Hi,

I have some questions for those out more than 5 months:

1) How many calories a day did you eat when you were losing?

2) How many calories a day do you eat to maintain?

3) Do you crush your pills? I'm almost 5 months out, should I crush my pills?

4) I just had blood work and am not vitamin deficient. Why am I so very fatigued?

5) Do you take stool softeners daily? I'm recovering from a partial blockage in my colon. I'm not sure if I should make a habit out of stool softeners to prevent this problem.

Thanks!

-Hilary

Alright, I will do my best to answer your questions.

1. When I was loosing I was working about 1 hr every day (walking, running, swimming, biking, etc.) and taking in around 1000 calories a day.
2. Now that I am still trying to loose but working out more heavily (2 to 3 hours a day) I take in closer to 2000 calories a day.
3. At this point you should not need to crush your pills. You should be able to swallow them. Just be sure to take your time to let each digest for a couple minutes between pills.
4. You could possibly be fatigued due to not getting enough calories in the day verses your exercise. How often and for how long are you exercising? Intensity? I have made it a point to get a fitbit and use myfitnesspal.com to track every calorie I am taking in vs. every calorie I am burning. This is a very delicate balance. You should experiment a little to find that sweet spot where you aren't taking in too much and you are not getting light headed. Then use your tracking to stay on top of it. I know if I don't eat something right after one of my workouts I get light headed. The other thought is that you may be dehydrated? Do you know how much water you are taking in during the day? Another good thing to keep track of.
5. This is a question best left for your doctor. I personally don't see the need for it every day, but there could be a special reason unique to your situation that leads him to think you may need it. When in doubt, ask the doctor.

Keep up the great work. If you have any other questions or need me to clarify anything for you, please get in touch with me. The links to contact me are below.

As to your last question, I had a significant problem with constipation. It became a terrible problem. Most stool softeners did not work for me. As a result I resorted to using a glycerin suppository and pushing up my *** every three days. Not something that I wished to do for the rest of my life. I stumbled upon an easy solution and I have been constipation free for over a year now.

The solution for me: was to eat an apple just before I retired for the evening. But the important part is that you must also eat the skin of the apple.