Can too much protein keep me from losing?

My doctor said I should have 60 grams of protein daily.  A few days I've had more grams than that.  Could that be why I'm not losing?

Hey there,
The way my doctor said it, it was "at least 60 grams protein a day".  I think I saw your surgery was just on 4/26?  Mentally, it's challenging at this point in the game for a postop lab-bander.  Your body is recovering from just having surgery.  For a lot of us, it takes a few weeks to get that anesthesia out our systems - for me it averages 4-6 weeks.  That can mess with your water retention, metabolism, geesh - even your memory. 

But really?  When you are this new in the game (and as frustrating as it may be), You are not going to see a massive drop in weight.  But l'emme tell ya, about 3 to 4 mos from now people will start looking at you at work (or whereever) and say, "wow, are you losing weight?"  6-8 mos from now, the comments really start coming in... "I didn't want to say anything before, but man!  You look great!"

There are some folks that do drop weight fast early on.  It depends on how high your weight was in the beginning, how much of a fill your surgeon put in at the time of surgery (mine just primed it - while another lady on the East coast who had hers the same day woke up with 3cc's), what you're eating, and what you're doing for exercise.

So in answer to your original question - most surgeons want you to consume 60-80 grams of protein a day.  Of course they want that to be healthy protein.  Deep fried chicken does not count (& I'm happy to say the thought of deep fried food kind of makes me a little queezy).  As hard as it is - and as crazy as it may seem - try not to worry about weight loss just yet.  I'd have to look at my weightloss log, but I really don't think I saw much activity for the first 6-8 weeks.  Bandster Hell is what the initial phase is called.  The swelling in your new tummy has gone down.  You went through this surgery to lose weight & you're not seeing anything.  Some people do not even feel any restriction after the postop swelling goes down. But when it starts working?????  You will be sooooo happy you did this. 

Take care & welcome to the Losers Bench!

Thanks so much for the encouragement!  Your answers REALLY helped me.  I promise---I will stop obsessing!
Kathy

Oh no... I can't believe you made a promise to stop obsessing! 

how about just promising to "try" to stop obsessing .   We're all still just a work in progress!

You are so right!  I promise to try to stop obsessing.  I sure am a work in progress.
Kathy 

For me, the more *LEAN* protein I eat, the more weight I lose.  Period. Get as much in as you can and just focus on letting that tummy heal, that really is most important.  The weight loss will come as she stated above. :)

I eat lots of lean protein.  I do keep track of my calories and measure my food to make sure I am getting a serving size. 

Now you say there are days you are getting more...could that be the reason you aren't losing.  it could be.  It depends.  Is your protein good lean protein.  Are you keeping portions reasonable...you can still eat too much of a good thing.  What  I mean is- if your eating 1000 calories of lean beef for dinner you will probably gain weight.  

If what your eating isn't the problem look at how much you are eating.  Awhile back my weight loss slowed down and I found I was eating too much.  What I did was start measuring a cup of veggies and weighing 4 oz of meat.  I did a little experiment.  I "eye-balled" what I thought was a cup of cottage cheese and then measured a cup.  I was surprised at what I thought was a cup, was actually almost 2 cups.  Now that doesn't seem like much but it does add up. 

Next, I want to mention exercise.  If you add in some exercise or if you are exercising, increase your intensity. You will lose the weight.  I exercise 9 hours a week and I have had to add calories to my diet to fuel my workouts.  I lose weight at good rate every week.  

So in short eat health, lean protein in acceptable portions and add in some exercise.  You will lose weight...be patient.  Good luck   

Good advice... I remember in my WW days, there was a lady at the meeting who was upset about putting on weight.  She couldn't believe it cuz she said the only thing she'd ever snack on was carrots.  But turns out she was actually eating pounds of carrots at a time.  Leader sugg'd she see a doctor.  Skin was even orangy - looked like a jaundiced baby. 

Even veggies need to be in moderation.

I was told minimum of 60, however when I told my surgeon I was doing a one hour walk and one hour of yoga daily he told me to go up 20 grams more.

My Nut says 60-80 grams minimum each day.  Up to 100 is fine too!  No all proteins are created equal.  Use lean white meats and fish for the maximum nutritional impact. 

You not even a month out from surgery, so don't stress.  It will come off.  IMO the thing to watch is white carbs, i.e., sugar, white potato, white rice, pasta, white breads and crackers, etc.  Do yourself a favor now and if you're going to eat carbs switch over to the complex carb counterparts to those listed above.  Whole grains, beans, brown rice, yams or sweet potatoes, etc.

Sugar is my #1 enemy and always stalls my weight loss.  I try not to eat anything with more than 5 g of sugar PER SERVING.  Start looking at sugar on the nutritional labels.  You'll be amazed at how much sugar is in supposidly "healthy" foods!  Take Greek yogurt for example.  Yougurt is a great source of dairy and protein but if you choose the flavored varieties it can have up to 20 g of sugar!  That's 5 tsps of sugar!  So instead of buying the flavored variety, I buy the NF plain, add fresh or frozen berries and a packet of artificial sweetner or honey.  (Honey is high in sugar, but it's healthier than processes sugars).

I also believe its really important to practice healthy eating in the early days post op because a lot of times when bandsters go into the soft phase they often eat things like mashed potatoes, chili, mac and cheese, etc.  All really high in calories.  Even eating a small portion will not be the best choice for your WL efforts.  Start making accomodations now.  I'm not saying you can never have mashed potatoes, but save them for a time when you have restriction and can honestly control the portion size.  Chili is great if you make it yourself using chicken or turkey and can control the fat and sugar content, etc.  You can eat the same things you've always eaten but less of them and you will lose weight, but not as fast as if you change the type of food you eat.  This is all about health, right?  I tried to make healthy changes from day one and I know it made a huge difference in my WL and allowed me to lose 100+ lbs in 9 months.  Some call it dieting, I call it making healthy choice and eating how  naturally thin, healthy people do everyday.
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You're going to be fine!  Keep coming here.  Keep asking good questions!

Best~
Lisa O.