Calories and protien shakes a day

[Snow Angel]

Hi all, i know post bypass surgery we are not necesseraly supposed to count calories but I dont think im having enough a day.
I just wanted to know how many protien shakes a day people who use them have and how many calories people have a day too.
I have asked my team but they just dont know :sigh:
Some days I dont eat 500 cals and im sure this is not enough as i feel tired all the time

I have tried the protein shots and at the moment cant stomach them they make me feel very sick.
I am thinking of buying some maxi muscle and seeing if that helps.

I am losing weight well, just over 5 and a half stone now but im finding that im losing inches on my lower half and am wondering if thats because im losing muscle and not fat.

Sorry for the long post and I look forward to your replys.

Many thanks!

 

[32bme]

Hi Not sure about being on less than 500 cals a day long term is good for any body there is some great food plans of bypassers and advice from them will forth coming but no wonder you have no energy that seems very low ..
Some one will be along soon with bypass advice .
Well done your really losing it but you also need to feel good.
Mia

 

[teen]

I myself would much rather have a nice piece of cheese and count them cals that have a protein shake. Im the same some days I dont have many cals then another day i could have double

 

[phatgirl]

Many people aren't able to get enough protein or calories in when they are newly post-op, it is very common so the idea of supplements is a good one. However, now that you are 5 months out you should be able to eat more calories and protein. 500 cals a day is very low at your stage, you should be able to manage more like 700-800 per day and 45-65g of protein through food alone. That is where protein shakes can be helpful. They have about 100-150 cals per serving and around 20g of protein. If you are really struggling to get cals & protein in you can use 2 per day. Teen suggested eating a piece of cheese instead of a protein shake. Remember that a single serving of cheese averages 5-7g of protein so you would have to eat 3-4 servings to equal a protein shake and even with low fat cheese the fat for 3 servings would be at least 6 grams. So unless you feel that you can manage more protein rich food every day, you probably would benefit from the use of suppliments. They all taste different so don't give up until you find one you like.

Nic

 

[teen]

Many people aren't able to get enough protein or calories in when they are newly post-op, it is very common so the idea of supplements is a good one. However, now that you are 5 months out you should be able to eat more calories and protein. 500 cals a day is very low at your stage, you should be able to manage more like 700-800 per day and 45-65g of protein through food alone. That is where protein shakes can be helpful. They have about 100-150 cals per serving and around 20g of protein. If you are really struggling to get cals & protein in you can use 2 per day. Teen suggested eating a piece of cheese instead of a protein shake. Remember that a single serving of cheese averages 5-7g of protein so you would have to eat 3-4 servings to equal a protein shake and even with low fat cheese the fat for 3 servings would be at least 6 grams. So unless you feel that you can manage more protein rich food every day, you probably would benefit from the use of suppliments. They all taste different so don't give up until you find one you like.

Nic

Think I came over wrong with what I said lol I didnt mean have cheese instead of a protein shake Thats just my preferance I dont like protein shakes but love cheese lol

 

[Caroline101061]

Why dont you try and have protein at every meal - try an egg of some description for brekkie, some sort of meat or chicken or fish for lunch and the same for supper - I know so well that its not easy post bypass but it has to be done. Wouldnt worry about losing more weight on top than on bottom or vice versa - everyone loses from different places at different rates - just the way we are all made.

 

[Snow Angel]

Many people aren't able to get enough protein or calories in when they are newly post-op, it is very common so the idea of supplements is a good one. However, now that you are 5 months out you should be able to eat more calories and protein. 500 cals a day is very low at your stage, you should be able to manage more like 700-800 per day and 45-65g of protein through food alone. That is where protein shakes can be helpful. They have about 100-150 cals per serving and around 20g of protein. If you are really struggling to get cals & protein in you can use 2 per day. Teen suggested eating a piece of cheese instead of a protein shake. Remember that a single serving of cheese averages 5-7g of protein so you would have to eat 3-4 servings to equal a protein shake and even with low fat cheese the fat for 3 servings would be at least 6 grams. So unless you feel that you can manage more protein rich food every day, you probably would benefit from the use of suppliments. They all taste different so don't give up until you find one you like.

Nic

Thanks Nic
its just that you know ive been struggling for sometime now and have been trying to add more protein to my diet. I do find it difficult to eat before lunchtime and thought that I would perhaps try a shake instead of a meal for this time. Ive come across some maximilk, its just like a normal shake but has 33gms of protien in it. I have tried slammers and shots and whey protien shakes but I cant take them. I also have fortimel "when I have to"!!! I thought that if I could have one of these shakes a day they are 257 cals, hardly any fat and 33mgs of protein. Carbs are quite high tho but if I dont eat much carbs in my diet that may be ok.

