Jump to content
×
Are you looking for the BariatricPal Store? Go now!

how often were you told to eat



Recommended Posts

I’m supposed to eat three small meals a day and drink a Protein Shake between meals.

This actually amounts to two meals a day and two Protein shakes- because a shake is far too easy for Breakfast.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

On 9/16/2018 at 8:10 AM, James Marusek said:

Normally and individual is told to eat three meals a day. In some rare cases where individuals have great difficulty eating, with very limited volume per meal, they recommend increasing the number of meals to 5 or 6 so that the daily food volume is maintained.

Eating one meal per day is not recommended.

This is what my team suggested as well. However in my early stages my paperwork states 4-6 meals. (assuming that 1-2 of those are "snacks") :)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I had my surgery in April and my doctor for the first year to eat 3 meals a day and not to exceed 500 calories. At least until I reach my goal weight then we go to 1000 calories to maintain. I have been going over my calories and my weight loss kinda paused. So my doctor said not to exceed 700 and try to stick to about 200 calories per meal whenever I eat them during the day.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Per my program I eat 1/2 c. (4 ozs) 3 times a day, no Snacks. Protein Shakes to supplement and get me to 70-90g Protein a day. I was also told to eat within an hour of waking so my body has the fuel it needs for the day.

I've lost 110lbs since surgery 1/31/18.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

On 9/16/2018 at 5:53 AM, Newme17 said:

My surgeon says “Only when you’re truly hungry”. Just because it’s “breakfast” time doesn’t mean you should eat. Eat when your body says you’re hungry. Your Breakfast (breaking your fast) might be at 1pm. Who knows? Why eat more than your body is requiring? This is mindless eating, I know, because I struggle with it even now.

I’m curious about this as gastric sleeve removed the hunger producing hormone and I never feel hungry. If I went by this rule I’d never eat until I feel my mood switch to hangry

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, insertusernameidk said:

I’m curious about this as gastric sleeve removed the hunger producing hormone and I never feel hungry. If I went by this rule I’d never eat until I feel my mood switch to hangry

I wish I was one of those the hormone was removed, but I still have hunger as well of course as head hunger. When I don't eat when I'm physically hungry, it triggers my Migraines and then I get hangry as well. But, not everyone gets the hormone removed or enough of it removed. I try to follow my Dr's advice, that way I'm getting my nutrients as well as eating right. It is hard to stay eating what I'm supposed to, but I've developed a new strategy and I'll see if that works..

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The sad reality is that even if you are one of the lucky ones where "the hunger hormone has been removed" it is really only temporary. And when it comes back, it comes back like a beast (to quote my surgeon!)

I am the same, if I don't eat and get hangry, I also get that headache though I don't think mine is a Migraine. But, it does take a few days to get rid of it. But, if I follow the plan the right way, I'm usually pretty good. It's when I start eating carbs and sugars again, that my hunger gets really bad. And smaller meals with Snacks (healthy snacks) really help. I'm always just surprised at myself how my head thinks I will need more food than I really do. When I put food on my plate or go to the salad bar or whatever, I pile it on. Luckily, I've learned that leaving food on my plate is a good thing and actually strive for that but it is hard and not always successful.

