Did I eat too much?

[pamelacoa@yahoo.com 4]

This may seem silly. I’m 7 weeks out, really doing very well but today I felt like I ate way too much. I track everything in an app and I’m attaching it here. What are everyone’s thoughts? I only ate “good things”, but I’m feeling stressed like I “over ate”.

[Arabesque 7,184]

Relax. You haven’t necessarily affected your weight loss as you will still lose eating 963 calories. Though whether it is right for you at this time is another question. Have a chat with your dietician to review what you’re eating & what is an appropriate caloric goal for you & your needs.

[TRAVELRN 73]

9 hours ago, pamelacoa@yahoo.com said:

This may seem silly. I’m 7 weeks out, really doing very well but today I felt like I ate way too much. I track everything in an app and I’m attaching it here. What are everyone’s thoughts? I only ate “good things”, but I’m feeling stressed like I “over ate”.

Hi there!

Congratulations on 7 weeks!! You didnt say what it was you ate other than "only good things". :) I personally followed my meal plan to the letter and still do almost two years out. But that is what I needed to do for myself. 7 weeks is not a long time, but there are a couple of things that you couldve been doing.

1. eating too fast. This is an ongoing challenge for myself. My jobs have always been such that time meal breaks were pretty much non existent and as a nurse we usually "ate on the fly". This is a bad habit from bootcamp and beyond that I work faithfully to control. Its not easy but I put a bite in my mouth, put my fork down and concentrate on chewing the food in my mouth to the consistency it needs to be for my pouch.

2. drinking too soon after eating. I have gotten good at this, I don't drink anything an hour after I eat, even now. In my preop class this was shown to me and it has stuck with me. If you have ever "forgotten" and drank after or during a meal once, you tend to not want to repeat that process again. LOL

https://youtube.com/shorts/oNdeGkkwqlw?feature=share

3. not paying attention to the cues your body gives you when you are full or eating more than 1/4 cup (example). Or if you are eating veggies not cooking them.

4. check your macros with your dietician. That seems to be a lot of carbs.

Relax!! Stick to your meal plan and touch base regularly with your Reg. Dietician.

[summerseeker 2,114]

Your team are your go to here because we all have very different surgeons with totally different ideas on what we should be eating at any given part of this surgery. No two plans are the same

Once you are on real foods as to soft foods and your restriction kicks in, then you will have a better idea what your intake will be. Protein will fill you { BTW you are doing great with the amount of protein you can manage ]

If your team has given you no guide lines then do not worry. I was told to do what I could. Protein first, Veg second and carb last if there is room. Your carb intake looks fine to me, its a tiny amount. Do not use any other persons plan to the minutest detail. They may have to restrict their carb intake but you may be free to taste them.

[catwoman7 11,209]

I agree it depends on your program. I'd ask them. As far as the comment about carbs, that also depends on the program. Ours was a balanced plan so we didn't have to count or limit carbs - just Protein (we were supposed to have 60+ grams of protein every day).

[NCL04321 161]

I agree with Bariatric Master, go to your nutritionist and ask her the question. There are too many opinions on here and your nutritionist is different than mine. For instance, at 3 mos out of sleeve surgery, my dietician said i should be eating about 600-700 calories a day. I know that answer is probably different for many people on this forum. Don't sweat it, you are doing great!

[SuziDavis 546]

But can we clap it up for the Protein intake... Impressive.

[pamelacoa@yahoo.com 4]

Thanks everyone for your input! I have reached out to my team as well!

[PennyinAL 28]

Does everyone get a "nutritionist" with their surgery? I'm in a small town in Alabama, my surgeon doesn't have one on staff that I am aware of. He has a nurse that gives you the "plan" which is a pretty basic low carb plan where they want you to eat less than 4 oz, give you a little 4 oz measuring cup, say Protein first, then veg then carb if allowed after you have eaten your protein but basically tell you that no carbs are allowed i,e., no cereals or grains. When I asked the dr about it, he said that since I was familiar with whole grains I was probably allowed those later on as most of his patients don't understand the more complicated diets.

I noticed that most surgeons in the larger cities have nutritionists on staff. When I went to the only one at our local hospital a few years ago for a "class" about diabetes, she and I didn't exactly get on.

I'm concerned that the plan isn't really a great plan, gives me no guidance on amount of carbs allowed per day, I know mine should be low. I also know that my body refuses to give up a pound unless I drop below 700 calories in a day. My goal is less than 500 calories per day. I'm seeing different amounts for the required protein amounts, some say as low as 45-50 and I see some suggesting as high as 80-120 which seems like a LOT of protein and calories to reach that amount.

And can someone tell me where you found your suggested goal weight? Again, seems all the charts are different. I'm 5'9" larger frame 233 lb. I'm aiming for around 145-150? not sure if that is a good goal?

I'm having the lap band removed and replaced with a gastric bypass on 08/01/23 so Tuesday!

