What are the numbers we need every day?

Protein: 60 to 80 a day.

Carbs:

Fat:

Sugar: Little to NONE

Water: 64 oz Go for more!!

Calories: 1000 to 1200

What else do I need to know and watch for?

I am getting my eating worked out. And trying to have some realistic guidelines.

As of 11:30 am Wednesday, May 31st, 21 people have read this post and no one has any comments or suggestions?

Someone has to know more then I do - I am lost! :help:

-Melanie

Everything you have listed, other than sugar is all I watch for. I only really count calories and protien, although I do try to stay away from high carb stuff, and high fat stuff, I don't really count them.

There is a nutritionist that you work with right? What does she say?

I am new but right now I count calories, grams of Protein and that's it.

1200 cals per day 40 - 60 grams protein.

If you go to whole foods market's website they have tables of info for seafood, veggies and fruits that give you a table comparison of what each contain.

Myra

There is a nutritionist that you work with right? What does she say?

This is where it all breaks down, and I am alone in this.

My doctor says he is perfectly happy with me only consuming 400 calories a day - and then followed that comment up with "that means a well balanced diet"

The nutrionist says more calories, 1200 to 1500 a day, and carbs are ok.

I have no restriction, and had a conversation with my doctor regarding how I am doing this on my own. We'll see how the fill goes June 8th.

I am reading everything I can online and otherwise.

I do not know other bandsters other then this website (or ObesityHelp.com, which is mickey mouse compared to this site) but I am feeling like I am totally alone and lost.

So, for someone diet, living by the rules and exercising - I am stupid for believing this will work as I was told it would.

"If you eat the way your supposed too and exercise, you won't be able to help but to loose a pound to two pounds a week." Is what I remember reading and being told.

So, my question is this: Why have I not been able to steadily loose at least a pound a week with all that I am doing? Why do I keep fluxuating rather then seeing some steady promise of victory within the next year?

People who have less to loose, loose slower.... that keeps ringing in my head too.

It is to the point, I do not know what to believe, and while I am fighting the urge to take diet pills, and work with my band, I am also fighting the urge to just give up for the sanity of it all.

I am not the only crazy one on here. Others feel the same way, I have read the posts.

Sign me,

I lost my marbles, too bad it wasn't the marbled fat on my behind.

someone once told me that you take your goal weight and divide by 5 and multiply times 2 and you'll have the total amount of protein grams you need per day. I don't know if this is true but I'd like verification on this.

Here are two very useful sites...

http://www.nutritiondata.com/index.html

http://www.caloriesperhour.com/

I think you should slap your doctor and listen to your nutritionist.

Unfortunately for lots of people, weight loss isn't the simple equation it should be. Calories in/calories out is fine, but if you don't really know how many calories your body burns, you can't know how many to take in, right?

I have no idea how many calories my body burns, but I know I don't lose weight if I eat more than 1300 a day on average.

There are metabolism tests that can be done to tell you what your BMR is, but basically I would say to find the most calories you can eat to lose weight, so that you have room to wiggle if you get stuck. If you are eating 400 a day, what do you do when the scale stops moving?

400 calories a day? AND well balanced? Give me a break! I think that either your doctor is insane or maybe you misheard him. No one can live on 400 calories a day and keep it up over an extended period of time!

MelAnne, you're obviously struggling right now, so, take a step back and breath for a few minutes. Call your nutritionist and get some solid answers.

The best thing I can recommend for you is to log onto www.FitDay.com and start logging your food. FitDay makes it very easy and, at least for me, satisfying. It will prompt you for certain information like height, current weight, age, goal weight, goal date for weight loss, etc. Using the information you provide it will ESTIMATE your resting metabolic rate and tell you how many calories you need daily to reach your goal weight by your goal date. Super simple. The online version is free but the $20 downloadable is MUCH easier to use and has WAY MORE INFO! I wish I had known about FitDay a long, long, time ago. This was the best $20 I've ever spent on a weightloss tool. Well - excluding my band (which was slightly more than $20!).

Seriously, give it a try, it will really help out.

Oh my.....400 calories! 1,000 - 1,200 calories min. It is well recorded that anything less than 800 calories a day forces the body into starvation mode.

Very low calorie diets are modified fasts and should only be used under a Dr's supervision if for more than 1-2 wks. These diets are regarded as unsafe and counterproductive to the ultimate goal of long term weight loss.

If you are approx 100 lbs overwieght and consume an average of 1,000 to 1,200 calories per week this will promote an approx loss of 2 - 3 pounds per week. To lose any more than that on a consistent long term basis is not healthy nor safe.

You need to confront your Dr. and ask him if perhaps he made an error....if he stands by the 400 calorie assessment then I'd get myself another Dr. because this one is clearly setting you up for failure.

Carol

My surgeon and his nurse practitioner are fine with my consuming an average of 800-900 calories per day. I've been doing this from the start and have been averaging 1-2 pounds per week. I wasn't a big eater to begin with, which is part of the reason why they're ok with it.

As far as carbs are concerned, I try (notice I said "try) to limit my total daily intake to 50 grams per day. With the fat grams, I try to limit my total intake to 30-35% of total calories per day.

400 calories a day is starvation. In order for you to lose weight you have to up your metabolism. In order to UP your metabolism you have to feed yourself. Feeding yourself calories, at least 1,000 - 1,500 per day depending on your activeness will allow you to lose weight. Your body won't be starving anymore and it will not hold on for dear life to what you do decide to eat.

Marathon runners and body builders put in anywhere from 3,500 - 10,000 calories per day, (I read in an In-shape article) I don't know if this is 100% true but I believe it. They need alot of calories b/c they burn the calories from the crazy workouts.

If you want your furnace to burn all night... you've got to fuel it with the wood, paper...whatever to make the burn last. Just know that during this process, you are helping your metabolism do it's job.

I can't imagine trying to do a 400 calorie diet NOW when you said that you didn't have any restriction yet. You have every right to feel miserable, it's like dieting all over again.

IMHO, stick with the nutritionist. The time after surgery before your first fill is for healing, not starving yourself on 400 calories!

Kristin

Oh boy, I agree with the others...400 calories are NOT enough for anyone. I have a lot of weight to lose and I started out thinking that 600-800 calories a day would do the trick. My doctor had an absolute fit with me and told me that I was going to start doing damage to my organs and muscles this way and that I was only training my body to save every ounce of food I ate to be stored as fat. He convinced me to eat more and I feel so much better and I'm losing more weight eating 1000-1200 calories a day than when this was cut in half. I know it's hard to fight those old misconceptions about calories but I trust my doctor and so far he hasn't led me wrong. Good luck and let us know how you're doing.

If anyone is interested to see my daily food chart - please log into:

http://www.bluecarott.com/DietTracker/Logon.aspx?timeout=true

Login: Melanie

Pswrd: Jinkins

I have called the nutrionist, and am awaiting to make an appt.

I have a meeting with the trainer at the gym Sunday, and am taking my food journal, my weight loss numbers, and a list of questions.

I am trying. I am working this, and really giving this more then a hundred percent of my effort.

Thank

If anyone is interested to see my daily food chart - please log into:

http://www.bluecarott.com/DietTracker/Logon.aspx?timeout=true

Login: Melanie

Pswrd: Jinkins

I have called the nutrionist, and am awaiting to make an appt.

I have a meeting with the trainer at the gym Sunday, and am taking my food journal, my weight loss numbers, and a list of questions.

I am trying. I am working this, and really giving this more then a hundred percent of my effort.

Thank you all for your thoughts and suggestions!!!!