Hi all, have posted before on this topic, I am feeling good and are in best shape I can remember. Was banded May 1st 2009, down from 300/lbs. today 248/lbs. So 52/lbs. lost. Have been working out 3 to 5 times per week since October. (Burn 400 - 600 Calories per workout) My weight has been virtually the same since Dec up and down between 248 to 254.

Good news is a suit I purchase Dec is now big but scale is the same. Since banding shirt size from 2x to xl-large, Waist 44-46 now 38)

In addition to trainer have working with a nutritionst who has been increasing my calories. She wants me to eat at least 1800 a day. Granted I am eating more and weight is stable but I really want to loose at least another 30 lbs or so.

I keep a food journal etc. Since last week the scale has started to move, I droped my calories to around 1300, very well balance, also cut down on artifical sweetners, and also protien drinks etc. She looked over my food journal today and said I really need to eat at leat 1700 to 1800 and be very consistant. She said to eat.

200 grams Protien etc. and put the protien drinks back in. So really not sure what to do. Made an appoitment with a the Nutritionist I went to as part of the lapband. Last time I had a fill they said to decrease the carbs, i am now eating about 150 grams a day. But I really fell bad when I cut them too low espically when I work out. On Monday I had some meetings so did not eat before my work out and really felt bad.

Today food, which I increased per her advice was as follows,

Breakfast, Egg on Pepperidge farm deli flat.

Snack: Mellon

Lunch: Eggbeaters, Deli Flat, swiss cheese

Snack: Protien bar and shake

Dinner: chicken / Bison , salad

Snack: Protien Shake, 1tbs peanutbutter

Total: 1735 Calories, 149 Protien, 48 Fat, 173 Carb, 34 Fiber.

Would love to have any help.

Thanks

Hi all, have posted before on this topic, I am feeling good and are in best shape I can remember. Was banded May 1st 2009, down from 300/lbs. today 248/lbs. So 52/lbs. lost. Have been working out 3 to 5 times per week since October. (Burn 400 - 600 Calories per workout) My weight has been virtually the same since Dec up and down between 248 to 254.

Good news is a suit I purchase Dec is now big but scale is the same. Since banding shirt size from 2x to xl-large, Waist 44-46 now 38)

In addition to trainer have working with a nutritionst who has been increasing my calories. She wants me to eat at least 1800 a day. Granted I am eating more and weight is stable but I really want to loose at least another 30 lbs or so.

I keep a food journal etc. Since last week the scale has started to move, I droped my calories to around 1300, very well balance, also cut down on artifical sweetners, and also protien drinks etc. She looked over my food journal today and said I really need to eat at leat 1700 to 1800 and be very consistant. She said to eat.

200 grams Protien etc. and put the protien drinks back in. So really not sure what to do. Made an appoitment with a the Nutritionist I went to as part of the LAP-BAND®. Last time I had a fill they said to decrease the carbs, i am now eating about 150 grams a day. But I really fell bad when I cut them too low espically when I work out. On Monday I had some meetings so did not eat before my work out and really felt bad.

Today food, which I increased per her advice was as follows,

Breakfast, Egg on Pepperidge farm deli flat.

Snack: Mellon

Lunch: Eggbeaters, Deli Flat, swiss cheese

Snack: Protien bar and shake

Dinner: chicken / Bison , salad

Snack: Protien Shake, 1tbs peanutbutter

Total: 1735 Calories, 149 Protien, 48 Fat, 173 Carb, 34 Fiber.

Would love to have any help.

Thanks

Wow 1800 calories is alot of calories. My nutritionist said 800-1100 calories a day for weightloss. I really haven't been to hard on the carbs but the decreased calories are what have helped me. Sometimes I have a bit more because it's good to shock your body once and awhile otherwise it gets used to the calorie intake.

thats a huge amount of calories. i would definatly consult with someone else but what i did is cut down on the carbs but you said that doesn't make you feel good so that might not work for you but i really do think that's an extreme approach

I do agree that it is alot of calories as well. I also only do about 800-1000 per day. I agree with your analysis of cutting out the shakes...If you are able to get your protein thru food (which you are able to to) then you do not need to add the shakes (in my opinion). So if you cut out the shakes it would drop your calories by about 400 per day?? Carbs do seem high and any time you cut them you will go thru "withdrawals" so you will not be "happy" until you have adjusted. Good luck with your journey!!

I believe by your post, you are male? You'll need more than the 1000 calories a day that we women need.

I think going to a nutritionist who specializes in bariatrics is a great idea. I believe obese and formerly obese people don't use calories the way a person who has been normal weight their entire life does.

Ross, congrats on your success! You should be very proud of the progress you are making!

I would focus more on your body composition and less on what the scale says.

What do your workouts consist of? (ie: strength, cardio, intervals, etc.?) What are you using to determine calories burned during your workout?

For good fat loss I like a variable 500-1000 calorie deficit, derived from a combination of exercise and reduced food intake. I would be focusing most of my exercise on significant cardio, but still completing a couple of strength training sessions a week.

I also prefer to stay away from low calorie diets - they are metabolism killers. Don't be afraid to eat a good amount of balanced calories so long as you're exercising sufficiently. They will not only keep your muscles well-fueled but also promote a white-hot metabolism. I eat a variable calorie intake of 1200 - 3000+

Good luck!

Brad

I agree with Denise--seeing a nutritionist with extensive experience with bariatric patients is important.

There is so much "standard," formulaic information given--and among that information is that there is an arbitrary magic number of calories that one should not go below. Your nutritionist's magic number is 1800---but it may not be the number that is best for your body.

If you want to lose more weight, and your doctor agrees the weight is there to lose, and the 1800 calories isn't getting you where you need to go, then it needs to be reevaluated. Sometimes, tweaking what you eat is as important as tweaking the number of calories, as well.

Lol, I wouldnt have said it so nicely! I think you have to be extremely careful of nutritionists and personal trainers. Over here, its back of the cornflake packet qualifications - to be a personal trainer requires no more than 12 weeks of study, and anybody can call themselves a nutritionist, it is not the same thing as a dietician.

what you tend to get is a cookie cutter approach - same as you get most of the time when you join the gym and want a program. Very few people have enough knowledge to work with an individual and to tweak things for an individual, they know the basic formula, which is as much as any of us can find in books and on the internet anyway.

I personally elect to do without a nutritionist, I know plenty, its just DOING it that's hard, lol and although i do group bootcamp with a trainer, I definitely think for myself and work out my own program overall, I use the trianer coz he's a nice guy, the group's great and social and its lots of FUN.

that's not to say there's not great professionals out there, but its definitely buyer beware.

And many of us got fat not because we're too slack and undisciplined to follow the standard formula but because it doesnt always work for us. There's plenty of people here who were obese enough for surgery who have spent their life trying ot figure out why they're so fat when they appear to eat the same as everyone else.