A few questions.

I've been pondering a few ideas in my head and want your guys opinions. 1.  First of all the idea of fast weight loss vs slow weight loss.  Now we all know that we suppose to lose weight at a slow and study pace.  Plus the slower you lose, the more opt you will keep it off.  Now..In the bariatric world we know that you lose fast on high protein drinks and foods.  They say the more you weigh, the more it's alright for you to lose quickly  to shed of some weight for health reasons. I'm really wondering who is right.  I mean, it's like half and half on doctors input on this.  Even some professionals I have met at hospitals think slower is better at my weight.  But then I think of all the health issues I have and really wonder if losing faster for a while isn't better.  Just makes me really wonder which is the best way for me.  Lose weight slowly....more better chance of keeping it off vs. loose weight faster, while it does seem to rack havoc on your body some what, but your health issues will improve faster. I'm having  a hard time thinking of which way is the right way.,  Other than it just simply comes down to "depends  on what doctor you talk too". 2.  Protein- I'm wondering how much damage it really causes on your body to go OVER the amount you suppose to eat a day.  Some doctors thinks it's alright, some don't.   I'm sort of confused on this because if you look at eas whey it has something like 23 grams.  If it's carb control I believe it's 15-17 grams.  If you look at bariatric foods it normally runs 11-15 grams per food.  Now...I know a few people that drink the whey just like they would the others, times five or six a day, plus extra protein in the day REALLY adds up fast!  Whey almost doesn't sound like the way to go if you plan on drinking it several times a day.  Would like your thoughts if I'm wrong about this. 3.  EDIT:  For the people in Washington, California, and Oregon....How much on average do you spend a month?  I just realized I'm spending about $1100-$1200 a month in food for a family of six.  I'm wondering if that is too much.  I want to make some kind of budget so I'm trying to figure out if I'm spending way too much money or not.  These states have the closest similarities in prices, although we are sitll higher, so I'm wanting these peoples inputs.  They are the closest to me.

1.   Losing faster or slower can be good, of course, based on the same principle - are these changes things that you will actually do for the rest of your life? Some people have to lose faster - with knee/hip damage, for example. The longer ones goes with that type of damage, the harder to regain health. There is no shame in going to get help - I had to. I could not do it on my own. Whatever you choose, do it their way for at least 6 months. 2. Most of us women do not "need" more than 60g of protein daily for health.  I have found, thru trial and error, my body experiences less hunger with about 2x that amount.  I am also far more physically active than most folks, so this may be why. I am also muscle bound naturally. A thinner composite really does not need more than 60g daily! Remember that I am eating very little grains, too, which is the other food group that may include proteins. 3.  Your food budget for teens at home is about right. DH and I spend about 600 a month  for TWO of us. (EDIT: this is total grocery bill:  paper, booze, toothpaste batteries, etc.) Now, we do buy really high quality food. If we want artichokes, even at $2.50 each, we do it. We do try to buy on sale, but it is not as necessary as a family has to be.  We buy food that we would have NEVER bought when the kids were home, eating like coneheads!  I will share the best money saving tip I know for food budgets:  Make up a menu, then create your shopping list from that menu - buy nothing else but what is on that list!!!!!! You will not be running to the store for this and that and you will save!

Speed I think slow is better unless you're in a dire health situation.  Frankly, just losing 10% of your weight has a significant impact (I believe it was 30-50% positive impact) on your health.  Otherwise, why lose fast?  For your head?  It's incredibly hard on the body and the end result is not pretty. For me, it's all been about doing what will last and have me the fittest.... Protein I'm a proponent of protein.  You need 1g per lean body mass and I don't agree with those, sorry Neece who think we only need half as much.  Keeping your LBM high is a good thing and muscle needs protein to build. I drink whey as a supplement as I can't always take in enough protein. Costs WEll, I spend about 300-400/mo on food easy and I only leave the store with 1-3 bags (granted, I am including toiletries in there.  It's easy to spend 100-130 in a given week stocking up on veggies and protein.  Food is not cheap these days.