Hopeful but a bit worried in a small town here.

[ChunkCat 727]

@PennyinAL I highly suggest you hire a nutritionist that specializes in bariatric care. You can find someone who will do telehealth appointments and you can see if you can find someone who takes your insurance! At least a few sessions to get a much better diet plan structured. 500 calories seems too low once you are out of the liquid phase. The surgery (in my understanding) resets your metabolism so you don't want to crash it with going too low on your calories. What used to apply for you for weight loss pre surgery may not apply post surgery because of the change in hormones. You really want professional guidance on this, everyone here varies in their macros because there is no standardization in the field at the moment.

Edited July 28, 2023 by ChunkCat

[SleeveToBypass2023 2,574]

Every plan is different. My first 2 months, I'm not to go over 400 calories. From 2 months to 4 months, I can go up to 500 calories. 4 months to 6 months, I can go up to 600 calories. And from 6 months on I can go up to 900 on days I'm not working out and 1100 calories on days that I do. My Protein stays between 70-100, my net carbs always stay 30 or under, my sugar stays at 10 or less, and my fats are always between 35-45. I avoid all carbonated drinks (it stretches out the pouch, and upsets my stomach), I stay away from coffee but if I really need caffeine, I drink a glass of green tea in the morning (or black tea if I'm out of green). This is daily, not per meal. It's just how I've done it since my original surgery and I feel my best. And while my nutritionist would like me to eat a little more carbs, she approves of my eating habits because I'm healthy and my blood work always comes back great. Just talk with your nutritionist, follow whatever plan they have for you, exercise and move your body, and you'll do great.

[Arabesque 7,184]

Ask your team to recommend a dietician/nutritionalist @PennyinAL especially one with some experience with supporting wls patients. My surgeon recommended mine. And don’t be afraid to ask for as much guidance & information as you think you need to keep you on track. Also be very honest with them. They can’t offer you the best advice & information if they only know part of the story.

I was only given Protein & Water goals & portion size recommendations from my surgeon, wasn’t even advised to track my food but I was ok with that (though I did randomly check my calories for my own information). I’m someone who does a lot of their own research so I think my dietician was confident in what I was doing & also by the questions I asked her.

Dieticians/nutritionalist can sometimes fall into a one size fits all advice cycle. Ask for alternative food suggestions & other options if the plan or their advice doesn’t fit your food preferences, eating style, food sensitivities, post surgery food intolerances (when your taste buds temporarily change making certain foods disgusting), activity levels & lifestyle.

[summerseeker 2,114]

On 7/28/2023 at 6:03 PM, PennyinAL said:

Does everyone get a "nutritionist" with their surgery? I'm in a small town in Alabama, my surgeon doesn't have one on staff that I am aware of. He has a nurse that gives you the "plan" which is a pretty basic low carb plan where they want you to eat less than 4 oz, give you a little 4 oz measuring cup, say Protein first, then veg then carb if allowed after you have eaten your Protein but basically tell you that no carbs are allowed i,e., no cereals or grains. When I asked the dr about it, he said that since I was familiar with whole grains I was probably allowed those later on as most of his patients don't understand the more complicated diets.

I noticed that most surgeons in the larger cities have nutritionists on staff. When I went to the only one at our local hospital a few years ago for a "class" about diabetes, she and I didn't exactly get on.

I'm concerned that the plan isn't really a great plan, gives me no guidance on amount of carbs allowed per day, I know mine should be low. I also know that my body refuses to give up a pound unless I drop below 700 calories in a day. My goal is less than 500 calories per day. I'm seeing different amounts for the required protein amounts, some say as low as 45-50 and I see some suggesting as high as 80-120 which seems like a LOT of protein and calories to reach that amount.

And can someone tell me where you found your suggested goal weight? Again, seems all the charts are different. I'm 5'9" larger frame 233 lb. I'm aiming for around 145-150? not sure if that is a good goal?

I'm having the lap band removed and replaced with a gastric bypass on 08/01/23 so Tuesday!

Hopeful but a bit worried in a small town here.

My restriction has been fierce and only in the last 3 months am I able to get in some veg/ salad/ fruit with every meal. This last month has also seen me able to add in some carbs. I still can not drink with my food for up to an hour after. My meal tonight was 2 small homemade lean ribs in a barbecue sauce, a salad the size of my hand with seeds and nuts and a new seasons potato about the size of a golf ball.

My point is, if you are like me, once your restriction kicks in then your worries about carb intake will not matter straight away. You wont be eating them.

[PennyinAL 28]

Hi summerseeker,

isnt restriction what we’re aiming for? My Dr basically said (and I heard this from a 2nd one I considered as well) that you want the most restricted from the outset and the goal is to lose as much weight as you possibly can in the first 6-12 mos bc weight loss wanes or stops after that.

And I did lookup some dieticians in Huntsville that I am planning to try to go see if I can get an appointment Ty