Slow loss... too few calories???

I am 3 weeks out today.  I have only lost 10 pounds so far (by week... 4, 4 and 2 today)   My doctor says 500 calories a day til the end of my soft food stage (week 6).  I am charting and eating around 480 or so a day.  They say only only 3 meals a day, and 45 grams protein.  I have been feeling so weak and crappy that I have added a protein shake on my own.  This is giving me around 60 grams protein a day.

I am drinking my water and taking my vitamins.

I know this is what the doctor says to do, but is this too few calories/protein a day to lose weight sreadily and consistently while still being able to stand up for more that 30 seconds at a time??

i personally would go against the drs plan and would eat a few more calories, more protein and dairy....some fruit...i feel your not getting in enough calories, you could be putting your body into starvation mode..
have a glass of milk,
debby

Thanks.  That was my thinking.  Was thinking I should be closer to 800 cals a day than less than 500.  already added milk with my protein powder (part of the 400 some cals daily). 

You are only 3 weeks out.  Your body is still healing.  Actually, this is right on target for your very early stage.

I would follow the advice of my doctor, period.  Adding a protein shake wont hurt though if you really need it. 

Be careful-you really need to follow your doctor's recommendations in the early days.  Learn all you can about good nutrition so that as you progress you'll develop good habits and will be well informed to make good nutritional decisions.

Take time, heal and allow the process to work.

 45 grams of protein is too low.  You need about 70-100 grams a day.  IMHO is why your weight loss is slow, and you'll have issues with hair loss the farther you go out.  I honestly don't know about calories, because my doctor never gave us calorie limit.  Just to eat low-fat, low-carb, get in your proteins, water and vitamins.

I was told to have 60-80 grams of protein a day plus 64 oz of water. Up your protein intake and I think you will feel better.

Teri-Lynn
POI

 Everyone's body is different so it's hard to know if the low calorie limit is slowing your weight loss. You had two weeks of 4lb loss before the 2lb loss. How much did you lose during the pre-op diet?

I don't even think I was eating anywhere near 500 calories at week 3 but I was still losing weight. I think it slowed a little at week 3 though. I wouldn't eat more calories because you think it'll help your weight loss, but if you don't have enough energy you should talk to your doctor or nutrionist if you haven't already done so rather than trying to figure it out yourself.

Maybe you need to add a protein shake or 100 more calories. You could also try spacing your calories out more evenly throughout the more active part of the day (8-5?) to see if you feel better. And also try maximizing your protein count within those 500 calories too. I'm not suggesting you do this but if I only had 3 shakes for the day, I'd consume 480 calories but get 90g of protein. My NUT has me aim for 60-70g of protein daily and many days I know I could be more efficient at what I consume.

The doctors' & NUTs' plans vary a lot so you should definitely try to tweak your plan with them since they are the ones that know your details and are monitoring you. Good luck!

On my 3 day pre-op I lost somewhere between 6-8.  My weight was bouncing all over the place beforehand.  I believe I started at 288 and was 281 day of surgery.

Thanks to everyone for your opinions and advice.  You all have been very helpful.

I was at around 400-500 calories by three weeks, but I was still drinking a protein drink in the mornings.

I just wanted to warn you about fruit that early. Fresh fruit can be hard on the tummy and bananas have caused people to dump.

Good luck! You'll start feeling better soon - I started feeling better almost every day after those first few weeks.