Question:
Doctor put me on a 800 to 900 cal. a day.

Is this a safe thing to do? 800 to 900 cals. a day is that safe or is it going over board? I can have three ESA shakes and a small salad and 2 to 3 ozs of lean meat at dinner time. Has anyone else had to do this? Just worried that it is not enough cals in a day.    — lscheller (posted on May 29, 2009)

May 29, 2009
You may want to check with the nutritionist and make sure that is enough cals. for you without feeling weak. Also, you may feel grouchy. I like the ESA shakes!
   — Dori M.

May 29, 2009
Without sounding rude (cuz I'm not)most of us can afford to live on those few calories for awhile. I would suggest getting as many grams of protein as possible. Protein will regulate your sugar levels and you won't be as hungry. The shakes are great for breakfast but I would eat fish and chicken with some veggies (MOst veggies are free-just ask)for lunch and dinner. I lost my first 8 lbs in 5 days from HIGH protein, low fat and low carb and I wasn't hungry. I also added 1 sugar free jello or sugar free pudding for the taste of sweetness a day. The only carbs I ate where healthy carbs from the non-free veggie list. Hang in there.
   — Patti ATX

May 29, 2009
how far out are you? At 3 months I went to 2 ounces of food a day and at 6 months I went to 4 oz. I was eating about 700-900 a day. I reached goal in 9.5 months..which was a 110 lb weight loss. I'd forgo the salad..nothing really nutritional there.....eat the lean meat and maybe some beans, or cottage cheese. Also..I like EAS shakes, but they have 110 calories in them. I use unjury-unflavored- everyday..I scoop is 20 grams of protein and I mix it into flavored water by nestles that has no calories. so the total is 80 calories. Go to unjury.com for it. with the unjury you would be getting 60 grams protein and 240 calories vs the EAS which is 51 grams and 330 calories. thats 90 calories you can put toward something else....like sf pudding! I make sugarfree pudding..instant and add a scoop of unflavored protein and 1 ounce of light cream cheese. I get protein and it tastes good and not a huge calorie consumer. best of luck to you! hugs, Kim
   — gpcmist

May 30, 2009
wow...you have it EASY!!!!!!! before my gastric bypass, my doctor put me on a 4-week liquid ONLY diet. Yeah, no kind of solids at ALL. Count your blessings girlfriend.......
   — jackie L.

May 30, 2009
Hi, You are right that 8-900 calories is not enough to live on but you aren't tryig to live on what you eat right now you are living on what you eat plus what you burn out of the stored calories that you carry as fat. I am a firm believer in the calories in vs. calories out. In order to lose 1 pound you must burn 3500 calories more than you take in. My surgeon/nutritionists recommends 400-600 calories per day with 60-80gms of protein during the post-op weight loss period. I had my rny on March 9th and after going through the clear liquid, full liquid, soft/pureed food steps have been averaging 420 calories per day and 72gms of protein per day. I do a 45 minute aerobic workout 6 days a week (alternating between swimming laps, elliptical machine, and walking). I lift weights 15-20 minutes (6 major muscle groups 3 sets of 12 lifts and slowly increasing the amount) 3x per week, and have started trying to do yoga dvds 2-3x per week (the yoga and my stiff body make for a humerous combination, at least that's what my wife tells me). I work 70-80 hours per week (as an Emergency Department physician) on average and have much more energy now. I lost 22 pounds pre-op starting January 14th and have lost a total of 100 pounds as of today. It is safe to be taking in very low calories as long as you are getting your protein. Why? because we aren't living on 400 or 800 calories. We are using calories stored in the fat in our bodies. We are still living on 1500-3000 calories per day depending on how much our bodies burn. Once we lose the excess weight that is stored fat we have to take in more calories to live. I don't use the protein supplements but very rarely now as most of my intake is in fish, shrimp, scallops, chicken and turkey(I'm eating 3-4oz servings). You are doing fine, though I agree the salad is extraneous but sometimes you need a little veggies for taste. Hang in there. Kevin
   — hapkidodoc

June 1, 2009
I know this is hard before surgery. do exactly what your doctor recommends. It will not hurt you and is good training for after surgery. Stick to it. I know how hard it can be. The getting ready for surgery stage was soo hard and the after part is simple compared to that.
   — trible