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**
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