HELP!! Need higher Protien

Hi, I"m David.. just had my RNY surgery on Feb 4th 20081.. so i'm pretty much a newbie! i've been working with my NUT keeping daily eating records and such four about 4 months now..  but I was under the impression that she would be Teaching me things.. along the way.. AKA how to read labels for food.. how to know which foods are better for me than others.. which foods in combination would help me loose weight faster.. ETC.. that type of thing.. so far.. the only thing she has done is tell me i'm doing fine.. well thats Fine and Dandy.. but i feel like there should be more to this..  How do i get / Teach myself the tools that i need to make my TOOL Work FOR ME???!! I"m not sure where to go for the information i need.. or what to do..  there are no Cookbooks for RNY'ers specifically..  Im wondering several things that i'd like help with..  first.. my doctor says he only wants me to eat Meats.. High protien DENSE meat.. in order to get all of my protien needs.. I now after 2 months of trying.. feel he's a CRACKPOT! its IMPOSSIBLE! number one.. i need variety in the typs of foods i eat.. number 2 there has to be other things Beans, peanutbutter ETC that i can have.. or put in food items to boost the protien.. secondly..  what foods can i eat in conjunction that will give me the proper protien mix and amino acids that my body needs to be and stay healthy? i have SOOO much to ask.. any information would be greatly apprecaited..  or heck any book that helps me find out everything that my NUT is not teaching me would be Great too..  thanks..

Hi Fuzzywuzzy, I love that name! I had my surgery 2 months before you. I had a different procedure but still go by the same guidelines as RNY patients. You are right, there is no way with meat alone that you can meet your protein needs. I am supposed to have at least 70 grams of protein a day. I will give you some ideas of what I have been doing to see if it helps you. In the morning, instead of coffee, I have 12 oz of high protein hot cocoa with 15 grams of protein and I think 70 or 80 calories. Then I take another one to work. That gives me 24 ounces of fluid plus 30 grams of protein for a minimal amount of calories and I use that as my breakfast. I don't really like too many of the protein shakes but have found a pineapple/orange fruit smoothy protein mix that has the same amount of calories and protein as the hot cocoa which also has me getting some of my fluid in. I will put a little fresh banana, strawberries or a little greek nonfat yogurt with some ground flax seed for a treat and extra protein. I know I always can add a low carb protein shake to my day if I need the extra protein. I don't know how much you can tolerate but here are some of my solid foods that I have. I make homemade chili with lean ground beef with beans and I will put a little cheese on top for extra protein. I was also told that Wendy's chili is acceptable. I add a slice of mozzarella or other cheese to chicken, turkey or ham for added protein. I take the turkey and cheese and roll it up. I bought something called "Better than Eggs". I think it tastes way better than Eggbeaters. I make an omlette (6 or 7 grams of protein) with some Canadian Bacon that I fry first with PAM (11 grams of protein a serving) and then I add some low-fat cheese for more protein. I sometimes will add a little sauteed bell pepper for flavor. I snack on pumpkin seeds or almonds. I have also tried Glenny's Soy Crisps in Garlic and Onion which have 9 grams of protein when I want to treat myself to a snack. I make spaghetti sauce with ground sirloin or meatballs with mozzarella on it (kind of like a meatball sub without the bread.) I usually simmer the meats for a long time or put it in a crockpot because I don't like tough meat. I've made tuna fish salad and chicken fajitas in the past also. I've made meatloaf too. Initially I tried some vegetarian products but I'm over that now. They didn't taste as bad as I thought they would. I hope I was able to help you somewhat with ideas. If you have any other questions, please let me know. I had my surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in Florida and they have a huge program to help us out before and after surgery.  Best wishes......Mary Beth :-)

You can add a nonflavored protein mix like Beneprotein or Unjury to your food and water That should help you get your protein level back up. Congrats on your new journey in Life.

Hi, David and congrats on your recent surgery!  I wish I could tell you that's there a single, great resource for WLS patients, but alas, 'tis not true.  You're smart to be seeking out information for yourself - that's what I had to do, but it was worth the effort.   I will encourage you to continue using a food journal.  I'm 29 months out and have been using a daily food journal for about 2 years now.  I also track my weight and exercise every day.  This information has been tremendously helpful as my weight loss slowed down, and now as I'm almost ready to start trying to maintain.   Regarding some specific food-related information, high protein dense meat is great if your pouch can tolerate it.  At 2 months out, mine could not.  So I looked for protein from other sources, including: - low-fat cottage cheese - low-fat string cheese - low-fat ricotta cheese mixed w/ low-sugar marinara sauce and warmed in the microwave (sort of like lasagne w/out the noodles - could add some cooked ground meat if you want) - light yogurt - refried beans - garbanzo beans/chickpeas - hummus - canned tuna/chicken (could tolerate this before I was able to eat real fish or chicken) - Wendy's chili or homemade chili made w/ ground turkey - low-fat deli lunch meats - eggs, lots and lots of eggs, sometimes made into egg salad w/ light mayo - added non-fat powdered milk to creamed soups for extra protein - Power Crunch protein bars - very tasty, can be chewed down to almost nothing, and a great source of protein w/ low carbs - peanut butter, sometimes with a banana (or part of a banana early out) - nuts (very calorie dense, relatively high fat content, but okay for limited use in my opinion) Regarding eating the right combination of foods to get a proper protein/amino acid mix, if you're eating a variety of proteins, you'll be fine.  The amino acids combinations are a bigger concerns for vegetarians, as no single vegetable source of protein is a complete protein.  But unless you're looking to eat a vegetarian diet, this should not present problems for you.   Early out, I spent a lot of time reading labels in the grocery store.  I was looking at total calories, fat grams, carb grams, and protein grams.  If the fat and/or carbs were too high, I generally chose not to eat it, unless I was using that food in conjunction with a high-protein food.  (E.g., I'd eat a small serving of Weigh****chers macaroni and cheese if I was also eating 3-4 oz. lean protein, but I would not eat the mac and cheese by itself, and I would eat the protein first, then only as much mac and cheese as my pouch could comfortably handle.  Which usually wasn't much, but the variety was nice.)   If you're looking for a cookbook, you may want to check out the South Beach Diet cookbook.  For many folks, the SB program is very similar to what their surgeons recommend for a post-op diet.  So you may find some inspiration in SB-type recipes and menu plans.  Of course, that may be more helpful in a few more months after your pouch has stretched a bit and you're more comfortable eating a broader variety of foods.   Good luck on your continuing journey.   Kellie

