Not enough calories

 So I am almost four months out and I know I am not getting in enough calories. I MAYBE get in 350 a day. Is this dangerous? I try to get in more but I am just not doing a very good job of it.

hey lady..I didnt get enough calories in for almost 6 months... my surgeon was more concerned with staying hydrated more than anything..

yes it is dangerous. That's not even close to being enough to sustain your baseline needs for your body to function without activity. Granted all of us have lower than baseline caloric intake, but 350 calories is severely low. Hydration is most important and has always been stressed by my physician, but in order to heal inside you definitely need more than that.

I am not sure what your situation is with eating, but even 3 unjury protein shakes (or any protein shakes) with water, low fat milk,  or plain unsweetened soy milk make up more than 350 calories. SO are you having trouble keeping your shakes down?

 yeah i can't stomach shakes. I found one i like. Click. But it only has 150 calories and it takes me hours to drink it. Shakes make me sick though. I have yet to find one that I can drink. So of course we add the lack of protein to my number of issues but I figure I deal with one thing at a time.

So far the Jay Robb powder has been the best for me.Give that one a try you can mix it in pudding.I like the chocolate one

I did not like shakes either....but I also had trouble eating....because I needed to get in caloires and fluid,  I found the least offensive one and then  I had to think of the shakes as medicine and chug them as quickly as possible.  I also made them with as little fluid as I could get away with.  Most of the time milk made the taste a bit easier to manage.  

My point is you may have to force yourself to do something you don't like in order to get enough protein and fluids in....otherwise you are going to make yourself sick.   


 

First is to get enough fluid in, then protein.  Then worry about calories.  So what are you drinking?  Have you tried lots of different proteins?  Pudding?  protein made into popcycles?  Protein ice cream?  chicken broth protein?
At this point, you need to hold your nose and take it like a man, or whatever.  It is your job to get it in.  Otherwise, you are going to end up in bad shape and have even more trouble.  So buck it up and get with the program.

I couldn't stomach the protein drinks either until I found Iso Pure.  Most people hate it, but I hated whey milky protein drinks.  These are coolaide like (not as good though).  I got mine at Meijer in 8oz 8 packs, but you can get 20 oz ones at GNC. (Grape or Fruit Punch).  Make sure you get the zero calorie, zero carb ones.

 Otherwise I liked the Jay Robb egg white protein.  I would mix it in my magic bullet with Light Tangerine minute maid juice and some ice, or in the bullet with SF pudding ice and milk.
If you don't get your calories in you will also likely not lose weight. 
You might also try Campbells Bean and Bacon soup to get some calories in.  It is delicious!!

Yes, it is dangerous.  Because of the EXTREMELY low number of calories, it is likely that your metabolism has dropped to next to nothing in order to squeeze every little bit it can out of what you are eating since you are, in effect, starving yourself.  If you continue eating so little, your metabolism may be permanently altered.  Some people, even eating the normal amount of calories during the first 6 months post-op, experience a permanently lowered metabolism (which makes it even easier to regain the weight after the first year and a half). 

Additionally, if you are only gettign 350 calories you are not getting anywhere enear enough protein.  Your body requires a certain amount of protein just to keep your body functioning and if you do not get it from food, your body will TAKE it from the only place you store protein... from your muscles and organs.  If you continue long enough getting insufficient protien, your body will begin taking the protein it needs from your heart (which is, after all, a muscle).  I ahd a grad schgool colleague *****lied on those protein bullets/shots for her protein during the first 6 months and ended up in the ER with cardiac problems becasue she was NOT gettign the protein she THOUGHT she was getting from those damn bullets.  It took her over a year for her to start feeling better once she was eating properly and they cannot guarantee that the heart did not suffer permanent damage.  PLEASE do not let this happen to you.  I know you have had a very difficult time, but please do whatever you can to increase your calories and protein!

Lora

I too am liking the Jay Robb protein. Katie try the Jay Robb unflavored. You can mix it with pudding. The jello sugar free puddings are delicious and when you mix it with the unflavored protein you will get more protein and calories.