Question:
Why does protein supps slow some weight loss and not others?

I went for my 3 month check up on Aug. 8 and was told that I am 5% behind my targeted weight loss. I have no problem with that as I did not exercise at all the first 3 months home. I know--bad me! But, I am walking and exercising now. I started out 411 and now today weigh 349. Not really all that dramatic. I was also told that protein supps would slow and put weight on. I now believe that is true. Due to my hectic schedule, I attempted to supplement the protein that I wasn't getting and only lost 9 lbs in the last 3 weeks. I was told at that time to increase the protein by eating all meats. When I did I met Mr. Constipation--ouch! This surgery really seems to be a catch 22 for me, lol! Anyway, I am wondering also if an increase in my appetite have anything to do with my slow weight loss along with the the forbidden protein supps? It seems that after 3 months my ability to eat more and my appetite increased. It seems to be such a battle sometimes to not eat and if I do not get full enough I get hungry too soon. I am one of the Dr. Champion bunch if that helps anybody. He does things differently and do not want us to deviate from his instructions at all.    — Diana D. (posted on September 2, 2003)

September 2, 2003
Hi Dianna. I know of a lot of people that use Dr. Champion, and hear he's wonderful. Many doctors have different protocals for their patient's post-op diets. Mine does not endorse the use or protien either. My problem is I am almost 4 months post-op, and if I drink protien drinks I am not hungry for real food, yet when I do, I use it as a meal replacement. I use them on occasion to get in necessary protien on days that I can't seem to stomach food. If you use the low carb/whey protien isolate (no lactose) it should actually help your weight loss. Do not use those heavy lactose protien shakes as they are actually designed for body building and weight gaining. I am almost 4 months post op and have lost 79 lbs starting at 291 lbs. I think you will probably find differing opinions about the protien issue. The best advise to follow is your surgeon in the long run.
   — Happy I.

September 2, 2003
Protein supplements have not slowed me down, however, I know of people who drink them AND eat full meals. In this case it is extra calories they don't need.
   — M B.

September 2, 2003
If you're within five percent of your targeted weight loss, it looks to me like you're doing great!<P>You don't say what you used as a "protein supplement," but there are good ones and there are bad ones. Many docs do not bother to learn or address the difference (or maybe they don't think we're capable of figuring it out), unfortunately, so some paint with an awfully broad brush when they condemn protein shakes across the board. Personally, I do not believe there are too many morbidly obese people out there who got that way because they consumed too many protein shakes. ;-) But I do believe there are plenty of folks who get hooked into trying really bad, fake, falsely-marketed so-called protein supplements, which are easily identified as fakes simply by *reading the label.* If it's full of carbs, sugars, and/or fats (generally speaking, you'll see as many grams of those, if not more, than you do of protein), it's not a good protein supplement, no matter what label they slapped on the front of it.<P>I can only speak about my personal experience, but for me, my protein supplements (protein shakes) never slowed my weight loss and certainly did not put extra weight on. My whey protein shake gives me 30 grams of protein per serving, plus 4 grams of carbs, 2 grams of fat, and zero sugar, and it's lactose-free (and I mix it with water, not milk or fruits). I use two shakes a day, and have ever since I was two or three weeks post-op. At 15 months post-op, I have a lot more muscle than I did as a pre-op (exercise helps, but so do the protein shakes), and though I intake about 120+ grams of protein per day (half from food, half from shakes), my labs show me in the low-normal range for protein (which is where they were when I was a pre-op). I use the shakes in addition to food because I'm convinced they've helped me build muscle, and they make my metabolism run better, and I just cannot eat 120 grams of protein in foods during the day (and I'm afraid my labs will drop below normal if I quit the shakes and only eat my protein, given they're barely normal now). I'm just not *that* big a fan of protein foods. Meats and cheese are great, but they can have a lot of fat, too, and as you've pointed out, constipation can be caused by too much of a good thing. <P>I think it's best to experiment to see what works best for your body and your metabolism over time. Some folks just hate protein shakes, and I don't think anybody should have to eat or drink stuff they hate on a regular basis -- it's just not realistic to expect that. I had to try a lot of shakes before I found a good one (most really were awful). It was worth the effort to try more than a dozen individual samples, which I got from vitalady.com (I understand wlssuccess.com sells individual samples, too). I do think it's important to listen to our doctors, too, but I've spent enough time with enough doctors in the past year to learn that they are far from infallible -- even the good ones. I have no trouble believing that protein shakes are *not* for everybody, but I firmly believe that doctors who categorically reject them either don't know there are good shakes and bad shakes, or maybe they don't trust us to figure out the difference, I don't know -- but either way, I just don't understand their position. It seems to me that a good protein shake can be a valuable tool for many post-ops. JMHO.
   — Suzy C.

September 2, 2003
I've never seen good protein supps slow people down. Never. I have seen them stabilize some who were low, because their bodies were cannibalizing their muscle. But never seen them fatten anyone up when meeting the criteria Suzy outlined below. Some docs think Boost or Ensure are protein drinks & their minds are stuck there. No amount of label waving will change their minds. Boost & Ensure are C-A-N-D-Y, so that might be a correct statement about wt gain. A good protein supp will help you lose & maintain. Not only does it provide protein, but it can really6 help you maintain appetite control as the years ago by. I do 6+ protein shakes per day (180g) in water, and still weigh about 110 lbs and have for years. Yes, I am more distal than average, but if we were talking calories, I'd be wearing them. It just seems to not count, whereas I must be as careful with food as anyone else.
   — vitalady

September 4, 2003
Umm. Maggie B? Who died and made you the Calorie Queen? We (my doc's patients) don't worry about calories, only sugars. And it's carbs, NOT protein supps, that make/keep us fat. All of us NEED good quality fuel in order to burn fat - protein supps are that. My doc REQUIRES 4-6 30 gram shakes per day, and we eat meals. Tiny meals, granted, but meals. And I believe that feeding my (now very short) gut will keep it from thinking it has to re-grow, or become hyper efficient. It doesn't think it's starving, so it doesn't try to compensate. Too bad you're so caught up in the calorie thing - bet dieting helped you get to MO, right?
   — RWH G.