My adventure at the Bariatric Eating store

for those of you who notice the links i have on the right, you'll see that the only commercial link is for a retail store called 'bariatric eating.' their website is huge and one of the leading websites for protein drinks, vitamins, and snacks for those of us who have had the surgery.

at my last support group meeting, my nurse Diane told us about two new brands of vitamins. one brand is called 'celebrate' and the other is called 'bariatric advantage'. these vitamins are really awesome because they are formulated for high absorption in our pouches.

she explained that research is finding that our new stomachs are alkaline based, rather than acid-based. because of this, they have a hard time breaking down the swallowed vitamins that we take on our schedule. i already knew this, so i've been taking chewable multivitamins and chewable calcium (but haven't found iron in chewable yet).

at the meeting she told us the exciting thing -- if we take either of these brands of vitamins, we no longer have to have monthly B12 shots! she said that since all the vitamins are chewables and formulated for high absorption in our alkaline pouches, we should get our required B12 from these vitamin brands.

on top of this, the headquarters for this store is 10 minutes from me, in Pompano Beach. so on saturday, EJ and i drove over to look at their store and selection of stuff!

i was surprised when i walked in that it was a tiny store, the website makes it seem like a huge warehouse. it was just one room really, it looked like a studio apartment (but still really cute and well-decorated). there was lots of literature about plastic surgery everywhere. one lady was working behind the desk.

first, i checked out the vitamins! i bought the Celebrate chewable multivitamins (they taste like Flinstones!), which have enough B12 for me, plus Biotin (to help prevent hair loss). i was excited just about that, until i glanced over and saw Celebrate chewable Iron supplements! woohoo! i already have chewable calcium so i skipped those.



i'm excited about feeling like i'm actually getting high-absorption of all the stuff i need =) and not taking B12 shots is a plus, although i think i'm going to finish the bottle i have. you can't OD on the stuff and it's great for you!

then i moved on to the protein drinks. i've been drinking a new brand called "ABB Pure Pro" which has less of an aftertaste than the other ones i started with. they have the low carb and high protein count...but don't taste too great. i mean, they are ok...kind of like a fake-milkshake taste with a bad aftertase of the fake sugar. i'm quite bored, actually. and they are formulated for body-builders...so there aren't any essential nutrients like B12 that i need.

so my attention at the bariatric eating store, first went to the little drink refrigerator by the front door where the vitamins are. i looked at it for a minute and noticed two drinks that really caught my eye -- the brand was called "BELIEVE", and it's the new brand that the store itself puts out. one was a chai flavored tea drink, and the other was a cappuchino flavored. i loveeeeeee chai - my favorite drink at starbucks is a grande soy chai latte. so i grabbed those two immediately. i drank the chai in the car. it was kind of disappointing. it kind of tasted like watery gingerbread. i don't think i'll be buying them again, unfortunately =(

they also are slightly high in carbs (5g) and a little low in protein (25g). my old drinks had 3g carbs and 35g protein. sorry, believe =(

after i picked up these ready-to-drink teas, i went over to the protein powders.

i bought an 'unflavored' protein powder from GNC awhile back, and it was a horrid experience. the poweder didn't dissolve well in the water at all, and i ended up with lumpy coffee =( so i've steered clear of the powders until i walked over to the selection at this store.

they all looked soooooooooo good, and specially formulated for bariatric patients. i asked the person working if she had any samples of some of the fruity flavors, and she had a couple out. first i tried the 'nectar' brand fuzzy naval flavor. it was DELICIOUS! the powder was mixed in, it was cold, and totally yum. it tasted fruity but not too fake. i totally bought a huge container of it right away!

and it has 0g carbs, which rocks!

then, i needed something new of the choclatey variety. the brand 'inspire' was nearby and the flavors looked delicious. i wanted something new -- other than vanilla, chocolate, and cookies & cream (the flavors i've been living off of for 4 months).

i finally decided on the mouth-watering flavor "chocolate peanut butter fudge"...mmmm...

3g carbs, 30g protein

i made the peanut butter fudge drink last night. there's actually peanut butter in it that doesn't blend up. it was really, really delicious compared to the other stuff i'm drinking.

i was mentally nervous at first. a part of me didn't *want* delicious drinks. then i might like it and drink too much and gain weight. but i realized yesterday that this fear is preventing me from *enjoying* my food. so i'm going to start living more and actually seek out yummy foods that i can eat!

it started last night. we went to hibatchi and i got filet mignon and scallops. it was decadent. i got no rice but extra veggies, and a salad with ginger dressing. i haven't eaten that good in weeks. it was absolutely amazing and i was stuffed after about 6 enjoyable bites.

after dinner, we went to an Italian Icee place nearby - - they had sugar-free, low-carb ice cream! OMG! i got chocolate and it was sooooooooo good and the only side effect was a little gas. /blush. it happens. and it was WORTH IT.

so yesterday was a great day where i felt not as alone. i was in a store full of items catered for me. i got delicious drinks, a great dinner and a dessert and didn't overeat or feel too guilty after. i think it was a pretty great day =)