to go out and by a bunch of Designer Whey because of it. But drinking/eating it this way was much better than drinking it with water.

Also - one of my fab followers, Bandedwithfavor left me a great tip that I wanted to share:

bandedwithfavor said...

I found this drink at GNC...it is called Isopure it is a liquid drink in a bottle 20fl oz with 40 grams of protein...many flavors and they are good...I figure after surgery this Friday those 20 oz bottles are going to be a good friend to me...will probably take all day to sip but at 40 grams of protein I am ok with that!! I would post a picture but I have no clue how to do that..sorry

I saw this too - it ran about $4.00 a bottle and all of the flavors sounded good. You can also buy this online. The link is below the picture.  I wish I could be one of those people who drinks and eats the same thing day in and day out, but I'm just not. I need variety in my life! Now that I have a few followers that have been banded for a while, please let me know any of your tips. I'll take any advice I can get!

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=isopure+zero+carb+drink&gs_upl=4434l6060l2l6542l12l6l3l2l2l0l175l790l1.5l11l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=1257&bih=719&wrapid=tlif132559920715210&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=14099271619185465674&sa=X&ei=8wkDT-zeCsbs0gHNwJmADg&ved=0CHwQ8wIwAA#

Protein Shake - Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday! We are for sure. I woke up this morning and I hit the wall. The thought of a chocolate protein shake this morning made me ill and I'm not really even hungry.

I haven't perfected this recipe yet so improvise according to your own tastes. Once I get it down good I'll redo this post.

1 EAS Myoplex French Vanilla Shake
1/4 cup of canned pumpkin
3 packets Splenda essentials or other sweetener
1 scoop unflavored protein powder (or vanilla or cinnamon bun if you have it)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
2 teaspoons vanilla

Blend it up and enjoy a chocolate free day! With the protein powder I used this shake packs 55 grams of protein which is all i need for the day!

Protein - Southwestern Corn Soup

This is soup for a fat person's soul, let me tell you. Be very careful with this recipe - everyone we have worked with has told us that our tastes may change after surgery and that we may develop sensitivities to temperature and spice. This soup has a little spice, but it's not over the top. My husband and I didn't have an issue with it at all. We did, however, moan and groan and talk about how wonderful it tasted while we ate our 2 oz servings for dinner :)

I've read a lot of interpretations about what the liquid diet phase is on lapbandtalk.com. Just so I am clear this is what we were taught. Everything I post on my blog will follow these rules. Right now, we can eat/ drink a "full liquid diet" which means, anything that can pass through a wire mesh strainer and is low in fat and has little to no sugar.

Campbell's makes some rockin soups that are almost completely smooth, which you can strain ... or even better... throw them in the blender.This is the one you will need for this recipe:

1 Box of V8 Southwestern Corn Soup
1/4 of water
2 scoops of unflavored protein powder

Blend until completely smooth and pour into 2 oz servings. Heat in microwave for 30 seconds or less and eat at a temperature you can tolerate

Depending on your protein powder you can get 4-5 grams of protein per 2 oz serving from this soup.

Watch out for an upcoming blog about using freezing the left overs in portion controlled sizes, so all you have to do is defrost what you'll eat!

Protein - High Protein Cream Soup

1/2 cup of hot chicken broth
1/3 Cup nonfat dry milk powder
3 tablespoons unflavored protein powder
a very small amount of salt and pepper (be careful with spices - they may irritate your stomach)

blend until smooth, add more or less chicken broth to suit your tastes. Eat while lukewarm if you are sensitive to hot and cold right after surgery

Protein Shake - High Protein Fruit Punch

Our nutritionist gave us some recipes to help break up the monotony. Here's one of them:

1 single serve packet of sugar free fruit punch mix
6 oz of water
2 scoops of unflavored, vanilla, or fruit punch protein powder
4 ice cubes

blend until smooth

110 calories, 20 grams of protein, 4 carbs, 2 grams fat

Protein Shake - Chocolate Almond

I'm going to list the brands I use, but there are tons of options out there. Use what you like!

1 Slim Fast Lower Carb Creamy Chocolate Shake
1 Scoop of Body Fortress Chocolate Whey Protein
A couple of ice cubes or a splash of water
1-2 drops of Pure Almond Extract
Tiniest pinch of salt

Throw everything in a blender and blend until smooth. To keep from overdoing the extract, just use a measuring spoon and let 1 or 2 drops fall into that first. If you spill some, you won't ruin your shake!

This Shake has 320 Calories, 10 Grams of Fat, 7 Carbs, 3 Grams of Fiber, <3 Grams of Sugar, 50 Grams of Protein, 51% of daily Calcium

Protein Shakes - Recipes for the Hard Part

I love to cook and honestly I don't really want to change that. What I will change, however, is what I cook and how much. I also love a lot of variety and let's face it, it is very easy to get tired of the same chocolate-y protein shakes day in and day out. Over the next few months protein shakes are going to be a huge part of our diets.  So I'm going to make it fun for myself by concocting delicious mixes and sharing them.

Here's my first recipe!