Protein After Surgery

[iowachiefsfan 0]

How much Protein are we supposed to have daily? I have read in different areas that it should be between 60-75 but is this forever? I also read that if you want to lose weight your protein needs to be between 45-50 daily. Can somebody help please?

[Lauranbob Mc 94]

I was told by my NUT a minimum of 60g per day.

[100%Sleeved 148]

I heard at least 50g but I'm not really sure.

[PdxMan 4,292]

Did your medical team have a nutitionist available for you? You should try working with them first as they know your story far better than any of us here on an Internet forum.

Where did you read 45-50 grams of Protein daily to lose weight? Was that for people having a sleeve gastrectomy or another WLS surgery, or is that for a non-WLS individual?

I think it would depend on whether or not you are willing to lose muscle mass as part of your weight loss. Reducing Protein intake to that level will NOT help burn fat, if that is the goal ...

I am a very active person with exercise and weight lifting. I get probably 120 to 140 grams of protein in daily. I do not want to lose muscle and am trying to regain the muscle I lost early out.

As far as doing this forever ... well, yes. "Normal" weight people get far more protein than that, so there is no reason we shouldn't as well.

You really need to talk to your medical team and figure out what your goals are with the level of exercise you are willing to commit to and where you are at now.

[NancyJerry 139]

My NUT said, shoot for 50gm by the end of 4 weeks post op. Some people really need to work up to it. After that she said to shoot for 60-80gms. At 6 weeks I get around 90 per day. I believe the idea is, after we are completely re-acclimated to "real" food again, we should be able to get the majority of our Protein from the foods we eat and just supplement with shakes or whatever. I have a post-op nutrition class next Wednesday so if I find out more/better info, I'll pass it on!

But I agree with PDXman - make sure to ask your NUT.

[Pennie 66]

Like most things with the sleeve, it seems NUTs and surgeons all have different ideas for what is ideal. My NUT said to eat at least 60 gms of Protein a day, but 80 is even better!

Early out, it is really hard to get all those in. Just get the most that you can and make sure everything you consume (except for water) is a good Protein source once you are on the full liquid stage and beyond. After you are a month out or so, it's much easier to hit those high protein goals.

[Wheetsin 714]

You can definitely lose weight on fewer than 40 or 50 gm Protein a day, or else no one would ever starve to death. It's about the weight you're losing. The Protein intake goals are about supporting healthy fat loss, not just weight loss, which would otherwise include loss of lean muscle mass.

The guidelines per my nurtitionist are 60gm - 70gm. Call yours & see what their requirements are, they vary. The most I've been able to do is 60s, and just a few times. It's much easier for me to actually eat the protein than drink eat - Protein drinks sit very heavy for me, but I try.

I'm only 7 weeks out & still trying to dance around capacity issues. If you do things that require more protein, you will need to increase. And yes, the 50s, 60s, 70s you're hearing are lifelong daily minimums.

Type of protein matters too. They are not created equal. whey isolate is one of the better ones, plan whey works. Bunches & bunches of types out there. I just typed this earlier: generally if protein comes in packaging that looks like a test tube or a vibrator, you don't want it.

[missmeow 156]

If you're eating under 50% of your required daily intake to maintain your current body weight, you pretty much hit a semi-starvation state. The large amount of Protein is needed to preserve your muscle mass so that your body gets all the protein and amino acids it needs from your food and not your muscles.