I have only seen my nut as required to get surgery approval. I live in a rural area and I have to drive over an hour to see her and she doesn't file insurance so it's all outta pocket. I'm having no luck in finding one locally that works with my work schedule. So my question is do I really need to see a nut. I'm doing great with the weight loss. Down 110 lbs in 5 months.I could care less about food now. I'd rather have apples in peanut butter that anything else I can think of. I do realize I'm not getting enough protein and my hair is falling out. But I figure I can save a few hundred bucks and just use google.

1 hour ago, sylvia2017 said:

I have only seen my nut as required to get surgery approval. I live in a rural area and I have to drive over an hour to see her and she doesn't file insurance so it's all outta pocket. I'm having no luck in finding one locally that works with my work schedule. So my question is do I really need to see a nut. I'm doing great with the weight loss. Down 110 lbs in 5 months.I could care less about food now. I'd rather have apples in Peanut Butter that anything else I can think of. I do realize I'm not getting enough Protein and my hair is falling out. But I figure I can save a few hundred bucks and just use google.

I am 5 weeks out and have spoken to mine once. I just needed an idea of a carb limit for the day. I find that there is a lot of different plans and it all depends on the NUT opinion...... I think if you are having issues it is a good idea but then again... this isn't rocket science.

Have you tried the Premier Protein water? I cannot do the protein shakes and had issues getting my protein in. The drinks are really good. No artifical sweeteners! I am getting my protein in now since one of the drinks has 20 grams.

I would say most people don't NEED a nutritionist. But the fact that you blatantly acknowledge that you're not getting your protein in, and apples and peanut butter are your staples. While apples and peanut butter can be healthy in a balanced diet you're probably eating much more sugar and fat than you should be and not leaving room for the most important macro nutrient.

I've not had any trouble with sugars. No dumping. I do try to watch sugar content but I don't like the 1 gram sugar protein drinks. Gag. I drink mostly water. I do the 1/2 sugar oj.
My typical day breakfast:
1 cup special k protein cereal +protein from milk.
Or 2 strip of bacon
Snack: slice of cheese and crackers
Lunch: apple and a jif to go peanut butter cup
Drink water l day at work
Dinner: about 2 oz meat, a couple bites of veggies cooked in bone broth (extra protein )
More water

And that's about it.
I'm averaging about 5 lbs a weight weightloss. So I'm not sabotaging anything. 110 lbs in 5 months I think is awesome. But I do worry about the hairloss. It has been my one diwnside. Energy is through the roof so I'm not lacking energy. I feelngreat. And if 2 bites feels me up I quit. I could care less about food anymore. But I do want to make sure i. Getting enough of the right things in my body. So if anybody has any food suggestions besides protein shakes which I honestly won't do. They are so gross. I'd appreciate suggestions.

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I've never consulted with a nutritionist specifically for WLS, and the ones I saw for PCOS weren't particularly helpful. They basically gave the same advice as what's provided online about following a lower-carb but not ultra low carb diet. Since I went the DIY self-pay in Mexico route, I never had to consult with a nutritionist prior to having the VSG in August of 2015. I found ample information provided on sites for bariatric centers, like the ones at UCLA, Stanford, the Mayo Clinic, and also gathered ideas for meal plans and recipes on here, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram. That gave me guidelines about what to eat in each stage of post-op, and instructions on long-term eating. I did also receive information from my surgeon's office, but found it helpful to learn about eating in advance.

It sounds like you're doing FANTASTIC on your own, so there's little reason for you to spend the money and time seeing a consultant about this point. The only point of possible concern is that from what you've described it sounds like you might be consuming too few calories at this point, especially at lunch. I noticed that my hair shedding lessened when I added in more calories. You may want to have a more substantial meal then and see how that impacts your weight. Otherwise, it looks like a strong meal plan, and quite obviously, it's working very well for you! Congrats!

Ok, so from your example, you are getting 38g protein when you eat the cereal and 34g when you eat the bacon.

A typical female needs a minimum of 46g protein a day, and bariatric patients need 60g protein a day.

We need more because of our reduced caloric intake. When we eat fewer than 1200 calories, the body uses some of the protein for metabolic activities instead of muscle/organ maintenance...so we need extra protein.

Your intake is wholey inadequate and your body is taking protein from your muscles and organs as we speak. This phenomenon is why anorexics die. The body removes too much protein from the heart and it stops functioning.

If you can eat 2oz protein at dinner, then you can eat 2 more oz a couple hours later (or earlier). If you can drink milk on your cereal, then you can have a glass of milk instead of the orange juice. These two changes will bring you up to 60g a day.

Because you are 5 months out, I wonder if you've been short on protein all this time. If so, then aim for 80g protein to work on rebuilding the damage. Exchange non-protein foods for protein ones.

The hair loss happens to a lot of patients the first year. It should start growing back in around your surgiversary. Malnutrition will keep it from coming back.

I found my NUT to be highly important to my progress and I've seen her 4 times since surgery and call her if I have any issues.

Do you need a NUT? No but I've found that my NUT is more helpful when it comes to diet than my surgeon and my PCP. My biggest concern would be your protein intake. You weightloss is great, amazing even, but you don't want to start to lose muscle mass or damage your organs by long term lack of protein. I would say focus on getting a high daily protein intake and you will be golden. Supplement if you really need to, I'm almost 11 months post op and I still drink a shake a day.

Some people don't
But from what I've just read ( it's not about the weight loss but congrats) you for sure need to see a nutritionist. Googling won't help you get a plan suitable for your current needs. But it's upto you. I can't get in to see my dietician so she rings me sometimes. Maybe one could ring you or Skype

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