gained weight

 I will be out one year in just a couple of weeks. I have lost 87pds. Had only 2 more to go to reach the doctors goal. I see the dr on friday and today I weighed and GAINED 3 pounds. I am sooooo upset. I drink 2 shakes and maintain 800 calories a day. I follow MYFITNESSPAL. I am also walking a mile a day. Why is this happening?

I guess I am not understanding why you are still drinking shakes twice a day. I am only 9 months post op and i eat 1000 calories a day and dont do shakes anymore. I do eat protein bars, but I get all the rest from eating food. Are you having a problem keeping food down?

Because it's normal for your weight to fluctuate sometimes.  Perhaps you are retaining water or need to poop.

 you aren't consuming enough calories to gain actual weight. it's likely water weight, especially if its your TOM or you've eaten something particularly salty. 

Fluctuations are completely normal. 

I will also ask why you are not eating more food and consuming more calories.  800 seems low to me at one year out.  I can see one shake a day but it seems that you should be getting more of your protein from food at this point.

I don't see that two shakes a day is a problem.  My surgeon told me that after the surgery my protein shakes will be considered my "food," and my food will be considered a supplement.  I plan on following his instructions.

You will lose those three pounds.

So you are planning to drink two protein shakes a day for the rest of your life?  Then, with no disrespect intended, why did you have RNY?  You could have lost the weight with a permanent diet of protein shakes and a little bit of food without the surgery.

Lora

If I need to supplement protein, why not?  If I don't need to, I won't.  I find it a little troubling that there are so many people on this forum who are adamant about people NOT drinking protein shakes. Athletes and body builders drink them all the time!  Are we going to chastise them, too?  If a person who has had RNY needs to supplement their protein intake, then why the hell are protein shakes such a bad thing?

Why did I have the RNY?  Perhaps you didn't mean it to be disrespectful, but it does come across to be a very judgemental question, especially since you followed it up with your statement afterward. Let's see... how successful were you with dieting?  I wasn't, which is why I had the surgery.  There's no way I would have been able to eat a little bit of food and drink two protein shakes in my former condition and sustain it for any length of time.  Are you kidding me?   I'd be starving!   I'd maybe last a month, if that, and then I'd be right back where I was after every other diet I've been on, and I've been on every diet in the book.  At one point I lost 85 pounds through a low-fat, low-carb diet and exercise, but I wasn't able to keep it off.  I've lost literally hundreds of pounds (and gained them all back, plus a little extra) over the past couple of decades.  There is no way I would be able to permanently lose weight without the surgery.  So that's why I had the surgery.  Probably the same reason you had it, huh?

I am having wonderful sucess and I am following my doctor's instructions to the letter.  Until the time I don't need to supplement, I will.  I'm certainly going to follow the advice of my surgeon and my dietician over a bunch of mostly anonymous forum posters, and all the anti-protein shake snobs can suck it.

I think what Lora meant, was that the point of RNY or any WLS should be to build a healthy relationship with food. To stop the yo-yo dieting of the past and eat like "normal" folks do. Higher protein maybe, but basically able to live a normal life without excess weight, and without gaining it back.

Having a shake be your main source of caloric intake seems to fall more into the diet category. Now don't get me wrong, I still supplement with protein shakes, but I have maybe 1 every other day and only because I workout 10-15hrs a week.

But I eat "normally" now. I have lean meats, veggies, fruits etc...all which keeps me full, unlike the protein shakes which just go right though us now. I'm happy to hear that your journey is going well, and I hope you keep it up.

Best of Luck,

 Yes, the previous person understood what I meant, and clearly you did not.  I am NOT anti-protein shake (although, personally, I do find most of them to be disgusting).  I am almost 5 years out and I add some protein powder to my morning SF hot chocolate almost every day just to be sure I get plenty of protein without having to actively count it each and every day.  

Two shakes a day, though, for the rest if your life is a lifetime diet... And, as you admit, diets don't work.  I, personally did not have surgery to be on a lifetime diet.  Perhaps that is ok with you, and that is your choice and right... and if you are able to be successful 5 or 8 or 10 years from now still having two shakes per day and very little real food, more power to you.  (Body builders, BTW, use protein shakes IN ADDITION TO a normal, and adequate amount of food... as true supplements, not as a way to get in their minimum daily protein.) 

Lora