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For the first time. Banded 4 weeks ago today. So I chose a small chili from Wendy's. it tasted so good I almost cried! Can a small chili really only be 210 calories?!! That is supposedly right but it tasted so good and now i feel guilty. Like i cheated! I am going to

My surgeon said if that's what I need for a snack then fine but no Butter melted on it but I could add parmesan cheese , so once n a while I eat it but I agree with miss73 only the 100 calorie bag , but my doctor it's my fault if it gets stuck , he also tells me I should quit smoking but that hasn't happened yet lol one thing at a time lol

most of us were several months out before we started counting calories. You're not physically going to be able to take in enough calories this soon after surgery to worry about it. Just focus on your fluid and protein goals for now.

Hi, I'm 6 days post op. Trying to eat those 3 meals a day, but barely able to hit 100 calories a day up to 32 oz water daily. Still very bloated and achy from surgery. Is there such thing as too few calories at this point? Adding protein powder where I can.

I've been at less than 700 calories for two weeks now, and I'm having some issues with this. I can only seem to manage to eat a couple of tablespoons of food at a time before I'm in danger of PBing. I'm hungry but not hungry. I didn't have any similar issues with my food when I was at 1000 calories. I didn't have much in the way of head hunger issues. I know everyone has their own threshold, but how does anyone else tell the difference between head hunger and real body hunger?

If you think about it though, do you really continue eat when you're totally full? I find for me its just that totally full takes waaaaaaay more food than it does for other people. I know when I think i should stop eating, but I know my body does eventually give me the signal to stop. It's only after I've consumed a huuuuuuge meal that that happens though. I gave that a lot of thought myself, and I realised that my body does send its signals and I do obey them, its just that I want that signal to appear way earlier, before I've eaten a 1,000 calorie meal! But I admit I can eat till I"m stuffed and then be looking to graze just out of boredom an hour or two later.

I don't think most people are anti carb because it's a carb, I know I am anti-white carb. For a great many of us white carbs are a trigger food. If I eat bread I crave bread to an extreme and can't quit, I lose control. Yet sugar... I can take it or leave it. There is nothing in flour or sugar that we need. It's a waste of calories, not good for you, and for a great many of us a huge trigger for carb cravings. I know I didn't get fat eating broccoli, I got fat eating white carbs. I looked at this as a life style change. I did that, I don't eat a great deal of garbage food anymore. It doesn't do anything positive for my body, garbage food makes me gain weight, and the more I eat the more I crave. I think you'll find that there are a huge number of people in the same boat as me. So for me personally I am not anti carb, but I'm mega anti-WHITE carb.

Another Australian bander here and I have to admit, I also don't count calories. I eat whatever I want, just a lot less. I eat all foods, including bread and Pasta. I don't do the 'protein, veg, then carbs' things at all. I have lost all cravings for ice-cream, cola and other fattening slider foods, but I do occasionally have highg calorie foods like fried chicken and fries (small portions as my band dictates) so I generally don't feel like I'm ever on a diet. Australian surgeons are always available to you. My fills are largely covered my Medicare and I don't worry about calling my Dr for a fill/unfill. I call when I need to see him and he books me an appointment, period. Australian generally have great after-surgery care. They don't feel deprived, they don't feel like they're dieting. Many of us exercise, because it's made clear to us early on that the band will help you lose 60% of your excess weight on average, but the other 40% is up to you. And it seems like that approach works for Australian patients, with approx 85% of Australian banders losing a minimum of 60% of their excess weight.

This is what I call the right post at the right time!! I have been on vacation for one week already and will not be home for another week. Been having a pretty hard time making sure I am getting enough Protein while being on vacation. I did get cottage cheese, greek yogurt and some Soups at the store so I could have things in my mini fridge in the hotel. I also brought some Protein Drink mix, chocolate Protein shakes and Protein Bars for the times when I was out and about and knew I would be eating out with family. I'm really proud of how I have done so far and its been nice not having a scale too. Using the fitness center almost every night and getting a lot of walking in while sightseeing. I am just 5 weeks out of surgery and have a few more options to try as of today so will go grocery shopping soon However, I have a feeling I may not be getting enough calories in per day. I will take a closer look and start journaling my food on all of the remaining days of my vacation. If I don't have a significant loss when I get home, then I will call my doctors office and speak with the nutritionist.

