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Ideal Calorie Intake for Weight Loss



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Hello!

Has anyone been told the ideal caloric intake for weight loss once on you’re allowed regular food?

HW: 225

SW: 214 (5/2/2018)

CW: 207

GW: 145

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Hello!
Has anyone been told the ideal caloric intake for weight loss once on you’re allowed regular food?
HW: 225
SW: 214 (5/2/2018)
CW: 207
GW: 145


My NUT says about 1000-1200 calories a day.


HW: 311
SW: 255 VSG 5/10/18
CW: 236
First goal weight: 209
Second goal weight: 191 lbs
Third goal weight: 159 lbs
Final Goal weight: 142 lbs

5’6” 34 yo female in NC

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It varies a bit and some nutritionists refuse to tell you and say focus on Protein and Water goals. I found that I was eating 800 - 1k calories for the first few months and then went up a little and was around 1,000 calories until maybe month 4. Now I'm eating quite a bit more (added carbs) and I'm having around 1500 daily. Before I added carbs back I was losing 3 - 4 lbs or more every single week since surgery and still had energy to workout and be very active. I was doing protein only (not sure that matters). I'd say if you're under 1200 you're in good shape.

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This is highly dependent upon ones metabolism. A blanket recommendation of say, 1000 calories, or 1000-1200 calories is great for a guy burning 2500 calories or more per day, but for a short woman who may ultimately be maintaining at 1000-1200 calories per day, that's a recipe for very slow to non-existent weight loss. The common recommendation of 6-800 calories is good, and will cover 95+% of patients, but may be overkill for many.

Considering that it's a lot easier to add than to cut back once one gets used to a specific level, erring on the low side isn't a bad idea, unless one has a pretty good idea of what their metabolism is (real world, not online calculators of what it should be.) As a guy who was maintaining weight pre-op at around 26-2700 calories per day, I found 1100 a comfortable and sustainable level that also resulted in quite rapid loss.

Keep in mind that your overall metabolism will drop some as your weight comes off - it takes fewer calories to move 200 lb around than 300 lb, etc.

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I had my first post-surgical follow up as I was starting regular foods and they wanted me to focus on Protein and then Water. They told me next month they would have me speak with a nutritionist to work out a diet plan with a calorie range. Every plan is different though. It's crazy how everyone's experience is so different sometimes.

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I was given a personalized Protein target (based on my height and weight) but no calorie target. In my 9 months, my calories have ranged from roughly 800 - 1500 calories. When I hit a stall, I experiment, and go up or down. More than counting calories, my advice would be to educate yourself on nutrition and get cooking. It’s easy to lose weight right after the surgery but you need to develop good habits for the years to come when the surgery honeymoon stage is over.

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On 5/20/2018 at 5:33 PM, Gundy said:

Hello!

Has anyone been told the ideal caloric intake for weight loss once on you’re allowed regular food?

HW: 225

SW: 214 (5/2/2018)

CW: 207

GW: 145

This will range based on Sex, Age, Height, Weight, Current Physical Restrictions etc. The best thing to remember is, that if you consume less than you burn in a day, you will lose weight. As stated above, most of us are not told a specific calorie goal, just to make sure to hit Protein and Water intake targets. Just make sure you are getting enough of the important stuff first.

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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.
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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.

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