Tired of Protein
posted on 7/17/09 5:45 am
After WLS one of the biggest pushes in our diets is protein, protein, protein. A typical recommendation for intake is around 80-100g per day. Because we have the gastric bypass issue, we tend to malabsorb some nutrients, so we need more protein than a normal person. That's all fine and dandy. 80-100g of protein a day is a doable amount for most WLS folks who are several months post-op. (It takes a little while to work your way up to this amount when your pouch is tiny and you have trouble eating, of course.)
So as ya'll know I've had some issues with my lab results showing low prealbumin numbers. Which means my body isn't absorbing the protein and my body needs a boost. I've been instructed to shoot for 150g protein per day. For someone with a small stomach, that's a LOT of protein. And I really can't do it all from just food so I've had to supplement with protein shakes.
Now, remember that I've already done a protein shake every morning already. It's just habit now to start my morning with a protein drink of some sort. Either a fruit smoothie shake, a protein hot chai tea or some other form of drink with the base of a scoop of protein powder. But to get up to 150g of protein I've had to do at least two protein drinks per day plus be super conscious of how much protein I'm getting from food.
Let's look at the breakdown of what I need to achieve to hit 150g.
Morning Shake -- 30g
Breakfast -- 25g
Lunch -- 25g
Dinner -- 25g
Snack -- 15g
Evening Shake -- 30g
That break down looks pretty easy on paper, right? But what if breakfast is only 15g? That means I need to make up an extra 10g somewhere else in the day. Or what if I don't have a snack in the afternoon - that's another 15g I need to figure out how to get in somewhere else. Or what about last night when I had fish for dinner and it was only 20g and I ate late so my tummy didn't want a protein shake before bed - that puts me 35g short at the end of the day.
It's a huge balancing act and after nearly two months of focusing so heavily on protein, I'm really getting tired of the whole routine. I am getting tired of the taste of protein drinks.... so tired that I'm skipping that second scheduled shake at night in favor of something I enjoy the taste of more which doesn't necessarily give me that 30g protein boost.
I get a redraw on labs on August 1st (which will probably not happen until Aug 3rd due to scheduling). I just need to hold out on the protein push for another 2 weeks to see if it's working. But what will I do if I find out my labs still suck and I need to continue on the 150g routine? That thought bothers me a lot. I don't want to be rebellious or be a rule breaker but I feel myself going in that direction. I'm trying really hard to keep a positive attitude.
~Pam
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Julianne F. commented on 7/17/09 6:07 am 
