Fast, not Furious

I'm in the midst of a 10-day liquid fast in honor of the Lenten season. Actually, my church is involved in a PUSH initiative, which stands for Pray Until Something Happens. The initiative is built around revolving fasts: For the first 10 days, everyone consumes liquids only and prays five full minutes a day; the next 10 days are a media fast, during which time, everyone abstains from TV, newspapers, movies, video games, texting, e-mail, Internet usage, etc., unless it glorifies God or is required for work; the following 10 days are devoted to random acts of kindness; and the final 10 days require everyone to devote 1 hour each day to prayer.

The fast excites me greatly, particularly this first set. I have needed to do a liquid-protein fast for quite some time. My digestive system has been wonky ever since my bowel obstruction last year, and it seems that I just can't get my body into any kind of symbiosis. There's a question of whether I've developed food allergies or sensitivities, or if something more acute is amiss. Though there is a laundry list of tests that can be run, one efficient way to figure out a problem is to go on an elimination diet.

This church-wide fast has given me the motivation I need to limit my diet to liquid protein supplements, and I have to be honest...I have felt better in the last week than I have in the last year. I'm not terribly hungry, I have oodles of energy, and my intestines seem to be a lot happier. I may extend the fast to four weeks before slowly reintroducing foods into my diet under doctor supervision to see if we can pinpoint exactly which foods my body can't/won't process.

Micellar Milk lattes are still among my favorite protein treats, but I have to say that Met-Rx's 51-gram RTD in cookies and cream makes a very yummy mocha-like drink. That kept me quite happy all day yesterday. Lean Body's RTDs in ice cream flavors are also tasty, but I don't think they taste anything like ice cream. Then again, it's been a long time since I've had ice cream. Maybe I've forgotten what it tastes like.

I've Said it Before ...

... But the following bear repeating:

• I love AchievOne Cappuccino RTD protein supps.
• Using RTD protein supps (like Micellar Milk) as creamer in your coffee is a great way to get your protein and caffeine boost in one convenient dose.
• Sugar-free syrups and flavorings are a great, low-cal way to add variety to your protein shakes and beverages. They also help you get through a huge tub of protein powder without wanting to yak from boredom.
  
• Some of my faves: Add peppermint syrup to a chocolate protein supp with a little coffee for your own peppermint protein mocha; add caramel and hazelnut syrups to a vanilla shake for a little decadence; fruit-flavored syrups are great additions to vanilla shakes in the summertime.
  
• You can use Micellar Milk in lieu of fluid milk in recipes. Just be sure to adjust the amount of sweetener added. I love using vanilla MM in custard recipes.
• You are worth every dime you spend on protein supps, vitamins, gym memberships, personal training, etc. Remember, these are not luxuries; they are investments in your health.
  

Product Review: Micellar Milk

Photo courtesy of BariatricEating.com

Nature's Best Micellar Milk is a relatively new addition to the ready-to-drink proteing supplement market. I had heard of it from other post-ops on the BariatricEating.com (which sells it) message board last year but hadn't gotten around to ordering any before getting sick in January.

While I was in the hospital, a member of my local support group, Tammy Coursey, smuggled a container of vanilla and chocolate into the hospital for me. She swears by it as helping her get in her required protein since having surgery last Thanksgiving. She enjoys the vanilla poured over ice, saying its thin milk-like texture is perfect for her pouch -- not too heavy like blended supplements can be.

Aside from being thin and easy to drink, Micellar Milk is also nutrient-rich. A 17-ounce container provides 40 grams of protein with 220 calories, 2 grams of fat and 4 grams of sugar.

My favorite flavor is vanilla, which reminds me of rice pudding in taste. My husband is in love with the newest flavor, strawberries & cream. He says it's just like Strawberry Quik. Micellar Milk also comes in chocolate.

Having the consistency of milk makes Micellar Milk a perfect protein-rich substitue for milk in many recipes. When I was recovering from my bowel obstruction and restricted to a full-liquid diet, I used it in lieu of milk to make Sans Sucre instant chocolate mousse. I also used it in vanilla custard (with a dash of sugar-free Torani syrup). It was a tasty way to make sure I met my protein needs without overtaxing my digestive system.

If you visit the BE.com message board's recipe thread, you'll find all sorts of recipes that incorporate what members affectionately call Mice Milk. One favorite is Mice Cream, a protein-rich version of ice cream.

