Again, the protein issue...

[JenniferJS]

Hello..

I started tracking everything I'm consuming on sparkpeople.com and it gives you a pretty accurate idea of what you are getting in terms of calories, protein, fat, carbs...

I read another post about how we americans tend to consume WAY too much protein to begin with. Apparantly we need about 50-60 grams of protein a day (it varies if you are male, female, vigorously working out, etc). I thought...oh okay, I need to get supplemental protein thru these bullets or whatnot! But in reality, even on my first and second days of solids, I'm getting TONS of protein (if that site is correct with it's numbers) with just normal eating, nothing supplemental.

Just yesterday I had a slimfast shake in the morning. For lunch and then again for dinner: a small filet of baked fish, broccoli, white rice. For snacks (a no-no I know) I had two low fat string cheese servings at different times during the day. With just that and no supplements - I had a whopping 134 grams of protein, folks!!! And 1,410 calories. (not bad on calories, I thought even tho I'm trying to keep them at 1200 - that is the reccommendation, right?)

Okay bandsters.....What are you thoughts on this? Did you think what I ate would add up to 134 grams of protein? More than double what I need??? I certainly do not need the bullets. I could see needing them when I'm super tight after a fill and getting hardly any solids down, but in general....

[ValleyGirl]

You are so bang on with this. People are eating WAY too much protein and it has terrible long-term effects on your organs. I wish Dr. Miranda would address the issue on here. Only gastric bypass patients need the extra protein cause they can't absorb all their nutrients. We can get enough through our diets.

Sabrina:)

[vangirl]

You are so bang on with this. People are eating WAY too much protein and it has terrible long-term effects on your organs. I wish Dr. Miranda would address the issue on here. Only gastric bypass patients need the extra protein cause they can't absorb all their nutrients. We can get enough through our diets.

Sabrina:)

Totally agree. There is such a thing as too much protein, and the majority of the world doesn't actually eat close to the amount we eat here. Plus we do get protein in non-animal sources, which are often much lower in fat, cholesterol, etc.

[karenlynn79]

That doesn't seem like over a hundred grams though. String cheese have 9 grams each. A SF has like 10g I think. A small filet of fish might have like 24g maybe? I personally look up each individual thing I eat, either on the package or online. I go by that. You may have plugged in the wrong serving size in sparkpeople too, that can certainly affect that. But everyone is right, it does add up. I usually get 60g without trying too hard....... Just being aware will help you though, either way.

[mona-camille]

Hello..

I started tracking everything I'm consuming on sparkpeople.com and it gives you a pretty accurate idea of what you are getting in terms of calories, protein, fat, carbs...

I read another post about how we americans tend to consume WAY too much protein to begin with. Apparantly we need about 50-60 grams of protein a day (it varies if you are male, female, vigorously working out, etc). I thought...oh okay, I need to get supplemental protein thru these bullets or whatnot! But in reality, even on my first and second days of solids, I'm getting TONS of protein (if that site is correct with it's numbers) with just normal eating, nothing supplemental.

Just yesterday I had a slimfast shake in the morning. For lunch and then again for dinner: a small filet of baked fish, broccoli, white rice. For snacks (a no-no I know) I had two low fat string cheese servings at different times during the day. With just that and no supplements - I had a whopping 134 grams of protein, folks!!! And 1,410 calories. (not bad on calories, I thought even tho I'm trying to keep them at 1200 - that is the reccommendation, right?)

Okay bandsters.....What are you thoughts on this? Did you think what I ate would add up to 134 grams of protein? More than double what I need??? I certainly do not need the bullets. I could see needing them when I'm super tight after a fill and getting hardly any solids down, but in general....

