Crafty-in-Carolina

You are doing great! Some NUTs are obviously better than others. FWIW, I started out in a size 18 also and am down to a 6 or 8 petite now depending on brand and my surgery was 8 months ago. At my last appt, I was told that I'm doing great. So it sounds like you are right on track too. Don't let them get you down. We all stumble. Whats important is you get up after each stumble, dust yourself off, and try to figure out ways to avoid repeating the same mistakes. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Congrats!

So I'm 8 months out and gone from a size 18 down to a size 6. I'm 5-3 and 135# right now. I've been consuming roughly 1400 calories per day. Pre-op testing showed that I had a very high metabolism (blessing and a curse). I don't want to trash it. I have no trouble getting in my fluids and proten. I do a combo of either walking/running, yoga, and interval training 3-5 days per week. I have struggled with hunger from very early on post-op.... real hunger. Anyway, I'm still losing about a pound per week, but am thinking I want 130 to be my new goal. So I'm thinking ahead to "maintenance" nutrition. What would a healthy, balanced macro profile look like for me? I'm thinking I should do another follow-up with the nutritionist, but wanted to solicit input here too. I am not doing Keto, nor do I desire to. I run and feel that I need some carbs for energy, though I stick to whole food/whole grain carbs and way less quantity than pre-op, think black Beans, whole fruits and veggies. I do oatmeal and yogurt on occasion too. Anyway, I'm wanting to tweak my macros on myfitnesspal toward maintenance. Any suggestions? I was thinking 35/35/40 carbs/protein/fat??? Does that sound reasonable? Gotta figure out what maintenance calorie count looks like at this activity level. I get 12k - 15k steps per day. My lean body mass is supposedly around 96 pounds.
Oh and here are a couple pics just because. No regrets!

So a little retail therapy was the perfect cheer-up. I've been buying from thrift stores and consignment shops as I cycle thru sizes, but decided on a splurge of something new. Came home with size 10 pants and Med top. OMG!!! I was a 12-14 even in high school.... back in the stone age. Size 10 y'all. I can't believe it! Yep, I'll wear a wig, a hat, whatever... smile on my face again. :-)

I'm taking Bariatric Advantage. It has 70 mcg of selenium. Is that enough? Oh and I love your attitude! I need to get me some more of that I don't GAF!!! Apparently, I'm running low.

My wardrobe over the past many years has been varying shades of black or gray (see last pic). I have been shopping thrift stores mainly until I get to a place where my weight stabilizes, but decided I could use a couple of new items, so I decided to splurge. I bought WHITE pants!!! LOL. I know it may not seem like a big deal, but let me tell you, it really is. I've always carried so much of my weight in my butt and thighs and always chose dark colors for skirts and pants. It felt so good to buy a nice pair of white pants for spring, lol. In a size 10 no less. Squeeee!!!! 5 months out and gone from a size 18/20 in pants to a size 10!!! I am doing a celebration dance over here! No regrets!

ROFL!!! OK, you made me snort-laugh with that one. I call it snaughing. Wise words, my friend and I've taken them to heart. :-)

In the study I linked they cite a few other studies. One of the things they notated, which seems to be true with successful who keep their weight off long term, WLS patients or not is...


Also they define a high protein diet as 1.5 g per kg per day of total weight not lean mass, 1.5 is still within the acceptable recommended limits. I am roughly 84 Kilos total weight that is 126 grams (which is about what I eat in a normal day). The .8 recommendation would put someone like me at 67 grams of protein a day. My issue with that is less the low amount of protein but the low amount of calories. Protein is 4 calories a gram, that is 268 calories a day. I have not idea where I would find another 1200 to 1400 minimum calories a day just so I could function, then if I wanted to maintain, I would need to find another 1800 is calories that were not protein. I can't eat 1800 calories a day in spinach.
This is a really long PDF and pages 609-696 deal with protein recommendations.
https://www.nal.usda.gov/sites/default/files/fnic_uploads//energy_full_report.pdf


