Question:
Please tell me if I am doing this right?

I am 1 week post-op today. I was wondering if what I am drinking os ok. I drink water and skim milk and tomatoe juice. Some fruit juices but try to avoide them because of the carbs and sugars. I can't drink protine drinks I have tried and can't do it. My dr has ordered me to drink 30 grams per day so I have figured out that if I drink 4 cups of skim milk a day then I have my 30 grams in. Is it ok to do this? Also When I sit down and drink a glass of milk water tomatoe juice ect I can drink an 8oz glass in like 10 15 minutes. Is somethind wrong with me? Should I be able to do that. Any info would be a help. Thank you for taking the time respond to my post. :)    — Christy M. (posted on August 22, 2003)


August 22, 2003
I think it depends on how you feel. If I drank liquids too fast at 1 week out I felt pain. Then I would have to wait for it to go down before I would even think of having another sip. If you feel okay when you drink it don't worry remeber you need to drink lots of liquids so you won't dehydrate. Good luck.
   — blanca V.

August 22, 2003
Hi Christy- milk (even skim) may not be the best choice for you. Even a glass of skim milk has about 90 calories, not to mention 12g of sugar (milk sugar). I'm 6 months post now but my beverage of choice is still almost always water, or water with Crystal Light. Have you tried any of the samples of protein drinks from vitalady. com? I use the Proscore 100 in chocolate and it's really good-- you can mix 2 scoops with 8-12 oz of water and get 32g of protein. You have a lot of choices. Of course, it might be that you can do the old "hold your nose" trick and just get in as much as you can. Being a week out, I could only drink a few sips at a time and I really didn't start to get in the protein until the end of the 2nd or 3rd week. You sounf like you're doing OK with the amount of liquid you're getting in but you may want to rethink the milk and juice.
   — lizinPA

August 22, 2003
Protein is protein!! One of the women in the support group I run does the same thing. She hates protein drinks but makes her own. She starts with Bruams Skim Milk because it actually has more protein than any other, she says. She then adds a scoop of powdered milk, for more protein and then adds some sugar free carnation instant breakfast. When it is all totaled one 8 oz glass has 22 grams of protein. Now as far as the volume that you are getting in, remember that liquids pass through the pouch very quickly. You really wont realize just how small your pouch is until you get past the liquid stage, and get something substantial in there. You are gonna be surprised!! Because you can eat alot of Jello now compared to your first real food. Your first couple of months are a time of testing, of what and how much you can eat. You are doing fine though it seems. GOOD LUCK!!! Open RNY 11-11-02 down 150lbs
   — dkinson

August 22, 2003
You're doing fine. There's nothing wrong with milk as a choice for you at this point. Eventually, as you progress, you will want to re-think this as a potential source of empty calories and sugar. For now it's a good source of protein at a time when it's difficult to get in protein. Why would you think it's abnormal to drink 8 oz in 10 to 15 minutes? Are you worried that's too much in a short time?Not to worry, it's liquid, so it passes right through the pouch. Lastly, people who are big on protein drinks will always try to 'convert' you, but don't worry about it. I don't touch them and never will. You sound like you're fine. However, if you're really worried, please consult with your surgeon or nutritionist to go over their instructions. Good luck to you!
   — LMCLILLY

August 22, 2003
oh yeah- P.S. four glasses of skim milk at 90 calories a glass is only 360 calories for the day. Considering at this point you eat very little else, it's not a major calorie problem.
   — LMCLILLY

August 22, 2003
This has to be the first time I have ever heard of milk referred to as "empty calories" 3 glasses of milk have a full days requirement of calcium for a woman, and it is more readily absorbable than in pill form. It has a good amount of protein and many other nutrients. My Dr. and dieticain asssociated with out program encourage daily milk consumption. carbs, protein and fats are the macronutrients that form the basis of a healthy diet. There seem to be a lot of people out there who look at this as another fad diet program rather the a tool to use to be healthy for life. what you feed your body will determine your long term health. you are a-ok! hang in there and keep in touch with your Dr. and a dietician.
   — **willow**

August 22, 2003
Lisa C.-- I'm not "big" on protein drinks, nor was I trying to convert anyone. I was simply providing options, based upon my own experience and what my doctor and nutritionist recommended. I realize all docs and plans are different, so lighten up.
   — lizinPA

