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While many programs don't specify calories, early on or at all, my gut instinct is that your feelings are right and that is a bit high. I ran 1100 from about that time through maintenance and it did well, but I have a guy's metabolism that seemed to be working fairly normally (doc's RN was telling be to SLOW DOWN at about six months, which was a good call as goal weight was just around the corner. But many go much slower, and my gut feel is that as an average to shorter woman starting in the 50+ BMI range you will be slower losing and should keep the calories a bit lower, if for no other reason than it is much harder to cut back in a few months if you find yourself lagging on loss rate than it is to increase your intake. Presumably, you are still working through the diet progression and are still on liquids and mushy things, and it will be harder to consume as much as you get to firmer and more solid foods - take advantage of that and try to reduce your intake some as you progress - 800 or so seems to be a good range for many. Some programs, particularly some of the bypass oriented ones, do call for fairly high calories - 12-1500 calories sometimes - and many people get along ok and lose well on that. But those programs also tend to be the ones where many of their patients fall short of their goals, and the program considers 60% excess weight loss to be a good goal; other programs, and patients, strive for better. Points to consider.

Hey, its been a while since I've been on here. I'm a little different, as I recently had emergency ileostomy (my entire colon removed) surgery in March, in addition to VSG to bypass in 2018 (becuz of severe reflux) and I now have a bag of poop hanging from my belly. In 2009, I weighed in at 260. When I went home from the hospital after my ileostomy in March, I weighed in at a healthy 132 and in June, I weighed in at 99 lbs. They removed my colon and most of my 24 feet of lg intestines making the route to my stomach a lot quicker. So everything goes into me and into my bag within 15 mins and I can't seem to gain weight. The last 8 months since my surgery I've gained and lost the same 7 lbs back and forth. I now weigh 105 and I bounce within the same few lbs. It sucks cuz my reversal surgery (my surgeon plans on reconnecting my small intestine directly to my rectum) but only if I can gain a healthy amount of weight first. But it seems I can't do that. I eat alot more now than I did pre-colon removal. I'm eating alot of pasta, potatoes, rice, bread, avocado toast, even junk food. I even eat a snack when I get up to dump my ostomy bag in the middle of the nite. I still gain 1, lose 2. Gain 2, lose 1. I work with the VA RD (I get most of my medical care thru the VA, however my surgery was thru a civilian hospital cuz it was an emergency and it was the closest the ambulance took me to. It will also be where I have my follow up surgery will be. I see her once a month. She prescribes me a 480 cal meal replacement shake (it's called Kate Farms) but while I sip it it comes out into my bag so it's pointless. I have like 200 shakes in my walk in closet, not doing anything. And they don't taste very good. She wants me to eat something every 2 hrs. Sure. Not possible. I can maybe do every 5 hrs. Anyway, just wanted to let u know there's someone else out there thats struggling with gaining weight also. And I have something to obtain with a gain - my reversal surgery. If I don't gain, I hafta continue with a bag of poop hanging off my stomach. And it's no fun at parties! I wish u the best! If u want a hi calorie meal replacement, look into kate Farms - they have a TON of calories. Not the best tasting, but not the worst. U can doctor them up a bit! The ones that I have have 480 cals. I would give u mine but they r heavy and you'd hafta pay for shipping which would be pricey so it'd probly be cheaper for you to buy them from elsewhere. Otherwise they're yours! If you're local (I live in Dallas, Tx), pick em up! They're yours!) Good luck! Marci

My instructions were eat until you get all your protein in, then stop. No calorie goal given. After 3 months when asked how many calories. They said to eat more, "at least 900 to 1000 cal" . But I didn't reach that till 12 months.

I didn’t even have a calorie goal that early out. I was just supposed to be more concerned with volume of food I was taking in.

plans are all different. I'd check with your clinic. 1100 is a lot more than I was eating at two weeks out (I was probably about 10 months out when I was eating that much), but some surgeons like to start their patients out at higher calorie levels - so I'd check with him/her. and honestly, very few programs have you track calories the first few months - they're more concerned about meeting protein and water requirements.

How many calories should we be taking in. I think I am eating too many, about 1100.