At the bottom of page 692 in the PDF they start talking about high protein diets. The first few paragraphs deal with it. Basically you can high protein if you have enough fat, but you can't eat just super lean meat and keep your fat low, because in the past people have became size doing this (top half of page 693).
Page 694
The uppers limits of what counts are possibly high protein is 3 to 3.5 grams of protein per kilogram of total weight. I don't think any weight loss patient could eat over 200 grams of protein a day unless they were drinking it and eating Protein Bars.
Even at that high rate...
This is all a lot to say there is no recommended upper limit, there is no data on it really. People can eat massive amounts of protein over 200 grams a day without adverse effects, that doesn't mean that people should eat that much. Still eat 100 grams or so a day is fairly normal and not a cause for alarm. So people should consult with their Doctors, keep up with the regular blood work.
I am going to keep consuming my 1g per pound of lean mass because it has allowed me to maintain my lean mass without regular weight training while losing a large amount of fat. I have lost 95% fat and only 5% muscle all with just walking and eating high protein.
That might not be right for everyone but scaremongering people into eating low amounts of protein which may be counter productive for weight loss and maintenance is not necessary.
People should consult with their medical team and find a way they can eat for life without feeling deprived.

I am loving yoga now. I do some sort of walking/jogging, yoga, and/or interval training each week and actually enjoying it. Last summer I struggled thru some hiking on vacation. This year I'm actually looking forward to it. Life is good. Love the kitty litter idea.... very resourceful.

So I'm 8 months out and gone from a size 18 down to a size 6. I'm 5-3 and 135# right now. I've been consuming roughly 1400 calories per day. Pre-op testing showed that I had a very high metabolism (blessing and a curse). I don't want to trash it. I have no trouble getting in my fluids and proten. I do a combo of either walking/running, yoga, and interval training 3-5 days per week. I have struggled with hunger from very early on post-op.... real hunger. Anyway, I'm still losing about a pound per week, but am thinking I want 130 to be my new goal. So I'm thinking ahead to "maintenance" nutrition. What would a healthy, balanced macro profile look like for me? I'm thinking I should do another follow-up with the nutritionist, but wanted to solicit input here too. I am not doing Keto, nor do I desire to. I run and feel that I need some carbs for energy, though I stick to whole food/whole grain carbs and way less quantity than pre-op, think black Beans, whole fruits and veggies. I do oatmeal and yogurt on occasion too. Anyway, I'm wanting to tweak my macros on myfitnesspal toward maintenance. Any suggestions? I was thinking 35/35/40 carbs/protein/fat??? Does that sound reasonable? Gotta figure out what maintenance calorie count looks like at this activity level. I get 12k - 15k steps per day. My lean body mass is supposedly around 96 pounds.
Oh and here are a couple pics just because. No regrets!

So I'm 8 months out and gone from a size 18 down to a size 6. I'm 5-3 and 135# right now. I've been consuming roughly 1400 calories per day. Pre-op testing showed that I had a very high metabolism (blessing and a curse). I don't want to trash it. I have no trouble getting in my fluids and proten. I do a combo of either walking/running, yoga, and interval training 3-5 days per week. I have struggled with hunger from very early on post-op.... real hunger. Anyway, I'm still losing about a pound per week, but am thinking I want 130 to be my new goal. So I'm thinking ahead to "maintenance" nutrition. What would a healthy, balanced macro profile look like for me? I'm thinking I should do another follow-up with the nutritionist, but wanted to solicit input here too. I am not doing Keto, nor do I desire to. I run and feel that I need some carbs for energy, though I stick to whole food/whole grain carbs and way less quantity than pre-op, think black Beans, whole fruits and veggies. I do oatmeal and yogurt on occasion too. Anyway, I'm wanting to tweak my macros on myfitnesspal toward maintenance. Any suggestions? I was thinking 35/35/40 carbs/protein/fat??? Does that sound reasonable? Gotta figure out what maintenance calorie count looks like at this activity level. I get 12k - 15k steps per day. My lean body mass is supposedly around 96 pounds.
Oh and here are a couple pics just because. No regrets!