August 22, 2003
I somehow feel the need too clear up what I meant in my post which seems to have annoyed two people... by "empty" what I mean is calories that you are consuming which do not fill your pouch and make you feel full. I certainly dont consider them useless calories. I love milk and continue to drink it. About 'converting' I probably used the wrong word, since it's not like you're in a cult or anything! :) But, I couldn't help but notice that your answer to someone who said she can't do protein drinks was to try more protein drinks. I too am presenting the an alternative to the poster, so perhaps you should lighten a little. We're all posting opinions, and my intention was not to slam yours. Just to present another and let the poster know she isn't the only one who chooses not do do powder protein, so she shouldn't feel alone. Have a great evening gals! Sorry to have bothered you. I'll try to be more concise in the future.
   — LMCLILLY

August 22, 2003
Christy, I never could stand protein drinks, never will. My dietitian suggested that I make "double protein" milk by adding powdered milk to my skim milk. An earlier poster alluded to this. You make the powdered milk as directed on the container, but use skim milk instead of water. You get twice as much protein as in the straight skim milk. This got me through those first couple of months when it's so hard to get enough protein by food alone. Maybe it will work for you. You might try adding a teaspoon or so of sugar free cocoa powder or some sugar free strawberry syrup to the milk to improve the flavor.
   — Vespa R.

August 22, 2003
My suggestion is go for the soft food proteins and learn how to start eating now. I realize this may be totally against your surgeon's plan but getting in 52 grams of milk sugar at this stage is certainly not with keeping of a low carb eating plan. I'm 6-1/2 months PO and typically get in 1/2 of that for carb grams. <p>I will never understand the doctors who force people to be on liquid diets for weeks on end. Most complain they are hungry because nothing stays in their pouch and gives them any sort of a full feeling. The whole goal of this surgery is to help us finally understand what a full feeling is and to listen to our bodies. How does liquids help with this at all? It's beyond me. I have been on food since 7 days Post-op - surgeon's orders. I am down a total of 150 lbs in a little over 6 months, so food certainly has not hurt me. My labs all look great! Milk has it's place in my opinion but not as your total source of protein. Obviously this is just my opinion. I think these surgeons should try and live on liquids for weeks or months and see how well they would survive. Small pouch or not, we need real food to get back to normal. I see so many people who have been on liquids for weeks have a hard time switching over to food. People should be on food from the start, maybe with a protein drink for one meal to bump up the protein level, but at their total source of intake, I could not do it. I like food!!!!!
   — zoedogcbr

August 22, 2003
Well, my doctor 'forced' me to do the liquid diet for a few weeks before entering the pureed stage. I have not been sick ever. In the beginning your new stomach is HEALING for cryin' out loud. MAYBE that is why docs 'force' you to do the liquids. You think? Go protein drinks. EXCELLENT way to get in a WHOLE third of the required amount of protein for each day. Some of us are not able to consume enough food to get the 64 ounces of protein a day. It is 64 ounces, right? I LOVE all these opinions. Keeps us on our toes. Best advice out there: Listen to your body! Open RNY 10/30/02 and minus 187 lbs.
   — Ginger M.

August 22, 2003
I'm not a member of the "milk is evil" school of thought. I certainly use it (in cereal). But the fact is, as reported below, that 8 ounces of skim milk contain 12 grams of sugar versus only 8 grams of protein. This poster proposes to drink four cups of milk a day just to get to 30 grams of protein, which is half (at best) of what your minimum daily protein needs are. The price for this solution is ingesting a whopping 48 grams of sugar from those four cups of milk. This is unnecessary.<P>Calorie-counters, if counting calories did NOT work for you as a pre-op, don't take too much comfort in counting them now with no regard for what they consist of. It matters what those calories are -- protein, complex carbs, lousy carbs, sugar, or fats. If you're taking in 48 grams of sugar simply, solely, and only to get in 30 grams of protein (which, by the way, is nowhere near enough protein for the day), you really need to understand you've made a supremely unnecessary tradeoff. <P>You may also lose an opportunity to force yourself to get creative about protein from the beginning. It's not hard to lose weight from this surgery in the beginning; you can make poor choices and still succeed, for a time, by doing that. You won't succeed in the long run that way, however. Everybody's "poor choice" may be different, but recognition that there ARE poor choices, even 360 calories' worth, is important. JMHO.
   — Suzy C.

