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So I am about 16 pounds away from my ultimate goal of 135! I don't have an appt with my nut till January but I plan on calling her sooner.

My question is since I am so close to my goal do I continue to eat 800-900 calories? Or do I eventually raise my calories?

I mean I want to eventually maintain my weight so I assume I have to increase my calories. Do I just experiment with my calories to see where I will be able to maintain? I'm wondering for those who reached their goal what they did?

Thanks for any advice in advance!!!

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This is one of those big "it depends" issues - some docs would have you keep your calories constant until you hit goal and then figure out where to go, while others will be more flexible depending upon the patient's progress.

My take (and my doc's,) on it is that if you are getting close within six months post-op, then slowing things down and easing into goal is a reasonable thing to do. In my case, I was about ten pounds away at six months, and still losing at a consistent ten pounds per month rate (which implies around a 1000 calorie per day deficit,) so I started loosening things up some (but as it was that time of year, I mostly let the holidays happen!) and between that, holiday travelling (when I usually pick up a few pounds from Water retention due to altered exercise regimen and increased sodium intake from eating out more,) that slowed things down enough that it was mid January when I hit goal. I did ultimately drop another five pounds or so which pretty much defined the lower end of my five pound maintenance range.

How is your loss rate going - is it fairly consistent, and in range to hit goal within the next month?, two months? How firm is your goal weight - just a number, based upon BMI, or body composition, or lowest adult weight or other criteria? Some get to their goal weight and decide that they want to go another few pounds, so some flexibility there can be desirable - goal weight is ultimately up to you!

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Thanks! That was vey helpful :)

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One thing to consider is a metabolic test. Everyone's is different. My doctor has me do a 10-minute one where I have to breathe into a machine and it tells me what my rate is. You could use that test to work with your NUT on a detailed plan for you.

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One thing to consider is a metabolic test. Everyone's is different. My doctor has me do a 10-minute one where I have to breathe into a machine and it tells me what my rate is. You could use that test to work with your NUT on a detailed plan for you.

Thanks! I will ask about that. Hopefully by my appt in January I will hit my goal of 135. I'm 15 pounds away from it and I know this sounds crazy but I really do hope I lose these last few pounds slowly. I am learning so much and once I hit 135 I have to continue learning how to maintain :)

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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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      1. LeighaTR

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
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