I'm in my 7th week post-op.

I recently discovered an intolerance to dairy (milk, whey, etc.) and eggs. My first 5 weeks of cottage cheese, yogurt, and whey Protein had me in a worsening dizzy brain fog. Once I gave that up, my brain and energy felt much better.

I can't really eat that much, so I'm not getting enough protein. Egg protein powders make me feel woozy, too. Soy protein concerns me (I'm a male and Soy can give me too much estrogen, so I've heard) and Brown Rice protein is plain ol' undrinkable.

shakes were my snack, I didn't have to give up drinking for an hour to have them, and they have me the protein my 6"1' frame needs.

I lost twice as much as usual this week (7.2 lbs.) and I'm worried I'm not getting enough calories or protein. I've also been exhausted the past 2 days.

What can I do?

Thank you.

As far as protein supplements, that leaves you with hemp and pea proteins (I haven't found either to be palatable). Good luck!

You should probably be trying to get your Protein from meats and fishes. If your not quite ready for dense Proteins yet I would recommend canned meats' date=' like tuna, chicken, underwood roast beef spread. I used these to transition to eating regular meats. I believe it is healthier to get your protein from regular foods anyhow. Good Luck.[/quote']

My concern is that I have to stop drinking 30 minutes before and after eating. Adding Snacks would give me another 2 hours a day I can't drink and I'm just barely getting the 64 oz. of Water a day now. I can't imagine losing drinking time.

How should I approach that?

That does become a challenge. Now I personally was only told 15 minutes before and 15 minutes after so it wasn't as bad. Now I have been able to drink my water relatively quickly for most of my time so that also helped. Now I find that I can do better getting my water drank fast enough if I use some form a flavoring like MIO. I am 8 months post op and I currently drink 128 oz a day, I use 32 oz bottles to drink from and can drink them in a single sitting over a little more then a half hour. Good Luck.

Thanks Catherine.

My NUT is away until next Monday; I sent her an email.

I eat meat, but 3 oz. 3 times a day isn't much.

If I were to snack in extra meat, that's another hour of no drinking per snack. That's where my challenge lies.

The point of waiting to drink Water is to reduce your hunger pangs by keeping your stomach fuller longer with your Protein meal. When I was having problems getting enough protein and water in me and was dealing with vertigo, the doctor told me to put the water rules on hold and focus on getting more protein and calories in. Once I got my calorie count up to 900 and was able to get 75 grams of protein and 60 oz of water, I started feeling better. I hope this helps!

Thank you for all the responses.

Catherine, I was wondering if drinking too soon and washing the food out prevents full digestion and absorption of nutrients and calories. It sounds like it worked for you... I may have to look into this.

Have you considered pureed turkey or chicken baby food? You may be able to eat it faster than other protein.

Have you considered pureed turkey or chicken baby food? You may be able to eat it faster than other Protein.

That sounds like a good idea. I haven't thought of that. Thank you.

I have a nephew who is allergic to all dairy and he drinks either soy milk, almond milk, and rice milk. I myself am having issues with skim milk so am using soy.

I have similar issues, 7 weeks out. I have been able to tolerate Jay Robb egg white Protein in vanilla if I mix it with iced coffees.

Otherwise, Peanut Butter is great protein and easy to get down, just lick it off a spoon. I have also had good luck with the roast beef inside of Arby's sandwiches, easy, thin, and lots of protein.

I hope you find some help here, I feel your pain as I am experiencing most of it too.

Thanks for the responses.

While I wish discomfort on nobody, it's nice to know others can sympathize because they have the same experience.

I felt horrible the first 5 weeks; worse every day. Like my brain was literally melting.

I went to a support group for bariatric patients and not one of them said they had the energy drain, the heavy head, the dizziness that I had.

In hindsight, I've had brain fog for years and never knew why. The surgery and the diet of mostly dairy exacerbated it. I'm thankful to have an answer.

food intolerances are no joke. It's totally different than an allergy. Unfortunately they're not as easily tested or treated, either. The only thing to really do is find out what your intolerance is and to stop eating it.

Sleeve land, Arbonne makes a vegan protein shake that is good.

That sounds like a good idea. I haven't thought of that. Thank you.

No problem. Let me know how it works. I haven't tried it myself but it's what I feed kittens who are being weaned. I like to think of all of us here as newborns of a sort.

Sleeveland, here is what they said at my WLS class that "stuck" with me because it made so much sense.... The reason for the timing issues on drinking water is to help manage hunger. Picture a funnel with applesauce in it, the semi-solid applesauce goes through the spout slowly because it is so thick. Now picture adding water to the applesauce. It will "slide" through the spout much faster because it is thinner and not as dense. Drinking water while we are eating will cause the stomach to empty faster and we will get hungry sooner. If you wait for 90 minutes after starting a meal to drink more than a swallow or two of water, then your stomach has been full for a while and the hunger response / feedback with the brain has a chance to work, and you will be less likely to "graze" or eat outside of your scheduled meals. Again I hope this is helpful!

I'm in my 7th week post-op.

I recently discovered an intolerance to dairy (milk' date=' whey, etc.) and eggs. My first 5 weeks of cottage cheese, yogurt, and whey Protein had me in a worsening dizzy brain fog. Once I gave that up, my brain and energy felt much better.

I can't really eat that much, so I'm not getting enough protein. Egg protein powders make me feel woozy, too. Soy protein concerns me (I'm a male and Soy can give me too much estrogen, so I've heard) and Brown Rice protein is plain ol' undrinkable.

shakes were my snack, I didn't have to give up drinking for an hour to have them, and they have me the protein my 6"1' frame needs.

I lost twice as much as usual this week (7.2 lbs.) and I'm worried I'm not getting enough calories or protein. I've also been exhausted the past 2 days.

What can I do?

Thank you.[/quote']

I am also desperately allergic to eggs and whey. I can do some milk in the form of cheeses and greek yogurt( the whey is removed) but thats it. I do use a lot if soy and would encourage you to read more about the estrogen concerns as much of the research around that changes frequently so you should make that choice based on your own findings.

I recommend searching for vegan options this insures no egg or whey products are used and you will always be safe. There are lots of other choices out there like hemp protein, pea protein and many mixed sources. I have had good luck at super supplements and surprisingly trader joes.

Good luck to you!

I've attached an image if a couple of really yummy vegan protein powders I have and use. the Amazing Meal brand also has a Vanilla Chai flavor, but it was so good I drank it all. . I don't have a dairy allergy, but I chose these because some of the ingredients in typical whey protein drinks were concerning to me, and the organic and/or grass-fed brands were super pricey. When I told my NUT about them, she said they whey protein is more complete and necessary for someone coming right out of surgery, but I'm actually searching the boards now to see if that's been the consensus, or if there's some kind of additional research I can take to her. Still, I think these would be good to use down the line as a snack, at least. In your case, the majority of your protein is coming from real food, so supplementing with a vegan protein seems reasonable. The Sunwarrior protein has 16g/scoop, and the Amazing Meal has 10g/packet.