I keep a very close track on my protein using Spark People too and I have to say, that I cannot figure out how you got to 134 grams with what you listed as having eaten. A slim fast is only about 15 grams, a cheese stick is 7 grams and a cup of broccholi is only 2.6 grams. The baked fish must have a huge piece to add up to that much. Fish is very high in protein so to have it twice in one day is excess, but I still don't see how it got to be 134 grams. Did you enter the right amount for the size you had? I mean, I try to eat a lot of protein but never go that high. WOW!

[JenniferJS]

Okay, Mona and all...I wish I was on my Mac at home, I could just take a screen shot and post it here but here is the copy and pasted info:

I did double check the serving sizes as you all suggested. The only thing I screwed up on was the broccoli (it gives you like 10 oz package or __ grams or something....like who eats their broccoli in 10 oz 'packages'?? I just put .5 versus 1 serving of the broccoli. That brought my total protein grams down from 134 to 124. As for the broccoli, I didn't measure but it was maybe 5 oz? I do have a scale and will measure from now on.

As for having fish twice in one day and it being considered excessive....what about if I have fish for lunch and chicken for dinner...the protein values cannot be that hugely different, can they?

If so, please enlighten me! Here is the low down on yesterdays food. Also, 1 fillet....is that excessive? I may have had 3/4 of the filet, to be honest. And defintely not 1 cup of rice...more like 1/2 to 3/4 but didn't have that option to change that I think. Even with deducting a few grams here and there for that slightly reduced amount of food...it is still ALOT of protein.

Please give me your thoughts! Thanks!! :)

Slim Fast Rich Chocolate Royale (1 can), 1 serving 10g protein

Cod (fish), 1 fillet 41g protein

White Rice, long grain, 1 cup 4g protein

Broccoli, frozen, 0.5 package (10 oz) 4g protein

Cod (fish), 1 fillet 41g protein

White Rice, long grain, 1 cup 4g protein

Broccoli, frozen, 0.5 package (10 oz) 4g protein

Frigo Light String Cheese, 1 oz 8g protein

Frigo Light String Cheese, 1 oz 8g protein

124g protein for the day

Jennifer

[JenniferJS]

Okay - I googled "cod fish fillet protein content."

I get varying grams...from 19-22g of protein.

So it's not 41g like sparkpeople says.

So if I take off say 40g from 124g - I'm at 84g for the day. That sounds more reasonable, right?

And my point remains, 84g is more than enough without the protein bullets/supplements, am I correct? I'm appreciating this dialogue, for sure...thanks....

[JazzyJude]

Here is the low down on yesterdays food. Also, 1 fillet....is that excessive? I may have had 3/4 of the filet, to be honest. And defintely not 1 cup of rice...more like 1/2 to 3/4 but didn't have that option to change that I think. Even with deducting a few grams here and there for that slightly reduced amount of food...it is still ALOT of protein.

Please give me your thoughts! Thanks!! :)

Slim Fast Rich Chocolate Royale (1 can), 1 serving 10g protein

Cod (fish), 1 fillet 41g protein

White Rice, long grain, 1 cup 4g protein

Broccoli, frozen, 0.5 package (10 oz) 4g protein

Cod (fish), 1 fillet 41g protein

White Rice, long grain, 1 cup 4g protein

Broccoli, frozen, 0.5 package (10 oz) 4g protein

Frigo Light String Cheese, 1 oz 8g protein

Frigo Light String Cheese, 1 oz 8g protein

124g protein for the day

Jennifer

You were able to eat ALL this yesterday? Mind you, I don't eat more than "one cup" of food per meal, and I am on my 2nd fill, and not even close to 1/3 of what I use to eat. If I, personally, ate the items you ate, this is what I accounted for as proteins:

Protein Shake (AmazeRX brand), 6 oz, 17g protein

Cod, 4 oz, 20g proteins

White Rice, 1/4 cup (2 oz), 1g protein

Cod, 4 oz, 20g proteins

Broccoli, 1/4 cup (2 oz), maybe 1g protein

String cheese, 1 oz, 8g protein

String cheese, 1 oz, 8g protein

This would give me a total of 75 grams of protein for the day.

