Question

[Wildrose78]

I had gastric bypass surgery 2/27/25. I am currently 7 weeks post.op. I am on the soft food diet with a calorie restriction of 400 calories a day and 20 grams of protein.
I hear a lot of gastric bypass patients say they weren't hungry for months after surgery but I am hungry all the time. I also seem to be able to eat more at one time than I should. I told my Doctor I was having one rice cake and one baby bel cheese for a meal and he said that was too much and to cut it in half. But even with that I was still hungry all the time. I am not drinking anything 30 minutes after meals.
I'm really curious as to the calorie and protein goals of other people at this stage because it seems very restrictive. That's also not much protein and I don't want to be doing other damage to my body for the sake of losing pounds a little faster.
Any thoughts?

 

[dianeseattle]

I had gastric bypass surgery 2/27/25. I am currently 7 weeks post.op. I am on the soft food diet with a calorie restriction of 400 calories a day and 20 grams of protein.
I hear a lot of gastric bypass patients say they weren't hungry for months after surgery but I am hungry all the time. I also seem to be able to eat more at one time than I should. I told my Doctor I was having one rice cake and one baby bel cheese for a meal and he said that was too much and to cut it in half. But even with that I was still hungry all the time. I am not drinking anything 30 minutes after meals.
I'm really curious as to the calorie and protein goals of other people at this stage because it seems very restrictive. That's also not much protein and I don't want to be doing other damage to my body for the sake of losing pounds a little faster.
Any thoughts?

Hi Wildrose, I generally suggest people listen to their doctors, but IMO, this sounds a little off. Is your doctor also your bariatric surgeon, or your family doctor or...? 400 calories sounds really low. Can you get a second opinion? The American Bariatrics Society has a website and a lot of information there. What is your total caloric intake per day? I believe mine was about 900 calories a day after I went through the various post-op stages.

I also think you should have a nutritionist who specializes in bariatric dietary needs.

You can look at my profile and read the many files I've posted there and read about my experiences, but I'm 24 years out and things may have changed since my day. There are also a lot of stories and files on the main page of this group, and a lot of good information from members I've known since I've been there.

Personally, I think if you're eating the rice cake and cheese as a MEAL, that doesn't sound like a good idea. It sounds like a snack. You should be writing down your food intake every day, and I mean that literally. WRITE IT DOWN, and don't deter from it. Most people eat thousands of calories every day before have surgery and certainly, a 1200 calorie diet is considered extremely moderate.

I don't want to advise you specifically, but I suggest you go to our front page and read the other stories there. And for sure, read the stories and experiences you'll find at the ABS site. But most importantly, you need to write everything down. There's no better thing to do.

Best of luck to you. I hope you find your best place.