?CALORIES? Will they be the death of me?

[Luv4me 0]

Hi Everyone,

Happy Independence Day Weekend

As of Monday July 4, I will be 3 months

Postop.

With all the weight loss articles I've read, I

Know now that its all about calories.

I used the chat that estimated that to

Maintain my current weight I would need to

Consume 2159 cals a day. To lose 1lb

A week you need to take in -500 less

calories a day for a total of 3500 less

A week. So if my calculations are wright

I'll be lucky to lose 6-8 lbs a month.

After surgery, no problem with calorie

Control. Now that some time has passed

I'm having hunger pains and feel hungry

on and off 5-7 times daily.

I'm doing a good job of eating the low cal

Foods, but even tho, I'm still eating 1200-

1500 Calories a day. (that's too many)

So far things have worked out and I've gone

From 278lb (preop diet included)

to my weigh in today at 222. (-56lbs) that's

Ok weight lose but I honestly feel that I should

Have lost alot more. The problem is, if I keep up

eating this many calories it's going to take me

FOREVER to lose the remainder of the 72lbs.

I've set as my goal.

What to do is my question? Anybody know?

P.S. I started riding my bike again a three weeks

ago and exercise is now a part of my weight lose

plan.

[Maddie 9]

Gratz on the weight loss so far.

Did your surgeon set goals/limits for your daily caloric intake?

My dr limited mine to 800-1,200 calories per day total. For the longest time, I actually had a difficult time getting that many in.

I see you're eating low cal foods, how many grams of Protein are you getting daily and what percentage of those calories is Protein?

[janinemaire 7]

You lost 56 pounds in three month, that is really good. I'm 8 months out and lost 75 pounds, with eating around 850 calories. I think if I was able to increase my calories maybe I would loss faster. I don't think their is an right answer but whatever your doing seems to be working. Are you still losing? How many carbs do you have in a day? Do you eat your Protein first? I sometimes get hungry around meal times but fill up quickly, I personally like it when I feel hungry. I was also more hungry until I hit 5 months now not so much. If you don't keep a food journal maybe start too, and see if their is any patterns on the journal that you should change. I feel after the surgery we are all learning new ways to eat and as the months pass we change certain things. Good luck, Janine

[Luv4me 0]

Thanks for your replys. I can not lie, I have not counted any carbs just calories and Protein. My doc never said ANYTHING about how many calories I should intake daily, the only thing he stressed to me was 85grams protein. I have kept a daily record of EVERTHING that goes into my mouth. I guess I could go back and take a look see at carbs I'm consuming. How many carbs should I eat?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,281]

Luv4me, to be perfectly honest with you, you are losing at a really good pace. In my opinion if it isn't broke, don't try to fix it. Just keep doing what you're doing... and if at some point it stops working, then make some changes.

All the best!!

[janinemaire 7]

I would go back and see where all the calories are coming from. A lot of people here say 30 carbs and under, I like to stay 60 and under. Some days I have 20 carbs other days 60 so I guess it balances out. But all my carbs are good carbs, which is another thing to look at. I do though one or twice a week have a sweet, we need some fun: )

Thanks for your replys. I can not lie, I have not counted any carbs just calories and Protein. My doc never said ANYTHING about how many calories I should intake daily, the only thing he stressed to me was 85grams Protein. I have kept a daily record of EVERTHING that goes into my mouth. I guess I could go back and take a look see at carbs I'm consuming. How many carbs should I eat?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

[Heatherr 149]

There are a lot of calories in carbs. Keep track of those. I try to keep mine under 30 and often come out under 20g. By doing this, I actually have a difficult time getting 900 calories in.

[KellyL 173]

I think you are doing fantastic!!'. I was recently reading the thread of how the Jan sleevers were doing, and most of them were at 50-60 lbs lost. You are right there with them and only 3 mo post-op!!! So you try to get in around 85g Protein? I usually get close to 80, i may need to increase that. Have you experienced any long stalls?

Congrats on your success!!!

[Luv4me 0]

Yesvi have experenced several stalls that have lasted sometimes a week or so. Then I'll weight and will be down 3 lbs. In one day. Idk what's up with that?

[tntransplant06 20]

1200-1500 calories is not too much. You should eat no more than 1400, though. I am losing 1.5-2 a week avg on this. Make sure you walk/exercise 30 min a day and it'll balance out. I, too, have the up 1 this week, down 3 next, stay the same the following. My body just loves it's fat, apparantly. As long as the trend is always downward just know you're doing it right. It really is not a race, as some people on this board tend to make it. You should lose 6-10 lbs a month. If you are, you're doing it right.

[crosswind 134]

I think you're doing fine. 56 pounds in three months is really amazing especially if you take a look around at what others are reporting. Fifty six pounds works out to just under five pounds a week, which is double or triple what most fitness/weight loss/thin people who were never fat before anyway recommend as a "safe" amount of loss.

I've lost about 52 pounds, from a start weight of 289 to right now at a weight of roughly 237. I'm tall and I still have a lot of muscle, I think ( and so do you -- most people who are carrying a lot of weight are naturally muscular) so I average about 1200. Sometimes I go over, sometimes I am under, but I think that's about the average. Sometimes I think I should go on a "diet" and really push that scale needle so I can be skinnier faster, but the thing is, I already did all that before. I dieted, starved, counted, did thousands of situps and decided my walk or my workout was more important than like, work or relationships because I just *had* to get thin.

At the rate you're going, it is probably going to take a full year to get where you're going. At a rate where you counted calories and pushed them down to under a thousand, or eight hundred or six hundred, you would get thinner faster. You would get to goal faster. It's true. But there is another truth which is that no matter what you do, at the end of the year you will probably be a hundred or more pounds thinner than you are right now. You can use the time to really push yourself dietwise -- you absolutely can do that and I know a lot of people are doing it. I'm not doing that. I'm tempted to, but since I know my stomach will be the size of a donut hole for the rest of my life, I'm really trying to focus more on loving myself, healing from my surgery and not being so crazy while trying to eat for health and exercising without obsessing.

People who are getting outrageously fast results are working for them. People who are getting slow but sure, average results are working on something else. It's all your thang here and it's up to you.

[tntransplant06 20]

good post, crosswind!

[crosswind 134]

Glad ya think so tnt!

[Luv4me 0]

You guys are AWSOME, what would I do without my friends and there words of encouragement and sound advice. . Happy 4th