Question:
Not able to eat protein, 8 months out.
I am 8 months from my RNY surgery, and I am still having major issues with protein. I had an edoscopy in Dec., and another one later this week. I can't hardly eat anything and my weight is dropping too much. I am a tad concerned with this, anyone else had this problem? My Dr. and NUT tells me not to lose anymore weight, helllo, I am not trying!!!!! I try to eat 6 meals a day, and I do get in 60 grams of protein, but meats do not agree with me. Do you all eat protein okay, being 8 months from your surgery? — FSUMom (posted on April 4, 2010)
April 4, 2010
i just went thru this same thing. couldnt keep anything down! very weak. i
had 2 endoscopys found out i had an ulser after the 1st one but i still
couldnt eat or drink. went back for the 2nd one and found out i had a crimp
in my intestence. had surg to fix it and i feel much better now. by the
way, i also had rny, had mine in dec of 09 and i have allready lost 94
pounds. that seemed a little too fast for me but doc says im fine. good
luck to you and i hope you can figure something out soon. I FEEL FOR YOU!!!
— watch_me_do_it
April 4, 2010
I'm 4-1/2 months out and I've never had any problems with protein -- in
fact I like mine a lot. I primarily use the chocolate EAS protein powder
dissolving it first with a little cold water, and then adding hot water so
it's like cocoa; I also use the Whey Protein fruit-flavored liquid that I
dilute in my drinking water to taste; and occasionally the pre-mixed
PREMIUM chocolate protein from CostCo. I was told to think of it as
medicine that it's not optional, and fortunately I like the stuff. Best
success. I hope you hear something that helps you.
— Janell C.
April 4, 2010
P.S. to my post above: I forgot to add that at 4-1/2 months out I don't
care much for meat except for a little ground beef. But I love non-fat
plain yogurt, and add Splenda, fresh berries and a high-protein granola
from Von's -- I believe it is called something like Bare Naked
"Protein" Granola. Tomato Basic soup and oatmeal are protein
sources also. So it sounds to me that if they don't find anything wrong
with the endoscopy and other tests that you should stick with the
"sliders" until your stomach is ready for something more robust.
Again I hope you find your answers soon.
— Janell C.
April 4, 2010
Hi Shelly....wow! I'm concerned for you, too! I never had a problem
eating protein, but it has to be "just so". I don't do real well
with red meat unless it's a small piece of lean steak cooked medium-rare to
almost-rare. And chicken or turkey MUST be very moist. What I did was to
buy skinless, boneless chicken breasts and thighs, and put them in the
slow-cooker with some carrots, celery, onion, and some Mexican spices like
cumin, chili powder, and maybe throw in a small can of diced green chilis,
along with a couple of cans of 100% fat-free Swansons Chicken Broth. I'd
let it cook on low for several hours, and then take the meat out and shred
it, and then put it back into the broth. It was important to have the
THIGH meat in there along with the breast meat, because even cooked in
broth, the breasts themselves would often be very dry. There's just
something about having the moister thigh meat shredded in with the breast
meat that makes a huge difference. Then, I would take a little
Philadelphia fat-free cream cheese, and a tablespoon or so of the chicken
broth, and a spoonful of diced green chilis and mix it up together, and I
would eat a half cup of the shredded chicken with about a quarter cup of
the broth, topped with the cream-cheese mixture. It was really yummy. I
make tuna and chicken salad (I used the Lemon Pepper Tuna in the Pouch, and
the canned chicken breast meat from Costco) by taking about 1 cup of meat,
adding 4 mashed up hard-boiled eggs, and a couple of heaping tablespoonsful
of DILL relish, along with about 4 - 5 tablespoonsful of Best Foods Light
Mayonnaise. The chicken is usually fine, but the tuna can sometimes be a
little dry, so what I'll do is dish up 3 to 3 ounces and put a couple of
tablespoonsful of fat-free cream cheese on top, and put it in the microwave
(be sure to COVER it) for about 30-45 seconds to heat up. It makes it
easier to eat and seems to be less dry. I also found out that Qdoba (do
you have them near you?) has shredded pork that is very lean and high in
protein, and I can get a side of that (4 oz) topped with a ladle of their
3-cheese queso, and if I make sure that I chew it mindfully and carefully,
it makes an excellent lunch - moist, flavorful, and not TOO much fat. I
also love fish (mostly the white, flaky kind like tilapia and halibut, but
I love salmon, too)...and I could live off of grilled scallops and cooked
shrimp. I have sushi once a week. I don't eat the rice or nori, but I
have about 3 ounces of scallops chopped fine, mixed with a tiny bit of
low-fat mayo and some cilantro, and I dip my spoonful into a sweet thai
chili sauce for flavor. The salmon is fixed the same way, but I eat it
with a little bit of fat free cream cheese. So, I'm getting in good fats
and Omega-3s. Otherwise, I get a lot of my protein from fat-free cottage
cheese, and I am especially fond of OIKOS plain Greek yogurt, with a little
vanilla extract and a couple of packets of Splenda tossed in, along with
some Polaner Sugar-Free Strawberry Preserves with Fiber. I got so addicted
to it that when I started meeting my protein requirements without having
that for a late night snack, I really missed it! Now, I have either a
Kroger CarbMaster yogurt, or a Yoplait Fat Free Fiber One yogurt.
