My doctor said 1200 a day, what have some of you all been told and what has been your sucess or failure? I have hit a plateau and my doctor is very conservative, I got my first fill 3 mths post op and it was just 2cc's. I lost 33lbs before the fill and nothing since and it has been 3 weeks so far.

The nutritionist told me 800-1000 per day. That just sounds way low to me though. I'll play with it a little--some days I'll do 8 some days I do 1000 so my body doesn't hold onto calories when I only take in 800.

I was told 800-1000 per day but I think that's a little on the low side. I play with my calories though-some days I'll do 800 and others I'll do 1000 just so my body doesn't get used to the 800 and starts holding onto it...

I was told 1400 a day. 200 for b.fast 400 for lunch 500 for dinner 200 for beverages and 100 for a nightly snack. Sometimes I dont even come close to it and sometimes I go a little over it.

I was not given a calorie limit, just to follow these rules:

* eat 3 meals per day, no snacking

* don't eat for longer than 20 minutes

* don't drink w/meals or for at least 30 min after

* eat at least 60 grams of Protein per day (I get more like 90)

* drink at least 64 oz of Water per day

* exercise at least 30 minutes 3x per week (but I try to do every day... ends up being more like 5x per week)

* avoid carbs, sliders, liquid calories, caffeine, artificial sweeteners, and Desserts

I think that is it. She said she doesn't want us trying to limit the amount of food or calories right out of surgery... to concentrate on healing and making good habits first and the band will eventually take care of the portion control.

wow 900 calories oh my gosh I dont think I could do that. Im eating about 1500 calories and wishing I could eat more. I thought I finally had restriction but obviously not:( I have been losing weight though?

I don't recall ever being told an amount, but I have consumed 1200-1500 since being banded 18 months ago.

It was 1200 but now that I'm close to goal they tell me to take my weight and multiply it by 7 and that gives you your calorie count to keep losing.

Thanks for all the great answers!

Everyone's intake cals are different because we are all at diff BMI's. I know you have ALL been on WW. So think of it as how many point you get in a day. I used to be allowed 26. My mom 22. A GF 28. Wen you BMI goes down your body will require less food to keep your motabalism going. I am choosing to stay between 1100-1300 cals a day and I am losing about 2lbs a week.

I was told 700-900, but my body just wasn't havin that. I usually fluctuate between 1000-1400 a day. When I only got 700-900 a day, I was tired, cranky, listless, unmotivated. I couldn't make myself do ANY exercise. I was just miserable. A slightly higher number works MUCH better for me.

I average 500-800 per day and I'm just fine with that. I track my food intake and my exercise on Livestrong.com. I always eat my protein first and I really stay full for long periods of time........

I was told to aim for about 1200/day. I'm 1 week post op so I'm not getting in near that amount, but I'm sure I will in the weeks to come.

here is what I was told (and I have visited the nutrionist since surgery to make sure I was on track)

800-1000 calories per day

no more than 2 Protein shakes per day

70 - 90 grams of protein daily

3 distinct meals

since lunch is around 12 and dinner is 7 I am allowed a small planned snack mid afternoon ( I opt for fruit)

protein first then produce then starch

I was never told anything, I was given a guideline to eat to satisfaction, eat from all food groups, and get a fill if weight loss stops. 3 meals a day, no Snacks was recommended, but my doctor did say it doesnt suit everyone. For me, it works better than eating more often, I tend to overeat when I snack.

For me, I naturally fell at about 1500 calories a day, I lost all me weight on that, now I eat about the same amount to maintain, but extras such as the odd glass of wine, cookie, I'm not so pedantic about certain foods etc, so I probably eat 1800 or so most days.

I was given a guideline to eat to satisfaction, eat from all food groups, and get a fill if weight loss stops. 3 meals a day, no Snacks was recommended

This is pretty much what my doctor told me, except that it was 6 small meals a day to keep my blood sugar stable. I generally eat 3 solid food meals and Protein shakes mid-meals for the other 'mini-meals'.

When I have restriction, I'm somewhere around 1200 calories. Without it, I'm closer to 1800 or so.

Studies show that women who keep their calories between 1200-1400 generally lose weight faster than those who drop their calories below 1000 because when we drop below 1000, our bodies become more efficient at conserving the calories we eat.

If you've hit a plateau it means that you are not expending more calories than you're taking in. Remember that as your weight drops, your calorie requirement will change as well. We drop *a lot* of weight in the early days because it takes a lot of calories to maintain that weight and we've cut them drastically. This changes as we get closer to our goal weight.