Confused On Protein Consumption/meal Overview: Lot's Of Questions For Pros :)

[Misti M 5]

I was sleeved on 11/8 and had to spend one week on Clear liquids.

I have now moved to Full liquids. My diet consist of the following:

• Milk, soy milk or rice milk
• fruit juice
• Soup (blended into full liquid)
• frozen yogurt or sorbet (fat free)
• pudding or custard (sugar free)
• vegetable juice
• Cream of Wheat
• Yogurt

Then my documents it says daily recommeneded intake is 60-70grams of Protein per day.

Does this just apply to when I get the soft foods stage?

If I am only suppose to eat 3 meals a day and drink 12 cups of water/liquid per day I am confused.

My plan for this week was to eat the following:

Breakfast: Cream of Wheat

Lunch: Yogurt

Dinner: Jello

Drink: 1 cup of apple juice and 1 cup of almond milk (not on my list but I think it will fall under the milk) during day plus 10 cups of Water

If hungry: Add in a either beef broth or Tomato Soup if I need salty or a sugar free pudding if I need sweet like or if for any reason I need to mix up one the above items.

Exercise: 30 minute walk per day

So my questions are:

1. Do I have to worry about the protein intake at this stage?

2. Does the meal plan I have look reasonable for Week 2?

3. How much is a serving of Yogurt (2 ozs)?

4. How much is a serving of Cream of Wheat (2 ozs)? (Today I was able to eat about 5-6 teaspoons full for Breakfast before I felt full)

5. At this stage do I have to worry about getting "enough" calories? If so what should be the goal?

[JeanZ_RN 378]

We who have been sleeved (mine was 11/13) need the Protein to heal - especially in teh immediate post-op period. If you can find a Protein shake that you like or at least can tolerate, use that as the basis for your diet while on full liquids. That should get you the 60-80 gm Protein you need per day. You can add the other things you listed if you have room in your tummy.

The answer to your How much is a serving of... can be found on the container of that food. And the only reason to be concerned with what that says is so you can calculate how much protein / carbs / sugar you get from consuming it. Example: If something says a serving is 1/2 cup, but you only eat 1/4 cup, then you count 1/2 the amoint of each nutrient listed on the label.

[Shells_Almost_There 357]

I hope that a number of people respond to give you advice, but my #1 take-away from VSG is that Protein Rules All, from Day 1 post-op. All stages = Protein first, then veggies, then fruit/carbs. You need to hit your protein goal every day, and meet your Water requirements as much as possible (this gets much easier as the weeks pass).

Serving sizes are on the back of the boxes/jars, for reference.

Calorie counting is secondary to protein intake. I'm not sure why Protein shakes aren't on your list above, but at the stage you are at, 2 shakes per day will help with both the protein and Water since they are liquid. Then, add some of the other things in your list and track everything so that you know you are hitting protein and water each and every day.

At Weeks 2 through 4, I was on liquids then soft foods and was still drinking 2 to 3 Protein Shakes per day because I couldn't eat much, and never managed to hit my water goal. Getting too full on low-protein items means you might not hit your daily protein goal. You need to strategically plan your intake at these early stages so that you get in that minimum number of grams per day.

Good luck!

[gomekast 559]

Protein first yes. I had to ask to make sure how they wanted me to get it.

I am on puree right now and hit my one month Tuesday . They said to do my puree 'meal' but to supplement with the Protein Shakes. shakes will be a part of your post op diet for several months.

Always check with your program. If your not sure, call and ask. My program gave us sample menus for each stage..and I've been following those servings on there.

They'd rather get the questions than risk us not hitting our protein or Water goals each day.

Good luck!

[Tink22-sleeve 528]

12 cups of fluids a day sounds like an awful lot. i shoot for 8 a day (and rarely get that much). im only required to get in 45 gms of Protein a day- much more realistic for me.

myfitnesspal is a great program and app that will help you figure out serving sizes and nutritional content. check it out. its fun and motivating. do the tutorial- it really helps. you can make me be your first mfp friend--- kimberly2222

Best of luck on your journey!

[Fluffnomore 1,235]

I'm in the same stage as you and while it has been wonderful to branch out with Cream of Wheat and Soups I have to be careful to get my Protein in. I am averaging anywhere from 600-900 calories and typically it is easiest to drink at least one Protein shake to help get to that goal. It's much easier to hit your protein goals drinking shakes, but I am trying to ease away from them now.

Other suggestions: buy some powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury (or whatever kind you like) unflavored Protein powder. Add it to Soups and yogurts. A scoop or half a scoop give you a lot of extra protein.

Try some of the bariatric pudding/shakes on the market. With 4 oz of Water they're pudding and with 8, a shake. Again, a lot of bang for your buck with a slightly different texture.

[Misti M 5]

Thank you all so much for taking the time to give me the comments. They have really helped.

I ordered samples packets from unjury and Bariatric Advantage today. In the meantime, I went to The Vitamin Shoppe and got some sample packets and Isopure to try until those sample packets get here. (My breakfast Protein was gross)

So I will re-adjust to think - get in my Protein. Add Water to equal my liquid requirements for the day and then if I am hungry I can add in the other things from my list that I am able to have.

I also joined My Fitness Pal. I will add you Tink22-sleeve when I get that part down. :-)

I will call my Doctor on Monday to see why they did not have Protein drinks on my list. So frustrating if this slows me down.

Ironically, yesterday was 1 first day of eating something and I did not loose 1 stinking pound. (I know - don't weigh every day, don't stress over it....BUT I have to say that I am building a really unhealthy relationship food that is a complete 180 degrees. I don't even want to eat anymore... LOL)

Thanks again for all your help!

[Brighteyes 237]

I would mention that my surgeon made it clear to me that his priority for me during the first six weeks is hydration. So it sounds like you are meeting that goal, which is great. Adding Protein Shakes, as previously suggested, to include the unflavored kind to your normal food will help meet those Protein goals. Sounds like you are moving in the right direction.

[Misti M 5]

Thanks Bright_Eyes !

[Shells_Almost_There 357]

I will also add that you should definitely check out the Premier Protein ready-to-drink shakes - available at costco and Sam's Club. I despised ALL whey Protein other than 2 flavors and even those were tough to choke down. whey makes me a bit nauseated for some reason. Many people on this site recommend the chocolate flavor Premier shake - it's the only one I can stand that has the higher grams of protein that we need in a smaller container. It really gives you the most bang for your buck and the taste is really good.