High Protein Meal Replacements

Getting Adequate Protein

I always prefer eating real food. I love eating real food. That's not so hard to figure out, but as you read in my last post, as a Lap-Band patient, it's not always easy to get the recommended amount of protein; 60 to 90 grams of protein a day. A person without a Lap-Band typically does not get adequate nutrition from their diet alone, but a bariatric patient is at a disadvantage because of the smaller portion sizes. I eat good quality meals as a rule, but after talking with many successful Lap-Band patients, one of the common denominators seem to be a consistent intake of good quality protein. So how can we get that 60 to 90 grams of protein in our diet if we can't take in large enough portions of solid protein? The answer seems to be high quality protein drinks or as they're better known; Meal Replacement Drinks. High quality whey is the key. Not all meal replacement protein drinks are alike, as a matter of fact, some don't even come close to quality.

Which Proteins are Best?

R.J. Sepe writes, "A high quality whey protein, for example, as compared to other protein, is considerably easier to efficiently break down into peptides or useable building blocks. In addition, whey protein is considered to be a high quality protein because it is a complete protein and therefore, provides us with all of the essential amino acids which are necessary for protein to do its job."

A recent article from the Journal of Endocrinology & Metabolism states, "We recommend that nutritional management should include: an average of 60-120 g of protein daily in all patients to maintain lean body mass during weight loss and for the long term." They also say, "We recommend that long-term vitamin and mineral supplementation be considered in all patients undergoing bariatric surgery."

Okay, okay, I get it. So on the advice of a friend, I started drinking an Isagenix, all natural shake every morning and now have added one for either lunch or dinner and I have started losing weight again! I eat a sensible, 400-800 calorie dinner (or lunch, if I am having a shake for dinner) and to top it off, I feel fantastic! What? Yes, really good. I have more energy and I mean long-lasting energy, not the kind that you get with a cup of coffee or sugar. Nutrition is incredibly important, I have always known that, but I thought you had to take handfuls of vitamins to get all the nutrition that I am now getting with a couple of excellent-tasting shakes that I mix with water (not milk) and frozen fruit (Yum!)

Protein and Bariatric Surgery.....

It is important for everyone to have high quality protein and nutrition every single day. It is even more important for a Lap-Band patient since the amount of protein that can be consumed at one time is decreased. We cannot live without protein, it is the main cell building-block. It builds and maintains muscle and is responsible for the repair of many parts of our body, including organs, skin and hair. Studies have also shown that low levels of protein in the body can create a situation where a body will decrease its Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This is the rate that our bodies burn food for energy. We want to increase this rate, to help burn fat more effectively and faster! Increasing exercise will also accomplish this same goal, but combining with adequate protein in the diet will bump it up even more. I know very successful Lap-Band patients who faithfully get 60 or more grams of protein daily and that combined with other Success Habits have helped them watch the scale go down consistently.

So what is adequate protein and how can we get it? Most dieticians I know recommend a minimum of 60 grams of protein a day and even more. Some recommend 90 grams per day or approximately 30 grams per meal. As a Lap-Band patient, I know that it is difficult to get that much in the form of food, although I do try. I recommend getting a small calorie-counter type book that also lists protein amounts in foods just to carry with you. It's difficult to know how many grams of protein you are getting in food without something like that. Online resources are very valuable as well.

Next post: Discussing High Protein Meal Replacements

Help to Stop Constant Food Cravings

Why is it so hard to stop eating the overly high-processed foods? I am talking about fast-foods, like burgers and cheese fries and chicken strips as well as refined carbohydrates such as most breads,(we love our bread products), pastries (think freshly baked cinammon rolls you can smell in the malls), sugary treats (almost everything Starbucks sells!) and chips...like nachos (excessively salty foods). To continue with Dr. David Kessler's explanations, here are some real scientific reasons for this. All these flavors hit full force. Health-sapping sugar, salt and fat, -plus additives such as hydrolyzed vegetable protein, ratchet up taste far beyond what you'd find in nature. Texture can also tantalize. Processed foods are engineered for optimal "MOUTH FEEL", whether crunchy, creamy or gooey. These fun-to-eat qualities can quickly override your better judgment. Plus.....these foods are super easy to eat! No bones, no pits, no peels, just instant gratification. Do we stand a chance? Can we fight back? I think we can.

