I need help!!

Ok, So I have 'forgotten' some things. Please remind me how many calories we should intake daily. My second question is how many grams of protein should I have daily? I have experienced a stall for a while now and I am trying to get myself back on track. Any help is greatly appreciated!! Thanks, Towana

Hey, I am dealing with the same thing. Tonya Shipman at MUSC told me calories should be 600 to 800 now. Protein is the big deal, at least 60 grams, which I have not been getting in. How is your hair? Mine is coming out!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope to see you soon. Mary

FOR ANYONE WHO IS GOING TO HAVE WLS SURGERY OR ANY KIND OF SURGERY, START TAKING BIOTIN NOW BEFORE YOUR SURGERY. BE SURE TO HAVE A GOOD HAIRCUT (SHORTER THAN YOU'D LIKE) BEFORE SURGERY AS WELL. YOUR HAIR, SKIN & NAILS ARE "NON-ESSENTIAL" TO LIFE SO YOUR BODY "FEEDS" THEM LAST AFTER YOUR ORGANS, ETC. YOU CAN GET IT AT WAL*MART & IT'S VERY INEXPENSIVE ... "REXALL" BRAND ... EXTREME BIOTIN 1,500 mcg 3 TIMES A DAY. YES, IT SAYS TAKE ONCE A DAY, BUT THAT IS A MAINTANANCE DOSAGE FOR HEALTHY PEOPLE. YOU WON'T BE "HEALTHY" AFTER SURGERY ... YOUR BODY WILL HAVE TO DECIDE, "DO I HEAL THIS HUGE CUT INSIDE HER/HIM, OR DO I MAINTAIN HER/HIS HAIR ... UHHHHH, DAH-UHHHH, THE BODY SAYS ... "FORGET THE HAIR". SO, YOU NEED TO HELP THE BODY OUT BY GIVING IT MORE THAN ENOUGH OF ANY PARTICULAR NUTRIENT. I STARTED BIOTIN 3 TIMES A DAY A MONTH BEFORE SURGERY & HAVE HAD ABSOLUTELY NO HAIR LOSS. IF YOU'RE EXPERIENCING HAIR LOSS NOW, BE PATIENT ... CUT YOUR HAIR TO LESSEN THE AMOUNT YOUR BODY HAS TO SUPPORT ... START THE BIOTIN & IT WILL WORK EVENTUALLY. YOUR NAILS WILL GET STRONGER AS WELL & YOUR SKIN WILL BE HEALTHIER. OTHERS HAVE SAID THAT THEY ALSO TAKE ZINC, BUT I HAVEN'T TRIED THAT SO I CAN'T PERSONALLY VOUCH FOR IT AS TO HOW IT EFFECTS YOUR HAIR. ONCE YOUR HAIR, NAILS & SKIN BECOME HEALTHY, THEN CUT BACK TO 2 PILLS A DAY. IF YOU STILL MAINTAIN HEALTHY HAIR, NAILS & SKIN, TRY 1 A DAY ... OTHERWISE, LISTEN TO YOUR BODY ... IT WILL TELL YOU HOW MUCH YOU NEED DAILY BY HOW IT REACTS. I'VE CHECKED WITH MY PRIMARY DOC ON THESE DOSAGES ... I TAKE A SPREADSHEET WITH ALL MY PRESCRIPTIONS, SUPPLEMENTS & OVER-THE-COUNTER MEDS DOSAGES & AMOUNTS I TAKE. HE'S FINE WITH EVERYTHING ... EACH PERSON IS DIFFERENT WITH DIFFERENT HEALTH ISSUES & NUTRITION NEEDS, BUT THIS IS A GOOD PLACE TO START. YOU MUST BE VERY PROACTIVE WITH YOUR LIFESTYLE DECISIONS NOW THAT YOU'VE HAD WLS. &, UNDERSTAND THAT YOU CANNOT JUDGE YOUR NEEDS BY NON-WLS PEOPLE & WHAT THEIR BODIES NEED. WE JUST DON'T ABSORB LIKE THEY DO. SO, YOU MAY HAVE TO EXPERIMENT WITH PRODUCTS & DOSAGES & HOW MANY TIMES A DAY YOU TAKE THOSE DOSAGES, BUT YOUR BODY WILL LET YOU KNOW WHEN IT NEEDS MORE, LESS OR IS IN A BALANCED STATE. I JUST TRIED TO CUT MY DOSAGES ON MOST OF MY SUPPLEMENTS BY 1 PILL A DAY & WITHIN A WEEK, WEEK & A HALF, MY ENERGY LEVEL DROPPED BIG TIME & I BEGAN FEELING AWFUL. I'VE GONE BACK TO MY ORIGINAL AMOUNTS, & AM FINALLY BEGINNING TO REGAIN MY ENERGY & FEELING BETTER AGAIN. GOD BLESS EACH OF YOU DAWN & NICK

600-800 I have already had 619 and that was one protein drink, a boiled egg and boiled 1oz beef sausage, and its just 12:30 pm. If I am drinking 3 protein shakes and 2 meals, I will exceed that by about 300 calories.....HELP!!!!!!