Thank you so much for this info. I'm sorry for the loss of your mother. I lost my mother 18 months ago. It sucks. I'm very relieved to hear your results from nephrology though. It's reassuring.

I've been in maintenance for 8 months. I'm 5'1, 118 pounds, and consume in the 1900 to 2200 kcal range per day, although I really don't track or measure any macros other than Protein.
I eat as much fat and carbs as I want. Since I run on most days of the week for exercise, I need the carbs to fuel my workouts.
I consume about 120 grams of protein per day. Anything less will leave me hungry. I also consulted with a nephrologist and had my urine and blood tested, and the 120 grams of protein per day is not having an adverse impact on my kidneys.
Tracking macros and counting calories is not really my thing because it is too reminiscent of the dieting mentality. Many of us sucked at long term adherence to diets prior to surgery. I refuse to revert back to a lifestyle that I disliked and left me feeling constant deprivation.
By the way, I am sorry to hear about your mother's kidney issues. My mother recently died of end stage renal failure, so I am paranoid about my kidneys as well. However, 120 grams of protein per day is nowhere near 'high-protein.'

Thank you! I'm probably around 100-120/day. Docs office says 80 grams is the goal. I'm pretty comfy with 100 as that's probably a 1:1 ratio with lean mass. I'll find out for sure at my 1 yr check up. Just not sure if that's ok long term or only for the short-term losing phase. I'm a little paranoid about my kidneys due to watching my mother lose hers. Dialysis is no way to live if you can avoid it. [emoji22]

So I'm 8 months out and gone from a size 18 down to a size 6. I'm 5-3 and 135# right now. I've been consuming roughly 1400 calories per day. Pre-op testing showed that I had a very high metabolism (blessing and a curse). I don't want to trash it. I have no trouble getting in my fluids and proten. I do a combo of either walking/running, yoga, and interval training 3-5 days per week. I have struggled with hunger from very early on post-op.... real hunger. Anyway, I'm still losing about a pound per week, but am thinking I want 130 to be my new goal. So I'm thinking ahead to "maintenance" nutrition. What would a healthy, balanced macro profile look like for me? I'm thinking I should do another follow-up with the nutritionist, but wanted to solicit input here too. I am not doing Keto, nor do I desire to. I run and feel that I need some carbs for energy, though I stick to whole food/whole grain carbs and way less quantity than pre-op, think black Beans, whole fruits and veggies. I do oatmeal and yogurt on occasion too. Anyway, I'm wanting to tweak my macros on myfitnesspal toward maintenance. Any suggestions? I was thinking 35/35/40 carbs/protein/fat??? Does that sound reasonable? Gotta figure out what maintenance calorie count looks like at this activity level. I get 12k - 15k steps per day. My lean body mass is supposedly around 96 pounds.
Oh and here are a couple pics just because. No regrets!

If you aren't carb sensitive, and can meet your Protein goals, I don't think the macro balance matters. Just the overall calories.
Since you are almost at your goal, it would be a good time to have your RMR/BMR tested in a lab so you know exactly what your current caloric baseline is and pin your calorie goals to that.

Great job! Everything you said sounds spot on. The only piece we're missing is what your macros look like currently.
Essentially, keep your Protein consumption up, and increase fats (if they're low), and carbs.
As a general rule, 70g protein, 150g carbs, and 1-3 tablespoons of added fat is a healthy diet... especially when the carbs come primarily from fruit, veggies, nuts, and legumes with occasional whole grains.
But, we are such an eclectic group, where some of us gain weight on 50g carbs, that it's impossible to say exactly what your macros should be, other than to say increase the food gradually until you find the level at which you maintain.

