Tomorrow will be one week of VSG, feeling well so far. I feel no hunger at all, and simply force myself to put something into my stomach. I manage to meet my water goal of 64 oz/day, maybe even more (with a few sips of chicken broth every day). But I really fail to manage my protein goal - getting around 15g with my protein shake. I just can't force myself to drink more than 1/2 serving /day. I tried other protein supplements, but they are too sweet -- after the surgery all artificial sweeteners taste really bad. Once I'm allowed to go to the pureed phase, I think I'll be able to get some proteins through unsweetened real foods, like greek yogurts, meats or soups. But I still have to wait for about one more week.

As a result, my current daily intake is about 200-250 cal. Is there any risks, like stalls or else, related to low calories? Could I keep my clear liquids diet for one more week without harming myself?

Edited October 11, 20178 yr by temkins

Hi.. I had surgery on the same date. I"m getting about 400 calories. I bought lots of different protein powders and some are too sweet and icky for me. But the Celebration Essential 4:1 is one that I can drink. Its not so sweet. 25g of protein. The orange flavour is good. I'm sick of chocolate and vanilla.

I think at 200-250 calories you will find that your brain just isn't functioning too well. I feel fine but I am having a hard time getting all my words out properly. And I'm really forgetful. Feels a bit like my brain is fuzzy. My instructions are to aim for about 45-60 g protein per day. My dietician also said to try to get at least 25-40 g carb to help with the brain fuzziness. I need to function.

Also, I bought Zoup! bone broth, which seemed insanely expensive at $6 per bottle, but OMG it is delicious. I mix it with some creme of mushroom soup I also got from Celebrate (powdered). Tastes nice and savoury and its about 20 g of protein.

Also - i tried this. Mixed low fat pudding with 2 cups skim milk and whey protein powder and some good quality pure cocoa. Pour into ice cube tray and freeze. Take a little while to get them out. But I can eat a couple of those (well, stick them on a fork and lick them) and it has a real chocolate flavour and a decent little protein punch as well.

If you don't maintain protein intake, your body will attack muscle. That's the risk.

Good luck, surgery buddy

If you can tolerate milk, then drink lots of that. 8 or 10g/cup for regular 2%. More for Fairlife. Milk also counts as a fluid and has calcium and vitamins. It does have carbs, but that's a judgement call. I didn't worry about the carbs during the healing phase. (I stayed under 100g).

13 hours ago, sundog said:

Hi.. I had surgery on the same date. I"m getting about 400 calories. I bought lots of different Protein powders and some are too sweet and icky for me. But the Celebration Essential 4:1 is one that I can drink. Its not so sweet. 25g of protein. The orange flavour is good. I'm sick of chocolate and vanilla.

I think at 200-250 calories you will find that your brain just isn't functioning too well. I feel fine but I am having a hard time getting all my words out properly. And I'm really forgetful. Feels a bit like my brain is fuzzy. My instructions are to aim for about 45-60 g protein per day. My dietician also said to try to get at least 25-40 g carb to help with the brain fuzziness. I need to function.

Also, I bought Zoup! bone broth, which seemed insanely expensive at $6 per bottle, but OMG it is delicious. I mix it with some creme of mushroom Soup I also got from Celebrate (powdered). Tastes nice and savoury and its about 20 g of protein.

Also - i tried this. Mixed low fat pudding with 2 cups skim milk and whey Protein Powder and some good quality pure cocoa. Pour into ice cube tray and freeze. Take a little while to get them out. But I can eat a couple of those (well, stick them on a fork and lick them) and it has a real chocolate flavour and a decent little protein punch as well.

If you don't maintain protein intake, your body will attack muscle. That's the risk.

Good luck, surgery buddy

Thank you so much - very valuable suggestions!

Your body needs calories and protein to heal. I would suggest trying other types of protein powder. Isopure makes a decent unsweetened one. Syntrex nectar also mixes with water to be a more juice consistency rather than milk based. I like the lemonade flavor....sweet but not too sweet.