No weight loss for weeks! Protein Intake--How much at 7 months Post Op?

Okay ladies. I have hit my first no weight loss month! I am stillbouncing back and forth between 159.5 and 162. Here is a typical meal plan for me: One Protein Shake in the morning (estimated protein 20-23 grams) (140 calories) One V8 juice mid morning (estimated protein 3 grams) (70 calories) Chicken and Stars Soup (2 cups) (Estimated protein 6 grams for two.) (140 calories) Evening Meal (Sometimes Soup again or I grill a filet steak very lean and eat this ( I would estimate another 6 to 14 grams of protein at the evening meal) I would estimate another 200-400 calories depending on what I eat. So my protein intake is about 35 grams to 56 grams and my calorie intake is 550 to 750 depending on what I eat for the evening meal. I would say I never go over 800 to 900 calories a day for certain. Do you think I am not eating enough or getting enough protein? I really want to hit my goal weight, but I am afraid at this rate that I will not meet my goal since I have not lost in weeks! Any advice would be great. Thanks!

I get about 70 to 80 grams of protein a day, sometimes more. I am not real sure on the calories since I dont usually count them. I think though that 800 to 900 is good for a day. They also told me I could eat soup, but mostly the filling and not much broth. So I make thick vegetable soup with lots of meat and eat the meat first and then some vegetables. I dont eat a lot of noodles or rice, but I do sometimes. I havent really had a stall, but there are weeks that I dont lose anything, but it seems the following week then I will lose. I have lost 104 lbs and am so happy about that. I try not to get discouraged when I dont lose one week because I know eventually it will all come off. Good luck and try to up that protein and see if that helps. Carla

I too am adviced to keep my protein to about 70 - 80 grams a day. I know every surgeon is different. I would try to increase the protein and eat a little more. I believe in starvation mode and i think your body is holding onto the fat a drop more. I also was told not to over do on soup. SOUP is like drinking with your meal which most surgeons suggest we dont. SO be careful. CONGRATULATIONS on your weight loss lisa

IMHO I would up both the protein and the calories. At least 80 grams of protein and 1000 calories. If you are still staying below 800 calories a day your body thinks you are starving it. This is the same reason way we stopped losing weight before our surgeries. If you cut to far back your body goes into hibernation mode and hangs on to each calorie. If you just don't like eating much add a protein bar or 2 a day that would increase both. I like the EAS carb control available at Walmart. Good luck HW 250 SW 235 CW 175 GW 150-160?

You don't say how much water you are getting in and that is really important as well. Also, that soup is loaded with sodium which makes you retain water. I would drop the soup and eat real foods lower in sodium and make sure you get at least 72 ounces of water in a day. Cindy 234/161/134

copied this from the main board hope it helps you during your hard time right now: Consider how difficult it is for you to run up ten flights of stairs all in one shot. Can you do it? I'm betting NOT unless you are a top-notch-conditioned Olympian, right? Now, of course, you could EVENTUALLY get up those ten flights of stairs if you rested on the landings periodically to catch your breath and pause for a moment before your heart explodes. you'd get up those stairs - but only if you rested on the landings or PLATEAUS. Well, running up ten flights of stairs in one shot is what we are asking our body to do after WLS in the way we want the body to lose a massive amount of weight. As our body loses weight so rapidly, it occasionally has to "rest on the landings" to catch its breath, get its bearings, take a breather. Then once it feels rested, it takes another shot at dropping the pounds again. It's remarkable that the body can drop so much weight so quickly anyway after surgery. but it can't do it all in one long shot like running up ten flights of stairs in one long shot. It has to rest on the landings or PLATEAUS. Keep this analogy in mind when you hit those plateaus. PLURAL. PLATEAUS. No such thing as ONE. you'll have many along your journey. When those plateaus hit, you still must do what you need to do. DON'T stop the good nutrition, the vitamins, the exercise. keep those routines going. And once your body is done "resting" in between the flights of stairs, it will kick in gear again for the next flight or two. And the more pounds that are dropped, the slower the pounds will drop too. so you will not lose rapidly during that last stretch of 25-30 pounds. it's like an athlete who gives his all during the race, sees the finish line in sight, and does all he/she can to finish. the muscles ache, the heart is about to burst. but the athlete DOES finish the marathon. some athletes "walk" across the finish line. but the point is they FINISHED. Understanding plateaus will help you relax a bit and keep you from self-doubt, which is something you don't need right now along your journey.

I agree that you need more protein (at least 70gm) and the water is key. How are you doing on your exercise? It might be time to step it up a notch. I added bike riding back in October (real bike on paved trails) and the pounds started sliding off again. I also weight train and do other aerobic and body shaping classes. Good luck! HW 315 SW 306 CW 184 GW 150