Best of luck.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

3 small meals, 3 Snacks was the original directive. Go no more than 2-3 hours without something going on. Well honest that's what THEY SAID. My real life, Water of some sort when I wake up, either plain or Nestle Splash no calorie, take am pills, try to down 2-oz every 15 minutes, hopefully I took my Carafate at 6Am and my Zofran at 8Am or my day goes badly. 9-10 am Protein Shake, getting down to soy and pea not my favorite or dry powder from Bariatric Pal. WARNING-DO NOT BUY THE NY CHEESECAKE flavor, I whipped up frozen unsweetened strawberries in it this AM, still FOUL! Tak8ng it 2 oz by 2 oz grimacing all the way. Why don't I dump it, hate to throw that money away. Then lunch time, strained Soup with Protein Powder added, after long enough start on the water torture every 15 minutes, for dinner broth , soup , something with scoop of Protein added. Try mightly to get the 90 grams of protein Dr Noria wants for healing those ulcers. Calories, hopefully 600-800 if I have done things right, don't miss zofran, don't miss Carafate, make sure Multivitamin, B12 get taken. Live a sad little life, not much flavor, keep it smooth, keep it liquid. Don't rock the boat, I defecate every 2-3 days, often needing prompting. Void 4 to 6 times daily smells of mutivitamins et all. I know everyone has their own JOURNEY but it is lonely being a Stricture Kid, having a pouch,that hurts almost constantly, hard to descern ulcer pain from hunger, emotionally I want to eat , but my body doesn't accept much. Surgery weight was 319, now I am somewhere in the mid 270s, maybe purchase a scale the first of December, first time I have lived somewhere with smooth level floors. And the only joys I have, my son, my cats and Bariatric Pals that I have made. I do make an attempt to be upbeat but it is becoming harder, I see no bright star☀or Sun ahead, had last regular appointment in October, not scheduled for another until December 19th, the average patient is doing well, doesn't need much maintainance, well Dayum I am SPECIAL. Biweekly I go have Dr Noria go try to stretch me somemore, make comments about my,ulcerations and then back home. And like the Little Match Girl staring into the Brightly lit Toy Store, nobody seems to care. Not so much regret as feeling neglected and unfulfilled.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

So if you can eat 300-600 calories what’s the point of whole operation then? I was told to eat 4-5 meals a day with mor Proteins and not more than 200-250ml once... as I am only starting on solids i am a bit lost and unfortunately I don’t have assigned nutritionist or so... so I am just slowly trying all the food that I had before just in smaller quantities? Maybe it is wrong I don’t know I had bypass surgery on 23 of October, but after I had internal bleeding so I am on a bit weaker side still... anyway to be perfectly honest at the moment my bigger concern is to get on normal track and be strong instead of loose weight... this is why I suppose I don’t really look at calories or something like this? Is this is really bad thing? If I have too much?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

iPixie, I don't think the point is to eat the same foods as before at all. If you do that, you will gain the weight back. But, I also don't count calories, I count grams of protein/fats/carbs. Well, I count Protein and try to keep the other counts as low as possible. The first year or 2, the weight will come off regardless of what you do. However, you really want to use the first 2 years to train yourself on how to eat better. Because the hunger hormone does come back and it's a beast when it does. But if you have trained yourself well, you can get through it. If you follow the protein/fats/carbs ratio, you should be fine without worrying about calories. My postop diet is 60 to 80 grams of protein, 30 grams of fats, and no more than 100 grams of carbs.

Eating Proteins first, then carbs and finally fats.

Best of luck!!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, esskay77 said:

iPixie, I don't think the point is to eat the same foods as before at all. If you do that, you will gain the weight back. But, I also don't count calories, I count grams of protein/fats/carbs. Well, I count Protein and try to keep the other counts as low as possible. The first year or 2, the weight will come off regardless of what you do. However, you really want to use the first 2 years to train yourself on how to eat better. Because the hunger hormone does come back and it's a beast when it does. But if you have trained yourself well, you can get through it. If you follow the protein/fats/carbs ratio, you should be fine without worrying about calories. My postop diet is 60 to 80 grams of Protein, 30 grams of fats, and no more than 100 grams of carbs.

Eating Proteins first, then carbs and finally fats.

Best of luck!!

