Question:
Need to know how many cals should I have at 5 wks post op RNY

If you guys could please give me samples of what they were eating at about 5 wks post op during the whole day and about how many cals they were consuming-I saw one poster tell me I should only be getting 400-600 calories but that can't be right because I do one protein shake and that's like 400 cals right there-need some help thanks...Tori    — TotallyTori (posted on April 12, 2003)

April 12, 2003
Hi Tori, I am not yet at the same point in my diet but I have a book which was given to me by my nutritionist and I will give a sample of one day diet based on 500-600 calories a day Breakfast - 1 CIB w/ 8oz skim milk - 160 calories or 1/2 cup of nonfat or 1% cottage cheese 80 calories Snack 1/2c. of unsweetened applesauce 50 cal. Lunch 3 oz.tuna fish w/ 1tbsp of fat-free or light mayo 110-140 cal Snack 1/2c of fat-free mashed potato or 1 cup of fat-free yogurt 100-120 cal Dinner 3 oz. cooked chicken w/ fat-free gravy 140-160 cal snack 1 sugar-free popsicle 20 cal. Total calories 500-600 a day I think something is wrong with your calorie counting or you may be using the wrong protein shake.I bought a protein shake that after adding the milk will put me around 160 or 180 calories. I think would be very helpful to you to talk to a nutricionist and figure out your calorie intake. Take care and I hope that my information helps some how. Claudia
   — Claudia P.

April 12, 2003
well i was using real meals and one pack of real meals is 388 cals even using half is 144 cals and add 80 cals for 1cup of skim milk so i think i'm counting thecals correctly
   — TotallyTori

April 12, 2003
I think it's great that you can eat that much so soon. I am 1 week post op and just starting my pureed diet. I will be on this for 6 weeks. For the next 6 weeks, I can only eat 2 ounces of pureed food. I bought baby food and I'll eat 1/2 jar (since they're 4 ounces) per meal.
   — Frank A.

April 13, 2003
Tori--The Real Meals are 288 calories. If you drink 1/2 with water twice a day that is still only 288 calories...and 2 mini-meals. They taste great with water and have less sugar that way.
   — April S.

April 13, 2003
Tori, I asked my surgeon at 10 weeks how many calories I should be getting and he said between 1000 and 1400. I would think the same would apply to you. I was only getting about 500 and he got very upset with me. And if you are doing a protein supplement (I wasn't at that time), you really should be getting between 800 and 1000.
   — Patty_Butler

April 13, 2003
There is no one right answer! It TOTALLY depends on YOUR surgone's eating plan. I am 10 weeks out tomorrow and most days I am eating about 300-450 calories. I do not count calories in general but have a vague idea of how much I am eating. I focus on protein grams. Obviously it matters on what I chose some days. If I have 2 string cheese sticks for lunch then it's 160 calories and 16 grams of protein. If I have something else it could be as low as 100-120 calories. Typically the highest per meal I eat is about 160 calories. <p>Techniclly I am on the higher side of my surgeon's plan. I usually eat 3-1/2 to 4 ounces per meal and should be closer to 3 ounces according to the bariatric nurse. However, since I have only been able to eat ground, shredded or soft things the last 4 weeks I have been eating slightly more because the food doesn't stay with me and give me the same full feeling. If I manage to eat something denser and keep it down then typically I have a hard time getting in even 3 ounces without being really full. So the density of the food drastically affects how much I eat. I'm still losing pretty well on the 4 ounces so I'm okay with how I am doing things. My surgeon is happy with the weight loss I have had so far also. The slightly higher quantity has also allowed me to come close to the ideal 60 grams of protein. If I get in 3 good meals I can hit in the 50+ grams which is really good for my surgeon's plan. However, I focus almost totally on protein and getin very little veggies and fruit at this point, but it's my choice. I want max benefit of the early ketosis and that's why I chose to avoid the carbs right now. <p>Are you choising low carb/low sugar protein drinks? I don't use them so I have no clue if 400 calories is normal. The main thing usually is to focus on the protein and if you do that and limit the carbs and fat the calories will be in line. I guess the bottom line is what does your sureon's plan call for? That is the only plan you should be following early on!! I swear there are as many different post-op eating plans out there as there are WLS patients.
   — zoedogcbr