MY own personal portion control is having no more than 1/2 cup (4 oz) of meat, 1/4 cup (2oz) veggie/fruit, and 1/4 cup (2oz) carbs/starches per meal, 3 times a day. I eat my proteins first, then veggie/fruit, and if I have room, the carbs/startches. I do snacks if I want them and no more than 3 times a day too.

[JenniferJS]

Hi Jude:

For the lunch, it was probably 1 and 1/2 cups total of food. The fish was probably half a fillet, now that I think of it. It all fit in a very small pyrex bowl. It definitely wasn't a full cup of rice - I just didnt see an option on that site to track less than one cup. As for the broccoli, it was about 5 oz. I put .5 of a serving because it was giving me an option of a 10oz package as a serving...so I just put .5 (half) of that. Does that still seem like a lot?

As for dinner, about the same as my portions above but maybe closer to two cups. I have not had a fill. It was my 2nd day of solids since surgery.

I appreciate your thoughts....thanks...

You were able to eat ALL this yesterday? Mind you, I don't eat more than "one cup" of food per meal, and I am on my 2nd fill, and not even close to 1/3 of what I use to eat. If I, personally, ate the items you ate, this is what I accounted for as proteins:

Protein Shake (AmazeRX brand), 6 oz, 17g protein

Cod, 4 oz, 20g proteins

White Rice, 1/4 cup (2 oz), 1g protein

Cod, 4 oz, 20g proteins

Broccoli, 1/4 cup (2 oz), maybe 1g protein

String cheese, 1 oz, 8g protein

String cheese, 1 oz, 8g protein

This would give me a total of 75 grams of protein for the day.

MY own personal portion control is having no more than 1/2 cup (4 oz) of meat, 1/4 cup (2oz) veggie/fruit, and 1/4 cup (2oz) carbs/starches per meal, 3 times a day. I eat my proteins first, then veggie/fruit, and if I have room, the carbs/startches. I do snacks if I want them and no more than 3 times a day too.

[mona-camille]

Okay - I googled "cod fish fillet protein content."

I get varying grams...from 19-22g of protein.

So it's not 41g like sparkpeople says.

So if I take off say 40g from 124g - I'm at 84g for the day. That sounds more reasonable, right?

And my point remains, 84g is more than enough without the protein bullets/supplements, am I correct? I'm appreciating this dialogue, for sure...thanks....

Yes, 84 sounds a lot better. Fish does have a lot of protein, especially white fish. I discovered that by accident when ate way too much one day! Protein requirements are also based on your weight so you can't generalize amounts needed per day for everyone. People who weigh more need more.

I am going back to the OCC for a checkup on my band next week and that is actually one of my questions for Dr. Miranda. I want her to tell me how much I need in protein per day. I also want to ask about calories and such. Got lots of questions because after almost a year, I still have only lost 38 pounds and I have 10 cc's in my band. I stay between 1200 and 1400 calories per day (as my Sparkpeople recommended) do my excercises faithfully and and still I weigh 250. My protein is usually a little higher than what Spark recommends, but originally, Dr. Miranda told me to go higher, so I do. But not by much. Anyway, I'll report back once I get home.

[mona-camille]

Hi Jude:

For the lunch, it was probably 1 and 1/2 cups total of food. The fish was probably half a fillet, now that I think of it. It all fit in a very small pyrex bowl. It definitely wasn't a full cup of rice - I just didnt see an option on that site to track less than one cup. As for the broccoli, it was about 5 oz. I put .5 of a serving because it was giving me an option of a 10oz package as a serving...so I just put .5 (half) of that. Does that still seem like a lot?

As for dinner, about the same as my portions above but maybe closer to two cups. I have not had a fill. It was my 2nd day of solids since surgery.

I appreciate your thoughts....thanks...