August 22, 2003
Christy- A few things to keep in mind, some of which have been eloquently highlighted by the previous posters. First, remember that you are only one week out, at a time when many surgeons still have their patients moving very slowly to cloudy liquids; although now is definitely the time to re-adjust your attitudes about food and its importance in your life, consider that you have some very basic needs for a subsistence level of calories in the first couple of weeks. Secondly, recognize that you may be better served trying to find some other forms of liquid protein to replace some of your milk; perhaps chicken and beef broths would help (they have some, not much, but at least some protein), a low (or zero) carb protein drink that will hydrate you and give you 15-20 grams of protein per 12 oz. (such as the Isopure Zero Carb drinks from GNC)or yogurt if you can (although I have never been able to keep yogurt down since having WLS). I would be a little concerned about developing a milk "habit" if you were drinking 4 glasses of milk after your second month, because you could be relying too much on one beverage that happens to carry a fairly high cost in carbs (from weeks 2 to 10, I had 4 oz. of skim milk every day, but now have it only a couple of times a week). Then again, like so many of us who consumed gatorade for the first few weeks and easily stopped drinking the wretched stuff, you may be able to walk away from the 4-glass of milk a day routine when you reach that point where counting carbs becomes essential for your weight loss. Ultimately, you'll have to decide for yourself the extent to which you will want to supplement your food intake with protein shakes and drinks; for me, I had to decide to make food purely utilitarian in my life and, as a result, gladly use protein supplements. I don't find my method any less healthy than others (regular blood tests given my rapid weight loss confirm that all of my levels have been consistently normal), nor do I find it better in absolute terms. But for me, having lived in size 70 pants for too long because of the importance I placed on having food in my life, I gladly show my independence by using less real forms of protein. So, find something that will work for you now (hopefully it will be a behavior that will help you to sustain your weight loss), try to stay hydrated during these first few weeks and listen to your surgeon more than any of your opinionated peers (like me). Good luck.
   — SteveColarossi

August 22, 2003
Ginger, Just because your pouch is healing does not mean that liquids are better than soft foods. Eating real food helps you start from day 7 on how to eat in this new life. Because you are so cautious of getting sick etc you eat very slowly, chewy extremely well and go slow. It's just a natural reaction because you do not want to get sick. It helps you make those ever so important life changes we need from early on. I did not make up this plan, it is my surgeon's and patterned after the surgeon who did Carnie Wilson's surgery. My surgeon has been doing WLS for 15 years and does 250-300 a year, the last few years, and all his patients are put on food 1 week po assuming they are progressing as they should be. Only a few people have significant problems with food and have no choice but to use protein drinks. Our eating plan is carb free for 6 weeks and very low carbs after that for a number of months which means our bodies are forced into maximum ketosis and stays there. Ketosis protects the protein in your body from being used, therefore you do not need anywhere near 60 grams of protein for quite a while - like 4-6 months. You just keep working on increasing the protein and get to 60 grams as soon as you can. You never hear of the post-ops on this plan being hungry in the first few months, as the food sticks with them. The only time I get hungry between meals is if I did not eat enough at mealtime in the first place. <p>You are right that there are very different plans out there. My only reason for responding to your post is to say that liquids do not ensure any better healing that properly chosen and chewed foods.
   — zoedogcbr

August 23, 2003
My surgeon has done thousands (literally) of rny's. I went thru Bariatric treatment center. They have a long standing full program in regards to RNY, dietician, long erm followup care etc. on our program the first week is clear liquids only. then you move to full liquids, if i remember right, til week 4. week 5 is soft mushy food, then week 6 you start regular food gradually. after week 6 we are recommended 4-6 (1/2 cup ) servings milk or yogurt daily, 4-6 oz meat fish or chicken, may use 2tb peanut butter or 1/2 c beans in place of 1 oz meat serving. fruit 4-6 serving of 1/4 cup fresh, frozen or canned in water or juice fruit. 3-6 veggies each serving 1/4 c fresh or frozen or 1/2 c leafy greens a day. it is very balanced and dare I say "normal". I trust their judgement due to their tremendous long term success in helping people take off the weight and keep it off. Yes, there are soe failures. as my Dr. said , "some people don't believe they deserve something this good to happen to them and they sabotage it. I truely believe the way to long term health is thru balance. I hope you are still in touch with your DR. and a dietician who is knowlegeable and supportive. You are ok and on the right track. milk is a great food. full of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, vit D for strong healthy bones. if you keep up you will not have the osteoporosis that is so common among rny people. good luck to you and let me know how you are doing!
   — **willow**

August 23, 2003
There ya go, Willow! Balance AND moderation. The KEY to weightloss success. And now we have the tool to make it happen. Life is wonderful! Open RNY 10/30/02 and minus 187 lbs.
   — Ginger M.

August 23, 2003
OOPS! I left out the "evil" grain group on my program 4-6 servings of 1/2 slice bread, or 1/4 bagel, hamburger bun, 1/4 english muffin, 1/2 tortilla or 1/4 c rice, pasta or creal
   — **willow**




Click Here to Return
×