I got lectureddddddddddddddd. Seems I am dehydrated (which I knew), malnurished, not enough calcium or vitamin D.

*sigh* I am trying I am .. but I need to step it up. Already showing signs of muscle fatigue.

Any suggestions on how to get more protein when I am not tolerating the shakes right now? I have been eating 1 met rx protein bars a day at 32g of protein and 2 g sugar.. plus eating a lot of ground beef. This week I have been on a chicken/turkey kick because of the holidays.

I need to exercise more too.

oh dear. let's start with this - what's your protein goal? 60 grams? 80? you're definitely getting 32 grams with the protein bar, but let's be honest here - eating 'a lot' of ground beef after surgery is, um, relative!

a good rule of thumb is that 1 oz of meat/fish/chicken/turkey = 7 grams of protein. [plus or minus - but it's a good number to work with].

so, to hit 60 grams, you need about another 30 grams - which is a little over 4 ounces. a challenge when you can't eat more than a few bites of anything!

jumbo eggs have about 9 grams of protein - large eggs have about 3 grams [i think the math is accurate]. extra large eggs have about 6 grams.

use milk in your tea or coffee - every little bit helps.

and now, here's the REAL PIA aspect of this - ya gotta keep track of your water and protein!!!! way back when, my desk was littered with sticky notes divided into two columns - one column was protein, the other was water.

i HAD to do this so that i could make sure i hit my goals. and my protein goals were extra high for medical reasons - 100 grams.

soooooo, there are a lot of little things you can do, but ya gotta pay attention and keep track of what you're doing so you can measure your SUCCESS!!!!!!

What kind of protein is in the protein bar? If it's not a highly bioavailable form, such as whey protein isolate, it may not be doing you as much good as you'd think.

How did they determine you are "malnourished?" Did they run labs? Is your protein level low? Your calcium? Your vit D? If so, what were the levels? Do you have your pre-op levels to compare to?

MGF and Sindurella - and other new postops - you're in a tough spot right now. you're not actually eating much of anything, since you're on the soft/pureed/liquid diet, and you're not all that hungry anyway.

please keep this point in mind: you NEED the protein to heal. and to keep up your muscles, teeth, blood, bones, and all your other body parts. it's really important.

and BTW, one day when i was in the healthfood store [buying protein mix!], some clerk was spouting off the most ridiculous statements about proteins and amino acids!!!! something about protein is important, but amino acids are even more important.

don't be fooled. proteins are made up of strings of amino acids, so the fact that there are lots of amino acids in a protein mix is a DUH moment. what you DO have to remember is that there are two types of amino acids - the ones our bodies can assemble ourselves [the non-essential amino acids], and the ones we can't [the essential amino acids].

in other words, we have to consume the essential amino acids. So, make sure that your protein shake has almost no carbs, and is about 20-25 grams per serving, and that it has the essential amino acids.

sorry to twaddle on - i'm in work mode at the moment.

oh I'm sorry to hear this. the only way I get enough protein is with shakes or protein chai tea I make (with protein powder and dry powdered milk etc)

the only way to get the protein shakes in for me is to add syrups or pudding and make it Ice cold (except my hot tea mix for the mornings) and drink it out of a sports bottle so I can't smell it...

set a timer to remind you to drink...
are you taking all your supplements...

I'm supposed to get 60-80 g of protein a day.. I aim for 80-100 to make sure i get at least 70....

My labs are not back yet.. but my doc took one look at me and was dead on in his judgement.

I have been eating about 12 ounces of ground meat a day, my whey protien bars are 32 grams of protein w/1 g sugar.. I try and drink water all day. I get about 40 ounces a day which isnt enough I know.

What I need to do is go get some of the plain powder and add to puddings or such. Still trying to find a protein drink I can tolerate without getting sick. I need to get more veggies in too.

Supplement wise I am getting everything but my calcium and here is why.... I am getting some. about 1000, but supposed to get 1500 right? I get calcium kidney stones so it is a double edge sword for me. So far I have had 2 kidney stones since starting the calcium. so I cut back a bit, which my doctor knows and says is okay.

Cant wait to hear what the labs say.. I am sure they are awful now.

Today is my 2 month out day.. I have lost a total of 71lbs (pre/post surgery). 28lbs since the actual surgery day.

There a great protien suppliment called Beneprotein. I could only find it online. it is like benefiber and (mostly) desolves in your water. it was a protien isolate and a great way to get protien without having to eat it. I got a sample of it from my NUT!

Try everything! it matters...

Angela

Oh dear.

Ground beef is a heavy protein..and when I had surgery my Dr. told me not to even bother with ground beef for the first 6 months or so. Try switching over to ground lean turkey or chicken, you may find it easier to eat more of the poultry than the beef.

Ways that I added protein: skim milk powder mixed into whatever foods I ate, String cheese for a snack, tuna fish (in water) mixed with a tsp light Miracle whip, scrambled egg beaters (same amount of protein as whole eggs, without the added fat), steamed white fish (tilapia, cod, etc), shrimp...skim milk mixed with protein shake powder.

Keep drinking your water, taking your vitamins and do your best with the protein. Hang in there hon.

Kat