You GUys are Awsome!! thanks so much for the helpful INfo!! this Does help me out.. and my Roomie has the SB diet Cookbook that i can start using..  thanks!

David -  Remember that your surgeon is not a nutritionist and he probably had just 1 single class in medical school about nutrition.  And your Nutritionist - although she might have 4 years of school - was taught about nutrition for a normal digestive system.  Hopefully both of them  have done additional study on the nurtitional needs of post-ops, but doubt they have as much time to research things as we do. If you're not getting the education you need from your nutritionist, go to your next appointment armed with a list of questions you want her to answer.  Ask for the help you need.  Make her earn the money she's getting paid.  I just want to make sure you are actually eating a variety of foods.  Not just meat for protein, but also some veggies, some fruit, some whole grains --- having a good balance of different foods will help keep you healthy.  Of course, we always need to be going to protein first, but we also need the nurtients we get from other foods in our diets too. At 2 months out there's no way I could get all my protein needs in through just food.  I was still doing 1 or 2 shakes per day at that point.  Now, at 4.5 months out, I'm still doing 1 shake a day.  Are you doing protein shakes at all? As for reading food labels.  The more you do it, the more you'll learn how.  And eventually you'll learn to zero in on the items on the label that are important to you.  For me, I first look at protein, then carbs & sugar.  Then I check serving size and glance at calories & fat.  I normally make my decision based on the balance of protein to carbs or if there's too much sugar it's an automatic no.  Here's a great website that helps you understand the different parts of the label.  As for cookbooks.  Yes, there are a few out there that have recipes specifically for RNY.  WLS For Dummies,  Eating Well after WLS, Susan Maria's Before and After, Recipes for life after WLS.   Also be sure you check out some of our OH members' blogs and websites.  Eggface and Charlie both have great resources for fabulous food for RNY'ers.   Keep asking questions.  That's the best way to learn! Pam

Pam,  YOU ARE AWSOME!!!! I really appreciate all the answers that i've gotten.. but yours i can understand the best..  I havent IGNORED my Nut.. but i have been eating Protien filled oatmeal, doing like 2 oz meat with 2 oz veggies.. when i eat.. and NO.. i'm not takeing in any additional protien from shakes.. i have thrown in cliff bar every now and then.. to boost it.. or a fruit smoothie.. NO SUGAR.. with added protien.. of course.. so i've been doing a little of the extra protien thing.. but not every day..  and to be honest.. i'm not sure what questions to ask my nutritionist to get the training i think i need and deserve.. She's supposed to be the Professional at this.. and know what most people lack. if you have any suggestions. i'm all ears.. thanks..

Digesting meats is difficult for new RNYers , let alone many who are years post op. I attend 3 support meeting monthly, so I hear from dozens of patients.  Many cannot eat beef, as it's hardest to digest. Of those who can eat beef, ground beef or a premium cut of beef is needed to be digested. This would include filet mignon or prime rib, which most of us rarely have in the regrigerator. Some people cannot eat chicken either. They say it's too dry and get "stuck".  I realize everyone is different, but I hear these stories very often. So to eat dense meat as your prmary source of protein is not wide. You'll probably spend most of the day laying down in great discomfort doing this. In fact, my doctor said no beef until 6 months after surgery.  Many  veggies have protein. Go to www.whfood.com and they do have a section, http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=92#fo odsources that has a very comprehensive list of protein foods, which also includes the protein density of each food. A snack idea, high in protein: dried peas. These are crunchy, cheap ($1.35 per pound at my local health food store), no refrigeration needed, and 1/4 cup has 6 grams of protein.  Steamed peas has 8-9 grams of protein per cup, as noted on the chart at the bottom of the direct link provided. Good luck.

Bless you dave.. this helps also!! Every little Bit!!

Try http://www.calorie-count.com. I found a lot of hi-protein, low-cal recipes.  I also use IDS protein shots.  You get 42g of protein in 3 oz of liquid.  Since I'm only 3 weeks out from my RNY and am somewhat limited by how much I can eat, I break  one of these drinks into 2 portions.  That really helps a lot! Alex