That is what my surgeon wants all of his patients to eat every day after surgery. To me, that seems pretty extreme. If you have an active job, how do you cope with such a small amount of calories per day?

Hmmm.... I have never heard of nutritionist recommending such a low number of calories... in fact most of them indicate anything less than 1000 over a long period of time is bad for you.

Is this just for the liquid diet phase? or is he talking about forever? Cause that just aint happening forever, if you know what I mean.

Good luck!

I read somewhere that it was 6-800 until goal then 1000-1200 after that.

I am going to aim for 1000, but is looks like that is hard for me right now since I can't eat and feel a lot of restriction, at least for today. I think I will do something called the Wendy Plan of Weight Watchers, which is supposed to trick the body (anyone remember the Wendy Plan???).

The goal is to eat low one day, high one day, and alternate it to trick the body to lose the weight. I remember it used to work for me. So, if one day you are more hungry have 1200 calories, another day when you are not so hungry eat 800, another day 1000. Journal it so you can keep track and see if it works. I am going to do that.

Audree

Is this just for the liquid diet phase? or is he talking about forever? Cause that just aint happening forever, if you know what I mean.

It is supposed to be until you reach goal. Which for most bandsters, seems to be a couple of years. I know I won't be able to do that. I am not getting banded so that I will dieting the rest of my life.

Well

the good news is - that at least for me, I lose just fine if I keep my calories under 1500-2000. It isn't FAST - but it's good and steady - and you get to live a normal life.

Good luck!

Well

the good news is - that at least for me, I lose just fine if I keep my calories under 1500-2000. It isn't FAST - but it's good and steady - and you get to live a normal life.

Good luck!

That's the way I'm looking at it. 1500-plus calories is so much less than I normally eat now that I'm sure that is low enough for me to lose weight. I don't have a huge metabolism problem, I just have an overeating problem. If I stop overeating and just eat light, I'm sure I'll lose. I have no doubt that 1500 is low enough for me to lose, "good and steady," as you say, and lead a relatively normal life. I'm hoping the band will let me do that while also not feeling hungry. That's the goal for me.

It works. It really does. Once you get restriction - hunger is pretty much a thing of the past - and sometimes you forget to eat.

Hugs!

Are you sure your surgeon isn't confusing you with RNY?

600-800 calories IMHO is too restrictive and could adversely affect your metabolism. By going to such a low caloric rate, you essentially slow your metabolism by telling your body you don't have enough to eat and it goes into starvation mode. When it does that, it will hold on to all nutrients you put into it kind of like econo-mode.

My dietician always told me to get at least 1200 calories, probably not over 1500(if I could help it) and to make sure I exercise for 30 minutes a day. The added activity is what really makes the difference, not necessarily the limited caloric intake (although that is significantly less than what I was taking in before being banded, I'm sure).

Yes, after banded your appetite is lessened. But to limit to 600 or 800 calories. You'll feel really deprived. That breaks down to 300 calories a meal (which isn't much).

All I can say is that if you try to stick to the 600-800 calorie recommendation...........well, good luck. I couldn't unless I was sick.

I'm eating about 750 calories per day and I am plenty full. I have a slight restriction and I'm not hungry. I'm also a month out, so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about. I think it depends on how you choose to get your calories. Everything I eat has Protein in it. My 1c of food has about 200c.

I honestly think that I can eat like this most days with no problem.

Just my two cents. But again, I'm a newbie, so I could very well be wrong.

N.

Well Nathalie, 750 calories is probably OK at your age. You don't look a day over 2. I did not know they were banding so young these days. Be careful not to lose too fast or there will be nothing left!

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

Subtract 500 calories per day from your maintenance caloric intake for each pound you want to lose per week.

Use the Zig-Zag method of fluctuating your calories to ensure that you do not plateau.

This has really helped me.

That was cool texasrose! Thanks for the link. I will definately try that!!

turner24

) Turner24 - Hope that it helps!!!

Sounds like complete garbage to me. HOnestly I think so many surgeons are just that - surgeons - and they dont necessarily know all that much about diet and nutrition, and they are subject to their own biases and misconceptions just like the rest of us.

I've lost weight perfectly well on 1500 to 1800 calories a day over the course of ayear and surprise surprise, I havent lost my hair, I dont PB or have issues with tightness as a general rule (I had my first PB ever last week) because I dont need to be super tight to achieve that. And most importantly I feel as though I've learned to eat well at that level, not grab my willpower by its bootstraps and just endure some horrible diet until the weight is gone which I will then go off kind of thing.

If I'd stuck to 800 calories a day I'd probably have been at goal 6 months after banding but at the 6 month mark I didnt feel as if new habits were set etc, whereas I do after 13 months.

I've been banded 3 1/2 weeks. I seem to have some natural restriction. Some days I eat around 1000 calories and some days I feel a little tighter and can only manage to eat about 600. Just depends on the day.

Anyway I don't want to follow any strict diet but I have changed all my food choices to healthy ones. I eat more on days I feel hungrier and less on days I'm not as hungry. It's working fine for me so far!