I had my 6-week post op check today - all going well, surgeon is about as pleased as I am!
I thought some of you might be interested - seems his approach to eating now is more relaxed than for some of you guys in the US. His reckoning - I should work my way from 1/2 or so cup of food per meal, up to 1 cup or a bit under over next 6 weeks, strictly 3 meals a day forever. I need no longer worry about “protein first” in each meal - a good mixed balanced meal is more important now. If anything, eat well-chewed veggies first so I get in enough, then Protein as it tends to not pass through as easily (my pouch is a “fobi pouch” with a silastic ring permanently set in the bottom. A “no-stretch” pouch.)
My surgeon has longitudinal data on 1700 patients post RNY. Makes for great comparisons and predictions! My weight is maybe 3 pounds ahead of his estimate for me at this point - but he is right on in his predictions of when my 5 pounds a week loss dropped to 4, 3, and now to 2 pounds a week. His estimate is this will be reasonably steady for 6-10 weeks, then a pound a week average until the 9 month post op point.
My current lack of interest in food, lack of hunger and food drive, is exactly as per most of his patients. His research - 1 year after RNY the average intake is 750 calories a day - which he says is fine, if the diet is balanced, and with a good Vitamin supplement daily. Blood work tells us whether the food we are eating is hitting the right balance. He also isn’t as wedded to “you must have 70g of protein a day” - a reasonable amount, sure, but he said ‘your liver makes protein, and some days with less is really normal’.
So, in his relaxed guidelines, we are both pretty happy with my easy progress - AND best of all I am cleared to go scuba diving in 9 weeks! Hooray!
