Question:
Why is it so important to take Protein supplements???

I know it's important for our health and well-being and all. But when I had surgery I asked my surgeon if he recommended any protein supplements as a post-op. He told me no, but when I had blood work done at my 6month mark, if I needed it, then i could take them. I am now 7 months post-op and when I had my bloodwork done everything was normal! I'm not a big meat eater and I haven't focused that past 7months on "protein first". So how could everything come out normal? Am I just lucky? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I don't have to take supplements. But just curious if anyone else is like me? 7mos post op around 160#'s, -102#'s sizes 10/12    — Sunny4x4chick (posted on February 9, 2003)


February 9, 2003
I don't supplement either and at 10 months out now my labs are still fine and I have lost over 160lbs so I hope I'm not wrong or lucky :)
   — Laurie B.

February 9, 2003
There's a dietician who teaches a pre-op set of classes that 4 of the Denver docs require. She was adamantly against protein supplements at all. I used them for a while, but it was when I first got out of rehab and they had been giving me some extra protein there. I don't do them any more, but I do make sure I get protein first. If I feel like I need a snack between meals, it's usually string cheese or some nuts, jerky or some other protein.
   — garw

February 9, 2003

   — Linda A.

February 9, 2003
The REASON would be malabsorption. Collect your labs from pre-op til forever. Check your protein levels then & now. If you are at pre-op or better, probably what you're doing is working. If your levels are drifting downward, it's much easier to take action NOW, than to wait until you don't feel good or your wt loss stops or reverses.
   — vitalady

February 9, 2003
How do you know your labs are normal? Do you keep copies of them? Not trying to scare you but I've seen enough 20/20 and Dateline episodes to make me be a lot more proactive with my own health. I bought the book "Nutrition for Dummies" (got it from the library first) and read it. Learned about supps and digestion. Figured out what bloodtests were the right ones for ME. Found out that my endocrinologist told me my labs were normal but when asking about where the protein tests were (albumin/prealbumin) was told that he didn't test those levels for the first year because they always come back abnormal. Because I was doing the supps, I specifically told him I wanted him to add that test to the list. He did but only because I asked...otherwise I would've been led to believe that all my tests were normal. GET COPIES OF YOUR BLOODWORK and compare levels! Sit down with your doc and see if a drop of a point is a big deal or not. In some instances it is, in some it isn't. But why wait until you're sick to find out? Good luck and God Bless! -- 19 mos post op, down 166 lbs. At goal. Minimum 3 protein drinks a day.
   — Kimberly L.




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