Question:
Do we need to count calories and how many calories sould i have?

My doctor says don't count calories, just no carbs, but when i asked him about protien drinks he said the one i chose had to many calories?(carb solution) which have about 130 cals per seving, he wants me to buy the one they sel beriplex, which is nasty but carries about 68 cal, per serving, so i am totaly confused, the only good thing about beriplex is it has all your vitamins in it , so i would like input on the calorie verses carb and what i should be doing, i am 4 weeks post opp, thank you    — sandra M. (posted on April 22, 2001)

April 22, 2001
I think that you're getting far more protein in the CS for your calories than in the BP at considerably less cost. You can take multi vites and add iron & calcium citrate & they do not add calories, or large cost. There are other products that could give you a bit more protein for your calories, too. What you want to compare is protein g vs sugar g. And then protein g vs calories. And how much of it does it take to be 30g of protein? That's a good standard measure to use. So, if it takes 1.5 CS = 30g of protein, how many calories & how much sugar is in there? Now, the same with any other brands you are considering. Never mind the vites, as the BP doesn't have enough of the right kind of calcium or iron in it, so is a rather expensive multi-vite. You can use it if you want, of course, but it just isn't the Total Answer for us. You still need to beef it up for us. Also, the bottom line is that if you can't stand to gack it down, what good is it?
   — vitalady

April 23, 2001
My surgeon says we should watch or be aware of calories and try to keep it around 800 to 900 until most of the weight is gone. Some people may tell you that calories don't matter at all, but when the weight loss slows down to a crawl, you will know that they do matter. Remember, there are only 3 types of food: protein, fats, and carbohydrates. The first two are pretty easy to identify but some people get confused about carbs. There are 'bad' carbs for weight loss and I usually call them 'starches' which include breads, potatoes, pastas, chips, crackers and such. Strictly limit the use of these or leave them off entirely. But there are 'good' carbs for a balanced diet and they are easily described as fruits and vegetables. Eat these in moderation with your proteins and a small amount of fat. I don't normally do protein drinks, but try to get all my protein from food. But, there are lots of choices out there and in the "Library" on this site, you can do a seach of protein drinks or protein supplements and read all the past answers on this question if you have a lot of time!
   — Cindy H.

April 23, 2001
When I asked my Doctor about the calories in my protein drink, he told me to NOT include those calories in my calorie count as those calories would be utilized by my body immediately. I don't know exactly what that means, but I have followed his advice. I do track my calories from time to time as I don't want to become complacent & start eating more than I should to continue losing weight. I never add the calories from my protein drink, except for anything I use to mix with it (in my case, orange juice or milk, in small amounts). The protein supplement I use has (in two scoops) 100 calories, 20 g protein, 3g sugar. I'm still losing weight at one year post & I probably average about 1200 calories a day (not including my supplement). As far as I'm concerned, the most important thing about a protein supplement, after assuring that it has enough protein & not too much sugar to be helpful, is whether or not you can stand to drink it enough that you will use it over the long haul. I have found some protein supplements that were really good nutritionally, but which I could not stand to drink, and therefore, I didn't use them like I should have. The protein supp I use isn't the very best, but I can tolerate it so I do use it reliably. I think it's important to not forget that part. A nutritionally great supplement which sits in your cupboard for months isn't any good at all. Much better to find something you can live with, even if there are others that are "better." Just my opinion.
   — Kathy W.