I am really interested to read your post because I am at 7 weeks and in a similar situation. I lost 37 lbs the first month, and now I'm 3 weeks into my 2nd month and have only lost 4 more. I too am eating 600-800 cals a day and exercising usually 5 days a week. Perhaps it's just not enough calories. I already feel like I'm eating more than I "should" not that there is really a should but just how I feel. Maybe I'm so used to depriving myself with dieting I think I will try to up my protein intake and calories and see if it helps to get things going. I appreciate this insight. Also congrats on how well everything is going for you!

On the 800 calorie per day comment, I do not think that applies across the board, I am 5' tall and don't need as much as someone who is 5'5" or 6'. I average about 650 calories a day and I get plenty of protein (at least 70 g a day). So I am not starving my muscles in the least.

miralax is what I add to my coffee, Protein drink or yogurt just about everyday. I have also bumped up my Fiber intake and that has also meant more calories (200 roughly more per day). My weightloss has slowed a bit I think because of the slight increase in calories but I hated the feeling of "fullness" that the miralax didn't quite help.

Hi everyone! I'm 4 months post op (RNY) and I'm a little concerned regarding my weight loss journey in the upcoming months. The loss has started to slow down while I'm still very overweight and I'm worried about how to maintain a "normal" metabolism to be successful in long term maintenance. Would love to get your feedback as my nutritionist has not been very helpful in this sense. Some stats and specific concerns (sorry for the long post but I want to be thorough): Age: 28 yo female Height: 5'3 Starting weight: 297 lbs. Starting BMI: 52 Surgery weight (Dec '19): 259 lbs Current weight (4 months out): 191lbs. Current BMI: 34. Food: My daily average intake is of about 500 calories (450-650 range) and I get about 60 grams of protein (eat mostly protein and still use protein supplements). I follow my plan which is based on portion size and not weight or calories, but I weigh and track my intake because "eyeballing" doesn't really work for me. While I'm good in that range of food intake in terms of hunger, I could definitely eat more if "needed". I've been able to stick to my plan during coronavirus lockdown no problem. Exercise: Desk job. I do very light weight training about 3-4x a week and short walks on the treadmill 2x a week. I used to swim more often but now that's not a possibility. Other: I'm trying to up my water intake but it's about 40 - 65 oz a day. I take all my vitamins and supplements. I don't have diabetes or any hormonal issues that I'm aware of. While I have been consistently losing weight (60 pounds in 4 months), I'm starting to notice a slow down and have hit a couple stalls (one lasting 3 weeks). I want to make sure that I keep a good rate so naturally I thought about increasing exercise and maintaining my current diet (reducing is not a possibility) but I'm also concerned that: If I start exercising a lot now to try to speed it up, then as time progresses and I hit more stalls, they will be very hard to break as the exercise would have to be incremental and there is only so much time/energy/will power that I have. So do you recommend adding more exercise at this stage to maximize loss in the first months or should I "wait" until I need the extra kick? Same thing with food, by eating 500 calories a day, am I sabotaging future weight loss? It will be impossible for me to cut down on calories if I hit a stall. I'm also worried that as soon as I start increasing the calorie count I will gain a lot of it back or completely stop my weight loss. I know that 500 kcal a day is not sustainable in the long run. I have read so many threads trying to find an answer but there doesn't seem to be a right one. My nutritionist just tells me to "stick to portion size and allowed meals" and not look at calories when I ask these questions. My surgical team has told me to just follow her instructions and keep the focus on weight training. Any personal experiences, words of advise, etc would be highly appreciated. I'm starting to obsess over these concerns of balancing maximizing weight loss in the first months (which I understand are were biggest loss is achieved) and mid/long term success. I know comparing journeys is not ideal (it has definitely been a source of frustration as I see people with lower BMIs losing faster than me) Thanks!