And....I'm not ashamed to admit that I still have a protein drink many
nights. First of all, I LIKE them, and secondly....I want to keep my
protein intake up more around 100-120 grams per day, and if I'm lower than
90, I'll have a protein drink. Right now, the ones I rely on are very low
calorie, fat-free, have little-to-no carbs, but DO have 23 grams of
protein, and they are the Syntrax Nectar Sweets Chocolate Truffle, and the
Syntrax Nectar Fuzzy Navel. Sounds to me like you need to increase your
carb intake (in addition to getting your protein in) to get that weight
loss to stop. I'd try getting in some more whole grains, like there's a
very good Kashi Go Lean Oatmeal, and there's always "Irish" or
"steel cut" oatmeal (takes longer to fix, but oh so good). I eat
half of an Orowheat Double Fiber English Muffin when I've got the calories
to spare, or you could try having some sweet potato, or some whole wheat
pasta. And one big secret that MIGHT HELP - I eat my food with an old baby
spoon (ones that I saved from when my children were babies - not like the
rubber-coated ones that are all you can find nowadays). If you don't have
one, you can order "demitasse" spoons for cheap on the
internet... they're really tiny, and they encourage you to not take big
bites, which (and I'm reaching, here....) might be part of your problem?
Taking normal sized bites and maybe not chewing them as well as you think
you are? Will any of these suggestions help at all, do you think?
— Erica Alikchihoo
April 4, 2010
You guys are the best and thanks for the helpful hints. I do not know what
I wuold do without this room.
— FSUMom
April 4, 2010
Shelly, I had the same problem. I'm 8 months out RNY, and still can't eat
meat. I've tried chicken, pork, beef and fish - some seafood will stay
down, but I can't eat very much of it, maybe 1/2 to 1 oz. I do the protein
shakes, thinned to the consistency of chocolate milk - they "sit"
better for me that way. I also do beans and rice or beans and pearl barley
for my complete proteins. They are easier to digest. Hard boiled eggs are
good if I "devil" the yolk with a little mustard and fat free
mayo. You might want to invest in a good vegetarian cookbook or talk to
your nut about some vegetarian options. You might want to up your protein
intake a little, also - check with your Nut. Good luck!
— Peggie
April 4, 2010
Hi I'm 4 years out and STILL cannot eat protein. I've been able to eat a
bite of a meatball, a thin slice of luncheon meat but for the most part, I
don't tolerate it well. I'm mostly a vegetarian nowadays and still drink a
protein shake every morning.
— cathmeister
April 4, 2010
Isopure no carb protein drink (maybe 18 ounces) has 40 grams of protein.
It is available at health food stores or on the internet. There are also
small bottles of Isopure 15 grams and 8 ounces. It tastes okay. There is
a blob of protein at the bottom which looks gross but is tasteless. Also,
Sky.is, a kind of yogurt, has 22 grams of protein. It is creamy. You can
get it at places like Whole Foods or gourmet grocery stores. I put
favorless protein powder in my oatmeal. That adds 25 grams of protein. I
also eat protein bars. I like "Pure Protein". It has 20 grams
of protein. Three slices of low fat cheese have 21 grams of protein. I
never eat meat. I am not having any problem getting protein.
— MargaretHM
April 6, 2010
Bump up your calories and your carbs to stop dropping in weight. Make sure
you eat foods that are easy to swallow. Meat will be the very last item you
should try to eat for proteins. Try cottage cheese, yogurt, thin sliced
deli meat, refied beans with cheese, mashed potatoes, (thin) cream of
wheat, malt o meal. These will help bump up your calories, don't worry you
won't eat so much you will gain all of your weight back. But in order for
you to maintain a good weight you need to consume calories. That is how
you stay at a healthy weight. I had RNY 4 yrs ago and still maintaining at
135-138 lbs after losing 90 lbs. Don't be afraid to try new foods, just
take small bites and wait to see what happens meaning (if it get stuck)
etc. Try the Whey protein shakes or Adkins Advantage Protein
shakes.
— Kristy
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