Calorie Confusion

[Journey4myhealth 7]

I am in the supervised diet stage of sleeve surgery and have a question. I have read here on multiple occasions that people were eating close to 1,200 calories a day and weren't losing... meanwhile, whey they dropped their calories to 800-900, they lost. I guess I am confused how eating only 1,200 calories per day would not amount in a significant loss each month when most obese people can eat 2,000+ calories a day to maintain?

[MissKay 329]

It all depends on the person and how active they are. If you aren't very active, 800-900 will be just fine. But if you bump up the calories, you're going to more 'maintain' the current weight than you will lose it. It is different for everyone. Part of this journey is testing many different things and finding what's right for you and your body.

[clc9 644]

I think we can mangle our metabolisms by staying at ultra-low calorie levels for too long.

[Andrea F 48]

Everyone has a sweet spot for losing and finding that balance can be challenging. It is a process that can take some time and depends on many factors like what kinds of foods you are eating, and how active you are. I'm just three weeks post op and am hitting my puree phase for eating now.. and am at 700-900 calories per day.
I haven't lost much in the last week.. I think it was my body thinking it is starting at 550-650 calories. So I'm hoping this little boost will be just what I need to start losing again.
Our number one priority is hydration. Our nutritionist has us eating 2/3-3/4 cup of food over 1-1.5 hours at meal time. And we are supposed to include three food groups.

[Crafty-in-Carolina 138]

It is confusing. I've read that caloric intake for women less than 1200/daily over an extended period of time will wreck your metabolism. Last thing I want is to be 5 years out and gain weight from merely looking at a piece of chocolate, lol. I tested at a very high metabolism and my doc had me at 1200-1400 calories by the 3 months out. I'm pretty active and started out with a lower bmi (with co-morbidities). I was losing only about 1 pound per week, but sure enough when my calories/carbs bumped up, I noticed my weight loss bumped up to 3 pounds per week. Crazy and seems counterintuitive. This also happened around the time that I added strength training to my normal cardio, do who knows. I imagine it there are huge variances between individuals. The down side to a fast metabolism is that I'm hungry.... all . the. time. I can foresee getting back into serious trouble if I'm not extremely careful about food quality and watching the macros. So I track everything. It's a pain, but less so the longer I do it now that typical meals and recipes have already been entered.

[TheGirlInThePinkScarf 28]

It is confusing. I've read that caloric intake for women less than 1200/daily over an extended period of time will wreck your metabolism. Last thing I want is to be 5 years out and gain weight from merely looking at a piece of chocolate, lol. I tested at a very high metabolism and my doc had me at 1200-1400 calories by the 3 months out. I'm pretty active and started out with a lower bmi (with co-morbidities). I was losing only about 1 pound per week, but sure enough when my calories/carbs bumped up, I noticed my weight loss bumped up to 3 pounds per week. Crazy and seems counterintuitive. This also happened around the time that I added strength training to my normal cardio, do who knows. I imagine it there are huge variances between individuals. The down side to a fast metabolism is that I'm hungry.... all . the. time. I can foresee getting back into serious trouble if I'm not extremely careful about food quality and watching the macros. So I track everything. It's a pain, but less so the longer I do it now that typical meals and recipes have already been entered.

How do you get in that many calories??

[Crafty-in-Carolina 138]

How do you get in that many calories??

Sadly, it's not difficult for me. I've had no food intolerances, no nausea, no reflux/heartburn, and my body reminds me to eat every 2-3 hours via hunger, though smaller portions than before and much healthier, nutrient dense food now. I was initially concerned, but my nutritionist said it meant my metabolism was revved back up again. It was not head hunger, boredom or emotional eating either. So I am eating 3 healthy meals, plus 2-3 Snacks per day. In a way, I wish I had had at least some intolerances, but my surgeon confirmed that I was on track and actually surpassed expectations, so I guess I shouldn't "borrow trouble." But truly, I can see how easy it would be to eat around the sleeve over time with junk food. That's why I track everything, to keep myself accountable for both quantity and quality of food. The restriction is a wonderful tool, but my program stresses lifestyle change and establishing a healthy relationship with food during this "honeymoon phase" because eventually you are able to take in more, and if eating the wrong foods, a lot more. Sigh. It really isn't a simple fix, but I wish it were.

[erica_ozzy73 241]

It's very easy to get in calories of around 1400-1600 a day..
u start adding in your good high fats like olive oil , avocado and cheeses ( all full fats) it's very easy to go over the 1200 cal mark... but remember all calories aren't equal.
Cut the carbs down and increase your fats and have mediocre Protein.