Ughhh okay so today has not been my best day... I don't know WTF is wrong with me I know I'm not actually hungry... Quick backstory - Open RNY 03/2002 - revision via Endoscopic Soft Tissue Re-approximation to cinch stoma/pouch 02/09/16. I have been doing spot on fantastic the last 3 weeks and its like I lost my mind today. I'm on a soft modified diet meaning I should be introducing more solid foods as my pouch can manage it but I'm pretty scared to so I'm still eating mainly soft foods... Breakfast - 10oz chocolate Caramel Protein shake (33g protein) with FF lactose free milk Snack - 1 Hershey dark chocolate sugar free miniature Bottle of Water 16.9oz lunch - Ricotta Bake Mexican style (19g protein) Bottle of water 16.9oz Snack - Oikos triple zero banana cream Greek yogurt (15g protein) ANOTHER snack and I don't know why but I inhaled a Pure Protein Bar (20g protein) I have dinner prepped its a 1/3c portion of blended "Shepard's pie" kind of - just the beef, gravy & edamame (whirled in the blender a little) that I'll cover with cheese instead of mashed potatoes (26g protein). If I eat the dinner I'm sitting @ 1,063 calories 113g protein, 75 carbs 37 fat & 27 sugar. You'd think with all this protein I'd be stuffed - maybe I shouldn't have dinner and just drink a ton of water? Any advice?

I am almost 3 weeks post op and I've been having nausea and lightheadedness daily for almost a week now. I wake up in the morning nauseous and throughout the day i get lightheaded. If I do anything around the house or walk too much, i get lightheaded. I feel nauseous after I eat. I haven't thrown up. I take anti-nausea meds when absolutely necessary but those meds have me sleepy within an hour. I mean - if i end up falling asleep, it's like deep, deep sleep! I'm getting enough protein and calories daily, so I'm not sure what to attribute this to. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance. :cursing:

Today's intake: B: 3 mini crustless quiche (270 Cals/ 24 Protein) S: 1 cup cottage cheese (80 Cals/ 8 Protein) L: side salad with 2 tbsp ranch (148 Cals/ 0 Protein), 1/4 c asparagus (10 Cal / 1 Protein), 4 sea scallops (100 cals / 20 Protein) S: String Cheese (80 Cal /8 Protein) D:Turkey Meatloaf (270 Cals/ 30 Protein) So that's a grand total for today of 958 Calories and 91 gms protein! Felt like all I have been doing is eating all day...thought I had more calories than that. Felt kind of nauseated with dinner. I still consider myself loose compared to what I was before, but every now and then I still get the uncomfortable stuck feeling. It takes all I have to not go make the pain go away and resist the urge to purge. My husband and I went to a movie today, and I consider it a small victory that we just simply watched the movie and didn't get popcorn (which was all you could eat for free today) or a soda pop. I can't say I wasn't craving it the entire time...but I made it through. One day down, many more to go. You can do this Robyn!

Hi guys, quick question, i have no idea how many cals to eat post surgery? Im 2 months post op. I was 227 pounds im 204 pounds now. Im 22 yo I feel like im not losing weight like i should, i know everybody is different and all. Just help me out. How many calories. Due to covid 19 i cant see my doctor so he cant really help.

I'm a year post-sleeve and didn't lose as much as I should have/could have so I'm back on it. I never stopped counting calories and tracking protein intake and drinking water, but I added in some sugary foods a few times that halted my progress. So to get back on track I am back here on the forums to keep informed and aware. I track every single thing I eat in MyFitnessPal.com. I eat 80 g of protein a day, around 1000 calories, drink 64+ ounces of water a day and work out 3 times a week.

I basically used a week without loss as that was when I formally logged my weight (though it was usually checked most every day for other reasons,) and only had one week when I didn't log a loss up to the point that I was within sight of goal and started ramping up the calories to slow things down and ease into maintenance.