Personally, I enjoy Mice Milk by itself or with a few variations. One of my favorite ways to serve it is to make ice cubes out of leftover coffee and pour either chocolate or vanilla Mice Milk over the cubes for a cool treat at the office. One weekends, I'll use vanilla Mice Milk as creamer in my coffee with a shot of Torani sugar-free Irish Cream syrup for an Irish Cream protein latte that puts Starbucks to shame.

Hit or Miss: Definitely a hit. I have two cases at home right now, but they are going fast.

Vitamin Shoppe

I was shopping in Modesto on Saturday when I discovered a Vitamin Shoppe store on Pelandale in the same shopping center as Cost Plus World Market. I had heard from other bariatric patients that Vitamin Shoppe had a great selection of bariatric-friendly products and knowledgeable staff.

I had a little time to kill so I ducked in. It proved to be everything I heard of and more. When I walked into the spacious store, the selection of supplements was almost overwhelming. I was glancing over the events calendar, which features product tastings and events hosted with local gyms when the manager greeted me. I told her I was a gastric-bypass patient and that I was just looking to compare the store's prices with my favorite supplier. She handed me a flier the store has for bariatric patients that lists all the WLS-friendly products they have and a $5 off coupon.

Not only did the store have many of my favorites -- such as Micellar Milk, Zero-Carb Isopure and PowerCrunch bars -- but it also carried some of the products I've been wanting to try but haven't got around to ordering -- such as Oh Yeah! protein wafers and PowerCrunch's new cinnamon bun flavored bars. And to top it off, the store's products were priced about a $1 less than my favorite online supplier, and there's no shipping to worry about if you have a store nearby.

They didn't have all of my favorites, though. The manager said AchievOne RTDs aren't even offered as an option from her supplier. Revival soy chips and Snack & Slim pudding were also MIA. However, the store sells a sugar-free instant protein pudding that the manager mixed up for me to try. I was impressed; it was chocolately and tasty.

While looking over the various supplements, I found out one of the clerks had gastric bypass three years ago. She told me this was her first job since having surgery. She looked great, and she told me she feels great, too. We discussed our experiences with surgery while I looked over digestive supplements. The store carries a wide variety of vegan and vegetarian probiotics and digestive enzymes.

Probiotics can come in handy for people who've taken lots of antibiotics, because they replace the good bacteria in the digestive tract. Digestive enzymes work to break down undigested food in the intestinal tract. This is an important aid for WLS patients. Our new anatomical design means our food doesn't benefit from the chemical and mechanical digestion that typically takes place in the stomach. That's why we have to chew our food to baby-food consistency and stick with foods that chew down easily. Food that isn't chewed well enough can get stuck or irritate the intestines. Depending on the brand selected, digestive enzymes break down protein, fat, fiber and dairy and other foods.

Before I realized it, I had spent two hours at the Vitamin Shoppe and was late for my shopping date. I left in a rush, but I promise to be back.

Recipe: Caramel-Hazelnut Shake

Caramel-Hazelnut shake
2 scoops vanilla Zero-Carb Isopure
1 c. ff Lactaid Milk
3 T. Coffee Mate sf Hazelnut non-dairy creamer
1 oz. sf Torani Caramel syrup
Ice (I use an entire tray)

Add everything in blender but ice and blend together to combine. Add ice cubes one by one to create consistency you desire.

Calories: 335
Protein: 59
Carbs: 16
Fat: 3

Notes: I like using the sugar-free and fat-free Coffee Mate creamers, but I often have a problem in which the amount needed to solicit the flavor I want is too rich for my tummy.

Recipe: Chocolate-caramel-brownie shake

Chocolate-caramel-brownie shake
2 scoops PD Alpine Chocolate
1 cup ff Lactaid milk
1 shot Torani sf caramel syrup
4 Joseph's sf brownie bites
Ice cubes

Blend liquid ingredients until smooth, add brownies with ice cubes and pulse until same thickness as a Dairy Queen Blizzard (I use an entire tray of ice cubes).

It's important to note that this is not a low-calorie meal. This was yummy, but I would not add the brownie bites in the future -- they add 100 calories and 14g of carbs, which isn't worth it for the minimal flavor boost. Also, I typically use ff Lactaid milk, but dh brought home reduced fat and I didn't realize it. So, the reduced fat milk has 130 calories per cup, versus only 80 for the ff version. The caramel syrup has no nutritional value for a 1-oz. serving.

So, here's the stats for what I actually drank this morning, though you could easily cut 150 calories by making the substitutions mentioned above:

Calories: 420
Protein: 49
Carbs: 38
Fat: 10