I had Gastric Bypass Sept 2016. Started at around 330lb and was able to lose and roughly maintain 100lb weightloss. I also have Hypothyroidism, with new diagnosis of Hashimoto's, and PCOS. My weight has increased MAJORLY since having a Pannilectomy in November 2021. I've tried lowering calories even more, upping protein, engaging in more activity, weightloss medication to suppress appetite. Anything and everything I could think. Ended up consulting with my weight management doctor and we proceeded with a Partial Gastrectomy sinxlce they said there was a TINY sliver of stomach that they could still remove to maintain the pouch integrity. They confirmed my pouch was not stretched. So I had the Partial Gastrectomy on Monday. I didnt have any pain, just mild discomfort due to the laproscopic incisions. My stomach feels absolutely fine. I've not needed any pain medication outside of Tylenol. I've also been put back on the post-op diet. With all that being said... I feel suspicious of my lack of internal discomfort. My ability to handle 2 to 4 oz of fluids with absolute ease. More so that I am STILL getting hunger pains. It truly almost feels like they got in there and decided to not remove anything. My husband said that the status of "Moved to the OR", "Surgery in Progress", and "Moved to Recovery" was 25 to 30 minutes. This is supported by the board they post on and the texts. Just dont know if I am being crazy or not. Is this normal??? Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

If you have a Sam’s club they have cauliflower chips that are 140 calories for 24 chips. 7g fat, 18g carbs. They are salty and crunch and tasty too. Moon cheese sounds better for you though

slept in this morning (very uncharacteristic of me...im am early bird thu and thru!) ...so first meal of day is coming in pretty late: homemade chicken soup with pasta shells, topped with crispy fried onions: 292 calories, ate it all. This is an instance of me just guessing the calories since i was too lazy to input the recipe into MFP, and i didn't trust the cal counts of the ones already listed in their database. close enough!!

I looked online and can only find the original at my store but I can check the others. Even the thicker one is 150 calories/ 25g carbs per serving. That’s not too bad. I had to convert the calories for the other one cause it’s a smaller serving but it’s 127.5 calories and more carbs (I didn’t calculate) and way less protein for the same slice. And the real one has less fat too. Wow. You were right that cauliflower stuff really isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. At least not that brand. I am so glad you pointed that out to me. I mean the cauliflower crust is not bad but it’s not the real deal. I’d much rather have that in moderation. Especially now that I know it’s really better for me.

Walmart has store brand thin crust pizza crust. I love it, I make homemade pizza with it and the toppings are endless. I can eat a serving and the calories aren't too bad for the crust alone and if I remember correctly has 9g protein by itself! It was actually my first go at "real" pizza.

Everything is always different for me. Often I want to eat before playing sports, I'm starving. This goes on for about half an hour and I need to drink a lot of water and eat a protein bar. My workout can last from an hour to two, depending on how much strength I have. Also, in addition to regular training, I like to ride this bike, which consumes a lot of calories, and I want to eat. In such cases, I stop and drink plenty of water, it helps to get home.

Stalls are the worst. Frustrating & demoralising but also a perfectly normal occurrence. You lost a lot of weight in the first two weeks, your body is likely playing catch-up. Maybe check in with your dietician to review your diet & portion sizes. Also ask for recipe ideas. What carbs are you eating? I was allowed rolled oats from purée but apart from the carbs in dairy, legumes & other vegetables I ate no other carbs: no bread, no rice no pasta. But I ate so little of them it wasn’t a lot of carbs at all. If eat your protein first & then vegetables it’s unlikely you’d be able to eat anything else. While some plans do encourage people to reach 1200 calories quickly, 7 weeks seems too quickly. But check with your team.

My nutritional plan has "moderate" carbs, but I am nevertheless in deep maroon keto at three weeks post-op. I was curious, so I bought some keto sticks (cheap ones, $8 at Walmart). I think the low calories we consume, even if they include carbs, just aren't enough to cover what we burn daily. So the body starts using fat for fuel. If I can help this process along by eating less carbs, that's what I plan to do!

snack (or second dinner? lol) im on an oatmeal love-fest these days after having it for the first time in YEARS last week! another first: eating raw bananas. i've had banana bread, cooked banana desserts, but i haven't had an actual as-is banana since before surgery four years ago. verdict: its kinda filling and im afraid the amount i ate, combined with the brown sugar i added to the oatmeal, may be enough to send me on a minor dumping episode shortly. oh well. 331 calories for the bowl, i ate pretty much all the oatmeal, and about 1/2 the banana. given the way im feeling now, bananas are off the menu again.