Thanks for posting this....because it is what I also fear. It would be way to easy to graze right back up the scale, and we all know it can happen. I think being cognizant of your behavior, realizing it really isn't what you want to do, and making a plan to stop it are key. You've done the first two - now what about an alternate plan to hardwire in some new behvior. Just let it go - you can't undo what ate when you shouldn't have. Beating yourself up won't help. Put that energy toward something useful, like exercise. Just turn the TV off. I know-easier said than done. I also used to do that before surgery, but I'm working at developing a new habit of walking when I get home from work instead of eating. I've found it clears my head, and I eat my meal when I get home, and I'm good for the night. I was a stress eater, so I really think the walk helps me. As for the coffee....I prefer black. Could you learn to like black coffee? One other thing - I do track my calories. Seeing it really keeps me in check. Be good to yourself!

Deb, You're new and I can't tell how far out from surgery you are. Are you still on any type of liquid or mushy diet? If so, follow your doctor's instructions on types of foods to eat to the letter. If not, I find that a Fiber One bar, Curves granola bar, or a half cup of Fiber One Cereal keeps me full in the morning, since there is more bulk to it and it takes longer to digest. Given what you have been eating, I am not surprised you are hungry. Plus, unless the yogurt is low sugar, it is going to give you a quick sugar boost and then a big dip that will make you really hungry and give you the shakes. Yeah, yeah, yeah, no snacking. Might as well tell me not to breathe. The idea of three meals of solid food every day is great in theory, if we had an hour to spend at each meal. Most of us don't, and that's why I count calories--to be sure I am eating enough to stop my hunger but not so much I can't continue to lose weight. If you aren't eating enough at a meal to stop your hunger, then you haven't finished the meal. If you haven't finished the meal and eat more, you're not snacking, you're still eating breakfast! There are as many theories on how to lose and not be hungry as there are bandsters. You need to find what works for YOU. What isn't going to work is to feel like you are starving all the time. Change up the types of foods you are eating, and find what will keep you satisfied while allowing you to lose weight.

If you're calorie deficient all the time, your body may need more calories. If you're building muscle, you're probably losing inches. Have you noticed your clothes fitting differently? A pound is a pound. If you lose a pound of fat, but you're gaining a pound of lean muscle, it evens out on the scale. This is why measurements make such a huge difference. Fat is bulky, bumpy where muscle is lean and slim. I typically tell people the same thing when they stall. shake things up for a few days. Add 50-100 calories per day for a few days then drop back down. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Stalls happen with gastric bypass as well.

I'd definately start logging my nutritional intake. If you're as tight as you're describing, it's possible to fall into "soft food syndrome". This is a bad place to be because these soft foods usually have higher calories and lower Protein. Make sure you're drinking enough Water. Most docs recommend 6-8, but I've heard of even higher recommendations based on a person's weight. You're already exercising so that's good. But, if you're building muscle (which is also good) remember that muscle weighs more than fat. It also metablizes more calories, daily. You may be in a period of equalizing the muscles with the fat. *measure yourself* This will be a great indicator. If you're losing inches, then you're losing something. You weren't specific about your starting weight and your history. But, remember that those with lower BMI's typically lose weight slower than those with higher starting BMI's. Hope this helps.

How frustrating for you! I agree with logging in your calories for awhile, using fitday.com. That way you know exactly what you are putting in...There is also a place for activities on that website to log in your exercise. This has helped me. Good luck. Shawn

Hey there. I'm 8 days post op. During those first few days, I didn't hit my 64 Oz water/fluid or protein goals. I just did the best I could. I also felt very achy and really just wanted to sleep. ???? ???? ???? take it slow and listen to ur body...sucking on ice chips and warm broth helped me feel a little more "alive" too...right now, I wouldn't worry too much about calories as much...water/fluids are probably most important. feel free to check with your nutritionist too!! Also, things do start getting better!!! I promise. I didn't think they would...many nights with tears...but it does get better.