I think it depends on your plan regarding how fast/slow you lose, of course, taking into account your metabolism and exercise also.  For me, I lost weight faster last year on a 1300-1500 meal plan.  I lost almost 50 lbs in a little over 2 months.  I also exercised, but not daily.  It averaged to 3 times per week at the most.  Now after WLS, I am losing slower at about 10 - 15 lbs per month.  Just to give you a little insight into my side of the bariatric world, per my nutritionist I'm not supposed to drink any more protein shakes and for the most part I don't.  I normally have one or two protein shakes a week.  Most of my protein comes from food alone.  For me, I'm supposed to get between 60-80 grams of protein daily and my caloric intake is 1,000-1,200 calories per day.  Due to the small size of my stomach, I normally get in around 65 g of protein and rarely go over that. I think you need to find a plan that works for you and then run with it.  Truly that's the only way to go.  I know last year I was fine with my diet for awhile, but eventually fell off the wagon.  Did I try to get back on?  Yup, countless times.  I just finally faced the fact that I needed the extra help WLS could give me.   You might want to meet with a nutritionist to help you develop a plan that will work for you.  I can tell you what I do, however, this is based on my VSG and the plan I have in place.  I do know the nutritionist at my surgeon's office pushes the fact we shouldn't rely on protein shakes and should focus on high protein foods.  Part of this is due to the fact that a shake can be digested so much faster than 2oz of chicken, thus leaving you hungrier faster.  Besides the fact it takes me 40 minutes to eat a half sandwich, I actually prefer to eat than drink my protein for the day. Hope my rambling thoughts helped.

If you're not having WLS then my vote would be for slow. However you may have a need to drop weight fast for joint pain purposes though I'm not convinced that's going to help it much. I've dropped over 50 lbs and my damn knees still give me problems and pain. I vote for healthy protein intake as well. It goes hand in hand with how active you are. If you're not exercising then you don't need as much protein to rebuild your muscles. I do not feel that taking in mass amounts of protein is going to make you lose weight. Unless of course all you're eating is protein and no carbs..which is dangerous. I consume about 120-130 grams a day and I must tell you that I do not experience hunger. My carb intake is usually between 30 and 40 grams a day. I've increased from induction 20 grams per my nutritionist. I also take daily fiber, multi-vitamin and 2000 iu Vitamin D supplements. (I have a D deficiency.) Simple Protein requirement equation: Sedentary lifestyle, decent health:        Weight divided by 2.5 Regular Exerciser, good health:        Weight divided by 2.2 Heavy Exerciser, body building, etc:        Weight divided by 1.8 You can adjust the number depending on your level of activity an health. These are just some suggestions.  My nutritionist uses 2.2 for me and I have the following routine. Note that sometimes I may miss a day or two. Monday and Thursday: Karate for 1 hour Monday-Friday: 3 sets, 15 reps arm lifts using 5lb weights                              3 sets, 20 reps curls using 5lb weights                             3 sets, 15 reps tricep lifts using 5lb weights                             3 sets, 30 reps leg lifts (each leg)                             3 sets, 30 reps leg lifts laying on side (each leg)                             3 sets, 30 reps quadriceps tightening (tighten and hold for 3 seconds) Walking: Minimum 5,000 steps per day. Most often it is 6-7k My intake: 280 lbs / 2.2 = 127 grams of protein I emailed my nutritionist to make sure I had this right. Looks like my equation works but she said to multiply it by .8 to find your lower intake: Here's her exact words: "We need 0.8 to 1.0 gm of protein per kilogram of body weight. If you take your weight in pounds and divide it by 2.2 you will have your weight in kilograms. Multiply that by 0.8  to find the lower level of protein intake for you and by 1.0 to find the higher level. If you are doing weight lifting and trying to increase muscle mass your needs may increase and be from 1.2 to 1.5 gm/kg of weight. You should never go higher than that as it can cause damage to kidneys and pancreas. Women follow the same formula but usually they weigh less." Low intake: 280 lbs / 2.2 = 127 * .8 = 102 grams

Thanks for the inputs.  I really wanted to know about going OVER the amount of protein.  It just seems people eat so many different amounts.  Like 40-60 grams is a big difference than the 108 grams I figured out mine would be with Chris' calculations.  Using so much whey protein it seems people go way beyond their recommended amount.   I also was thinking it would cause kidney and pancreas damage, just wasn't sure where the limit was before it could be dangerous for yourself.  So many people go way over the limit when doing mainly shakes.  It's something I tend to worry about.  So thanks! :)