4 1/2 weeks out with questions!

 Hey everyone!

Hope you are all staying cool...it's almost 99 degrees here in northeast pa! and yes, i went for a run around 1 (silly me)...there was a nice breeze so i thought it wouldn't be too bad. WRONG! i will stay in the pool or in the ac for the rest of the day!

So it seems like i am beginning to feel the fullness in my pouch a lot better because i am healing up. I was wondering on average, how many calories everyone took in once allowed to eat more than pureed foods. somedays i eat about 400 and never really can get past 600. i do have a protein bar which really helps with protein intake, but i haven't really lost much in the past 2 weeks (maybe a pound..) i know my body is adjusting but any advice on if i should increase or decrease my calories would be great!...i don't want to starve myself or overfeed! confused!

thanks!

I'm not sure if this will work for you but I was told to increase my protein intake. It did help me to begin to loose again. It's not easy but I try to include additional protein drinks or bars daily.

It's 99 here in SC today too.  Thank goodness for ocean breezes!

Around 4 weeks is when I started to feel the fullness of my pouch too.  WHen you're on liquids you can't tell as much, but as you start eating denser foods it is obvious.  At that point I was eating/drinking around 600 calories a day.  I stalled once for a few days and even gained, but when i looked at my food logs those days I ate less than 500 calories and didn't meet my protein goals.  It sounds crazy but upping your calories just a bit and your protein will probably help.  Try to aim closer to 600.  If you get there great, if not no biggie but I would add another shake or another bar and see if that helps.  

Don't decrease your calories.  Our bodies are already getting a lot fewer calories and they are pretty mad about it. When we don't eat enough our bodies tend to hold on to that weight because it thinks we're starving it.  That's why increasing your calories a bit helps.  It shows your body that you're not trying to starve it.  I think a calorie/protein bump will help you quite a bit.  The most I've stalled is a few days and I think that is partly due to me upping my calories and protein when I'm not eating enough.  Now I average about 600-700 calories a day and around 100g of protein.  I still rely on protein supplements to get that amount.  I will probably always drink a protein supplement once a day to be sure I hit my goals.  

Good luck to you!  it sounds like you're doing great. 

thanks! this really helped...i am going to start focusing on fluids, protein, calorie intake now that I am pretty much recovered!

for anyone who sees this reply, what are your favorite protein bars/shakes? how many calories do they average? i got pure protein bars- 200 cals a bar, 20 grams of protein, 16 carbs. i usually split this into breakfast and a snack. it seems high on calories but i couldn't find anything locally that is lower in calories without being higher in carbs/sugar. i tried looking online, but i'm not getting answers, just a million websites that sell "bariatric protein shakes & bars"

Generally I like for my protein bars to have 1 gram of protein for every 10 calories.  So 20g and 200 calories is good.  The Pure Protein bars are okay but to me they are really dense.  I like the Think Thin bars the brownie bar reminds me of those Little Debbie brownies.  Their Chocolate Espresso and Chocolate Covered Strawberry Bars are heavenly.  Now that it's summer I've been craving citrus and eating their Tangerine Creamscicle and Lemon Cream Pie bars after they've gotten good and cold in the fridge.  Some of them break the 1 for 10 rule but they are delicious.  I found mine locally at Harris Teeter and got them at a steal, but you can order them from http://www.thinkproducts.com/2011/

I like some of the Atkins bars.  The Marshmallow Mudslide bar is really good.  My DH loves it in the freezer.  He said it reminds him of Rocky Road ice cream.  I eat other protein snacks too.  I love Kay's Naturals.  They have protein chips, cookies and cereals.  I eat those in moderation but they are good.  Their Chili Cheese chips are delicious with some refried beans, cheese and a little bit of ground beef.  

There are a lot of options out there unfortunately they aren't easy to find all the time. 

My favorite shakes are the Syntrax Nectar shakes in Lemonade, Cherry and Fuzzy Navel and the Celebrate ENS plus Protein Vanilla Cake Batter.  I also like Body Fortress Chocolate in some milk when I'm craving chocolate milk.

Atkins has a smaller bar that has low sugar/carbs and decent calories.  You really have to look at the nutrition info though - it can get confusing. 

I had a problem with peanuts early out, which a lot of bars have, so just be careful with them.

Vitlady has a lot of protein drink samples you can buy to see if you like them before buying a big jug. 

I think I was at about 600 calories during this stage. 

I like Oh Yeah protein bars but consider 1/2 a serving--they are big:  1 serving 180 calories, 18g protein,15 carbs.  Yeally good.  Some groceries carry them, you might find them at GNC.  I buy on line by the box as it is cheaper.  At your stage, I used them when I couldn't get in a meal.  Now I use them as a snack to boost my protein intake.

I didn't count my calories early out I just tried to get my protein in and fluids in and figured I would worry about the calories later..still 10 months out or so I am hard up to get 800 in..I drink protein coffees with a protein powder I get from cosco and sometimes I used unjury...so my protein drinks run about 110 calories or so..I don't do the protein bars because to me they are too close to a "candy" bar which could be a trigger for me so I just don't go there..if I were you I wouldn't worry so much about calories in as much as fluids and protein..I think at this point it is nearly impossible to overfeed IF you are getting protein first.

We were told to not worry about calories, we weren't on a diet.  Get your fluid and protein in.  We weren't allowed protein bars for quite a while and I still don't have them often but I love the drinks so I can get plenty of protein that way.  I still have 2 a day.  We had guidelines about protein bars but I haven't been able to put my hands on them.  I love Oh Yeah but can't find them and they are expensive.  I buy Pure Protein by the box at wally world and they end up less than $1 a piece, and I only eat 1/2 for a meal.

After listening and reading here, I upped my protein to 100+ and it has been a good thing.  When in doubt, raise your protein.

I just had my 2 week nutrition visit yesterday. She said at a month out we can expect a stall. Your body is adjusting and figuring out the new 'system' of things.

It sounds like you are knowing your body pretty well at this point. Don't worry about calories. Life post op is all about protein and nutrients.