On Spark people where you enter your food amounts, the box drops down and lets you change the serving type. If you use the cup type, then put in .5 for 1/2 cup. .125 for 1/4 cup and so on. It does let you override the amounts. If it states ounces, you can change that to cups or something else depends on which is availbale. So go practice with the drop down boxes and let me know if you see it. If not, I'll try to walk you through it, ok? It will make it so much easier to keep track of your food!

[JenniferJS]

Hi Mona-

What happened when you ate 'too much protein in one day'?

I guess I was generalizing when I said "Apparantly we need about 50-60 grams of protein a day (it varies if you are male, female, vigorously working out, etc)" - but I did try to include the reasons why it may vary.

I will be eager to hear how your visit went and what Dr. M says...thanks!

Yes, 84 sounds a lot better. Fish does have a lot of protein, especially white fish. I discovered that by accident when ate way too much one day! Protein requirements are also based on your weight so you can't generalize amounts needed per day for everyone. People who weigh more need more.

I am going back to the OCC for a checkup on my band next week and that is actually one of my questions for Dr. Miranda. I want her to tell me how much I need in protein per day. I also want to ask about calories and such. Got lots of questions because after almost a year, I still have only lost 38 pounds and I have 10 cc's in my band. I stay between 1200 and 1400 calories per day (as my Sparkpeople recommended) do my excercises faithfully and and still I weigh 250. My protein is usually a little higher than what Spark recommends, but originally, Dr. Miranda told me to go higher, so I do. But not by much. Anyway, I'll report back once I get home.

[JenniferJS]

Ohh okay..good to know. I did fiddle with it a bit but I guess not enough...thanks.

.125 for 1/4 cup and so on.

[vangirl]

Okay - I googled "cod fish fillet protein content."

I get varying grams...from 19-22g of protein.

So it's not 41g like sparkpeople says.

So if I take off say 40g from 124g - I'm at 84g for the day. That sounds more reasonable, right?

And my point remains, 84g is more than enough without the protein bullets/supplements, am I correct? I'm appreciating this dialogue, for sure...thanks....

A 3 oz piece of chicken breast is about 20g of protein. A 4 oz salmon fillet is about 19g of protein. So if you eat 3-4 oz of protein from whatever source (which would be around the recommended 1/2 cup serving) three times a day, you have enough protein. So yes, the protein bullets/supplements are not necessary for the solid foods stage, unless you are getting no protein in one or more of your meals. Some people like a high protein diet for a variety of reasons, so may want to supplement their food with bars, bullets, etc. However, too much protein can become toxic for the body. If you get in the protein in your meals (which can be done even in vegetarian meals if you choose the right foods), then you are not going to be protein-deficient in your daily nutritional intake.

[JenniferJS]

Thanks vangirl! Makes sense.

A 3 oz piece of chicken breast is about 20g of protein. A 4 oz salmon fillet is about 19g of protein. So if you eat 3-4 oz of protein from whatever source (which would be around the recommended 1/2 cup serving) three times a day, you have enough protein. So yes, the protein bullets/supplements are not necessary for the solid foods stage, unless you are getting no protein in one or more of your meals. Some people like a high protein diet for a variety of reasons, so may want to supplement their food with bars, bullets, etc. However, too much protein can become toxic for the body. If you get in the protein in your meals (which can be done even in vegetarian meals if you choose the right foods), then you are not going to be protein-deficient in your daily nutritional intake.

[JazzyJude]

Hi Jude:

For the lunch, it was probably 1 and 1/2 cups total of food. The fish was probably half a fillet, now that I think of it. It all fit in a very small pyrex bowl. It definitely wasn't a full cup of rice - I just didnt see an option on that site to track less than one cup. As for the broccoli, it was about 5 oz. I put .5 of a serving because it was giving me an option of a 10oz package as a serving...so I just put .5 (half) of that. Does that still seem like a lot?

As for dinner, about the same as my portions above but maybe closer to two cups. I have not had a fill. It was my 2nd day of solids since surgery.