So I'm 8 months out and gone from a size 18 down to a size 6. I'm 5-3 and 135# right now. I've been consuming roughly 1400 calories per day. Pre-op testing showed that I had a very high metabolism (blessing and a curse). I don't want to trash it. I have no trouble getting in my fluids and proten. I do a combo of either walking/running, yoga, and interval training 3-5 days per week. I have struggled with hunger from very early on post-op.... real hunger. Anyway, I'm still losing about a pound per week, but am thinking I want 130 to be my new goal. So I'm thinking ahead to "maintenance" nutrition. What would a healthy, balanced macro profile look like for me? I'm thinking I should do another follow-up with the nutritionist, but wanted to solicit input here too. I am not doing Keto, nor do I desire to. I run and feel that I need some carbs for energy, though I stick to whole food/whole grain carbs and way less quantity than pre-op, think black Beans, whole fruits and veggies. I do oatmeal and yogurt on occasion too. Anyway, I'm wanting to tweak my macros on myfitnesspal toward maintenance. Any suggestions? I was thinking 35/35/40 carbs/protein/fat??? Does that sound reasonable? Gotta figure out what maintenance calorie count looks like at this activity level. I get 12k - 15k steps per day. My lean body mass is supposedly around 96 pounds.
Oh and here are a couple pics just because. No regrets!

My wardrobe over the past many years has been varying shades of black or gray (see last pic). I have been shopping thrift stores mainly until I get to a place where my weight stabilizes, but decided I could use a couple of new items, so I decided to splurge. I bought WHITE pants!!! LOL. I know it may not seem like a big deal, but let me tell you, it really is. I've always carried so much of my weight in my butt and thighs and always chose dark colors for skirts and pants. It felt so good to buy a nice pair of white pants for spring, lol. In a size 10 no less. Squeeee!!!! 5 months out and gone from a size 18/20 in pants to a size 10!!! I am doing a celebration dance over here! No regrets!

My wardrobe over the past many years has been varying shades of black or gray (see last pic). I have been shopping thrift stores mainly until I get to a place where my weight stabilizes, but decided I could use a couple of new items, so I decided to splurge. I bought WHITE pants!!! LOL. I know it may not seem like a big deal, but let me tell you, it really is. I've always carried so much of my weight in my butt and thighs and always chose dark colors for skirts and pants. It felt so good to buy a nice pair of white pants for spring, lol. In a size 10 no less. Squeeee!!!! 5 months out and gone from a size 18/20 in pants to a size 10!!! I am doing a celebration dance over here! No regrets!

My wardrobe over the past many years has been varying shades of black or gray (see last pic). I have been shopping thrift stores mainly until I get to a place where my weight stabilizes, but decided I could use a couple of new items, so I decided to splurge. I bought WHITE pants!!! LOL. I know it may not seem like a big deal, but let me tell you, it really is. I've always carried so much of my weight in my butt and thighs and always chose dark colors for skirts and pants. It felt so good to buy a nice pair of white pants for spring, lol. In a size 10 no less. Squeeee!!!! 5 months out and gone from a size 18/20 in pants to a size 10!!! I am doing a celebration dance over here! No regrets!

ROFL!!! OK, you made me snort-laugh with that one. I call it snaughing. Wise words, my friend and I've taken them to heart. :-)

Ahhh, a belt, a tucked in shirt, dreaming, hopefully soon. You look awesome.

Sent from my SM-N910V using BariatricPal mobile app

You look beautiful!! I love white pants too. I'm terrified to wear them though cause once I got my period with them on when I was much younger. It was a disaster lol.

Stay sexy, wear white, don't get your period. )

My wardrobe over the past many years has been varying shades of black or gray (see last pic). I have been shopping thrift stores mainly until I get to a place where my weight stabilizes, but decided I could use a couple of new items, so I decided to splurge. I bought WHITE pants!!! LOL. I know it may not seem like a big deal, but let me tell you, it really is. I've always carried so much of my weight in my butt and thighs and always chose dark colors for skirts and pants. It felt so good to buy a nice pair of white pants for spring, lol. In a size 10 no less. Squeeee!!!! 5 months out and gone from a size 18/20 in pants to a size 10!!! I am doing a celebration dance over here! No regrets!

It feels so weird, but in a good way. The other thing is I have no belts because I never ever tucked a shirt in before. Never wanted to... until now. Now I need belts! LOL. Sometimes it's such little things that bring a smile.