Got lectured this weekend...

So far today, I'm at 108 g of protein and 1011 calories.  Seems high...the calories, not the protein.

On September 25, 2012 at 4:17 PM Pacific Time, clutterbunny wrote: So far today, I'm at 108 g of protein and 1011 calories.  Seems high...the calories, not the protein.

Maybe this will be helpful:

Fat: 1 gram = 9 calories 
Protein: 1 gram = 4 calories
Carbohydrates: 1 gram = 4 calories
Alcohol: 1 gram = 7 calories

DSers do not absorb all of these calories.  My understanding is that the amount you absorb is different depending on the length of your common channel and how long ago you had surgery. They are something like:

Fat: 1 gram = 3 to 4 calories
Protein: 1 gram = 2 to 2.5 calories
Carbohydrates: 1 gram = 3.8 to 4 calories (depending on simple or complex)
Alcohol: 1 gram = 7 calories (but can also cause acute liver failure in post-op)

You had 108g protein.  Multiply by 4 calories per gram equals= 432 calories from protein. And that is what you consumed; you absorbed maybe 225 to 300 of those calories the rest went right through you and came out your other end.

What constituted the remaining 579 calories of the 1011 calories you thus far consumed?   (rhetorical question - no need to answer - this is just food for thought) 

If the other 579 calories  were carbohydrate then you absorbed most of the 579 calories.   So your daily absorbed caloric intake thus far would be in the vicinity of  800 calories (250 protein cals plus 550 carb cals) .  Way too low.

If the other 570 calories were fat - say in addition to your protein you ate 64.3g of butter  (64.3 X 9 = 579) then you only absorbed maybe 200 of those calories so your daily absorbed caloric intake thus far would be in the vicinity of 450 calories.  Which is scary low.

If you are still early out you will be eating fewer calories just due to restriction alone.  So, early out, it is good to shoot for more protein calories than any other kind and in your example you had more of non-protein calories that protein calories.

Again, these are examples and rhetorical questions.
Do the DS math.

Took a couple of read-throughs, but I got it.

I also read a forum for Sleeve people and I thin****ep getting confused about calories.  Over there, those people are talking about 400-600 calories a day and barely being able to finish half a meatball.  Based on that, I feel like I'm going waaaaay overboard.  I assumed sleeve and DS were basically the same as far as nutrition/how much to eat/etc, but apparently not?

I thought I had read and researched enough before I did this.  Again, apparently  not.

Thanks for the info!

 The sleeve is the first half of the DS, so we can have similar volumes but after that we are completely different animals.

A sleeve is basically a surgical lap-band. They HAVE to eat low-calorie since they have NO malabsorption. They are working purely on restriction and what goes in is 100% absorbed and used so they are constantly needing to monitor the amount and quality of calories being taken in.

With our malabsorption, we are on the other side of the spectrum. 

Thank you sooooo much for this example.  I have been trying to figure out what the heck I am supposed to be eating - I am talking choices not 100g of protein - less than 50g of carbs...  This makes total sense to me and explains why I stalled after the first two weeks.   I am back on track for sure but now I will be able to keep a closer eye on calories absorbed.

Thank you again for the info

Renee

 You're welcome... even after weight loss there are days of FEELING fat or guilty for eating too much (head games we torture ourselves with) and it helps me to review and remember that not all the eaten calories will be absorbed thanks to the miracle of the DS!
:)

108g of protein!!!! OMG - that's awesome
Don't sweat the calories - you're malabsorbing much of them.

Sleeve and DS have the same stomach - but it stops there.

Hi,  just wanted to comment on your stall.  I stalled for 2 weeks after my first two weeks and I think it was because I wasn't eating enough.  I raised my calories and fat intake for a couple of days (still keeping the carbs under 50g a day) and it seems to have kick started the weightloss again.    Yes I was convinced that I was going to be the freak of nature for whom the DS didn't work but once I relaxed and kept working on my protein, it started up again. 

I also just spent a few days out of town with family (most of whom have battled their weight for years) and could not believe how much people were watching every bite I was eating.  To their credit, they weren't judging me.  They were curious.  I found myself explaining the DS and what foods I needed to consume several, several times over the 4 days.  I keep hearing that people just don't understand the DS but I think we need to be the embassadors and explain it to our friends and family. 

As far as eating the same crap as before the surgery... I am having to remind myself that although I could get away with it at this point because of the malabsorption, I need to use this time to break old habits and develop new good ones because I do not want to have to deal with re-gain after the honeymoon period.