600 - 800 CALORIES A DAY AT THIS POINT IS A GENERAL RULE OF THUMB, MS TOWANA. COUNT YOUR FLUIDS & PROTEINS 1st ... IF YOU ARE USING PROTEIN PRODUCTS LIKE SHAKES, PUDDINGS & DRINKS, THEY ARE USUALLY VERY LOW IN CALORIES. IF YOU USE MILK FOR YOUR SHAKES, CHANGE TO FAT-FREE HOOD CARB COUNTDOWN DRINK BEVERAGE (WAL*MART & PUBLIX) ... LOW CALORIES & NO FAT & LOW CARBS. YOU MAY NOT NEED 3 SHAKES IF YOU COUNT PROTEIN 1st ... YOU MAY NEED ONLY 2 SHAKES + 2 MEALS ... OR 3 SHAKES & 1 MEAL. YOU WILL HAVE TO EXPERIEMENT. BECAUSE YOU ARE VERY ACTIVE, TRY NOT TO GO OVER 1,000 CALORIES A DAY NO MATTER WHAT ... ALSO, THE MORE WATER/FLUIDS YOU DRINK, THE BETTER EVEN WITH A COUPLE EXTRA CALORIES. FROM YOUR POST, YOU'D BE AT 1,100 CALORIES EVEN WITH 3 SHAKES & 2 MEALS. YOU KNOW THAT AFTER THE FIRST MONTH, MONTH & A HALF ... YOU NO LONGER HAVE TO HAVE THE 3 MEALS/3 SNACKS THEY WANT YOU TO EAT IN THE BEGINNING, DON'T YOU? DOC B SAYS IF YOU CAN GET ALL YOUR PROTEINS IN 2 MEAL & YOU'RE STILL LOSING WEIGHT & YOU ARE HEALTHY, HE DOESN'T CARE HOW MANY TIMES A DAY YOU EAT ... JUST AS LONG AS YOU GET YOUR FLUIDS, PROTEINS & SUPPLEMENTS IN DAILY. I EAT MAYBE 2-4 TIMES A DAY, DEPENDING ON THE DAY ... THAT INCLUDES EVERYTHING ... PROTEIN PUDDINGS, PROTICA, "REAL" FOOD & SNACKS (S-F POPCICLES & NSA FUDGECICLES). I'M IN A MAAJOR (SUPER LONG) STLL AS WELL & I'VE INCREASED MY PROTEIN & AM STRUGGLING TO INCREASE MY FLUIDS. THEN, IT'S JUST A WAITING GAME UNTIL YOUR BODY IS BALANCED & READY TO LOSE AGAIN. GOD BLESS DAWN & NICK

You might want to evaluate that 600 calories. According to NutritionData.com 1oz beef sausage is about 100 calories. 1 large hard boiled egg about 75 calories. So umm how many calories was that protein drink? A scoop of protein with little to no sugar and low carbs should be between 80-120 calories, add skim milk 90 calories, or add carb milk only 45 calories. Your protein drink should be 200 or less calories. Premade ones like Atkins shakes are 170, acheivOnes are 120. I use unjurys 80-90 per scoop and matrix 120 per scoop and carb milk. I use sf davinici syrups to create different flavors. If the protein drink was not the calorie culprit then the beef was...was is flavored or fatty? Baked chicken is about 150 cal for 3 oz, fat free turkey about 100 cal for 3 oz. Dairy products like cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, low fat yogurts can be mixed with fruit, splenda, sf jams, sf pudding powders for flavors. And they are all good sources of protein. Do your homework, read your labels, use fitday or nutritiondata or a handbook on calories. A good rule of thumb is atleast 8-10 grams of protein per 100 calories otherwise its not worth your while to put it in your mouth. If you can get 60+ grams of protein from food, cut out the shakes or go down to one and 3 meals. They say your protein intake should be half your weight, but atleast 60 is the low limit. Further out you can eat more and can increase it. Calories depends on exercise and your stage out of wls. I think 1000 would be the high limit for the first year, but after about 6mnths you may be up to 1200 esp if you are exercising vigourously regularly not "occassionally". In my opinion, if you want to eat more, exercise more. Calories in vs calories out. You are 3mnths out? 60 pounds is great. Could you have done that with out this tool, you would not have had the surgery. Let your body go at its own pace, plateaus happen. Read this, save it, read it every few months, print it. http://www.gastricbypassfamily.com/PouchRules.html Good Luck Mic pre-op 324, current 154 @ goal LBL scheduled 02-27-06