Here is one idea to try: preparing food in advance. We live in a fast-forward world. We prepare for work. We prepare our kids for school. These are not optional....we MUST be prepared with clean presentable clothes, homework done, cell phones charged, gas in car. The list goes on. We go grocery shopping, but are we just buying more fast foods? Preparing foods in advance takes time, but the payoff can be huge. Buying fresh chicken, fish, eggs and other lean proteins and cooking them ahead of time will mean that on busy week nights there are healthy options for quick 'heat and eat' meals. Buying fresh vegetables and cutting them up ahead of time makes having salads or steamed veggies or soups quickly available. I really don't like cutting up salad ingredients, but I do like eating salad and I would rather spend the time to cut everything up at once than doing it every night before dinner. Bake a whole chicken (or two). Grill fish. Cook hard-boiled eggs. Make meatloaf. Spaghetti. Lasagne.

Good luck. I know you can do it.

Last Minute Tips to Avoid Christmas Overeating

1.        Talk. Talk with everyone in the room. (Preferrably not just about yourself; ask everyone what's new with them...you really do want to know, right?) When you are talking, you aren't eating, well, at least not politely!

2.      Keep it low carb. When the food is served, fill up on the best choices at the table. Turkey, ham, veggies, salad and do your best to either avoid altogether the starchy foods like breads and potatoes or at least only take small amounts. Once you have had the lean protein, you won't be able to just keep having more and more of the rest of the food on the table.

3.      Decide ahead of time what dessert you want. If there is a choice, pick it out and keep in mind that you will get to have dessert. This is a time of making choices, not eliminating all higher calorie foods. Granted, sugar intense foods will tend to leave you wanting more sweet foods, however if you restrict yourself completely, that's almost as bad. Smaller amounts of sweets can be incorporated into a low carb diet without disasterous results...but it's important to spread out the servings over at least a 12 hour period.



My house (just kiddin!)



I hope everyone enjoys their holidays and that we all remember what the season is truly about.      

Lap-Band Coping With Holiday Eating

Eating was a challenge yesterday as it was our annual trek to Seattle to see the Pacific NW Ballet (www.pnb.org) performance of The Nutcracker. This is a 4 generation tradition for our family now that we are taking my grandkids to the ballet. We went early because we heard that Santa was up at the top of the Space Needle! And lo and behold, he was there fully decked out with his elves in a space ship! Jolly good! Afterwards we got out pictures taken with St. Nick and there were tables set up with cookies to be decorated by the kids and avoided by the adults. I was glad I had started the day out with a scrambled egg and a turkey sausage patty. We then went to the food court at the Seattle Center and pizza was the (almost) unanimous vote; I had a side salad and some pepperoni off a leftover pizza. (Not so yum).

The Nutcracker performance was FABULOUS and kept us on the edge of our seats. During intermission I had a cup of (brewed) Starbucks coffee and part of a Mouse King cookie and a couple bites of brownie.....see what I mean by a challenging eating day?

We did a lot of walking in the rain (with umbrellas) while we were in Seattle, and for the most part we ate healthy snacks on the way home (peanuts and string cheese) that we easily found at an overpriced mini-mart) so it wasn't a  total loss, but we were absolutely surrounded by sugarplum fairies trying their best to sabotage my willpower. I did make choices that for the most part gave me a sense of fullness with my Lap-Band (think salad and low fat cheese and even the pepperoni). The cookies, brownies and all liquids hot or cold would not.

Those are my suggestions for coping with the holiday overdose of sugar and sweets that surround us everwhere. Do Your Best to Be Prepared!

So What's for Breakfast Today?

This morning was pretty typical. I had some Egg Beaters with Canadian bacon. Why Egg Beaters and not just regular eggs? No particular reason; except when they are already blended up in a pourable container, it makes preparation faster. Why Canadian bacon and not just regular bacon? Again, the prep time is easier...it's lean protein too. Remember earlier I said that lean protein is important in my diet. What I did this morning was spray a non-stick pan with olive oil, cut up the bacon in small pieces and saute' them a little first. Then I poured some Egg Beaters in with the bacon (about a 1/4 cup give or take a little bit) and gently cooked all together. Over-cooking makes the eggs tough so it is important to watch them and only cook lightly. (Tough eggs are hard to get down with a Lap-Band; sometimes impossible!) This morning I sprinkled a little grated cheese on top too.....I ate probably a little over half and was plenty full.