My nutritionist said....................

My nutritionist said..... and well my nutritionist said............. and so on and so on and so on I know I am going to get a lot of criticism for this, but I just wanted to bring it to everyone's attention. I went to see my NUT this past Thursday and did I get a wake up call. All this talk about protein on here had my head spinning. Most people say they are getting in 90 - 100 grams a day and I was no where near that. So after talking to my NUT she said that as long as I get 40 - 60, which I am, that is perfectly fine. She said that no one needs 90 - 100 grams a day. She said that my hair is not going to fall out, my nails won't turn colors and break off, etc. I was in shock! Of course, I said "well, my friends on obesityhelp.com said...." and she told me that everyone is different and every nutritionist is different and I shouldn't go by what everyone else is doing or told to do. What she also told me is that everyone is going to be eating differently. Calories, types of food, etc. and we shouldn't go by what everyone else is doing. What does everyone think?

I think that is perfectly fine. My nutritionist actually provides a chart based on sex and height as to the protein requirement. I am at 60 grams, sometimes I go over a few grams, but rarely higher than 64 or 65, it's hard enough to get there. I am not losing my hair and my nails are growing just as before (I trim weekly since I type for a living). I asked my surgeon about all this and while he does stress getting to 60 grams protein a day for me, he says it's not the end of the world if it's slightly 10-15) grams below that "once in a while." I'm just following what my surgeon and nutritionist have as guidelines. I do enjoying reading all the different program rules though, it is quite a sign that there is no single answer to how this all works, and that it's really a new procedure in the big picture, and we are all experiments in a way. Inky

To put it scientifically - it depends. I don't think that there is one rule for all post-ops. I think a lot of factors are considered and protein requirements are individual. The most important factors being height and sex. Taller people and men need more protein and calories because they typically have a higher resting metabolism (the amount of calories used to sustain regular life activities). Bear with me because I've used this analogy before - It takes more fuel to run a bigger engine. Also, age and fitness/activity level should be considered. Some of us are working out, some aren't (its a personal choice). Those that do, need extra protein to sustain increased physical activity. In my opinion your NUT is wrong. Not about you, but there are some people that need 90-100g of protein a day. You cannot build lean muscle mass taking in 40-60g (especially now, because we do not absorb all of the protein we take in). Personally, I am not interested in only losing weight (but it is ok if anyone else is), I am looking to build lean muscle, therefore my protein goal is 80g/day. So really, our NUTs are a good resource, but a better suggestion (if you REALLY want to know the right answer) is to do our own research. There are journals of dietetics, medicine, and kinesiology that go into depth on these subjects. But - keep in mind - they may conflict too. Ahh, the beauty of science! The best suggestion of all is to listen to your own body. Are you losing weight like you should be? Is your energy level good? Is your hair coming out? Does your skin have goos color and texture? If not, then you may need to adjust. That's my 2 cents (and nickel, and dime, and quarter)..

I think it goes by your height weight sex and your surgeon. my nutritionist like to tell me what she feel is right. for instance I was not allowed meat until after 1 month and my nut said why I am the nut for 3 surgeons and they all can have meat and beans. I will always go by what my surgeon says because He has been doing this longer then my nut. I love seeing what everyone else is doing and I love the diversity we get from each other. I say do what works for you!!

well my scales at the docs office tell me i am gaining muscle and losing fat .. seems i have gained 20 lbs of muscle and lost 8 lbs of fat .. I have no clue why I gain muscle so easy but I am eat eating about 70 grams of protien a day i seem to not lose wirght when i drink protien but when i eat 60 grams of protien i do .. very werid .. but I swear protien drinks r making me fat LOL gonna try eating protien for few days see if I lose that way but I know soy has homones and plays havic on my emotions and periods all the time .. so the doc told me to eat regular food but tiny portions and see if that helps with weight loss but exercise every day Lisa my 2 cents worth wish i could give u a couple pounds worth LOL

Interesting that this gets posted today. I just got the scoop from my dietician who said that my MD was wrong about only wanting me to get 60g of protein per day. She said that the guideline is 1g of protein for every kilogram of your goal weight. Therefore, I'm aiming for 200# so my protein intake should be 200 divided by 2.2 which comes out to 90g of protein per day. She said I need at least 80g, but not more than 90g to keep lean mass and keep the ketosis fire going.

BTW - I'm 6'3" and at 200# my BMI would be 25. If I can get below 200# it's all gravy to me, as when I graduated college I was 195# and fit into my 34" jeans without trouble!