Hi everyone,

Ive not posted in a while, mainly because ive been busy enjoying my (new) life and buying new clothes!

Im just about 4 months out now and am just overweight having lost over 60 pounds. The weight has consistantly come off and I am really proud of what I have achieved. Up until about 3 weeks ago I was very vigilant about my Protein levels. I find the shakes and shots disgusting but forced myself to have them every day. About 3 weeks ago one of the shakes really turned my stomach and i was violently sick, spewed so hard that i was scared I maybe burst my sleeve. From then on I have taken my foot off the accelerator and have not been vigilant about drinking shakes. Dont get me wrong, protein is still my priority, i eat protein first, high protein food choices all the time, pretty much avoid carbs HOWEVER i have stopped tracking the protein levels.

What i want to know is if anyone else the same as me, or are you all still tracking and supplementing Proteins? Also, what level of protein should I be getting in at 4 months out and what are the repurcussions if I dont meet this level?

Although I am delighted with the results of the sleeve, I am sad at the thought of continuing to supplememt my diet "artificially" I want to just eat normal foods without having to count and calculate levels of protein all the time. Its almost like being on a diet counting and checking calories and after the years of struggling to do that, i just want normality!

Thanks as always for your input!

Hey there Groove!

First, congratulations on the sixty pound loss! As for Protein, I do not consistently drink Protein shakes or eat Protein Bars. Really, the only time I have a protien shake is after a long run because I've found the Muscle Milk Light with caffeine really aides recovery. I do, however, track my protein intake in an online food journal. I try to stay at 80 grams of protein but sometimes drop as low as 60. I agree that tracking sometimes feels like dieting but I want the record in case things ever stop working as well. This way I can go back and look over what I've been doing. I'm trying to think of it as a lifestyle change. Just like I keep up with what kind of fuel I put in my vehicle and how it responds, I need to do the same with my body.

Good luck to you!

Amanda

Thanks for the reply Amanda, wish i had your dedication!

It is sooo much better to EAT your Protein and not DRINK it. It stays in your tummy longer.

Try eating meat, fish, eggs, and cheese as your protein source and not drinking it. You will be much more satisfied.

Kelly

Thanks Kelly, do you still track your Protein?

Hi Groove, congrats on your weight loss!!! I mostly get my protein through food, very rarely I use protein bars. I do use myfitnesspal on my iphone because I don't think I would get enuff otherwise. I try to keep my protein at 80g to hopefully prevent so much hairloss and help with the weightloss.

The highest protein lowfat foods I've found are salmon, tuna, tofu and cottage cheese. (Salmon is high in fat...but it is the good fat=omega 3 fatty acids.)

I never used shakes to supplement anything. The way I was able to hit 60grams of Protein was 4 meals per day, each meal consisted of 15 grams of protein per meal. That made it easy to hit those numbers and keep carbs low.

At 4 months out, I was still tracking protein, and did all the way through maintenance. Protein foods just made me feel better. In pregnancy, I am supposed to eat 100gr of protein per day, and most day I hit that goal. Some days I fall short, but it's not from lack of trying.

The recommended daily grams of protein for average women is 40-45gr per day, but higher protein keeps us from eating empty calories or carby foods so that's why the higher numbers are recommended especially during the losing stage. It also helps prevent muscle wasting during the rapid weight loss phase.

My surgeon wants people to ditch the shakes as soon as they can get soft solids/meats in for their protein.

Thanks for all the great answers, sorry it took so long to reply.

Yes, I do track my Protein. I use myfitnesspal.com and I usually get about 65-90gr of protein a day now that I am over 3 months out.

Kelly

Thanks Kelly, do you still track your protein?

I'm only on day 6 and I am already sick of protein drinks. Once I can add meats in (month 2 during purees I can add in chicken, turkey, tuna) I will be doing everything I can to get all my protein from food.

I have never used protein shakes, just don't have many to choose from and I'm meant to get my protein from food. I do track on fitnesspal because I want to have an idea of how things stack up. Plus, I want to have minmum 1000 cals per day, so I track to make sure I'm hitting that. I'm now usually between 1000-1200, with about 60-90 g of protein.

I am 7 1/2 months out and still track daily protein, carbs & calories... I cant forsee me changing this ..maybe until I hit goal, but even then I feel it is so important to hit that protein level...and for me, to watch carbs... I have just incorporated into my lifestyle now..

Hi! You have doe amazingly well! Congratulations! I, on the other hand, was sleeved on 9th June, 2011 & so far, incl the 6lbs I lost on he pre-op liver reduction diet have only lost 35lbs! My starting weight was 16st 6lb & I'm now 13st 13lb. What am i doing wrong?!! I would love to know what you eat on average per day & how much protein/carbs/calories you have. xx