How many calories per day should a gastric bypass patient be eating at two years post op? Someone in my support group who has been very successful, is still eating 800 to 1,000 calories a day at two years post op. It seems really low to me especially the 800.

My nut gave me a print out at 6 months. The calories per day were 1,200. I'm just curious what you are doing if you are successful and 2 years out from RNY. Thanks in advance.

Number of calories and type of surgery are separate topics. A good, healthy number of calories also depends on whether you're talking about losing or maintaining weight. You didn't say which is on your mind now.

In any case, 1200 is a good number for most people who want to lose weight. I say "most" because each person's metabolic rate may alter the working calorie range. As a footnote, I seem to recall that Weight Watchers' plan, before it introduced its "points" system, averaged 1100 calories per day. I'm unfamiliar with the points system and think it must work out the same.

My practice's RD told me long ago never to go under 800 and, better, not to go that low. Very recently I noticed an online article -- wish I could tell you where -- it may have been at WebMD.com -- that strongly recommended not going as low as 800 for its bad effects on various health factors. 800 for anyone is very low and unnecessary for losing. I hope that we don't want to feel punished in service to a healthy goal. How foolish it is to work at being unhappy. Losing weight should feel good emotionally as well as physically. Deprivation works against it.

Hope that fits what you're looking for at the moment.

Thanks for the response. I think 800 is very low and especially at the two year mark. I have worked hard to get my calories up to a somewhat normal level. I am at 1,200 per day and weight loss has slowed but I'm ok with it. I am getting close to the one year anniversary of my surgery.