Crisis diet vs. maintenance diet?

Savannah,
Can you make your own high protien shakes?
Way back when, long before all of this commercial crap was available on the market, we made our own high protien shakes, bars, drinks etc.
As a teen I lifted weights as a competitive powerlifter and we would just walk into the health food store (or bulk barn) and buy our basics.
Rolled oats, whey powder, lecitin, b6, molassas, dessicated liver (yuck!) and a whole bunch of other stuff that we tailor mixed to our personal needs.
Some of us needed to up our protien but others needed to bulk up or lose weight. (I was never in need of putting on weight so I went sugar-free).
I would mix rolled oats, natural nut butters, ground dried fruits (apricots, apples, prunes...Depending on the day and my mood) and throw in the usual protien powder and powdered vitamins. I would heat slightly to make it softer, spread it in an 8x10 pan and refridgerate.
Did the same with the protien shakes by adding raw eggs (I know that some of you are against them so substitue protien powder in its place (hard boiled eggs just don't do the trick )) to fresh carrot or orange juice and some extra goodies like lecitin and B6.
This way you can control the contents, the sugar or dairy and be both pouch/pouchitis friendly and weight friendly.
Sharon

Hi Sharon,
I think down the road mixing up my own protein smoothies might be the way to go. Thank you. I am not especially skilled in the culinary realm and right now I am a little too weak and depressed to take on a creative challenge. This will be a goal for the future ....... learning how to make some nutritious fruit drinks. I would like to combine strawberries, blueberries, a little banana and some kind of low FODMAP vegetable with a good protein source and some lactose free yogurt. Does that sound doable to the cooking wizards on this site? When I get the chance I'll look up some of the smoothie recipes that people have offered. Also, can a lazy person like me buy something like this at Java Juice in Whole Foods? (without a lot of sugar and lactose free)

If you aren't having a mechanical problem, like a stricture or chronic obstructions, I see no reason that your nutrition should have to come in shake form. What's wrong with some plain, soft proteins like chicken, eggs, and fish? If you can tolerate nut butters like peanut or almond, they're dense with calories and FODMAP-legal (just check the label for additives first). Real Greek yogurt is high in protein and has virtually no lactose. Wheat-free grains like rice and grits are also FODMAP legal.

Good luck!

If you want simple and nutritious I suggest you try PlantFusion protein shake mix and add fruits and vegetables to make smoothies. My nutritionist suggested I use this after my surgeries and I still look forward to making one daily.

You can mix it with juice or something like almond milk and drink it all by it's self too. It fills me up.

http://www.plantfusion.net/

I've gotten creative. You can input your zip code at this site and it will tell you where to purchase retail by you. I order it on-line from Amazon etc. I use vanilla and chocolate but they've got other flavors. Most health food stores have it around here.

I use unsweetened vanilla almond milk which is only 30 calories a cup and has twice the calcium as milk. (1 cup)
1 banana
1 cup of frozen fruit or more
fresh or frozen spinach &/or carrot
Add ice as much as wanted
Emulsify in blender of choice - I use a Vitamix

This is my basic recipe. You can do whatever you want, fresh fruit is great when in season, strawberries, peaches, apples etc. I usually put something sweet with blueberries, like pineapple or strawberries. It is important to really emulsify fruit so it won't go straight through our system. I haven't had the nerve to try raspberries or blackberries yet!

I put in the ice last when it all the fruit is emulsified.

There are lots of protein mixes other than PlantFusion, this is the one that I like. It is hypoallergenic, simple, all plant based and furnishes 43% of the daily protein required. Plus it's only 120 calories by it's self.

See this blog from Kate Scarlata, the FODMAP expert of Boston! She has some great protein recipes available.

http://blog.katescarlata.com/

Savannah,
I am a lover of 'flash frozen fruits', especially berries. It allows me to use fruits that are out of season and sometimes you can get the 'pieces' cheaper than the whole fruits...which is even better for the blender.
I keep packages in my freezer, thrown a fresh banana (the older ones, I put in the fridge so that they are already cold and there is no waste) and then either protien powder or any other fruits or veggies or veggie juice that I have around and tons of crushed ice (I love my American fridge with ice maker and crushed ice...my 1 luxury in my life!)
I find that carrot, orange, cranberry, blueberry or a mix of any of the above go really well with my fruit smoothies.
Lately I have been adding a scoop of 'diet protien powder' to satisfy my need for 'creamy'.
I understand the depression well but there might be a hint of malnutrition contributing to it so the sooner that you get started the better you will feel.
PM me if you want a dozen different receipes.
Sharon