I appreciate your thoughts....thanks...

Hi Sweetie ~ I can't tell you how much to eat as I don't know how much you ate before the surgery. Dr O says to eat 1/3 of what you used to eat, but I am finding, personally, that I can no longer eat 1/3 of what I use to eat since having these fills. Also, if you think of it, 5 oz = 1/2 cup plus 1 oz of broccoli. That is a lot to me. I barely eat 2oz since my surgery. As well, I couldn't even fathom to eat close to 2 cups of food for dinner.

BUT, remember, every person's body is different with different sizes stomach and width of their throats. I happen to have a narrow throat, so my food intake takes a little longer to eat than most people who have a wider throat and eat their food in 20 minutes. And, yes, I cut my foods into VERY tiny pieces.

In addition, I measure all my foods before I place them on my small sandwich plate size. Are you measuring your foods? Maybe this might help you. Just got to remember you need to eat less but get in your daily recommended nutrients.

Hope this helps...

[JenniferJS]

Hi again...I will definitely start to measure. I may be way off. Thanks again.

Hi Sweetie ~ I can't tell you how much to eat as I don't know how much you ate before the surgery. Dr O says to eat 1/3 of what you used to eat, but I am finding, personally, that I can no longer eat 1/3 of what I use to eat since having these fills. Also, if you think of it, 5 oz = 1/2 cup plus 1 oz of broccoli. That is a lot to me. I barely eat 2oz since my surgery. As well, I couldn't even fathom to eat close to 2 cups of food for dinner.

BUT, remember, every person's body is different with different sizes stomach and width of their throats. I happen to have a narrow throat, so my food intake takes a little longer to eat than most people who have a wider throat and eat their food in 20 minutes. And, yes, I cut my foods into VERY tiny pieces.

In addition, I measure all my foods before I place them on my small sandwich plate size. Are you measuring your foods? Maybe this might help you. Just got to remember you need to eat less but get in your daily recommended nutrients.

Hope this helps...

[jhawkchick75]

It is always good to measure and keep track of your proteins - great idea! Now, on a perfect day I would eat what you have noted, but many days that is not what I will eat. There are times where I am getting too much pasta or other things in where I am not getting the protein I should and that is where my protein bullets come in. Not sure how much restriction you have as of now, but I know as you get tighter that protein will come more and more important as you must make each bite count.

I don't do my protein bullets every day, but I do need it quite a bit. I have to take my lunch and dinner to work most days and so a lot of proteins just aren't feasible for me. But great comment about watching your proteins - that is huge! It can do a number on your kidneys as they just can't process that much. I've also heard that you shouldn't have more than 25 grams of protein per meal, so I do my protein bullets in 1/2.

Great topic to bring up! You hear many stories about people doing too many vitamins as well.

[JenniferJS]

I was wondering why some people split the bullet...so that makes sense (trying to limit your protein to 25g at a meal).

I don't have a ton of restriction. I guess. It is hard to judge when you don't know what restriction should feel like. But I know that my first few days after surgery - it was so hard to get water down. Well, not exactly hard, but I felt it go down and sit at the top of my stomach (or so it felt). I felt very very full with just broth or water. So I'm guessing that is what restriction feels like. I know it was restriction due to swelling from the surgery, but that is what I'm going by.

Today, I have cheated and ate a few bites of chocolate cake and it was not going down too good. I spit up saliva (was that a pb?) I am happy that happened, cuz that cake was off the chain good! lol but thankfully I couldn't eat but a few bites. I skipped dinner and had 2 small glasses of red wine tonight. I am probably under my protein for today. Guess that is where a protein bullet would come in handy.

I hope I don't get flamed for the wine/cake tonight. It was my first 'cheat' since before starting my pre op diet days....

I do take the band seriously and don't want to 'eat around the band' or whatever. But I also don't want to walk away from every single delicious looking item, either.

