Does anyone know exactly how many calories we are not absorbing?

I understand that we have malabsorption of calories for 18 months however, is there a way to find out how many calories that we are consuming that we are not absorbing?  For example if I eat 800 calories a day.... what am I actually absorbing?  I didn't think that there was a way to figure it out but I thought I would ask.  :)  Happy Memorial Day!! 

Well, Dr. Garth Davis (a famous bariatric surgeon) doesn't think that RNY is really that malabsorptive and that we don't really malabsorb protein. He said that we malasorb some calories, it is not enough to make a huge difference. That actually makes me feel better. I'm a year out and wondering how I would eat less to make up for losing malabsorption as I head into maintenance in a few months. So not malabsorbing much helps get my head around it. :)

I believe he was talking about those of us at maintenance. He's my surgeon.

Hi, Laura.  I saw that you had brachioplasty (that your upper arms, right?).   Do you mind my asking...how painful was it, how did you look afterwards, how long did it take to recover, and how expensive was it?  I'll probably need it as well.  Thanks! 

How awesome to have him for your surgeon! The more I read what he writes and hear from him, the more impressed I am.

He spoke briefly about it in Las Vegas and said that he doesn't think that any of us have lots of malabsporption and that we shouldn't count on it, but change our habits instead. Lora said it better below, but this gives me comfort, because I would rather think that I have control over my maintenance success than wondering if losing malabsporption will factor in. 

I don't think there is a way to calculate it, but I do know that the cessation of malabsorption is gradual. Our bodies start to regrow those vilii pretty quickly.
Happy Memorial Day to you too

Correct. Since it's a gradual thing, you'll absorb more next week than you do this week.  It would be impossible to calculate.

My surgeon said the same thing, that malabsorption of calories is way overstated. He did say that malabsorbing certain vitamins and minerals is the only real issue.

Like the others say I don't know that it can be calculated.  Honestly, I don't feel like its all that much -- my daughter has a disease where she malabsorbs fat and vitamins and calories, the smell and look of her "waste" is considerably different, you can tell she doesn't absorb any of the oils she eats.  I don't see that with myself.

I eat as if I absorb all the calories.   I take supplements as if I absorb none of the vitamins.

My surgeons's answer to this question in the informational session was "no one knows for sure" and "you should assume you absorb every calorie".  When pressed further privately, she indicated that one "famous" study (which I have yet to be ale to locate in any of the medical journals on my own) done many years ago indicated 25-30% but that other studies have not supported that much malabsorption.

Her bottom line personally was that most of the caloric malabsorption comes from the malabsorption of fat (which means that early out, when you are eating almost no fat, you are malabsorbing almost nothing (but are eating so few calories that the weight drops off)) and then when you start adding some fats back into your diet, the malabsorption helps a little (but by then the malabsorption has already started to fade), and by the time the body has accommodated the bypass, the great majority of the weight has come off and the little bit of fat malabsorption that remains isn't significant in terms of calories (and your new eating habits are, hopefully, are sufficiently well-ingrained to keep your weight under control).  

When I told her that it sounded like the malabsorption wasn't a significant enough part of the surgery to "justify" a lifetime of vitamin malabsorption (one of my hesitations for having any WLS 6 years ago when sleeve wasn't available), she indicated that this was exactly the reason she was now doing the sleeve and expected to do an increasing number of them.

Lora

p.s. we never lose 100% of the malabsorption... Studies show that the body can get back 90-95% of normal absorption, though.