Proper nutrition to go along with exercise

Yes I am so excited to have found this site! I am 3 months post op and I am lost. I currently work out 5 days a week. I do cardio every day. I walk on a treadmill at a 6 incline at about a 2.9 speed for 45 minutes or I will do the elliptical machine for 45 minutes with what ever the incline is set at. I burn about 300 to 400 calories a day. Once a week I see my personal trainer and we do weight training.

I need some advice from fellow WLS patients. I know I am not eating enough and frankly do not care to eat. I prefer to drink all my protein. I have already hit 3 stalls which I think is due to my nutrition. I finally started to eat my protein and my day consists of this I will have 2 egg whites scrambled in the morning (anybody know the calories on egg whites?)and on the way to work I will have a shake that has 30 g of protein in the morning (100 calories) then for snack I will have a low fat string cheese (50 calories). For lunch I will have about 3 oz of skinless chicken. Then for another snack I will have a 25 g protein drink (100 calories). Then before I go to the gym I will have another low fat string cheese (50 calories). Sometimes after going to the gym I will have another 30g of a protein shake (100 calories).

The first question that I have is it bad to only drink protein and not eat protein? Secondly, do I need to consume more fat, calories, or am I doing fine? I do take all of my vitamins and drink plenty of water.

Any advice would be beneficial to me.  ~Diana~

Diana, For the amount of physical activity you're getting and your nutrition intake,  it is HIGHLY LIKELY that your calories/day simply are not enough to fire your metabolism and continue burning fat as desired.  Your body could actually be hoarding fat, stopping your weight loss, as a way to make-up for the caloric deficit.  Result:  The dreaded stall or plateau!  As your weight decreases and your fitness level increases, your caloric requirements are going to change and you'll need more.  Less does not always equal more when it comes to calories and weight loss.   My suggestion to you is to increase your calories...do it gradually and track your weight loss as you increase to determine if the additional calories are enough to fire the metabolism or if more are required.   It's always good to get as much protein as possible through food.  Whether one gets it through food or supplements (shakes) it's up to each individual to determine what works best for them.  Bottomline, do whatever it takes to meet the requirement.   Personally, I always have and always will use protein supplements to meet my requirement and help me achieve my goals.   For most, at three months out achieving peak fat-burning efficiency and the building of lean muscle is the utmost priority.  In my opinion, to achieve this, a higher amount of protein than the typical 60-80 that Surgeons and Dieticians suggest is necessary and supplements (shakes) may be the only way to meet those requirements on a consistent basis.  So long story short...more protein and increased calories.

What you are experiencing is not at all uncommon and some very simple adjustments will get you on-track.

Best Wishes!

Cards Fan

"STEP OFF THE SIDELINES AND GET IN THE GAME!"

Thanks so much for that advice. I believe that is so true about how extremely low calorie diets and increased exercise can slow down weightloss. That is exactly my problem right now. I really need to drill that into my head and make sure to eat enough each day. The slowed weightloss has really made me afraid of food.

Diana: From what I've read, it just looks like you are eating tons of protein without a lot of fat and carbs.  Good carbs (fruits, veggies, whole grain breads/pastas/rice) are extremely good for you and actually will help in losing the excess fat. Carbs are important in losing fat because your body has to burn fat at the same time it's burning carbs...sound confusing?  Well, it's not really that complicated, all it means is that your body has to burn carbs kind of in the background while it is also burning fat.  Exercise physiologists say that "fat burns in a carbohydrate flame."  If you don't eat enough carbs, your body starts to "eat" it's own muscle tissue to break down for energy, which will reduce your base metabolism.  Eating carbs will help your body to break down carbs for the energy you need in your cardio.  Eating a balanced diet of fruits, veggies, whole grain breads/pastas/rice, and protein is the best way for your body to burn fat and maintain the muscle you are gaining through the weight training.  As a side note, try to make another day for weight-training so that you can tone muscle and raise your resting metabolism.  Good luck and I hope I helped!