I do eat meals but struggle to eat enough and the hospital rang this morning to say my recent blood test showed I was very aneamic, so needed some more iron supps and thats not helping is it!

Just wanted to know how many calories everyone else has "roughly" as didnt want to over do it but sounds like ive been under doing it!!

many thanks for your reply.

 

[Snow Angel]

Why dont you try and have protein at every meal - try an egg of some description for brekkie, some sort of meat or chicken or fish for lunch and the same for supper - I know so well that its not easy post bypass but it has to be done. Wouldnt worry about losing more weight on top than on bottom or vice versa - everyone loses from different places at different rates - just the way we are all made.

Thanks Caroline
should have said that I cant cope with eggs and fish at the moment. I keep trying but it keeps coming back to me!! This is why im finding it hard, there is only so much chicken and cheese you can take in one day!!!

Yes we are all made differently and I appreciate that but just dont want to lose muscle rather than fat.

Many thanks for your reply.

 

[Snow Angel]

Hi Not sure about being on less than 500 cals a day long term is good for any body there is some great food plans of bypassers and advice from them will forth coming but no wonder you have no energy that seems very low ..
Some one will be along soon with bypass advice .
Well done your really losing it but you also need to feel good.
Mia

Thanks Mia
yes im not eating enough but the bariatric teams dont seem to know how much Im supposed to be eating etc so its hard really. Eveyones teams have different ideas too!
Thanks for your post

 

[Snow Angel]

Think I came over wrong with what I said lol I didnt mean have cheese instead of a protein shake Thats just my preferance I dont like protein shakes but love cheese lol

No worries Teen, I knew what you meant. Yes i would too but when you cant eat fish of any sort or eggs its a bit difficult!

Thanks

 

[teen]

Im 9 months post op and today I have had just over 700 cals
Had
Yogurt,banana,cheese,egg,mushrooms,chicken,potato,carrots,peas and a yourkshire pud and some gravy

 

[fat-girl-slim08]

What about nuts?
Try eating a few handfulls throughout the day, They helped me get my protien.
I also have a protien Shake every morning for breakfast I get mine from here the MET Rx Ready to drink, MET Rx Ready To Drink 12 x 330ml Carton | UK CHEAP SUPPLEMENTS | MRPs | MET Rx Ready To Drink 12 x 330ml Carton Which Nic Kindly reccomended to me. Sometimes if I'm not that hungry I have 2 a day, every day is different for me. I also eat a Lot of Shell fish too. I eat 220gms of Shelled prawns most days too. (Good for Protien)

 

[Silversurfer]

I agree with Teen on this subject, i think its far better to gain your protein from your food than a suppliment, until recently i hadn't used protein suppliments as i'd never believed in them, i did though undertake an experiment to see if taking a daily protein shot made any difference and to be honest the results were negative, the protein made no difference to my average loss as it remained as erratic as before. Maybe i started too late or my weights at a stage where suppliments wont benefit me, or maybe i already get enough protein through the food i eat, the experiement was unconclussive ?

I've also recently undergone a dietry review with my dietician who's calculated that i'm actually consuming between 1200 - 1600 calories on an average day ! as a result of which and my level of exercise i've become slightly hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) - i now have to have a sugary snack mid morning and after exercise otherwise my sugar dips and i end up with the shakes.

PG's right, you should at your stage be eating the right foods, fish and eggs are funny things and it it was ages before i could eat both, though keep trying as both are good sources of protein, calorie counting is difficult and at best a guess.

 

[Snow Angel]

Thanks for the link FGS will have a look at these, I did try one on Saturday called maxi milk that was lovely, much better than the ones ive tried before so will try this one too!
I just cant eat any kind of fish at all at the moment ( I used to love fish but it now makes me sick but I do keep trying it!!!
Thanks for the tips


Silversurfer, thanks for your comments about this too, thats why i asked the question on here, its just that some people do still count calories and some dont, some take shakes and some dont etc, so its great to get an "idea" of what other people are doing.
Im not sure that they help you lose weight any better its just that i am not having enough protein at all and I dont want to lose muscle as I have MS and this is not good so its more for my overall health than the weightloss. Ive only lost 5 and a half stone so its coming off slowly but as long as it doesnt go back on then thats fine

Many thanks for your comments and advice

 

[Snow Angel]

Im 9 months post op and today I have had just over 700 cals
Had
Yogurt,banana,cheese,egg,mushrooms,chicken,potato,carrots,peas and a yourkshire pud and some gravy

Thanks Teen
this gives me an idea of what to aim for