Yes indeed I understand that this is not the point of whole thing to eat junk and stuff... Probably what Inam trying to say is that I am kind of trying to see what can I eat again... I don’t know maybe my brain did not get it yet I don’t know I will definitely learn to eat in different way it’s just now I am at my parents abroad until Christmas so I don’t work and I am not living “normal” life... as well as due to my internal bleeding and all that I am restricted with physical activity until my review wich is planned on 7th of December... and so it is very hard to be outside of your comfort zone in life as well as trying to learn new way of living... so my choice was as I said trying to see what can I eat, what can’t I eat while I am here and when I am back I will set up my diet and so on... it is a bit scary that it won’t be like it used to... and now I find that food doesn’t taste same way? Will it change or is this is my new taste buds now?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Your taste buds will recover eventually. I wish they wouldn't! You are at an uncomfortable stage -- I remember it and felt the same way as you but looking back, I wish I had taken advantage of all that and just relaxed a bit. But that's hard. So, yes, start trying different foods. Some will work and some won't work right away. eggs were always my go-to. Yogurt, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, etc. really helped me through it. I used to hate cottage cheese and now love it! But, I had to start out by adding Jello to it. In fact, at the beginning I would add jello to plain yogurt as well. For the yogurt, I added the completed jello but for the cottage cheese, I added the jello powder into it along with a little bit of sugar free coolwhip. Mmmm. Still my favorite dessert. You can also add jello pudding powder into cottage cheese with a bit of coolwhip. When you can have it, I also add some crushed pineapple into it. Best of luck. You will get through this and do great!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

On 11/23/2018 at 16:29, esskay77 said:



Your taste buds will recover eventually. I wish they wouldn't! You are at an uncomfortable stage -- I remember it and felt the same way as you but looking back, I wish I had taken advantage of all that and just relaxed a bit. But that's hard. So, yes, start trying different foods. Some will work and some won't work right away. eggs were always my go-to. Yogurt, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, etc. really helped me through it. I used to hate cottage cheese and now love it! But, I had to start out by adding Jello to it. In fact, at the beginning I would add Jello to plain yogurt as well. For the yogurt, I added the completed jello but for the cottage cheese, I added the jello powder into it along with a little bit of sugar free coolwhip. Mmmm. Still my favorite dessert. You can also add jello pudding powder into cottage cheese with a bit of coolwhip. When you can have it, I also add some crushed pineapple into it. Best of luck. You will get through this and do great!


I think you made my day now, I might be coming to realisation that I am on holiday now and while you are on holiday abroad you still eat a bit of a different food and this is how it is isn’t it? I am quite happy with not having dumping Syndrome... now I am more than a month post op... when I am back in a month I will set up my new routine and new diet, now I can and I will enjoy my festive season holiday with my family. I don’t know wether it is my little luck or what but yesterday was my dads bday and I had a tiny slice of cheese cake and all was good as well :) so happy time I am doing well and mood comes back, since my op I’ve lost 23 kg already... waiting for 7th of December to see my surgeon and so he would approve some more physical activity and then I am planing to go to swimming pool:) now I am just walking.. maybe not enough around 3 miles a day but still a bit afraid of that internal bleeding not to happen again 😱

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Trending Products

  • Trending Topics

  • Recent Status Updates

    • Prdgrdma

      So I guess after gastric bypass surgery, I cant eat flock chips because they are fried???  They sell them on here so I thought I could have them. So high in protein and no carbs.  They don't bother me at all.  Help. 
      · 1 reply
      1. NickelChip

        It's possible for a very high fat meal to cause dumping in some (30% or so) gastric bypass patients, although it's more likely to be triggered by high sugar, or by the high fat/high sugar combo (think ice cream, donuts). Dietitians will tell you to never do anything that isn't 100% healthy ever again. Realistically, you should aim for a good balance of protein, carbs, and fat each day. Should you eat fried foods every day? No. Is it possible they will make you sick? Maybe. Is it okay to eat some to see what happens and have them for a treat every now and again? Yes.

    • NovelTee

      I'm not at all hungry on this liquid pre-op diet, but I miss the sensation of chewing. It's been about two weeks––surgery is in two days––and I can't imagine how I'll feel a couple of weeks post-op. Tonight, I randomly stumbled upon a mukbang channel on YouTube, and it was strangely soothing... is it just me, or is this a thing? 
      · 1 reply
      1. NickelChip

        I actually watched cooking shows during my pre-op, like Great British Baking Show. It was a little bizarre, but didn't make me hungry. I think it was also soothing in a way.

    • Clueless_girl

      How do you figure out what your ideal weight should be? I've had a figure in my head for years, but after 3 mths of recovery I'm already almost there. So maybe my goal should be lower?
      · 3 replies
      1. NickelChip

        Well, there is actually a formula for "Ideal Body Weight" and you can use a calculator to figure it out for you. This one also does an adjusted weight for a person who starts out overweight or obese. https://www.mdcalc.com/calc/68/ideal-body-weight-adjusted-body-weight

        I would use that as a starting point, and then just see how you feel as you lose. How you look and feel is more important than a number.

