WE HAVE A WINNER!

For those of you who attended the 1st Annual WLS Meet & Greet in Las Vegas, you know that I was giving samples of three, amazing products: Jarrow Whey Protein Shakes, Chobani Greek Yogurt, and Protein Blitz Sports Drinks. I asked people who tried these protein-rich foods leave a review on my site, and they’d be entered to win a fabulous prize.

Now, before I announce the first winner (and tell you what she’s won!), let me tell you how the product testing went, and what people were saying — even if they didn’t come back here to leave a comment!

We began the morning by blending thick and creamy JARROW WHEY protein shakes. Super Dave and MexiKEN were busily whipping up three, tasty flavors, using nothing more than a Vanilla base powder and some Jello SF Instant Pudding mixes in Pistachio, Banana Cream or Cheesecake flavors, while Maid Marian Michele skillfully worked the room with a big tray of little cups on her shoulder and a smile on her face.

The banana cream was an easy hit — after all, everyone knows what banana tastes like, right? So, those went down easy. We reminded people that they could easily use the banana cream for their chocolate peanut butter shakes, or as part of any fruit-flavored shake, and the gears started turning as they began to fantasize about the myriad ways in which they could add a banana to their morning drink — without using a real banana!

The raspberry cheesecake was equally popular, and all agreed that the surprise addition of the no sugar added raspberry preserves from Trader Joe’s made it extra-tasty. I think more than a few people said they planned to have it on-hand to keep their morning routine fresh and tasty.

But, hands down, the FAVORITE and most SURPRISING taste sensation of the morning was DEFINITELY the pistachio! Why? Because most people think they don’t like pistachio. Maybe it’s the green color, or maybe they have memories of eating too much pistachio ice cream when they got their tonsils out? Whatever the case, I was hard pressed to find one person who didn’t really love it — especially Melinda (RecoveringFatty.com). She was a fellow “swagger and exhibitor” at the event (here table was right across from mine), and at one point in the morning, she started to feel dehydrated, and really crummy. Fortunately, Super Dave was their to save the day, and whipped her up a full serving of Protein-Packed Pistachio goodness. She reports that she has become a certified pistachio freak, and was on a real pistachio jag for awhile there.

Well, soon enough, Maid Marian Michele had run out of little sample cups on her tray, and everyone was “full” — so we decided to wrap up that product taste test and prepare for mid-morning snack.

Without further ado, I’m pleased to announce that the winner of a 2 lb. tube of JARROW WHEY PROTEIN is: T2NASHVILLE aka Tammy!

Here is what she said:

I was present at the Vegas WLS Meet & Greet and had the opportunity to visit your booth and taste test the products there. Thanks so much for all you did in making those products possible for us to sample.

Jarrow Vanilla Protein Powder – Barbie had several different flavors of icy protein shakes to try, all made with the Vanilla version of this product. I asked to “smell” the jug of powder – no nasty protein smell at all! Didn’t even really have a vanilla smell, which I often have to “get past” in a lot of powders. I tasted the pistachio shake and the raspberry cheesecake shake – both were equally delicious! Barbie also had a banana flavor available, but I’m not a banana fan. I must say that I was impressed by the quality and taste of the product. Today, I researched the stats on the powder. While it doesn’t have as much protein as most powders, it does have less calories and more absorbent protein. I really wish Jarrow sold their products on their own website, but they rely on local suppliers or other online stores to sell it. I’m still comparing pricing to try to find the best deal, and I plan to visit my local Vitamin Shoppe to see if they carry it. All in all, a big thumbs up for me on this product!

Thanks, and CONGRATULATIONS TAMMY! I’ve forwarded your comments to the company, and maybe they’ll take your suggestion into consideration In the meantime, you need to decide which flavor you want: Vanilla, Caribbean Chocolate or Unflavored.

Tomorrow: I announce the winner of a case of Chobani Greek Yogurt!

Why Am I Taking All This Junk?

As many of you know, I’ve been on a mission to achieve supreme health. So, in addition to my healthy diet and regular exercise, I’ve learned that vitamins, minerals and other supplements are critical to my quality of life.

When I first had surgery, I was told to take a Flintstones chewable vitamin each day, chew some Tums (for calcium), and make sure I got my iron in.

I pretty quickly learned that, as a bariatric patient, I am malabsorptive (so I don’t get the benefit of everything I take or eat), and I have very little room to take a ton of stuff at once. I immediately started looking for better supplements, beginning with the multi-vitamin and calcium. I knew that Bariatric Advantage offered a full line of supplements that were formulated especially for me, so I began taking those.