You are so sweet, Sharon. That smoothie idea is perfect for the culinary challenged person. Plus, for me as a widow, it is hard to get fruit varieties without losing a lot to spoilage so getting bags of frozen mixed fruits or berries would be a savings in terms of money, as well as, prep time. I really DO know how to cook and did all of it for my family but I am less motivated to come up with drinks and foods for myself, especially as I am still learning the ins and outs of my pouch. Five years ago now, my colon ruptured and I spent 3 months in the hospital and came home with an open wound to heal and my ileostomy but what was truly nightmarish was the fact that during that same 3 month period my husband was diagnosed with AML Leukemia and was hospitalized in a different hospital for intensive chemotherapy. It was so awful. Then we both came home and were recuperating together and then a few months later David had a stem cell transplant that failed and he died shortly thereafter. Our kids live on both coasts so they were traveling constantly to provide as much help and care as they could but my son was also having his first child. Just insane the pain, grief and suffering for all of us. Later that year I had my two stage reversal surgeries and then right before the first anniversary of David's death I was so weak from everything that I passed out from dehydration, fell flat on my face, and seriously damaged my spinal cord between C5-C7. I was paralyzed for a short time from the chest down but fortunately the injury was an incomplete spinal cord injury so I recovered my motor functioning but I have lasting Central Cord Syndrome with myelopathy in my arms, legs, hands, and feet to balance out the troubles in my intestines. Months and months of rehab. Anyway, I guess I've just spilled ........ and all I really meant to say is that like most on this board, I've been through some really troubled times. So, on my own, recovering again, it is good to know things I can do and make that are simple, simple, simple. I am so fatigued. And yes, my current depression is definitely about malnutrition and weight loss too. I am a tall person, 5' 8" and I only weigh about 118 now. I look like a pipe cleaner. So, some healing and strengthening of body and soul needs to happen!! Oh, Sharon, thanks for reaching out to me across continents. I really appreciate it and I hope I didn't spill too much. Sometimes I feel like I give people acute trauma just in the telling of my last few years. Geesh. Is it too much to ask that we all get a couple teeny tiny breaks???

Oh Savanna, I am so terribly sorry for you. I can think of nothing worse than losing your hubby, especially when you are fighting for your own health as well.
There is never such a thing as spilling 'too much'. You are here to feel understood, supported, helped and loved. (not necessarily in that order!).
Most of us have live through the trenches, some numerous times, often hand-in-hand with personal tragedies (PM Dixie, she will understand perfectly...lived through the same kind of family nightmares)...so we do understand.
No, we apparently, do not get a break. We get more and more challenges thrown at us as the years go by. Open wounds, seeping, dripping, squirting, stinking, festering...all you ever wanted to attract the friends and family to your side!
This disease is depressing enough without the lovely side-effects that come with it (and the toll that it takes on our loved ones).
So, please...cry, scream, yell at the heavens if you need to...we are a strong bunch and have heard it all (mostly) before and will heard it again and again unfortunately...
What worries me, personally is the denutrition and depression (they make for a nasty couple).
My personal advice is to stock your freezer with huge bags of frozen everything (fruits, veggies, chicken breasts, fish...) and then throw a chicken breast or fish fillet in the microwave with a handfull of veggies and a boullion cube and a couple of handfulls of frozen fruits in the blender with some protien powders. No culinary skills required. I love bouillion cubes, they are my favorite kitchen accessory (sp?) It gives you the sodium that you need to stop wilting and the flavour to keep you eating.
You Need to Feed. (fine, the jewish mother in me is coming out here!) And walk. Get fresh air, a bit of light exercise...it will help you to build up an appetite and raise the grey veil of depression that is covering you.
Keep venting girl, that is the first step to healing.
Sharon

Gee Savannah, that sure is more than a lifetime's trauma and tragedy in just a few short years. Nobody ever wants to find out how much they can take before they completely break. It does always seem that it is more than you can imagine.

I give you huge kudos for making the best of things. You don't sound bitter, even though you have every right to be. Thank goodness for kids and grandkids, hmmmm? Makes it all worth the effort of getting up each day.

Thank you for being an inspiration. And, don't ever feel you need to hold back. Knowing a back story helps us understand your perspective. We are all more than just our j-pouches.

