Hi guys,

how many calories were you consuming 3 days post op? I feel like I’m ingesting too much I had an Actimel 0% (27 cal) in the morning, 330ml protein shake (155 cal) for lunch which went down quick and a cup of soup (90 cal) in the afternoon which didn’t take me long to finish either.

my surgeon never gave me a calorie amount. I’m currently planning on having another cup of soup (90 cal)

is this too much for 3 days post op? Surgery was 02/02/2022

The big thing is getting your protein and liquids in. I would worry about those over calories. The standards I was given:

- 60-80 grams protein

- 64oz total liquids (incl protein shakes)

- 400-600 calories

Edited February 5, 20224 yr by MissT25

Neither the surgeon nor the nutritionist even mentioned calories in the beginning. Just amounts of food. Every teams plan is a little different in regard to the amounts you should be eating at each stage. It’s best to just stick to your plan.

After surgery the main focus is:

• Water, to not get dehydrated
• Protein, to avoid loss of muscle mass
• Limited Volume while the sleeve heals, to avoid stretching your stitch line, damaging it, and causing a leak.

In my case, I was on 3 days of just water (no protein).. then 4 days of clear protein (no milky shakes).. and then milky protein shakes.

Dr. said not to worry about calories, just water and protein goals. I was given a calory budget after 2 or 3 months..

you're not going to be eating enough in the early weeks to worry about calories. Your focus should just be on protein and fluids (esp fluids).

First congrats on your surgery. You seem to be doing well so far.

I was never given a calorie goal just fluid & protein but I checked out of my own curiosity. Those first couple of weeks I was eating a bare 200 calories which increased to about 300 on soft foods. But that was me. Many eat more. You’ll find there are a lot of different requirements around calories & we have different experiences about them too. If you feel you need more accountability or guidance ask your dietician &/or surgeon. You may not be able to meet any of their goals in those first weeks but as long as you’re making an effort & are close, especially to the protein & fluid goals, you’ll be ok. But as you’re only ‘eating’ 3 meals a day you should be close to your protein goal & doing fine.

Just one thing to watch though, during the surgery a lot of nerves are cut which means messages aren’t getting through to your brain: hunger, full, etc. And fluids go through you quite quickly. It’s important to tread carefully & sip slowly. All because it seems like you can doesn’t mean you really can or should.

All the best.

Edited February 6, 20224 yr by Arabesque

Don't count calories at this point. Just focus on getting in the liquid and eating/drinking when you're hungry. Give your body time to adjust and heal and don't be stingy with calories. My doctor doesn't use calories as a factor at all, just says to eat protein first, veggies second, grains third until you're full.

It was all I could do to get enough fluids in 3 days post op to stop getting dehydrated, so sounds like you're healing really well! My surgeon has never given me any limit to calories (nobody has ever mentioned a calorie goal to me for any stage actually!) The first few wees can be really hard - I think you're doing brilliantly.