And then I got my blood work results: I was severely anemic. So anemic, as a matter of fact, that I might need iron transfusions.

Uh-oh. Time to reevaluate my daily supplementation.

I immediately contacted my good friend, Mark Becker, who just happens to be the director of communications over at Jarrow Formulas. He immediately told me to start taking a probiotic and some Co-Q10 (which I did). Soon after, he recommended some other supplements: silicon (for nails and hair), a better calcium, a better iron, ribose (for recovering after strenuous workouts), Jarrow Whey protein (for better quality protein shakes), glucosamine with condroitin and MSM (for joint pain), SAMe joint formula (for mood and joints)…and a bunch of other stuff.

Then I was invited to be a guest on his weekly radio program (!!!). The doctor who co-hosts the program gave me a whole list of OTHER stuff to take.

So I did.

And then it occurred to me that I might not be taking the stuff in the right order, at the right times of day, or even in the proper dosage! Of course, by now, I had pre-bagged everything in little Ziplok baggies marked “morning” or “night”. This was after I had handily numbered all of the lids (1-15) with an “M” or an “N”. It had become to cumbersome to open 15 lids each day, so I counted them out in individual days.

Bad idea.

Now I don’t know which capsule is which (aside from the obvious ones: Flax seed capsule, Co-Q10, Wellbutrin and B12), so I can’t be sure when to take what! Worse still….I can’t really tell you what each thing is for.

Time to regroup.

Starting today, I am reviewing my supplement list, so I know EXACTLY what I’m taking and why. I will be affixing little labels to each bottle, telling me WHAT it’s for, WHEN I need to take it, and HOW MUCH I need to take.

This stuff can add up in a hurry, and since we’re on an austerity program, I most likely will not be able to refill everything when I run-out. That’s why it’s important to know what i can do without (for awhile) and what I can’t.

Anyway, I’ll be reporting back to you – one supplement at a time — as I advise how it’s going, if I’m noticing any difference — and when and how much of it I’m taking.

Stay tuned….

Gone Bananas

It’s official: I’m on the warpath. It’s me against…the banana.

Why, you ask, am I getting all worked up about bananas? Well, Thursday must have been NATIONAL TAKE A BANANA TO WORK DAY, because no fewer than FOUR people mentioned them to me over the course of the day. For “ordinary people,” this would not be distressing, but for a gastric bypass person (like me), a banana can be — ahem — a “slippery” slope to dumping and unexplained weight gain! I know, I know…It seems so innocuous. What harm can an innocent little banana do? I mean, it’s *loaded* with potassium, *excellent* for bulking up a protein shake, and just tastes good. But let me tell you — bananas have SUGAR. Concentrated amounts of SUGAR — you know, the stuff that makes gastric bypass people DUMP?

Now, before you go biting my head off, and telling me your doctor told you to eat one every day for leg cramps, let me tell you this: There are other (better) sources of potassium that can keep the leg cramps at bay, and guess what? They are safe for our consumption:

Potassium Rich Foods:

• Sweet Potatoes
• Beet Greens
• Tomato Puree
• Halibut or Tuna
• Cucumber
• Cauliflower
• Eggplant
• Bell Pepper
• Squash
• Brussels Sprouts
• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Avocado

Ah, but it’s not just potassium deficiency that can cause leg cramps. You might also need to increase your intake of magnesium.

Natural sources of magnesium include:

Hey, that’s weird…these magnesium-rich foods sound really similar to protein-rich foods! I guess that means that if you’re looking for food sources to pull double-duty, you should consider foods that offer both protein and magnesium benefits!

Now, if you add the potassium and magnesium rich foods to your diet but still find that you get leg cramps, it could be a sign of anemia, dehydration or vitamin B12 deficiency — and you already KNOW what to do about that.

But, what if you’ve grown to LOVE the taste of banana in your morning protein shake and just can’t stand the thought of going without it? Why not toss the banana and add some banana flavored sugar free instant pudding mix? Not only will it make your shake taste like banana, it’s great for creating a creamy, “bulky” consistency — which a lot of people crave.

If you only take one thing away from this posting, remember this: BANANAS ARE NOT YOUR BARIATRIC BUDDY. They are high in sugar and that’s pretty much all you need to know.

So, to review:

• If you’re eating bananas for potassium, try adding some foods listed above.
• If you’re eating bananas for leg cramps, try adding magnesium-rich foods.
• If you’re eating bananas because you like the taste, try banana pudding.
• If you’re still eating bananas after reading this, you must be a monkey — a really, really smart one, but a monkey, just the same!