My meal plan starting at week 4 calls for 1/4 cup of food per meal as tolerated. That's pretty much what I'm eating, three times a day. I'll be seven weeks post op on Tuesday.

I've lost 46 pounds so far.

Whatever makes your tummy feel satisfied and settled. If you can only eat that small amount a day, you may have a stricture. I would call the doc office to question about this.

I was also on 1/4 - 1/2 cup per meal not per day. 1/4 cup per day sounds too little unless you can't tolerate it. At 7 1/2 weeks out my doc has me on about 500 calories a day and I'm burning all of them on the treadmill. I have some carbs, but very small quantities in relation to my protein.

There are a lot of different plans out there...but you absolutely need to get in at least 70 grams of protein every day. Most people don't have room in their pouch for anything else at first.

If you don't eat enough protein, your body will eat your muscles!! NOT GOOD!!

When you don't eat carbs, your body has to burn fat for fuel. This is good...very good!!

Your choice. If you choose to eat carbs, you are just slowing down your weight loss. Complex carbs from veggies and a little fruit at least have some nutritional value. Carbs from bread, pasta, rice, sugar, flour give you nothing but slower weight loss. The first couple years you are setting habits that will either help you maintain at a healthy weight or will lead to gaining weight again. Please be careful and don't take your weight loss for granted!! I so want you to succeed at this thing!!

Great job on the exercise!!

JJ

I think we are in about the same place...I'm 6 weeks Tuesday. I can do about 2oz of protein (fish, ground turkey) and a starch, like low carb toast or a couple saltines. My doc had suggested "layering " with a few bites of saltines between the protein to help with my nausea...and it does. I can do a whole container of greek yogurt as well. I was told I can start trying all varieties of food, including raw veggies...I was so excited to have salad...only got about 4 bites in and I was full. Protein is always my challenge...I simply cannot tolerate shakes, but I have made a few smoothies now that berries are ok...it seems to be something I can work on throughout the afternoon. My nutrition targets are 800-1000 cals a day 65-75g protein and 100g carbs. The higher targets are to keep up with the interval training I do in the gym. I have been getting about 800cal a day, and am finally breaking through the stall I've been in since week 2. 40lbs down...yay!

My plan also wants me to have a balanced diet, but with preference to protein. I agree with Senecagrl its usually 1/4-1/2 cup per meal. My Doc said that once I have my Protein in for the day I can have other things the rest of the day so I still have to calorie count. He suggested two daily plans one for 1100 calories unless weightloss has stalled then there is one for 800, both with 60-80g protein.

The thing that most people don't realize about carbs is that, its not just portion control and calories. After you eat any pasta, bread or rice it will swell in your tummy (even rice fully cooked). If you have ever saved a soup with rice, overcooked pasta, or gotten a peice of bread wet its the same concept. So once these hit your pouch its going to swell from the water naturally in your body.

So when you eat these make sure you go really slow and make sure you have your protein in first. Make sure your bread is toasted white bread especially has a tendency to clump back together in your tummy and it can be really uncomfortable so can crackers and flour tortillas, but you will have an easier time eating it if its toasted.

A huge suggestion is to go for brown/whole wheat, remember what we eat now has purpose and usually you don't get enough nutrients from the whites bread pasta and rice so make it count and go wheat wherever you can.