Dumb question about portions

Hi all! 

I had my VGS 3 weeks ago today (doc cleared me last week to start adding soft foods back to my diet). 

That is going great. Question is... how many times a day am I supposed to be eating? I was sent home with a form for the first 3 weeks, that said have three "meals" 1/4 cup soup, 1/4 cup grits, 1/4 cup yogurt and 2 shakes in between.

I dont need the shakes anymore, but am I still supposed to be only eating 3 times a day? I'm not getting very many calories in... :/ 

Thanks! 

every plan is different I eat 3 meals and 2 snacks , 80 gm protien , It would be hard for you to eat enough protien at 3 weeks out

 I would call my nut or surgeon if I was you

You should have received more detailed instructions on your meal plan when you incorporate soft foods.  My first recommendation is to call your nutritionist if you can't locate the paperwork.  I was given a large packet with detailed instructions for my 1st week, 2nd-3rd week, 4th week, and so on.  

My plan called for 3 meals a day with small snacks or shakes in between.  I would eat no more than 1.5-2 ounces every 3-4 hours.  Your main focus is to get in your protein.  If your plan calls for 3 meals and you find that you're not getting in enough protein, then you may want to continue drinking shakes.

When I was at your stage I was consuming approx. 500-600 calories a day with 80g of protein.

Thank you. I guess I will call the nurse at the surgeon's office and ask. I guess I need to add the shakes back, because I am really worried about protein. :) 

I would call your surgeon to ask.  

At your point I couldn't get all my protein from food, so I was still having 2 shakes a day.  

On a side note, grits don't seem like a good option during weight loss - nowhere near enough protein.  

Weird. .they gave them to me in the hospital and it's specifically on my list of things I can eat. 

Just because you can eat it, doesn't mean it's nutritionally useful. 

thin cream of wheat made with milk was on my list for the pureed phase (but NOT after that).

the runny carbs are nice if you are having loose stools in the beginning but shouldn't really stay part of your diet long term b/c you are wasting space on carbs instead of getting in more protein.

I met my protein goals without drinking protein shakes post op.  I drink fairlife skim milk and was able to get to goals with greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and lean meat for meals.

Congrats! We have the same surgery date! 

For the first year after surgery I had a protein coffee for breakfast. No way I could get all the necessary protein in without a shake a day. Then I ate lunch, dinner and one or two protein based snacks. I tracked approximately on MFP and I averaged under 800 calories a day. 

About grits - there is confusion about what you CAN physically eat during the healing phase and what you should be eating or avoiding to eat for the purposes of weight loss. Carbs will stall me if I am in weight loss mode and will make me gain if I am in maintenance mode so I try to avoid them to the extent possible. 

So while it is perfectly understandable that grits may be an acceptable food for your stomach in the post op healing phase, there are also other choices available that will be just as good in terms of what your new tummy can tolerate but better for you in terms of weight loss and nutrition. I can understand why they would put it on your plan and give in the hospital, but there really are other (better) options with a bigger bang for your protein and weight loss buck!

This said, I am firmly in the moderation camp for most foods. As long as nutritional values are good and you are meeting your requirements and focusing on protein first.