What if we don't get enough protein?

Someone asked me to do a post about what happens if we don’t get enough protein.  Here are some of the more common symptoms.

• Edema - A collection of fluid under the skin, which most commonly affects the legs, feet, and ankles, but can occur anywhere on the body.
• Thinning or brittle hair, hair loss
• Ridges or deep lines in finger and toe nails
• Skin becomes very light, burns easily in the sun
• Reduced pigmentation in the hair on scalp and body
• Skin rashes, dryness, flakiness
• General weakness and lethargy
• Muscle soreness and weakness, cramps
• Slowness in healing wounds, cuts, scrapes, and bruises
• Bedsores and other skin ulcers
• Difficulty sleeping
• Headache
• Nausea and stomach pain
• Fainting
• Depressed immune system, increase susceptibility to infection and illness
• Loss of  muscle tissue
• Heart damage (eventually)
• Crankiness, moodiness
• Severe depression
• Anxiety
• Lack of energy, no desire to do things

There are a couple of these to pay special attention to right after surgery.

When we have RNY, our stomach is sliced open.  Lots of tissue is damaged and needs to heal.  It will not heal well without protein.  Some docs recommend patients do not begin protein drinks for a couple of weeks after surgery and I personally think that is unwise.  We need EXTRA protein to heal from major surgery, not less protein.  If your doc recommends clear liquids right after surgery, we can use clear protein drinks.

Some of these symptoms are pretty common after RNY even if we do get enough protein, like some nausea, fatigue, weakness, hair loss and depression.  But not getting enough protein can make those things a whole lot worse.

It’s important to understand that we need protein for the amino acids.  If we don’t consume protein, we start to break down our muscles for the amino acids we need.  It’s kinda like we eat our own muscles.  And our heart is a muscle.  And, well, eating your own heart is not a good thing.

How much protein do we need?  The ASMBS suggests 1.1 gram protein per kilogram of ideal body weight, which works out to about half a gram per pound of your ideal weight.  Doesn’t matter what you weigh now, base your protein goal on your ideal weight.  If you work out a lot, you may need a bit more than that.

As usual, thank you Kelly!

Awesome information.. I upped my protein prior to my surgery, and since surgery have been getting three protein shakes a day, plus about 40 - 50 g in regular food. I am certain that my excellent healing is partly due to my upping that and getting a good amount in.

Oh wow, you're getting tons.  It took me about three months after my RNY to get enough, and I had all kinds of problems.  One of my incisions did not heal well and it ended up  leaving a very ugly scar.  I lost a ton of hair.  I get pneumonia, which I don't think was caused by lack of protein, but I had a very slow, difficult recovery which I do think was partly due to the lack of protein.  

Even after my RNY I was one of those blessed ones who never had to sip.... liquid never bothered me (other than water) ....so I got 70+ grams from day three onward (and still lost tons of hair)

These were my incisions 4 weeks postop: 


There are five of them, four in a diamond pattern above my navel, and one three inch long incision to the right (in the picture) of the navel.

I'm blessed (or cursed?) not to be able to tolerate water, but to have actually a preference for protein shakes, so I drink two to four of those a day. Right now in recuperation, I keep wanting to eat out of boredom, so I force myself to get in a 20 oz shake between any snack or meal, or a 16 oz almond breeze beverage. Since I realized how much I was eating out of boredom (and NOT drinking as a result) the liquids have been a great control on me.... keeping my snacks apart from one another.

I'm sorry, newbie and don't know who tp address this issue to. My question pertains to protein shakes. Should the shakes b drank in 30 mins, the same amt of time of meals? I'm having difficulty keeping them down and dumping afterwards.

You can take as long as you need to drink them.

If you are really dumping on them, make sure they are very low in sugar. Try mixing them with something other than milk, like water or soy milk or almond milk.

Thanx 4 the advice. Any suggestionss about protein pwd only requiring water?

Syntrax nectar works really well with water.  They have flavors like lemonade and lemon tea and other fruity things, more like crystal like than a shake.

Unjury has a chicken soup flavor, which I've never tried but assume you'd mix with water.

Celebrate has ENS with protein which they say to mix with water.  I have tried it that way but kinda think it would be better in milk.

And i  know people that mix Chike, all the unjury flavors, etc in water.  I just prefer them in milk but you could try in water.

Oh. BSN Lean Dessert is  pretty good just in water, too.

Order a bunch of samples from vitalady.com.

And you can put chocolate protein powder in hot chocolate, which I always make with water.

I appreciate all the help. Thank u again.