it might be that smoked eel is drier than squid. is it 4 Oz cooked our raw?

We need Harold McGee to check in, now.

razbry wrote:Wow...thanks everyone! What I'm supposed to go for is about 30 grams of protein (the most you can absorb each time you eat) 2-3/day. (Note: my needs are not typical, I mal-absorb nutrients). To complicate matters my stomach space is limited.

Grains, pasta, and rice quickly fill me up, so if I go that route those products need to be amped up in protein. I don’t need to worry too much about fat, cholesterol, and calories in general (because I mal-absorb)…odd aren’t I?

Chgoeditor, I am particularly intrigued by your green smoothie and ground turkey Asian sauté. These sources of protein sound right for me.

Tora and Cynthia, I’ve got several protein powders ordered! I’m wondering if it is possible to put some of these powders into a recipe to amp up the protein…and still taste good.

Athena & Geo, I didn’t know salmon had more protein than chicken. I’m learning!

Cheese burgers (NOT American cheese….old joke) and steaks…definitely! Any other ideas would be gratefully accepted!
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FYI, if you ever find yourself dragging around for long periods of time, and then start to get unexplained ankle swelling, this could mean a protein deficiency.

The premixed "Muscle Milk" shakes contain about 32 grams of protein and taste pretty darn good. It is my regular breakfast on the way to work in the mornings.

chgoeditor wrote:

razbry wrote:Sounds promising! Thanks!

* In the thread linked to above, I got the idea from knitgirl for a ground turkey saute with a bunch of Asian seasonings. I'm make a batch then put it over brown rice or roasted veggies.


Hey, thanks for crediting my idea! I really enjoy turkey done that way, glad to know that you are making your own version. I highly recommend a dash of fish sauce with whatever seasoning you use, it seems to add a depth of flavor that I haven't been able to get any other way.

Very interesting topic. Bill had lap band surgery four years ago. Still losing weight, no complications from the band. However (there's always an however) this summer he started having some internal bleeding. It turned out that the pain pills he was taking for his knees (thanks to all those years of carrying around all that extra weight) had carved a good sized ulcer in what was left of his stomach. (A CAT scan of the ulcer revealed a broken hip, but that's not actually relevant to this story except to point out that those were some pretty remarkable pain pills that blocked both the pain of a bleeding ulcer and of a broken hip).

Anyway, to get back to the story, even after he got off the pain pill and on to meds for the ulcer it wasn't healing. They were worried enough about cancer that he had two or three endoscopies, plus a couple that included an internal ultrasound. Lots of biopsies, etc.

Finally, three or four months later, it hit me. Protein. He was mostly eating things like cheddar flavored rice cakes and wheat thins-foods he could take over to his one comfortable chair and then snack on all day. That not only explained why his ulcer wasn't healing, it explained his flaky skin. I mentioned it to his doctor, who tended to agree.

So now he's using http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ on his iPad to track his protein. The program lets you set up specific goals--his is 85 grams of protein per day.

We've discovered all sorts of interesting and useful things. No-fat Greek yogurt--12-14 grams per serving. Reduced fat string cheese-- 8 grams of protein for 70 calories. When he's out and looking for fast food, McDonalds breast strips--380 calories, but 23 grams of protein. Pan fry a hamburger at home or put it on the grill. 3 ounces cooked is 308 calories and 31 grams of protein. Homemade pulled chicken (braise chicken breasts in wine till very well done, shred, stir in some decent BBQ sauce and add some hot sauce) 140 calories, 19 grams of protein. But the best surprise of all was Italian beef. I'd picked up some at Caputo's and went looking for calorie info. The myfitnesspal database had info for Portillo's Italian Beef, which I figured was close enough. 9 grams of protein for only about 75 calories in a 3 ounce serving. I picked up some Papa Charlie's Italian Beef from the freezer case at Aldi's this week. Haven't tried it, but it says for 2/3rds of a cup it's got 14 grams of protein for only 80 calories.

Like most people with bariatric surgery, Bill isn't eating a lot of bread. Most of these he'll eat on half a hamburger bun and still end up giving part of the bun to the dog.

Unlike me, he does like some of the commercial protein products well enough to include them. There's a Protein Plus chocolate brownie bar that has 30 grams of protein and he makes pudding from a Medifast chocolate pudding mix that gives him 14 grams of protein for 110 calories.

We made this discovery about a month ago. The ulcer is now healed. The skin is clearing up. He's got an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon to discuss options for the hip (which were on hold until the ulcer healed) next week. Protein, like oxygen, turns out to be pretty important. Who knew?

knitgirl wrote:

chgoeditor wrote:

razbry wrote:Sounds promising! Thanks!

* In the thread linked to above, I got the idea from knitgirl for a ground turkey saute with a bunch of Asian seasonings. I'm make a batch then put it over brown rice or roasted veggies.

Hey, thanks for crediting my idea! I really enjoy turkey done that way, glad to know that you are making your own version. I highly recommend a dash of fish sauce with whatever seasoning you use, it seems to add a depth of flavor that I haven't been able to get any other way.

Absolutely agreed re. the fish sauce. I think I've made 4-5 batches at this point, and each time I go for more ginger, more siracha & more fish sauce. You can't underestimate the importance of those ingredients!

Ann

I was so grateful for your response. Very interesting information. Protein is the easiest thing to forget after weight loss surgery. Been down the endoscopy road several times myself.

Don't discount the hip fracture not being associated with diet. I now have my Vit D., iPTH, Creatinine, Alk. Phos.,Vit. A., Calcium, Phosphorus, and Magnesium blood levels monitored every 6 months. All those levels tend to erode (along with your bones and teeth) over time with WLS.

Vigilance...constant Vigilance! I have come to think of it as just as important as monitoring your cholesterol levels or blood pressure.

Yourpalwill...Musclemilk....I'll try it!