Questions

I wish there was a search engine on this forum.  Then I would not need to ask questions already answered. Can you have too much daily protein? Is Splenda ok to use?  It is made from sugar and I currently use alot of it for my "sweet tooth" cravings. How long does it take a capsule or meal to pass through the new pouch?  I'm still worried about having a med capsule that I cannot grind up getting stuck. Salt.  I went to buy some beef & chicken broth and the salt content was very high!  This is one of the main staples after surgery but they wanted me to lower my salt intake.     Thanks for putting up with my questions.

Don't worry about the search engine or asking questions.  Its kinda what we are hee for,....besides ribbing, joking, commenting, bragging,...oh yes and a few FARTS here and there. I see yuo are pro-op, scheduled for 06/05/07.  Congrads and good job researching before surgery.  It means you are probably going to do just fine.  Keep up the positive attitude. Your Questions: Q: Can you have too much daily protein?   A: I suppose you can but it is not likely as you will have a new small pouch and will fill up quickly.  Most of us have a bit of a struggle to get int he minimum 60+gm a day at the beginnig.  It may be 6 to 8 month s out before too much could even be an issue.  Note,...protein intake can cause constipation and eventual gall stnes and/or kidney stones,...unless you are getting the prescribed amounts of fluids/water that keep the system flushed.  The protein and water kinda work hand-in-hand.  Most program prescribe 60 gm of protein for recoverying males.  Health and fitness guidance recommends 1 gm of protein for each pound of your goal body weight,...so 60 gms is a real minimum.  Don't worry about too much.  Pay attention more to being sure to get at least 60 or more. Q:  Is Splenda ok to use?  It is made from sugar and I currently use alot of it for my "sweet tooth" cravings. A:  Splenda is acceptable and desireable but will not be an issue early on as the first 2 to 4 weeks will be liquids then soft foods (pasty/yogurt/SF (yes; Splenda) pudding & popsicles, etc). You will more than likely find your sweet tooth craving to be absent, except for pysch-stuff.  Any attempts at sweets will most likely leave you feeling ill and should quickly discourage contiued intake if you don't resist anyways.  I found it a lot easier than I'd ever imagined to just say Nope,..can't have that, recovering from WLS.  Another,..I would worry about that as much as getting your protein options, water, broth, and SF liquids and popsicles stocked -up on.  Maybe get some pre-planned walking routes that have minimum traffic and know distances (.5 mi to 2 mi to start). Q:  How long does it take a capsule or meal to pass through the new pouch?  I'm still worried about having a med capsule that I cannot grind up getting stuck. A: That will vary depending on time from surgery date and healing rate, food selection and quantity, how well you stop eatuiing when your pouch says its full  vs how much too much more yuo force down (gonna come back up anyways so why do it?), etc. etc. My experince was,..it takes about an hour for most foods to pass.  Even a large pill getting stuck can take as much as an hour to pass through.  Pills,...the progam calls for an aray of vitamins and supplements in addition to whatever medications you will still need.  Always shop for the smallest pill form or liquid variation wjehn possible.  Best example is the multi-vitamin with iron.  chewables can be nasty to the taste.  I discoverd a small round multi-vitamin at Walgreens that works for me.  You'll need to find whats available in your area and what is desireable to you as we all have different likes and dislikes.  In the beginning, yo will probably need to take  pils one or two at a time with your sips of liquids.  At 8 months out, I can now take all 8 at one time (iI still break the Vit-C, Calciums, and Potassium pills in halves or thirds just because I still fear them getting stuck). Q:  Salt.  I went to buy some beef & chicken broth and the salt content was very high!  This is one of the main staples after surgery but they wanted me to lower my salt intake.     A:  Your intake will be so low in calories and content overall that the sodium after WLS will be mute.  I was on 4 Blood pressure meds, restricted salt intake diet, and a BP related fuild pill.  immediately after surgery, they stopped one of the BP meds.  Within a month (and I drank a lot of broth; mostly beef becasue the fat and salt was less than the Chicken), I was off another BP pill and the fluid pill.  At 6 months, I was off the third BP pill.  I am still on one and still take potassium but no longer because of BP needs but as mineral supplement.   Thanks for putting up with my answers; hope they help some.  As always and appplicable here,..one of the favorite cliches out here is,...your mileage may vary. Ask anything anytime. Joe [email protected] (h) 804-526-1817 (w) 804-734-2137 M-F 9 a.m.-4p.m.

I'll endorse Joe's answers but make a small correction:  Your protein needs are more like 1 gm of protein for each kilogram (2.2 pounds) of your ideal body weight, not per pound.  Here is one of the best protein articles on the web, and it says over 2.0 g/kg is too much. The USRDA is 0.8 g/kg, which meets or exceeds the needs of 97.5% of the population.  We don't absorb about 20% of protein after RNY.  If you are going to exercise pretty seriously during the loss phase, you might also need a bit more protein.  So net you should be looking somewhere in the 1.0-1.8 g/kg range.  Though anecdotally people will suggest the higher part of this range if you are weight lifting, studies suggest exercise doesn't actually change our protein needs much unless its heavy endurance training (marathon, etc.)  Based on all of the above, I have set my goal at 1.2 g/kg during the heavy loss phase, and at 7 weeks out I have to make a conscious effort to get even close.  I probably only really need about 1 g/kg, so I'll probably scale back when I reach a stable weight (though by that time, my food intake will be up, so I'll probably exceed that without effort). Your needs don't go up because for all that fat, just for muscle.  This is why people commonly say to use your ideal/goal weight.  I do a minor modification on that.  Right now, body fat analysis suggests I have 185 pounds of lean body mass, which is the same as my goal weight according to the charts.  This is because I've maintained (so far) the extra muscle I had from lugging around 375+ for several years.  So if I ate for 185 pounds, I would actually be underserving my current muscle.  So I estimate a fictional ideal body weight by adding about 20% to my current LBM. Right now, my "fictional ideal" is 227.  Based on that, this week I am trying to get 227 lbs /2.2 kg/lb * 1.2 g/kg = 124 grams per day. Did I make that complicated enough?

Ard,

You the man! Did you say you're a lawyer? You should be a molecular biologist, man. (specialist in molecular biological law, maybe?  lol)

Dave

I'm probably one of the few guys in my office who took organic/inorganic chemistry, physics, calculus, etc.  I find unnecessary ways to use some of it in my personal endeavors, but in my work, it rarely comes up.  I probably should have gone into a science field; I think I didn't just to **** off my engineer dad.

You'll do fine.  Coates is a great Dr.  Heard him speak at a pre op meeting.  Both him and Coirin are fine Dr.  I'm sure you have read your blue book inside and out.  If you want a visit after surgery give me a call, I live in Turlock, but work in Modesto and Stockton manytimes.  After surgery you won't be eating much processed foods so the salt issue may be more of not enough, (especially in the summer here), rather than to much.  Drill us with questions, that is why we are here.  You will have 1000 and 1 questions your first few days home from the hospital.  The number one issue is I can't get in all my protein and all my water.  Yes, we know can't!!  Just try your best.  Later, Brian in Turlock  

Thank you for the replies.   Right now I am have a problem mentally adusting to a much smaller intake of food. After the surgery I will adjust pretty damn quick!    Cabin111(Brian), Thanks for the offer, I may take you up on it.   The "Blue Book" is fantastic.   Does the Modesto Hospital supply "johnny" gowns and pants?  I do not wear pj's and did not want to buy any if they will be supplied.