Do Lightweights need more protein to speed up weight loss?

Hi I am new to OH.  I had my RNY 1/2/13 so I am 1 moth out.  I was reading another post that was saying lightweights lose slower than someone 300+ lbs does.  I can understand that, but someone else said that is why we need to get in more protein to speed up the weight loss.  My surgeon said he didn't want me to have protein shakes, he wants me to get my protein from food.  He also has a very slow transition period through the food stages.  I was on clear liquid for 1 week, full liquid for 3 weeks and when I see him tomorrow I will move to pureed foods.  My problem is that  he wants me to get in 60 to 80 grams of protein a day.  On liquids that is impossible.  My daily nutrition is roughly 200 -300 calories and I am averaging around 30 grams of protein a day.  I have been adding unjury unflavored protein to my soup and pudding to help get my protein up.  I lost 29 lbs in the first 3 weeks and stopped.   It has taken a week to lose 1 lb.  Could that be from the lack of protein?  I am going to ask my doctor to explain why no protein drinks tomorrow.  Almost everyone has protein drinks after WLS.

First of all, lightweights most certainly do NOT lose slower than heavyweights. People who say that don't understand numbers. They see a person with 300 pounds to lose losing 20 pounds a month and a lightweight losing 15 and say that the person who lost 20 pounds is losing faster. But they are not. They are losing SLOWER.

The reason is that they are losing a smaller percentage of their excess weight. To give concrete numbers:

Let's say I have 200 pounds to lose and you have 100. I lose 15 pounds and you lose 10. I've lost 7.5% of my excess weight, but you've lost 10% of yours!

This is why lightweights tend to get to goal faster than heavyweights.

Secondly, early out we are eating next to nothing. So we are actually losing a tremendous amount of fat. But our bodies have been cut up and abused and as a result they go nuts. For some people, that means retaining water. This means the scale doesn't always show the weight loss. This is another way of saying, there is no way you are eating 200-300 calories a day and only lost 1 pound that week. Your calorie deficit would give you at least a couple pound loss. So you'll probably drop a big amount at some point once your body starts recovering and you get to equilibrium.

Finally, protein is protein. Early out protein shakes are your friend and programs that tell you not to drink them are whack! Heck, I"m 4.5 years out and I still have one every morning for breakfast. Now, protein shakes don't work for everyone once you get onto regular food and can get most of your protein from food. But before that point, you really need them and programs that act like there is something wrong with them make me mad!

Thank you for responding.  You made a lot of sense. I really do feel like I need the protein drinks at least until I am able to eat more protein.

Protein shakes are not evil. Many of us still use them to help us control the munchies later on post-op. I'm over 5 years out and still use whey protein isolate protein shakes a lot. They help me maintain consistent amounts of easy-to-absorb quality protein. What the medical community thinks is that we fatties can't control our eating, therefore we need dense protein to fill us up for a long time so we don't want to eat. What they don't seem to care about is that dense protein is almost impossible for us to breakdown and absorb for any nutritional value.

--gina

WOW!  This helped me SO much!!!!!!  I just posted a thread about how discouraged I was about my slow loss.  But in 11 weeks I've lost 40% of my excess weight!  

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!!!!

Which is right on track!

first, welcome and you are doing great.  You have hit the first stall which is usually around 3 weeks if you are going to stall.  So do, I never did.  Your body is just recouping.  there are lots of serious reasons you can look up if you need to but basically, no worry.

Second, protein is very important.  Your muscles are protein and your heart is a muscle.  At one month you should be getting 60g heading for 100g.  Even with my shakes and being 2+ yrs out, my protein level on labs is barely ok.  When I was losing I kept my levels up with shakes and still do.  I still lost tons of muscle along with the fat and now am working very hard to build it back. 

There are Drs who what everything to come from food.  I am a rule follower and did obey my Drs plan but thank goodness they like shakes because I couldn't have done what I did without them.  I think one of the reasons I never stalled was that I kept my protein up.  From 5 months on, it is around 120-150 a day. 

Sounds like you are doing great and probably just in a stall.  Don't get discouraged!!!

I love my protein shakes and still use them at 3 1/2 years out.  They really help me not to snack(more than I do).  My NUT is one that does not want us using protein shakes, but I got over that a long time ago and have been very successful.  What works for one does not work for everyone so you have to find your own way and what works for you.  I'm so glad I listened to the people here who actually lived with WLS and were successful.

Linda

A little reality here...

I am 4+ years out.  I stopped my protein  drinks early in 2012.  Even though my surgeon said I'm doing fine in the protein area, my hair is falling out, my skin looks like crap, etc.  I've added a few protein drinks a day to my diet again - just to maintain the balance.   I CAN'T get all my protein from my food... even at this stage.

I should also say that even though lightweights don't lose slower, ALL of us should be getting a lot of protein any way we can. If you have RnY, one publication from the ASMBS recommends 100 g of protein a day. My program recommends 70-90 g for most people and people who exercise a lot are supposed to get even more.

30 g is not a lot even for a normie and you need a lot of protein during the healing period and also when you are on a VLCD. Once you can consume 1200 calories or more a day, it's less important but most of us find we do better with a high protein diet.

I personally think current recommendations for protein even for normies are too low, btw.