New here - need some advice!

Good afternoon all,

I am about 6 weeks out from RNY and I think I need some help. First of all, I guess I already had my first stall - I didn't lose anything for almost 3 weeks. Then I went to see my surgeon and nutritionist and they both said I wasn't getting to my protein and water goals daily. They said as soon as I do, the weight will start coming off again. The nut even told me that calories and carbs don't even matter at this point... as long as I get to 95g of protein and 64oz of water a day. So with that, I bumped up what I was eating and drinking and within a week, 6 pounds came off. I was happy, but now I feel like I am eating way too much. I know I was told not to pay attention to the calories right now, but it's hard when they are right in my face on the app I use to track my protein and water. Most days I am around 900-1000 calories but I have had days around 1200. And I feel like I am losing slowly overall. 26 pounds lost since surgery and 40 altogether counting pre-op. Has anyone else been in a similar situation or have any advice for me? It would be greatly appreciated. TY in advance!

~ Kristen ~ RNY 03/06/17 ~ 5'8" tall

HW 405 (8 years ago) SW 311 CW 285 GW Healthy :)

What, exactly, are you eating each day? Give us a sample meal plan so we can troubleshoot.

Ok here's a sample:

Breakfast - triple zero greek yogurt w/ powdered peanut butter

Snack - 1/4 cup almonds

Lunch - P3 portable protein pack & light string cheese

Snack - Special K peanut butter protein bites

Dinner - grilled chicken salad w/light caesar dressing

Snack - Premier Protein shake

For this day: approx 900 calories and 96 grams of protein

I would lose the Special K peanut butter protein bites. They have terrible stats. 11 pieces has 180 calories, 7 grams of sugar, and only 9 grams of protein. There are better protein sources out there.

Thanks, that's a good idea. I'll find a better snack.

There's more sugar in yogurt than a lot of people realize. Ditto the Special K bites. And ditch anything labeled "light". That is usually a buzz word for "we added sugar because we subtracted fat". Fat doesn't make us fat. Otherwise we would all be stick-thin from the low-fat diets we tried prior to WLS. A bag of Skittles is also "light" by that definition.

I didn't, and don't, count calories. But I am militant about sugar and carbs... and I listen to Pouchy when he says stop eating. Works for me.

Audrey

You hit the "3 week stall" right on time. Search that term on the forums, you'll see that just about everyone goes through it.

What exactly are you eating that lets you get to 900 calories at only 6 weeks out? Most folks seem to average 400 - 500 for the first few months.

26lb in six weeks is NOT slow. In the first week or two, folks often lose a lot of weight very quickly, but beyond that it slows to a sustainable pound or two a week. Be patient!

Thank you.

A few things:

• On eating too much: If you were told not to worry about calories and the scale is moving downward, you need to get past that. There are going to be many times in your journey where you'll have to do things that are good for your body that may take you out of your comfort zone. Consider this good practice.
• On losing slowly: I lost in what I thought was a painfully slow manner. But I lost the weight. It's hard to do, but think about the long game. Your surgeon's advice is probably geared at getting you to eat the way you should eat long-term. Because what they don't tell you is that consistency is sort of key to not just losing weight but maintaining weight loss.
• Lastly, I think you are doing great. This isn't a speed race. You'll be in weight management the rest of your life. Learning to work with your medical team, listen to their advice, ask questions, and build sustainably healthy goals will serve you for years and years and YEARS to come.

These are not easy things to do though. I recognize that. But if you want to be successful in the long-term you gotta take on the hard stuff. I think you are highly capable!

Thank you, I appreciate your advice.