Calories, Carbs, Fat, Protein, Oh My!

[happytobehere 23]

I am at 5 weeks from my surgery date and am trying very hard to eat alot more and not depend on shakes as much. But I am so overwhelmed by what I should be watching. My diet shows to watch calories, but in the past I have always lost the best when watching carbs and listening to most people on the blog that do the same. So, should I be watching calories, fat, carbs? I am so confused and I hope that I am doing this right. I haven't lost any weight in two weeks and I am concerned that I am not doing it right. Also, how in the world can you get in 800 calories in a day. I am struggling with that. I am getting my Protein and Water everyday but am not meeting the calorie intake. Can anyone give me suggestions as to how to do this. I so want to get past this stall and lose during this 1st six months. Also, can you give me some of your daily menus so that I might be able to incorporate them into my daily lifestyle. Any help is much appreciated.

[Tealover 46]

Why don't you tell us what you eat in a typical day? Took me a long while to be able to get my calories up! I avoided carbs at the beginning with dinner. I didn't have room.

[lelecox07 9]

Wow...my dietitian just tells me to watch Protein intake, not calories or anything else. Its crazy how different all our diets are.

[happytobehere 23]

my typical day is: Breakfast: dannon light and fit FF greek yogurt, snack: Protein Shake with almond milk, lunch: FF 1/2 cup ff refried Beans with Unjury cheese Protein, snack: protein shake, and dinner: 2 oz turkey. I get all of my Water in everyday and Protein. So not sure what I am doing wrong.

[Jazzieperfections 2]

i stuck to the Protein Drinks and bars. I also ate weigh watcher meals a day while watching my calorie. I wrote down my calorie and how many Protein in a day. i stared like a protein in the morning i still ate a yogurt as my snack. then lunch i would eat a half of a weight watcher meal. or a bake potato or noodles and cheese a infant plate full. or if i didn't eat food i would have another Protein Drink and a snack which was a yogurt or a sugar free Jello cup. For dinner i would have corn, (two tablespoon), a green veg, a meat bake or broiled.the size of a cracker depending on if the meat was cut up very small and cooked in a cream or gravy or baked real soft. I would drink crystal light in my bottles of Water, i don't really like water all day long, but i woul try to get in 8 cups. which i brought the small bottles of water.

[LindaS 316]

I count Protein and Water and try not to worry too much about calories. I tend to keep it under 800, but I don't freak out if I have a day or two that goes over 1,000.

I am 15 months out from surgery, and I still drink Protein drinks. I like that they are low in calories and help me reach my Protein goals.

For Breakfast, I will eat a protein shake or something with eggs. A favorite weekend Breakfast is to take crumbled sausage, scrambled eggs and cheese and mix it up. My family puts this in a burrito shell. I don't. It's yummy.

I eat a lot of cheese Snacks (Babybel, cheese sticks or other types of cheese).

For lunch, if I am working, I have a Protein Bar or an unwich sub from Jimmy Johns.

If I'm not working, I have a Protein Bar or some type of meat to get protein in.

For dinner, I tend to eat what my family is having. I modify as needed. If we are having spaghetti, I just eat the topping and not the noodles. If we are having pizza, I eat the topping off one slice and then have something else high in protein. This is where I get the most diversity in my food. I eat the protein first. Today, we are having chili for dinner.

For dessert-type meals, I like the Healthy Choice Frozen Greek yogurt.

I use smaller bowls and plates than my family does in order to help me control my portions.

This morning, I had scrambled eggs and cheese for breakfast. For lunch, I had a 100-calorie Protein Shake (17 g protein) mixed with a BariWise strawberry-banana protein mix (15 g protein). The two together were 200 calories and 32 grams of protein. And I think the Bariwise strawberry banana smoothie is pretty tasty. It even has bits of strawberry in it.

[desertmom 297]

You are not doing anything wrong.Your food looks fine to me.Use myfitnesspal or fitday.com to track your intake of cals,Protein carbs and fat.

A stall is you body readjusting.It will take as long as it needs.Dont be impatient just keep doing what you are doing and try to stay off the scale for a while.You will lose weight.I had a 7 week stall at 5.5 months out and I nearly went mad (I'd not had one before that and thought stall was just another word for cheating...lol)

Second guessing ourselves and our intake is normal when the scale is not moving but do try to just be patient.It will happen.

Good luck!

[Strangefruit 179]

I am also five weeks out... My doc says for me to focus on getting in 70 grams of Protein and no more than 30 grams of carbs... He says to not worry about caloric count, just do that... I do find, however, that I average about 650 calories daily. I am down 33 lbs total since starting my two week pre op with surgery on 10/22.

[happytobehere 23]

Thank you for your feedback. I do appreciate you all. It's nice to talk to people that actually know what you are going thru.

[suejersey 263]

my typical day is: Breakfast: dannon light and fit FF greek yogurt, snack: Protein shake with almond milk, lunch: FF 1/2 cup ff refried Beans with unjury cheese Protein, snack: Protein Shake, and dinner: 2 oz turkey. I get all of my Water in everyday and Protein. So not sure what I am doing wrong.

You are doing great. Are you able to add more foods or are you still on soft or pureed? If you are still on pureed then it will be harder to get all the calories in. When I was on pureed I had 2 shakes a day. Now that I am on anything that I can tolerate I have one shake (or protein coffee/hot chocolate a day). Once you get to "real" food I think you will be able to get your calories in. My NUT told me don't worry about fat at this point, get your protein and your calories in. I eat quite a bit of cheese (some reduced fat, some full fat) and chicken. I am trying to cook for my family and eat the same thing, so it is better for them and I am not making two meals. Today I made our free holiday ham and garlic mashed cauliflower. My family had mashed potatoes and boiled cauliflower. I will have 2 ounces of ham and probably about 1/3 cup cauliflower mashed.

[GeauxForIt 659]

I got no guidelines for calories or fat, just Water (fluids) and Protein goals, and foods to avoid (fatty, sugary or fried). I feel a little lost, too!

[twinsmama05 166]

I'm lost myself. I'm going to a nutritionist tomorrow who works with my doc and hopefully will have a better plan! My surgery was nov 7th. If I get some good info tomorrow I will post it!

Right now I'm s sick of broth I can't even smell it! I have my liquid vitamins in the morning, then one egg white, Protein Shake for lunch, pudding for snack and a meatball for dinner. Then usually another Protein shake. I think that I'm screwing this up so I can't wait to see this nutritionist tomorrow

[GeauxForIt 659]

I'm having a Protein shake for Breakfast, a Protein Bar as a mid-morning snack, usually black Beans or tuna for lunch, a babybel or laughing cow cheese for a mid-afternoon snack, and usually turkey or chicken with Beans for dinner and another Protein Shake at bed time.

Sound right?

[GeauxForIt 659]

And I have twins, too!

[twinsmama05 166]

I love black beans! I'll try that tonight. When was your surgery?

My twins are 7. Boy/girl. The loves of my life!!!