Well, this will be day 5 of clear liquids and I am getting sick of them. Really having a hard time getting in all the protein and I know I am not gettting enough calories. Tomorrow I will get to start full liquids. I am getting excited to ,have something new to eat, hallulujah!! But all in all I have done much better than I expected to do. Just waiting for the weight to fall off.

Congratulations Nursedye,

I'll be right behind you with my surgery on July 19th. I'm starting my liquid diet tommorrow.

So what clear liquids were you drinking for the past 5 days????

How do you feel...is your energy level ok???

Downsize Diva AKA Yvette

Well, this will be day 5 of clear liquids and I am getting sick of them. Really having a hard time getting in all the Protein and I know I am not gettting enough calories. Tomorrow I will get to start full liquids. I am getting excited to ,have something new to eat, hallulujah!! But all in all I have done much better than I expected to do. Just waiting for the weight to fall off.

How do you get in any protein at all on clear liquids? I'm on them as well until Thursday and as far as I know I'm not supposed to worry about protein until I can get to something that has protein in it! Boy I can't wait!

Unless your surgeon's plan specifically indicates a caloric goal so soon after surgery, don't worry too much about not getting enough calories. I wouldn't even be too freaked about Protein at this point. I personally would be focused on ounces of Water. More than anything, your body needs to be hydrated right now. You will not heal adequately if you are significantly dehydrated. You will not function properly, head to toe, if you are dehydrated. (Most people function day to day wth some small degree of dehydration). Make that #1 priority. Everything else can wait, and will come with time.

What's enough, anyway? At the end of the day, you want a calorie balance that's lower than your BMR. Maybe that's 1, maybe that's 900. (OK, I'm not saying to aim for 1 calorie a day, but you get my drift...) BTW, BMR (basal metabolic rate), in case you or other readers are unfamiliar with the term, is the number of calories your survival costs you. In other words, your body needs a base number of calories just to be alive: to circulate your blood, to breathe, to digest, etc. That doesn't count things like movement, or rigorous cognitive processes. Just laying there, doing nothing. To lose weight, you somehow offset that number of calories - eating fewer, burning some, etc. There is no number of calories required to survive, unless you have absolutely no reserves to draw on. Then "enough" = BMR + your activities.

BTW... each gram of protein contains 4 calories. I'm guessing you've been guided in the neighborhood of 60gm protein per day. That's 240 calories, just in the pure protein you're consuming (if you're consuling 60gm, if not, adjust accordingly).