Not getting Enuf protein - gastric bypass

[Pamella LeMuiex]

Hi . I had gastric bypass surgery and put on about 20 lbs of weight after a steroid injection for back pain. I weightlift several days per week and my coach recommends 115 + grams of protein. I can eat about 2 oz of ground meat at a time  every hour so getting Enuf protein is challenging. I barely made this goal with protein shakes and bar. I have to track my food to see my macros because when I eat Whole30 Foods, I am full all the time. My calories today were only 900-ish. Because meat is so uncomfortable, I have turned back to sugar and processed foods, causing so many issues.

Question-  should I aim to get all my recommended calories using nuts and fats, even if my protein is not close to my goal? An avocado will get me to my 1500 calories easy, if I eat til I am full with meats and eggs, I am only getting about 700-900 Calories per day. And then I am back to losing muscle and not losing any inches .  

 

 

 

 

[jmcbn]

 

19 minutes ago, Pamella LeMuiex said:

Because meat is so uncomfortable, I have turned back to sugar and processed foods

Sadly this is one of the problems with gastric surgery that isn't often talked about.

As I'm sure you know we generally don't encourage the tracking of calories or macros here, but given your situation I understand that's it's important you are taking enough fuel on board, and if you are struggling to do that with protein then yes, I'd agree that healthy fats are your best option. I'm not sure how you fare with nuts, but they can be notoriously hard on the digestive system so you might want to moderate your consumption of those & opt for other fat sources - coconut milk, oils, avocados, olives, mayo etc.

Hope this helps.

[MeadowLily]

jmcbn is correct and this is a judgment free zone.

I talk about it  because I have more than a  handful of relatives who've opted for WLS.  They're living with these same food struggles in various stages.

It matters whether you have still have your gallbladder as they often remove the gallbladder at the same time of WLS.  Your ability to metabolize fats is affected by whether you still have yours. Your ability to digest the heavier proteins is also affected by that and the current condition of your stomach pouch.

As the years go by, about the 10 year mark...these same struggles can still be there. But you don't want to give up and revert back to simple refined carbs.  You want to retain all  of your muscle mass.

Some don't want to go back to their WLS surgeon or WLS nutritionist but that's my recommendation. This is a lifelong issue.  Take the bull by the horns. Lay it all on the line and get back on track.  If you don't want to go back to your original medical team, find the best one you can afford.

You deserve Food Freedom Forever.  We all do.