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

It is always good to measure and keep track of your proteins - great idea! Now, on a perfect day I would eat what you have noted, but many days that is not what I will eat. There are times where I am getting too much pasta or other things in where I am not getting the protein I should and that is where my protein bullets come in. Not sure how much restriction you have as of now, but I know as you get tighter that protein will come more and more important as you must make each bite count.

I don't do my protein bullets every day, but I do need it quite a bit. I have to take my lunch and dinner to work most days and so a lot of proteins just aren't feasible for me. But great comment about watching your proteins - that is huge! It can do a number on your kidneys as they just can't process that much. I've also heard that you shouldn't have more than 25 grams of protein per meal, so I do my protein bullets in 1/2.

Great topic to bring up! You hear many stories about people doing too many vitamins as well.

[BrandNewDawn]

I would like to see the "how much protein" question addressed by OCC staff as well but even the most minor research online will tell you that there is no easy answer to this question.

The RDA (recommended dietary allowance) for protein for women ages 11 to >70 at weights between 100 to 145 pounds is 46 to 50 grams. That is based on a 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight although the average need is only 0.6 grams per kilogram of body weight. So, the RDA is already "above" what the actual human need for protein is.

Then, you have to consider your source for recommendation as well because a web site that wants to sell you protein supplements is going to tell you that you need more than a government web site that just wants to get the information out there to the public. So, I did not take my information from any site that wanted to get my money. We all know there is no truth in advertising and that the vitamin and supplement industry does not have to back up their claims. They are not regulated by the FDA.

I do not know if eating too much protein is bad for you. It can dehydrate you as it takes 7 times the amount of water to eliminate from your system. It can cause bone loss but taking calcium will help with that. It is hard on your kidneys.

Dr. Miranda told me that getting adequate protein is not an issue in America. I tend to agree. I think that we have been "sold" the high protein/low carb diet for so long (30 years) that now it has just become a part of our culture of "diet lore". And it works short term, I have a friend who just lost 100+ pounds on one of those protein fast medically supervised diets. Nothing but protein shakes for 6 months!

All the sites I visited did say that breastfeeding women, sick/healing people and professional athletes body builders need more protein, the higher your activity level, the higher your protein need. So, there you go, we are all different.

Dawn

[calicat]

I just met with Dr. Miranda last week. I was concerned about not getting enough nutrients and proteins, etc. She said for proteins - it's around 50grams/day. That's same as 16 oz of milk, 1 egg and 6oz of meat/poultry/fish. The size of the palm of your hand is equal to 3 oz, so both palms is 6.

Putting in a real visual way for me like that has helped so much. I was driving myself crazy trying to figure out what I needed, what each portion was giving me, etc.

Hello..

I started tracking everything I'm consuming on sparkpeople.com and it gives you a pretty accurate idea of what you are getting in terms of calories, protein, fat, carbs...

I read another post about how we americans tend to consume WAY too much protein to begin with. Apparantly we need about 50-60 grams of protein a day (it varies if you are male, female, vigorously working out, etc). I thought...oh okay, I need to get supplemental protein thru these bullets or whatnot! But in reality, even on my first and second days of solids, I'm getting TONS of protein (if that site is correct with it's numbers) with just normal eating, nothing supplemental.

Just yesterday I had a slimfast shake in the morning. For lunch and then again for dinner: a small filet of baked fish, broccoli, white rice. For snacks (a no-no I know) I had two low fat string cheese servings at different times during the day. With just that and no supplements - I had a whopping 134 grams of protein, folks!!! And 1,410 calories. (not bad on calories, I thought even tho I'm trying to keep them at 1200 - that is the reccommendation, right?)

Okay bandsters.....What are you thoughts on this? Did you think what I ate would add up to 134 grams of protein? More than double what I need??? I certainly do not need the bullets. I could see needing them when I'm super tight after a fill and getting hardly any solids down, but in general....