Ok...so some days I make the quota and some days I don't. Why do we have to have so much protein? What is it doing other than constipating me? I am trying to drink the whey super protein chocolate shake (52grams of protein) everyday but some days I don't get it all down...some days if I'm super busy I don't drink it at all. I don't eat enough food to get the protein from meats. So what is the deal what is all this protein doing for us?

Protein is absolutely the MOST important macronutrient in your body. It is necessary for your body to function. Want to know what happens without it? Your muscles (including your heart) atrophy and die. Wounds don't heal. You become severely fatigued. Eventually you will die. That is what it is doing for you.

Eat/drink your protein. It is essential. If you are constipated....there are other ways around that including getting enough fluids.

Stool softeners saved me! I don't like MOM (milk of magnesia) and I don't like laxatives. Drink alot of water, exercise, and try a stool softner.

Protein is absolutely the MOST important macronutrient in your body. It is necessary for your body to function. Want to know what happens without it? Your muscles (including your heart) atrophy and die. Wounds don't heal. You become severely fatigued. Eventually you will die. That is what it is doing for you.

Eat/drink your protein. It is essential. If you are constipated....there are other ways around that including getting enough fluids.

Thanks for the info...but I wasn't saying that I want to cut out all protein so I could shrivel up and die as you put it.

:-) I just wanted to know why we needed "so much" after surgery. I'm aware that it is a needed nutrient. Trust me...I stated "what is is it doing other than contipation" half hearted/jokingly. Maybe I should be more descriptive in my posts. I know what to do for constipation...it's called common sense. We're not children here...the purpose of the post again was to find out why we needed so much. But I get it...thanks!

Your body is missing several things, especially in the early phases - protein can make up for what you're missing. Protein is the purest and best form of nutrition - its the basis for what our body needs. It ensures that your essential body functions continue. The reason why you need "so much" is because it is the main nutrient your body gets and it just simply needs a lot of it. Not eating enough of it means that your critical needs may be met, but being short every day on what your body needs means that your skin won't heal as well, your hair can fall out, you can be fatigued, among other things.

My understanding of why so much Protein is that we are using the protein both to heal our bodies and to help keep our bodies from going after our muscles (instead of fat stores) while we are losing weight. There are several charts that list good protein sources, including cheese, broth, meat, Beans, some veggies (greens and spinach especially). That might help give you some variety rather than trying to get down a Protein shake every day. I think most of them are nasty, although Premier makes one that has 30 grams of protein in 11 ounces of shake that is doable.

Are you allowed coffee at all? I drink decaf coffee nearly every day and I'm not having problems with constipation. Regular coffee had the same effect on me before surgery.

Good luck with your journey!!

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/benefits-Protein

This link provides a good explination, but is far from all inclusive. Hope it helps.

It helps with the healing process and also allows for full restriction of our sleeves.

Ok...so some days I make the quota and some days I don't. Why do we have to have so much Protein? What is it doing other than constipating me? I am trying to drink the whey super protein chocolate shake (52grams of protein) everyday but some days I don't get it all down...some days if I'm super busy I don't drink it at all. I don't eat enough food to get the protein from meats. So what is the deal what is all this protein doing for us?

Protein is the building blocks of our bodies. Simply put it is healing you. Do your best to get your protein in! It's not easy at all so early post op. Fluids should be your first concern, second is protein... then walking... then rest. You got this!!!

Thank you guys for the explanations!! I will work harder to meet my Protein quota. I am definately feeling the affects of not getting enough...just by reading your responses I see why I'm feeling so fatigued. But just like LilMissDiva (my sleeve idol!) says...it's really kind of hard early on after surgery. I've got to work harder...the last thing I want is to have this surgery and do something to make myself unhealthy.

Circa and Lissa...that was a great explanation! Thanks...you guys are always so motivating. I appreciate you taking the time to type up your responses. I'll do better.

60-80g of protein a day is NOT that much. It's pretty moderate actually.

People that are getting in their protein tend to lose more weight. This is what I have noticed for postings on this site. Also gives us energy and the feeling of being full. Replenishes are cells and helps with our muscles, hair, nails, and bones.

The doctor told me that you can only absorb 30g of protein in an hour so maybe drink half of that 50g protein drink in the morning and save the rest for lunch. That way it may be easier to get in your system. Right now, I'm eating 60-80g of protein a day and very low carbs. I have so much more energy and feel better on days where I eat lots of protein. I ate some proteined oatmeal for breakfast this morning at 7 am and don't even feel hungry at all, instead I feel full.

The doctor told me that you can only absorb 30g of Protein in an hour so maybe drink half of that 50g protein drink in the morning and save the rest for lunch. That way it may be easier to get in your system. Right now, I'm eating 60-80g of protein a day and very low carbs. I have so much more energy and feel better on days where I eat lots of protein. I ate some proteined oatmeal for breakfast this morning at 7 am and don't even feel hungry at all, instead I feel full.

That's not entirely correct. Your body can use more than 30g in an hour. It can only use around that much (approx) for muscle growth/repair. The remainder is converted to glucose and used for energy or if not used....is turned into fat. The extra protein is not wasted.....just not as useful.

60-80g of Protein a day is NOT that much. It's pretty moderate actually.

This is absolutely correct. I'm willing to bet just about anything we were all probably getting almost double the amount of protein pre-surgery. An area which we are really falling short on is liquids. Be sure to get lots of liquids in you as your intestines are removing all the liquids from the food leaving it, well ...

More liquids, more ...

Protein helps to heal the body. Try adding fiber to your diet---I take gummy chews and most of the time I add tasteless powder benefiber to my protein drinks. I've found the more protein I take in, the greater the weightloss and the greater my energy level. Blessings2u--BJ