I was diagnosed with CDK III about two weeks ago, I wonder what happened to 1 and 2. I haven't been able to see a dietitian yet and won't until the 28th of this month. I am doing as much research as I can to see all I need to do, it is all very confusing.
I have changed the way I eat but I am having trouble bringing my totals up to a minimum, especially calories. Most days I am at 300 or thereabouts. I was told to fill in with no protein candy. I did that yesterday and that did not work, I felt like crud the whole evening.
Is it ok to fill in the shortfall of protein with powdered protein? I am checking in on several things I can use to fill in, but have just started. My dietitian will be at the VA as I am a vet with a disability so doubtfully the dietitian will be a kidney dietitian, but I can hope.
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JimboM
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Thanks for your service. Are you saying you only eat about 300 calories in a day? If so that is not healthy. What is the reason for that? Eating candy is not good either. CKD 3 isn't too bad. At 80, if you eat right and do what the doctor says then you shouldn't have to worry about dialysis.
I thought I was eating enough calories but after figuring them up, I had only had 300 for that day and the day after. I was eating really low calorie foods. I am still stumbling around in the dark as what to eat.
I found out candy is NOT the way to fill in calories, I felt like crud all evening.
I was at Stage 3a when my pcp advised. She advised to decrease protein intake. I found out later from NKF & DaVita website, that there's certain minimum amount of protein based on weight, stage of ckd that should be consumed to maintain health: muscle mass, bone & tissue health, etc. but I'm a female. Might be slightly adjusted for men; lost 45# first year & had a bumpy ride along the way.With wt. loss, diet modification & improved bp, I'm more stable & eGFR has been at Stage 2 level.
Felt crappy in beginning... got too thin, muscle mass loss, but I ALWAYS try to keep my calorie & minimum protein intake for my size, wt., sex at the required amount to maintain body function.
Read your food labels, calculate how much protein you need for your stage ckd, & do consult with a renal Dietitian. They are few here in Oregon, but midwest & east coast have many more.
We are here, and there are many knowledgeable, experienced people on this forum with good advice, but always consult with your medical professionals.
Hope for the best, try to stay active, eat fresh vs processed.
Oh, and thanks to people on this site, I use My Fitness Pal app to keep track of calorie intake, including protein, sodium, potassium, fats, etc . It's not 100% accurate, but it's generally helpful, especially for making sure you eat enough calories for your wt. and if you need to lose wt., it will calculate your calorie reduction necessary for your wt. goal.
Love Myfitnesspal! So helpful for monitoring calorie intake and sodium, etc. And I like that if they don't have a particular food listed, you can put in quick add calories.
This is where I am confused. I know I am to take .X whatever and multiply times my weight and come up with a number. What I can't find is, is this the amount of protein I am supposed to have, or is that the max I can have for that day. In other words, do I stay under that amount or shoot for that amount of protein?
I was advised to stay within that amount (+)or (-) for my weight in kilograms. I weigh 126-129 (57-58 kg), so my protein intake for stage 2 is between 45-46 grams. I have eaten up to 48 grams, but rarely more than that. This is what my body requires to maintain muscle mass and body function. I do eat about 25% lean animal protein since I tend to become anemic without some of this. Then again, with kidney disease and chronic inflammation, body destroys RBC's more. It's a difficult balance for sure!
I would be very careful about the resources you find when researching. There are many so-called experts who do more damage than good. I find that Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins and Mayo have helpful information. I found the work by Mathea Ford, RD/LD very helpful, as well as many of the people on this site.
Also, be advised that many dieticians are not up to date on Kidney Disease. When I finally was able to meet with one at the hospital, I knew more about what I needed to do than the dietician.
Thank you, I really appreciate it. That is one of my concerns, a dietician who doesn't understand CKD III as my dietitian will be at the VA. I guess the only thing to do is listen to the dietitian and research to see what can be gleaned from their advice. With little direction on what to eat, I thought I had gone way overboard yesterday eating as I sure didn't eat right. I ran my numbers and I was only over on fats, a few proteins, and carbs. Any at all is bad but I just don't know which way to go yet.
I have other health problems which will complicate matters further as well. The main one is thyroid malfunction (hypo), then there is COPD, AFIB, overweight, and trouble swallowing.
I understand the difficulty of dealing with several health problems at the same time. I have CKD, Lupus, rheumatoid and osteo-arthritis, as well as diverticulosis, and my husband has Type 2 diabetes, CKD and IBS. Juggling diets is great fun!
Do you like nuts and nut butters? Nuts are high calorie and high protein and fine for kidney diet. Vegetables without fixings are low calorie- a little butter is okay, and fruits are also low calorie but sweeter. Candy is awful for you - the first thing I did on the kidney diet was give up sugar and all sweeteners. That was hard for about 5 days, then my sugar addiction receded and I was able to choose foods rather than get triggered to eat. Give up most processed foods too. I feel so much better overall on this diet. Lost 85 pounds. Even my aFib disappeared. I so enjoy salads and vegetable soups and blueberries and nuts.
I do like nuts, especially walnuts but with thyroid problems, I have to stay away from walnuts. I can eat pecans and other nuts if I can control my protein, I know I will need some nuts today as all I have had today is fruit.
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Protein in urine
Creatinine of 18, but kidney function returning. 
My mom
Proteinuria and Thyroid Both Rose Need some support.
