WEIGHT LOSS

I had my surgery in May of 07 and I've lost 45 pounds my doctors says that I should have lost more than that. He asked what kinda foods I'm eating and he said that I'm eating the wrong things and drinkin the wrong drinks, but I wa never advise on the sugar intake I was suppose to be on and I love sweet tea and I was drink 3-4 glasses a day, and when I get a sweet craving I would eat those 100 calorie packs but he said not to that also. Does anyone have any advise on meal planning or their diary that they had on some ideas on what to eat and what not to eat. I going to make an appointment with a nutritonist as soon as possible. How much should I have lost by now.

Hi, Nicole, I know you must be frustrated by your doctor's comments! In regard to how much weight you should have lost to date, I wouldn't look back. Instead, call the doctor's office and ask him what his expectations are going forward in terms of weight loss per month or per week or whatever his goals for you are. Do that before you go to a nutritionist, unless the nutritionist you see is part of your doctor's practice. To design a reasonable meal plan, you also need to know what amount of protein your doctor recommends. Protein is the number 1 priority here, so if you start with that, calculate the calories related to that amount of protein, figure out how many calories you are supposed to be eating, and use the balance of the calories (calories to eat minus protein calories) on vegetalbes first, then some fruit. Most bariatric (weight loss) nutritionists and doctors do not recommend consuming refined carbohydrates (bread, pasta, sweets) while you are in weight loss mode. Refined carbs are only added in when you reach goal - and then only as much as your body can take and still maintain your weight loss. Once the nutritionist or doctor tells you how many calories to eat per day, you can use an online program (fitday.com) to track what foods you eat. The program will calculate the calorie content of each item of food (based on the amount of it) as wewll as the grams of protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Just to give you an example of a meal plan, my surgery was on June 18 (3 months ago). I am supposed to take in 90-100 g of protein each day and consume 700-800 calories per day. The calories will increase as I go along, but the amount of protein will stay the same until I reach my goal weight, at which time it will go down to 60 grams per day. Many doctors don't recommend as high a protein intake as mine does. Many are told just 60 grams of protein. I usually drink one high protein shake each day made from protein powder and nonfat milk. The protein powder you choose should be low in carbs and low in fat, too. Mine is 2 grams of fat and 3 grams of carbs. While you are waiting to get with a nutirtionist, you might want to post on the Nutrition and Diet Forum here on OH. They have 3 registered dietitions andswering questions just like yours. If you tell them your dr hasn't given you any guidelines and ask them for a recommendation of number of calories and amount of protein, they should be able to help you. Best of luck to you. Keep in mind you have already lost 45 pounds, which should make you happy. Just think how good you'll feel with a sound meal plan and no more refined carbs, girlie!!!! Please continue to post with us and let us know how you do! Cleo

Hi Nicole, If you want to take a look at my online food journal to see what I've been eating, go here: http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp?id=DJENSENAK and on the upper right there is a link that says "View my food and exercise log" and you'll get an idea of what I'm eating. I just went to my 3 month follow up with my surgeon yesterday and he said he only wished all of his patients were as compliant as I am in following all the rules. I must be doing well, because he's like a strict dad about his rules being followed! Good luck! Donna

Here's the link of the binder they give us at the hospital I had my surgery at... http://www.permanente.net/homepage/kaiser/pdf/39806.pdf it you have trouble accessing it, you can send me your email address and i'll email it to you. It has a lot of useful information for before/after surgery. It has diet info, vitamin info, etc... My NUT advises that we should have no more than 10 grams of sugar per meal. I'm on 3 meals per day. Best of luck! I hope this helps!