      2. Clueless_girl

        I did find different calculators but I couldn't find any that accounted for body frame. But you're right, it is just a number. It was just disheartening to see that although I lost 60% of my excess weight, it's still not in the "normal/healthy" range..

      3. NickelChip

        I think it's important to remember that the weight charts and BMI ranges were developed a very long time ago and only intended to be applied to people who have never been overweight or obese. Those numbers aren't for us. When you are larger, especially for a long time, your body develops extra bone to support the weight. Your organs get a little bigger to handle the extra mass. Your entire infrastructure increases so you can support and function with the extra weight. That doesn't all go away just because you burn off the excess fat. If you still had a pair of jeans from your skinniest point in life and then lost weight to get to the exact number on the scale you were when those jeans fit you, chances are they would be a little baggy now because you would actually be thinner than you were, even though the scale and the BMI chart disagree. When in doubt, listen to the jeans, not the scale!

    • Aunty Mamo

      Tomorrow marks two weeks since surgery day and while I'm feeling remarkably well and going about just about every normal activity, I did wind up with a surface abscess on on of my incision sights and was put on an antibiotic that made me so impacted that it took me more than two hours to eliminate yesterday and scared the hell out of me. Now there's Miralax in all my beverages that aren't Smooth Move tea. I cannot experience that again. I shouldn't have to take Ativan to go to the lady's. I really looking forward to my body getting with the program again. 
      I'm in day three of the "puree" stage of eating and despite the strange textures, all of the savory flavors seem decadent. 
      I timed this surgery so that I'd be recovering during my spring break. That was a good plan. Today is a state holiday and the final day of break. I feel really strong to return to school tomorrow. 
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      Now that I'm in maintenance mode, I'm getting a into a routine for my meals. Every day, I start out with 8-16 ounces of water, and then a proffee, which I have come to look forward to even the night before. My proffees are simply a black coffee with a protein powder added. There are three products that I cycle through: Premier Vanilla, Orgain Vanilla, and Dymatize Vanilla.
      For second breakfast on workdays, I will have a low-fat yogurt with two tablespoons of PBFit and two teaspoons of no sugar added dried cherries. I will have ingested 35-45 grams of protein at this point between the two breakfasts, with 250-285 calories, and about 20 carbs.
      For second breakfast on non-workdays, I will prepare two servings of plain, instant oatmeal with a tablespoon of an olive oil-based spread. This means I will have had 34 grams of protein, 365 calories, and 38 carbs. Non-workdays are when I am being very active with training sessions, so I allow myself more carbohydrate fuel.
      Snacks on any day are always mixed nuts, even when I am travelling. I will have 0.2 cups of a blend that I make myself. It consists of dry roasted peanuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pistachios, and Brazil nuts. This is 5 grams of protein, 163 calories, and 7 carbs.
      Breakfast and snacks have been the easiest to nail down. Lunch and dinner have more variables, and I prepare enough for leftovers. I concentrate on protein first, and then add vegetables. Typically tempeh, tofu, or Field Roast products with roasted or sautéed vegetables. Today, I will be eating leftovers from last night. Two ounces of tempeh with four ounces of roasted vegetables that consist of red and yellow sweet peppers, sweet potatoes, small purple potatoes, zucchini, and carrots. I will add a tablespoon of olive oil-based spread, break up 3 walnuts to sprinkle of top, and garnish with two tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese. This particular meal will be 19 grams of protein, 377 calories, and 28 grams of carbs. Bear in mind that I do eat more carbs when I am not working, and I focus on ingesting healthy carbs instead of breads/crackers/chips/crisps.
      It's a helluva journey and I'm thankful to be on it!
       
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
  • Recent Topics

  • Hot Products

  • Sign Up For
    Our Newsletter

    Follow us for the latest news
    and special product offers!
  • Together, we have lost...
      lbs

    PatchAid Vitamin Patches

    ×