Question:
At 3-4 weeks post-op, how many calories per day should i be taking in?

Hi - just trying to find out how many calories I should be shooting for on a daily basis at this point in my journey. So far today, I've only taken in 340 (I started using FitDay, it's pretty nifty!) and will be having another shake to make it around 500 cals. Should I be shooting for the 700-800 range or 900-1000 range? My protein will be over 60 grams after the shake. Thanks for all the help! (OPEN RNY, 7/7/03; 227.6/207.6/132.0)    — sweetmana (posted on August 1, 2003)

August 1, 2003
pHi, for the first 5 weeks I never got in more than 390 calories, that is a bit difficult in the beginning. Try to get as much protein in as you can but don't force it. You will gradually increase your calories and protein as you heal. At just over 9 weeks I am lucky to get in 600 cals. Godd luck to you, MaryLyn 5-21-03 -53
   — Kriola

August 2, 2003
At 4 weeks, how many calories should you be taking in? As many as you can, honey! Seriously, you shouldn't even be counting calories at this point. There's no way you could be eating too much. Concentrate on eating enough, by focusing on getting your target grams of protein and liquids in. I'm four months out, and only now am around 750 calories a day, and I only know that because I use Fitday to track my protein. At my appointment last month, my dietitian told me not to count calories until about six months out, when I'll be able to eat more, and may be able to eat too much. She said then to keep the average under 1200 a day. So, my advice is to eat good quality food, focused on protein, 4 to 6 times a day. It sounds like you're doing great.
   — Vespa R.

August 2, 2003
I think I was in the 600-800 calorie range at your stage, and didn't move up to 800-1000 calories until three months out. I didn't start using fitday.com until I was about 2.5 to 3 months out. Personally, I'm glad I didn't wait until six months out to do that -- my strategy was that I wanted to monitor what I was eating from (almost) the beginning, rather than waiting until *after* my eating capacity had increased to start noticing whether too many carbs were creeping into my day. I agree that there's not much to write down at this point, but more power to you for starting early! (And don't forget the exercise, too!) :-)
   — Suzy C.