Hey everyone. I am 4 years out and struggling with the covid 20 and some additional weight gain on top of that. I am working with an online coach for exercise training and nutrition following a macro based diet. I have not lost any weight so I reached out to the team where I had my surgery and they commented that my macros are way to high for protein. They were happy my calories were in the 1500 range (135g protein/160g carb/ 45g fat) but concerned about the protein being so high (optimum is 60-80g). Anyone else follow macro based plans?

It depends a lot on where you’re at and your level of activity. Normal ranges for women are 50-60g per day, but there’s huge variation for muscle mass, activity, age, etc. The guidance for active people is 1.2 to 2.0 grams of carb per kilogram of body weight per day. I weigh 71 kilos, I’m a 51 year-old woman, and I’m very active (heavy training for strength and cardio performance), so my targets are 160g protein, 150 carbs (250g on big endurance days), and 80g fat per day. I am 8 years out from RNY and this has been very effective for me.

The 2019 clinical guidelines from the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons (ASMBS), calls for bariatric surgery patients in active weight loss eat 1.2 g/kg of bodyweight. For those in maintenance, the range should be .8-1.2 g/kg.

I don't know how much you weigh, but 135 g a day sounds like it might be a bit on the high side based on those recommendations?

There is research that intake levels between 1.2-1.5 g/kg may maximally stimulate muscle protein synthesis, but there's not a lot a data to suggest rates over 1.5 g/kg are beneficial. Rates above that might be necessary in certain people such as if are a professional strength athlete or top tier fitness competitor trying to maximize muscle growth. Especially if you're just trying to lose some fat, you probably can't metabolize that much protein.

I can tell you from experience that many trainers will push this recommendation up to 2 or even 2.2g/kg of lean mass, because they believe if some is good, more must be better. The reality is that your body can't store extra protein, so any above the minimal needed just gets converted to fat.

My recommendation would be to follow the ASMBS guidelines for your weight. Unless your trainer has extensive experience working with bariatric surgery patients nutritional needs, I'm afraid their recommendation may be targeted more at a different population.

Edited December 11, 20223 yr by SpartanMaker

8 hours ago, Keona1323 said:

Hey everyone. I am 4 years out and struggling with the covid 20 and some additional weight gain on top of that. I am working with an online coach for exercise training and nutrition following a macro based diet. I have not lost any weight so I reached out to the team where I had my surgery and they commented that my macros are way to high for Protein. They were happy my calories were in the 1500 range (135g protein/160g carb/ 45g fat) but concerned about the protein being so high (optimum is 60-80g). Anyone else follow macro based plans?

hi!

im 4 years out too! (50 yrs old, female, 5'2", moderately active and weighed 119.2 this morning)

i stopped basing my diet on macros a couple years ago, i mostly rely on calorie monitoring (i still track everything out of habit).

Based on my data, i've been averaging about 60g protein a day, of course there are some days i have like 20 and other days when i have 150...but on average its about 60.

I haven't noticed any significant relation to weight gain/loss with my protein intake. Nor any relation with fats or carbs for that matter. (carbs do seem to have an affect on my appearance, but that's another story).

the only thing that affects my weight is number of calories consumed over time, and to a lesser degree, activity levels. so its been an ongoing tweaking process to balance the two. A couple years ago i was an exercise fiend, and was taking in 2500+ calories. Now i'm a 2-3 day a week casual exerciser and average about 1800. im sure if i didn't reduce my intake when my activity levels went down, i'd be 20-30 lbs heavier than i am today. For those keeping score, i've (so far) maintained below goal weight since i reached it at 7 mnths post op. FULL DISCLOSURE: i am in good health (as my most recent labs can attest), and i have no diagnosed medical issues that would affect my metabolism.

@SpartanMaker summed up the science surrounding protein well enough that i dont need to add anything more, but i do want to highlight the point they raised about the fact that the body can only metabolize x amount of protein (the amount varies slightly from person to person), and that any excess protein will be stored for energy (i.e., fat if you dont use it up).

So i wonder, did your team give you a scientific or medical reason as to why they object to your protein level intake? Also, did they offer an opinion as to how you would replace those protein calories to stay at 1500 over all? (more fat? more carbs?)

While i would not recommend NOT listening to your team, i do advocate the asking of questions to get an understanding of the reasoning behind a recommendation so you can make an informed decision for yourself.

Good Luck! ❤️

Agree with above - my goals are 80 g carbs, 45 g fat, and 75 g protien. I target 1250 calories at 7 years out as I am working on a 5 lbs weight loss menopause has not been kind! I am 5’5” female 49 years old and 133 lbs.