About 15 carbs, but they're from the veggies which I allow myself to have, and about 227 calories. Also, 12 grams of protein. Sent from my SM-S426DL using BariatricPal mobile app

That looks really good. What is the carb/calorie count?

dinner: salad 🥗 215 calories for the bowl, ate about 2/3 of it.

I am 6-7 months out. I do not have constipation but the hunger is back and i am constantly hungry. I try to have "Healthy" stuff to snack on. Even those bags of precooked chicken strips i find in the cheese isle. I eat a couple strips and i am full again and its not that much calories either. as for the loose skin that is something i expected way before i had my surgery and i knew it was coming. Just something we gotta learn to deal with it for those of us who cant or dont want surgery to remove that all.

Hi all! Wondering wondering if anyone else has gone through this. I had surgery in September on the 15th I lost 20 lb immediately the first two weeks now I'm on week 7 and have not lost any more weight still just the 20 lb from the first two weeks. I am getting enough protein but am having a hard time not getting in too many carbs with it too I don't like protein shakes and I am lucky enough that nothing I've tried so far has irritated my stomach so I can eat anything. I stay away from greasy and high fatty foods and pop and sugar. But I am still getting around 700 to 1200 calories per day I walk like 30 minutes per day if not more. But I am not losing anything. I am so nervous or should I say worried that because I can eat anything I won't be losing any more weight any ideas from any of you? Anyone else have this long of a stall this soon after surgery ? Sent from my SM-G991B using BariatricPal mobile app

Okay so i mentioned the cauliflower pizza bowl by lean cuisine and I had to try it. Just came out of the microwave and it sure smells good. It’s 430 calories which is a bit much for a lunch for me. I am in maintenance and like to keep my lunch around 300 calories or less. This Has 22g protein, BUT 30g fat so definitely not an all the time option for my plan (18g carbs). I will have a lighter dinner to offset some. I have to admit it’s a little greasier than I expected. I guess pizza is too though so duh, lol. It tastes pretty yummy, I’m just hoping it doesn’t upset my stomach since I’m not used to all this grease. I have been eating between typing this and honestly I think I am satisfied with about half of it. Not because it’s a huge portion but because it’s so rich with the grease. (At a year and a half out, I usually can eat almost one serving of most things) if I can get two servings out of it I guess it’s not too horrible. I think I will keep one in the freezer for when I’m really craving pizza or when my husband decides he wants a pizza on game day which thankfully isn’t too often. I am thinking I also may try at some point to make my own version of this with Turkey pepperoni and see if it’s any good??

So sorry that your exhaustion is so bad. The only thing I can tell you is what my dietitian told me and he said to eat at least 30g of carbs per meal and that would help with energy levels. I wasn't having energy issues and I'm still not eating that many carbs but if you are eating low carb, then maybe try increasing your carbs and see if it does give you energy. Also I don't know if your calories are too low or if you are doing too much exercise. adjusting those types of things might help. Hopefully your team has some better ideas next week, good luck!

lunch: bagel with butter, eggs & cheese. 546 calories (which seems like alot of cals, no??) Ate all the cheese and half of the rest.

I am not a fan of the cauliflower pizza. If you actually compare it to regular pizza, i don't see the point. I have not even tried it honestly, but it more about the comparison for me. it just never seemed "worth it" if that makes sense. About the same or more calories and fat... the carbs aren't really much less either. I don't really get it. haha

Other people have articulated very well. I think there are different parts of the "fat movement" that get balled up into the acceptance piece. I like that there are more bigger bodies out there doing "regular things" like yoga, cooking, running, kayaking, dancing, living... and it's not as shocking as it may have been years before. I think that's important, especially for those people whose body is happier at a larger weight. Not everyone wants surgery or wants to starve themselves to a calorie deficit to be "thinner" when they feel good at the weight they are at. And some of them are at 200+ pounds. I think that's important to recognize. I'm not sure any human, unless super tall can be truly "healthy" at 400 pounds, though. But they shouldn't be barred or shunned from life because they are that weight. But, they should not be lied to by a doctor. I'll be honest, though, sometimes I question the amount of medical complications blamed on obesity as a whole just because it's easier to assign blame to. I've been relatively healthy as a bigger girl (especially when I was younger). I'm still able to do cartwheels at almost 50 and close to 300 pounds. I can understand how some people are happy with more padding - or don't care. But my weight is catching up to me, and I want more freedom in my own body.