Too few calories?

[Aniusti 2]

I had RNY on Jan 8, 2014. I have lost about 42 pounds so far. I was not overweight until after I had a baby and my body went out of whack. Anyway, I have pretty good muscle memory and have always enjoyed exercising so it has been pretty easy to get active again. As a result, I exercise 6 days a week. I take a really hard HIIT class at the gym twice a week, Zumba twice a week, an hour of weight training 3 days a week and a self defense class once a week and Pilates 1-2 times a week.

Now, my question. I calculated my BMR and TBEE and, while I expected to fall short, I am WAY under in my calorie intake. Today, I hit a wall and just felt tired all day. I listened to my body and took the day off. I use the MFP app to track and I am averaging about 900 calories a day. A lot of times, especially on days I go to the gym twice, my net cals are negative. I know that for bariatric patients, getting the calories we need is hard when doing more exercise. How far can I push it? There is no way I can get a min of 1500 for my activity level. How close is enough? Or do I need to cut back a little on the activity?

Has anyone come up against this issue?

[patticake1448 78]

I exercise a lot as well and am 6 month post op. My nut reccomends 1200 calories per day.

[Orama1985 1]

I workout everyday due to the fact I had surgery on my back and I have to sometimes twice a day. Now I tried 1000 calories I was starving and then I tried 1300 and I'm having issues losing. I eat healthy amounts of nothing lots of chicken and low sugar low carb high Protein Bars. I wish I had a clue everything is against me

[KittyKat848 93]

I am eating an average of 600 calories a day, but am getting between 75 and 90 grams of Protein daily. I had surgery on December 31st -- so about a week before you. I walk about 3 miles per day -- and I work on my feet as a college teacher. I wear a fit monitor and log an average of 7000 - 9000 steps per day. I was told NOT to deduct any exercise calories from my totals. I can't imagine taking in 1200 to 1500 calories per day. I honestly do not think I would lose if I did.

[Bridget Jones 4]

Hi people

I used to be a gym junkie a size English 6 until my dad died, and I ate myself into bloody obvlivion, anyway, my ope is May 6th, my bmi is 37 Im 14 stone - two years ago was 7 stone, so doubled my weight in two years, but I had a gastric band prior and that thing slipped so had it out in Jan, I think I put three stone on since then!

Anyway purpose of my response, I thought the purpose of this op was to make us lose weight and keep it off without having to do 100 miles of walking or twice a day in the gym,, although I will certainly get back to it once I can build up the nerve.

Why do people put weight back on, ? Im confused - I am terrified, I will go on crazy emotional binges after, and are praying this op will put a stop to it,, am I right?

[enjoyinglife 313]

i can't seem to find the right number yet. I work out 3 days a week and I cross train 3 days a week. I hover around 1800 calories. I am happy with the weight I have lost, my body fat is 17%. (36% pre-op) My biggest fear is if I can't start eating more, I am never going to build lean muscle tissue. There probably is no definitive answer for you or me. Just continue to listen to your body. Best Wishes!!!

[AutumnPunkin 313]

I have a fear of eating too much. I eat about 800 calories per day and feel sluggish when I eat more. I cannot wrap my head around this game!

[erica1969 1]

My 4 year anniversary for my surgery will be next week! I did have massive complications but that put aside I take in probably between seven and nine hundred calories a day which is way below what they would like. I just make sure that the choices I make are very high protein....and it did get rid of my diabetes but it caused me to be hypoglycemic so I always eat a small amt. carbs with my Protein (carbs =energy) and as far as the sluggishness... massive amounts of b12....you don't always realize it's working when you're taking it but when you stop taking it you can definitely tell a difference. I opted for the tablets instead of the shots because you can get more of it in your system that way; so maybe try to B12? And of course make sure you take your Iron supplements Multi Vitamins and calcium.... to me it seems like if I did not take those things (along with the low amount of calories I take in) I would not be able to function ....so my Vitamins really seem to get me through:) good luck!!

[James Marusek 5,244]

I don't know if I can answer the original question about how far you can push it. There is one individual in our area who is called Chef Woody. He was a Chef as an occupation and after surgery he decided to create meals designed for those who went through Bariatric Surgery. He was probably as old as me (age 65) and he got into exercise in a big way. His passion was bicycling. In a competition, he rode across the state of Indiana from end to end in one go. When he reached the finish line, he had no energy left. He couldn't even physically move. So I think you can push it pretty far.

"Do I need to cut back a little bit on the activity?" I don't know. You started out at 234 pounds on January 2014 and you have dropped 42 pounds since then. That is a good weight loss but you are still in the middle so you still have many fat cells that can act as a cushion or buffer. I would not recommend holding to 900 calories per day when you have reached your bottom weight, especially since you are exercising a lot.

[Aniusti 2]

Thanks for the advice. I am still losing albeit slowly (on the scale). I have lost inches, though so I look like I have lost more. I've noticed that I am able to build muscle nicely so I think I am getting adequate nutrition. I plan to just keep plugging away. I do listen to my body when it needs a break.