Information Overload - Officially freaking out

I was afraid it would come to this.  I am one of those people that NEEDS something to tell me exactly what to eat, what to take, when, etc.  Having spent the better part of this weekend on this website I now have information overload and am realizing I didn't talk nearly enough with my NUT (and a nut she was indeed).  So, I am hoping those of you who've been there done that can help me.  Especially since we're all in the same age range! 1. NUT suggested 1500mg calcium citrate.  Is this IN ADDITION to my daily calcium from food (yogurt, milk, cheese)  to reach my daily recommended amounts of about 2000-2500?  I am seeing differing opinions but people seem to agree to take 500mg 3x's daily b/c the body can't absorb more than that after RNY.  Thoughts?  I am looking into the liquid kind because I hate pills and the lozenges are apparently gross. 2.  NUT said I can have gummy vitamins as my multi.  Since these are geared toward kids, should I be taking more than the label says?  Any of you out there take gummies?  How many do you take? 3.  NUT stressed the importance of protein and complex carbs (of course, all this is after the liquid/mushy stage) but didn't give me any ranges to shoot for.  How many grams of protein do you eat daily?  Carbs?  Calories? 4.  I asked this in my blog but I'll ask it here too...my surgeon doesn't REQUIRE a pre-op liquid diet but I need to lose 5lbs by the 28th (last weigh-in).  I *have* to.  Any of you have to do liquids pre-op?  I bought broth, soups without particles, s/f jello, s/f pudding, Crystal Light, and of course water.  I know cottage cheese isn't a liquid but it does help me feel full so I might have one 4oz serving per day.  I also have a stockpile of Slimfast I need to consume before surgery, seeing as how I won't be drinking it after.  Does this sound similar to what you had?  I will be working out about 4-5 days a week (cardio + weights) also. Thank you for ANY and ALL help you guys have.  i appreciate your input!

The information on OH is great and all, but it is definately better to get specifics from your NUT.  I suggest the next time you see her you take a paper with these questions - and any others you have - directly to her.  But until then... 1.  What you are being told to take for calcium citrate is exactly what I am supposed to take.  I take it in pill form (the pills are huge so I break them in half) and it is in addition to the calcium I get from food.  The reason we have to take supplements is because your body cannot absorb all that you need from the food you are eating - so I'm pretty sure that the calcium citrate supplement is in addition to what you eat (though eating it is good too!) 2.  For the gummy vits - the label should say something like "For kids age 12 and over take X daily" and that is probably the amount you're going to want to take.  For a while I took the generic centrium at Wal-Mart - 2 of them a day (again the pills are huge so I broke them in half).  Now I take Fiber Choice plus Multivitamin, which is a chewable multivitamin that doesn't taste terrible (again I take 2 of thema day).  I also believe that chewables and gummies are easier to absorb because they are already broken down when they get to your pouch (unlike a pill). 3.  For protien the amounts post-ops are supposed to get range from 50-80 grams a day (personally I was supposed to get at least 60 grams a day while I was still losing).  For carbs, well, that is harder.  My nutritionist told me to get less than 80 grams of carbs a day while I was still losing, but some nutritionists are more liberal and others more conservative (it's all politics, lol) and it also will depend on things like your weight, activity level and stuff like that.  Now that I'm maintaining I am supposed to get less than 140 grams a day.  For calories, at first just do the best you can.  A typical calorie amount for a post-op is something like 600-900 calories a day and same thing as with the carbs - it'll vary depending on your needs. 4.  I had to do a liquid diet pre-op and was supposed to lose at least 10 pounds.  It sucked, but it was worth it because it got me in the correct mind set for surgery and it made my surgery easier to perform for my surgeon.  You just have to lose 5 pounds, so I see no problem in eating cottage cheese in that effort.  It might get harder to work out when you are cutting your calories so much, just be forewarned.  I don't know if I would do the slimfast.  I did slimfast as one of my many pre-op attempts to lose weight, and if I remember right they are higher in carbs.  Stick to clear soups, cottage cheese and other clear liquids and I think you'll have no problem losing those 5 lbs before the 28th.   Happy to help when I can  

Amy to the rescue!  I will defintely ask my NUT next time I see her but I'm kind of OCD and felt I needed this info immediately lol.  Those amounts and ranges sound similar to what I've been reading and most likely what I'll be shooting for.  Thanks for taking the time to type it all out!