While the response from Chris is well-intentioned, his suggestions are contrary to the advice that should be given to a new RNY post-op. This is not a flame - hear me out... Diana is a 3-month RNY post op.  Her stomach is now approximately the size of an egg with an opening (stoma) about the size of a dime.  At  3 months, the new pouch is still in the healing process so she's even more limited than say a post-op of 9-12 months or more.  This is not an opinion, this is a fact. Any idea what happens to many RNY patients when they eat bread, pasta or rice?  It swells in the pouch and can easily get stuck often resulting in excruciating pain and/or vomiting.  These are foods to be avoided in this stage of the game for good reason...some will never be able to incorporate some of these into their diets again. What Chris said about the benefit of carbohydrates is absolutely on target (under normal cir****tances).  Diana's cir****tances are not normal and carbohydrates ARE NOT a priority and in fact can be counter-productive to her weight loss goals.  It's often difficult and nearly impossible for some to get in the requirement of 60-80 grams of protein daily along with 64 ounces of fluids...once again, the stomach is the size of an egg and leaves little to no room for carbohydrates.  I'm not advocating ZERO carbs, only pointing out that they are VERY LIMITED at this point in her journey.  Protein, fluids and vitamins MUST be the NUMBER ONE priority.  Later on down the road, the addition of more complex carbs (fruits, veggies, whole grains) that Chris mentioned do become a suggested, but limited (and welcomed!) part of the menu. Apologies if I've ruffled a feather or two, but could not let this go without rebuttal. Cards Fan

Thanks for the responses Card Fan and Chris! I appreciate it!

This is the problem that I am having. I have asked my nutritionist how many calories I should be consuming daily, based on my workout. The response that I get back is to get between 70 to 90 grams of protein and not to worry about calories and keep carbohydrates to a minimum and watch the fat and sugar content. I have been following that but I am starting to second-guess it. It feels like my body is missing something. My balance is off and my immune system is shot. Since surgery I have been sick twice, which is not common for me.

Would it be possible for someone to create a sample nutrition guide for me that I can follow? I am not the best cook nor do I find time to cook. I think the main reason why I do not like to eat is because I am afraid of dumping or vomiting. Any type of guidance with food will help me.

I also wanted to mention that at lunch today I purchased a Morning Atkins Advantage bar and will be trying that before I hit the gym today. Has any one tried any bars like that? Thanks again!   Diana

I personally am a non-op, but have 6 friends in 3D who have had RNY.  Two surgeons in the same county have very different advice.  One group of friends was eating some portion of a Lean Cuisine within two months, the other was still on soft foods...refrieds, applesauce, etc.  One friend was drinking wine in 6 weeks - five years ago and she has lost and kept off 110% of her weight, but that's another story for another day...LOL  Your surgeon comes first here, you paid him/her the $, that person gets the last say.  Having said that, if you want to try a whole grain cracker, like a wasa, nibble on that with the string cheese.

Eventually, and maybe it is now for you, you will need to work in more carbs! Most of my buds cannot eat pasta or chewy bread, but all other grains worked fine for them.

I am on this site to add to my knowledge of obesity and various ways to successfully lose weight.  I thank CardsFan for trying to point me in the right direction (even if his baseball team loyalties need to be questioned ). But at the same time, I got my information from the RNY forum and one of the articles from the Cleveland Clinic Bariatric and Metabolic Institute.  I understand that adding foods to the diet is a complicated process and one that should be carefully done, but at the same time, it also says that after 1-2 months of surgery, that fruits, veggies, and carbs (including rice/pasta/bread) are able to be tolerated.  Again, adding foods needs to be done slowly and carefully and I would ultimately follow the advice of your surgeon, nutritionist, and your body.   Here is the link for the article: http://obesityhelp.com/forums/rny/cmsID,9805/mode,content/.  I hope this article helps!

Congratulations first off,  you are doing great!! And what a machine with the exercise. Let me tell you you are in the right mind set to get to goal. I have seen a lot of people have this surgery and not work 100% to get to goal. My friend and I have both made it to goal ( he is under goal )by making exercise a number one priority. While I know the use of articles can be helpful for  giving advise, you really can't know what eating after surgery is like until you walk in our shoes. I had lap RNY 20 months ago and am at goal weight. I could not tolorate bread for almost a year.Our anatomy after surgery is just not made to take heavy foods such as bread, pasta and rice. The number one component we are told to consentrate on is protein. Eat your protein first and then fruits and veg and then carbs.  Cardsfan had it right. Kelly 278/136/136

I guess I get to play devils advocate. What everyone says is true, however, we each have different physical makeups and will have a different response regardless of what experts say. Listen to your doctor and more importantly to your body. One of the biggest things this surgery teaches us is to modify our eating habits. If you have hunger pangs don't ignore them. Document what you're eating over the course of a week to determine if something is upsetting you and causing the feelings you describe.

In my own case I opted not to count calories constantly or drive myself bonkers with fitness. I came into this nearly 500 pounds and I lost so much it is amazing. I focused on lifestyle enhancement and I find food to be far more enjoyable now than before. I eat when I'm hungry, snacking is rarely done, and I eat what I like but always in moderation. I even went to culinary school as well! Nearly three years have passed and I'm still losing weight. I have not plateaued and I'm just undertaking an exercise program at present. I say the above to highlight that we all get to goal using different vehicles and only you can determine the seat that fits you perfectly. Best of luck! Gabby