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.

Super-Stimulating Foods

How to get your brain out of the binge mode. That's my question. Dr. David Kessler, former FDA commissioner says the real problem is that certain commercially made foods-the ones with tons of added sugar, salt, and fat-are so tasty and so stimulating that they actually overwhelm the brain's circuitry. When we eat them, the brain cranks out dopamine, a neurochemical associated with a reward that drives us to eat that food again....and again....and again. Eventually, just looking at the food can trigger a dopamine release. "We get stuck in a cycle," Dr. Kessler says. "We're constantly chasing that satisfaction." When we're eating a highly processed diet we might find it tough to stop. This helps explain why, when we know that eating healthy foods are better for us, we continue eating the crap that leads to increasing obesity and the health problems associated with it. It's somewhat reassuring to know there is a physiological reason behind the sometimes unexplainable binges.

He has some suggestions to thwart the constant cravings and I'll cover those in my next blog. Stay tuned.

Exercise...But Fun!



Harstene State Park Beach



Today Dave and I were invited to go with our daughter Lora and son-in-law Tim and 5 year-old grandson Brady on a hike. The trail we have been on before (years ago), but I remembered it was extremely steep going down to the saltwater beach. I wasn't wrong! Both my daughter and I agreed it would have been nice if we had to climb up to begin with (to warm up) and then walk down afterwards because it was pretty cold and foggy when we started out. We were wearing warm clothes and gloves (it is only February in Washington, after all!) Once we got down to the beach and out of the forest it was much warmer. We did some beachcombing and exploring as well as taking in the beautiful views.



Getting ready for the uphill hike!

 The hike back up to the trailhead was a very good workout for me. Lora and Tim are runners and work-out regularily (ever heard of P90X?) but they agreed it was pretty steep going up! Brady stopped a couple times and said, "But I'm not going to quit!" So I didn't either.

Once at the top, we had a lunchtime snack of cheeses, turkey, carrots and sliced cucumbers and radishes. A few goldfish crackers and fruit leather rounded out the 'feast'.

Lap Band for Positive Change

Here we are; another year beginning. This can be the year where changes take place that can impact the rest of your life. The changes can be positive; such as weight loss that can reverse or reduce certain health issues like high blood pressure or diabetes. Positive changes that can enable you to interact more with family and friends. Positive changes that can make you feel much more active and vibrant and allow you to be the very best you can be. Or, the changes can be negative; such as weight gain and less activity due to that excess weight and the resultant increase in risk of health problems or possibly even worsening of existing conditions. Negative changes like more avoidance of social situations (that's not how you really want to live, is it?) as well as not achieving your full potential in life.

I believe there is something that can "tip the scales" (pun intended) in your favor in the weight loss battle and that is Lap-Band Surgery. There is no doubt that excess weight leads to health-related issues; (you may already have some of these conditions), but it is possible by losing weight, to make the positive changes happen this year. Once and for all, the medical conditions can resolve. We all want to be as healthy as possible, right? Once and for all, you can be active and keep up with your children (or grandchildren!). You owe it to yourself and your family to seek information about Lap-Band Surgery this year. It might be the positive change you have been waiting for.

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.