WELL MS MICHELLE ... SINCE YOU'RE IN N CHAS, WHY DON'T YOU JOIN US ON MONDAYS AT THE NORTH TOWN GRILL ACROSS FROM NORTHWOODS MALL ... THAT'S WHERE OUR LOWCOUNTRY BYPASS BUDDIES MEETS EACH WEEK. COME YOURSELF, BRING A SPOUSE OR A FRIEND ... WE WELCOME EVERYONE! AS A LONG TIMER, YOU'D SURE BE A WEALTH OF INFORMATION FOR THE REST OF US & WE'D LOVE TO GET TO KNOW YOU! AMAZING 170 # LOSS ... I ADDED YOU TO OUR SC WEIGHT LOSS LIST. CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING AT GOAL. I CAN'T QUITE IMAGINE THAT YET, BUT I WILL! WHAT IS AN "LBL"? LOWER BODY LIFT IS MY GUESS, BUT I'M NOT SURE. WHO'S DOING YOUR SURGERY, WHAT ALL IS BEING DONE & WHERE ARE YOU HAVING IT DONE? NOW, ABOUT THE "PROTEIN INTAKE SHOULD BE HALF YOUR WEIGHT" ... SO, 223 / 2 = 111.5 ... SO, I'M SUPPOSED TO BE GETTING 111 - 112 GRAMS OF PROTEIN A DAY? WHOAH, I'M WAY LOW. FROM THE FEED BACK I GOT ON THE OCT BOARD REGARDING MY STALL, THEY SUGGESTED STARTING AN AEROBIC EXERCISE PROGRAM, MORE PROTEIN (FALLS IN LINE WITH WHAT YOU JUST SAID) & MORE CALORIES ... BUMPING IT UP FROM 500-800 TO 800-1,000 CALORIES A DAY FROM A GOOD PROTEIN SOURCE. INTERESTING INFO ... THANKS! GOD BLESS DAWN & NICK

Just looked at your before & after pics ... You don't even look like the same person, Ms Mic ... What a beautiful transformation!

KEEPING IN MIND THAT WE'RE ALL DIFFERENT & BECAUSE YOU ARE VERY ACTIVE, YOU WILL NEED MORE THAN OTHERS ... THE LIMIT ON CALORIES IS BETWEEN 800 - 1,200 PER DAY DEPENDING ON YOUR ACTIVITY LEVEL. REMEMBER WITH CALORIES ... WE CAN GAIN WEIGHT EVEN WITH THE POUCH IF WE CONSISTENTLY GO OVER 1,200 CALORIES ... THAT'S A HEALTHY AMOUNT FOR ANYONE WANTING TO LOSE WEIGHT. 60 - 80 GRAMS OF PROTEIN A DAY IS "NORMAL" BUT UPWARDS OF 100 GRAMS WILL GIVE YOU AN EXTRA BOOST WHEN HITTING A STALL. EVERYTHING IN YOUR BODY NEEDS PROTEIN TO LIVE OFF OF & BE HEALTHY. IF YOU GIVE IT "JUST ENOUGH" PROTEIN, THEN YOUR BODY WILL REFUSE TO ALLOW YOU TO LOSE ANY MORE WEIGHT. IT KEEPS A LITTLE "ENERGY" STORAGE. HERE'S THE KICKER ... (GO TO MY PROFILE ABOUT HALF WAY DOWN & READ ABOUT DRINKING WATER/FLUIDS). THE MINIMUM IS 64 OUNCES OF FLUIDS A DAY. YOU CANNOT STAY HEALTHY IF YOU DON'T KEEP YOUR FLUIDS UP ... THE POISONS (sp?) & WASTE WILL STAY IN YOUR SYSTEM & YOU WON'T FLUSH THEM OUT. SOME OF THE LADIES & GENTS ON THE OCT BOARD WHO ARE EXERCISING HARD ARE DRINKING 120 OUNCES OF FLUIDS A DAY TO HYDRATE, FLUSH & KEEP THE STALLS AWAY. YOU CANNOT DRINK TOO MUCH; YOU CERTAINLY CAN DRINK TOO LITTLE & YOUR HEALTH WILL SUFFER. THE #1 MOST IMPORTANT THING IN OUR EATING/DRINKING PLAN IS FLUIDS. NEXT MOST IMPORTANT IS THE BUILDING BLOCK FOR OUR BODY ... THAT IS PROTEIN ... THEN DAIRY, GREEN VEGES, FRUITS, WHOLE GRAINS (in order of importance) ... & THEN ONLY THE SMALLEST AMOUNTS OF "WHITE CARBS" IF YOU CAN TOLERATE THEM &, ONLY IF YOU HAVE NOT GONE OVER YOUR DAY'S CALORIES. THIS IS WHY SNACKING IS SO DANGEROUS ... IF YOU ONLY HAVE 1,000 CALORIES A DAY & YOU USE UP 200 OF THEM IN CANDY (EVEN SUGAR-FREE CANDY), YOU THEN HAVE ONLY 800 CALORIES LEFT TO GET IN ALL YOUR NUTRITIOUS FOODS. NOT SAYING YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE AN OCCASIONAL GOODIE, BUT S-F POPCICLES WILL GIVE YOU ABOUT 2.75 OUNCES OF FLUIDS AS WELL ... &, NSA ICE CREAM WILL GIVE YOU A BIT OF DAIRY. SO, ENJOY BUT BE CAREFUL; WE HAVE TO MAKE EVEN WISER CHOICES THAN THE NON-WLS PERSON BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT LIMITS WE HAVE DUE TO OUR POUCH SIZE. HOPE THIS HELPS, MS TOWANA. GOD BLESS DAWN & NICK