I completely understand wanting to know NOW.  I'm like that too.  Some NUT's tell their post-ops not to count calories and stuff, I think that is silly, but that is just me.  So if your NUT doesn't want to give you specifics, tell her that you, personally, NEED a plan (I do to - gotta love a plan) to be successful.  I'm glad to help

Ok... well I'm not entirely sure of the NUT stuff for your surgery, so I won't give any advice on that.  As for losing the weight ASAP... clear liquids obviously will give the quickest results. If you feel that you have to eat something... try iceberg lettuce with vinegar and pepper, dill pickles (high in sodium, so avoid the last couple days before weigh in), Lipton cup-a-soups (not the creamy kinds), s/f popsicles, and of course, drink lots and lots of water to keep your tummy full.  Those things are pretty lo-cal and at one point were my entire diet, so again, if you feel the need to munch, they would be better than many other things.  Good Luck!!

Dang, I forgot the s/f popsicles!  Thanks!

Yeah every nut and plan are a little different.  I'm pretty sure after surgery they will give you a lot of this info in writing so you will have it to refer to. According to my surgeon/nut: 1.  I was told to take 1000mg calcium citrate per day.  I have been getting a lot from the foods I eat.  I will go back and have lab work done in 2 months and this will be adjusted if needed. 2.  My nut doesn't approve of the gummy vitamins.  I take flinstones chewables twice a day.  I would say the same goes for the gummies. 3.  I am a little carbophobic and just talked to my nut about this last week.  She said about 40% of my calorie intake should be carbohydrates.  I have been trying to keep it under 20-30%, but guess I have a little leeway if I do what she recommends.  By the way that is total carbs, not just net carbs.  Right now I am on 800-1000 calories per day with 70g protein.  I try to keep my net carbs under 35g. 4.  Good luck with the liquid diet.  I had to do a mostly liquid diet for 2 weeks prior to surgery.  It is hard, but I did lose 6 pounds.  Also, if you do a bowel cleanse and don't eat or drink anything the morning of surgery you will definitely be down a few extra pounds from that alone.  You are doing so great so far!

1. I am to take 1200mg a day... I take it in two 600mg doses. Keep in mind that you need to take the calcium seperate from the multivitamin. Personally I think liquid is easy because if you look at the number of pills you have to take (nice and horse sized!) its a lot... or check out calcium made especially for WLS patients.. bariatricadvantage.com makes some.. thera rea a few others. 2. I am suprised your NUT said gummy vitamins... first they are not a complete vitamin - are you to take iron in addition? If you look at whats in the gummy vitamin versus flinstones complete they are really 'lacking' in many departments. I would also be concerned with the 'what if' of swallowing something so gummy on a newly healing areas. Personally I like the flintstones, I still take them and my bloodwork has always been perfect. 3. I would assume you will see your NUT before you move onto 'normal' eating. The amount of protein we need changes depending on how much is bypassed as well as surgeons/NUT preference. Those with more bypassed require more protein. Typically you will start out high and taper down some over the first 6 months... then it should be steady from there on. The calories will start out low and then go higher and higher until you reach maintenance where you will stay the same. As for carbs, it varies by surgeon.. mine didnt have me keep trac****il a little further out... basically you are protein protein protein the first 6 months or so... so there isnt much room for the bread/starch carbs because of all the protein. If you want a breakdown of my requirements as the months passed let me know, I have everything at home. 5. I would suggest doing the induction part of the south beach diet instead of the liquids. Of course talk to your surgeon before deciding to do liquids if thats what you choose - some surgeons are against liquid pre-ops saying the patients are too weak and dehydrated from it. Typically a low carb diet will help you drop a few pounds quickly because bread/starch carbs make you retain water and without them you will drop water weight quick. For my 2 week liquid pre-op I had to drink 6 CIBNSA shakes a day made with skim/soy/lactaid milks... on top of that an additional 8 glasses of non-carbonated, SF liquids. I was allowed clear broths, sf jello, sf pudding, sf ice pops, light yogurts and that was it.

Thanks for the info, Jen.  I was concerned about the gummies too but she insisted it was okay.  I am seriously considering a liquid multi made for adults instead.  She did say to make sure I got beta crotene/Vit A from carrots or sweet potatoes but like you said, not really realistic immediately post-op. I know that my doc is not completely against liquids - he will put you on them if you haven't lost enough pre-op.  I am hoping to avoid disappointing him 1/28 and making him resort to that anyway LOL.  Call it pre-emptive liquid diet.  I started today and will see how I feel at the end of the day.  I've already cut a LOT of carbs from my diet that I used to eat (FRIES, chips, bread, grits, pretzels, crackers, etc).  Okay, with the exception of yesterday.  Yesterday was Last Supper day hehe. Like I said, I appreciate y'alls guidelines.  I will definitely talk with my NUT next time I see her.

If you do the liquids the first four days are the hardest... if you make it thru today just stick it out and it WILL get better. No use making it today, then stopping, the deciding to start again, then possibly stopping again etc. If you get headaches up the amount of water you are drinking... its normal to feel a little cruddy at first because your body is withdrawing from a lot of junk - headaches can also be a sign of dehydration so keep on sipping!