Jan

Thank you again Sharon, and thank you Jan. It does seem like the folks on this site have an amazing capacity to soothe, understand, advise, educate, and simply "hold" physical and emotional pain. Most people do not appreciate the power of just "being there" and the power of thoughtful listening. You are all incredible survivors. I have a mental image of people in a big circle holding each other up, and laughing at the same time. I'm glad to be a part of the circle.

Well put, Savannah! Some of us are lucky enough to be born with the temperament to "roll with the punches." I think I am one of those, but I also don't think my mettle has been fully tested. Time will tell I guess.

Jan

Savannah,
Some people like to say, 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger', others like to say, 'God does not give you more than you can handle'....
NONE of those people have had to deal with what we have. If they had gone through bowel resection, pouches, ostomies, abscesses, infections, fissurs,fistuals, wounds dehyssing and re-surgeries for failed this and that they would not be whistling the same tune...they would be crying and moaning in their jell-o!
God (if you believe in him) throws all that he has got at some of us and reseves to golden ring for others. I honestly believe that it is random and not based on 'goodness'. Look at some of the really nasty people out there that have golden lives (yet, still complain!)...and some of the really wonderful, kind, loving, fantastic people (most of them on this site) who have been put through the ringer again and again (and hold their heads high)...
My favorite saying is from my dad, 'Life is just not fair'. That sums it up pretty well as far as I am concerned...it isn't. We hurt, suffer, start to think that it is going to get better and Wham! get hit with something else, often worse.
I believe that we should be 'vaccinated' from the everyday pains of life (measles, mumps, screwed up government and insurance administrations, stupid health care workers, family tragedies, supid friends, co-workers and neighbours...Etc) and never have to deal with them again. We should get a free-pass, a hallway card or a 'get out of jail free' card. But it ain't happening.
So, at least for me, I believe that we got an extra dose of love, humour and compassion. Empathy and sympathy too.
It doesn't really make up for all the other stuff but it helps us get through those horrible nights.
My 2 favorite anti-depression remedies are: exercise and helping others. Long walks with good music playing in my ears does wonders to help me survive the bad days (if I can walk!).
Taking care of my 'kids' (read: students) gets me off big time. No matter how bad the day was, how horrible my health is or how miserable my family made me feel, those kids make me laugh, fight for their futures and have hope.
They won't be there to hold my hand when I am old and grey nor pick me up when I fall but I will know that I did something good.
Sharon

Savanna,

You have been through hell and I feel so bad for you. I am 5'8" and would love to give you around 40 pounds! You need some more weight for sure and healthy is a good way.

I still think the smoothie idea is a good way to get nutrients to your body, we digest them better. I mostly use frozen fruits and the basics I get are huge bags of blueberries, strawberries and mixed fruit. I've also gotten cherries but they didn't taste as well, plus were more expensive. I also cut up fresh pineapple in season, but have made pineapple ice cubes out of juice to throw in. Apples are easy fruits to add fresh as they don't require much but coring. I tried Kale yesterday, yuck. Everyone on the talk shows - say it is so good for you and you can't even taste it, that is bull! I ended up with twice the size of shake as normal as I ended up having to add so much extra fruit to get rid of the awful taste. So if adding Kale do so in moderation to start you can always add more.

I can't help you with the other FODMAP diet but hope this all works well for you.

After our kids left home cooking just wasn't the same. I started splitting lasagna and stuff like that into two smaller sized containers and freezing one. I don't mind left overs so if it were just me I'd keep doing it. The problem since the surgeries I no longer like cooking. Nothing sounds good. BUT in the freezer aisle, if it fits into your diet, there are good healthy choice steamer bowls like "pumpkin squash raviolli", "chicken and potatoes" and I've been buying those for when my husband is eating beef, which I don't eat anymore. He can't eat baked chicken every night with me, lol. I also like footlong Subway sandwiches with no fixings on them. I eat 6" one day and the other 6" the next day or so. If you don't put on your honey mustard/mayo whatever and or veggies the 2nd half will stay fresh for a day or two.

I'd tell you to eat hot fudge sundae's and Dairy Queen Blizzards but I doubt is that much sugar is not allowed on the diet. It sure would help you gain some weight though.

One good thought, you are Miss U.S.A. weight. Did you see it last week when they said that Miss South Carolina or whatever state was more the average girl and she was 5'8" and weighed 118? They were upset as she didn't make it into the top 10. I think you were busy doing other things at that time Savanna. I hope you have a nice weekend!