Hello Peeps,

I have a female friend from church that was sleeved around the same time as me. She has lost a ton of weight and looks like a totally different person. I asked her how she has been been so successful, is it diet? or exercise? counting calories? counting carbs? She told me that she only counts her calories and that she only takes in 800 calories per day. How is that even possible? I dont understand how you can take in that few of calories and not be hungry throughout the day. What do you guys think about that? Doesnt that seem like it would be hard to do?

2 hours ago, Walter.Sobchak said:

I am 6 foot 1
I don’t exercise at all and have not since I had the surgery. It is hard to find time with 3 kids at home one of which is 5 months old. Having said that, I do need to make better choices and start moving again. I have put on 25 pounds now since my son was born.

Let us know how it goes!

I’m almost 4-months out and average 650 calories a day. Still losing up to a pound per day. I’m afraid I won’t be able to eat enough to stop losing weight. I’m over half way to my goal now.

5 hours ago, Walter.Sobchak said:

So you are working out as well as diet?

Yeah, I do. Not a ton, but I do.

I’m 4 months out and eating about 500-800 calories a day. I was told by my surgeon not to go over 800 a day. Currently 209 started at 282 surgery weight 247. Currently not exercising.

I am on week 4 (soft foods) and my program has me trying to get 800-1000 calories. The most I have gotten in 900, but more likely 800. I try to eat something every 2-3 hours and then supplement with a shake to get in my protein and calories. At the end of week 4, I will be down 30 pounds or so. I am getting much better recognizing the signs when my pouch is full.

I am 8 months out and I am eating around 1200-1400 calories a day. I would be too hungry on 800, and my clinic wants us eating at least 1200.

I think if you combine IF, with high volume, low cal foods, like leafy greens, and make sure your protein is super lean, like shrimp for example, then 800 cals is doable, a lot of days.

@FluffyChix creates amazing looking, fairly large meals, and can do so around 600 cals a day. But it takes planning and time and thought in order to get a a few calories to go so far.

3000 is too many calories if you want to lose in my opinion. I am not as far out as you though. At close to 5months out my surgeon says 800-1000 but I never consume that much bc I’m just not that hungry. I usually get 550-700 and that’s with a very strict 6 days a week gym routine with cardio and strength training. Hope this helps!

On 12/12/2018 at 9:00 AM, Walter.Sobchak said:

I am surely eating the wrong foods as I am taking in about 3000 calories per day.

This is a lot of calories for anyone, and most especially for a sleeve patient, but I do love your honesty about it! Its hard to think you can fit that many calories into your gut post surgery but they do cut sleeves different sizes. Larger sleeves protect you better from strictures forming which has been a terrible problem for me. Aside from re-evaluating your diet and commitment there is another option you can consider. Your surgeon can convert you to gastric bypass. I do hope the best for you. Each of us here understands quite fully the awful food demons and I'm so sorry it has been difficult for you. Keep trying!

I do not believe I would be approved for a gastric bypass, nor would I want to put myself through that process again. The bottom line is I am a food addict and I eat too much. All the newbies on here posting about how little they eat, there was a time that was all I could eat as well. Just wait till you are further out. It will get easier and easier to take in more calories and that is when you will have to have self control.

1 hour ago, Walter.Sobchak said:

I do not believe I would be approved for a gastric bypass, nor would I want to put myself through that process again. The bottom line is I am a food addict and I eat too much. All the newbies on here posting about how little they eat, there was a time that was all I could eat as well. Just wait till you are further out. It will get easier and easier to take in more calories and that is when you will have to have self control.

That's some honesty right there...

2 hours ago, Walter.Sobchak said:

The bottom line is I am a food addict and I eat too much.

This right here is why I don't necessarily say I don't get hungry anymore, because I'm not sure I EVER got hungry, I just ate. I think I was experiencing a rush of chemicals (hormones? endorphins? dunno) that literally gave me a high when I over-ate. I posted about this early on, because a lot of people assured pre-ops that after the surgery you would "eat to satisfaction", and after surgery I thought they were nuts because I wasn't feeling the same high, which I identified as "satisfaction". Then when I described all of this to friends over the past few months, I realized that most people DON'T feel a chemical feedback loop when they eat a lot (and never have). So... Is that food addiction? Whatever it was, I was absolutely looking for a certain spike in good chemicals that I achieved by over-eating.

Now I don't feel that at all. Now everything is much more focused in my taste buds and the capacity of my stomach. There is absolutely no point anymore in overeating, because I do not get that rush and all I get is a stomachache. So after a lot of accidental Pavlovian conditioning, that seems to have worked its way up my behavior chain and now I not only don't over-eat, but I'm not having the impulses to seek out food I used to. Now, when I rarely DO feel hungry, it's a real sensation that my stomach is empty and that my body wants quality calories, and I tend to go for healthier foods.

I'm coming up on 10 months, so will report back if any of this changes, but what I lost appears to be my easy route to my "fix". Totally changed the way I interact with food.

I am an addict, I will abuse anything that makes me feel good. I have struggled with drug addiction and I am an alcoholic. I am sober today and go to AA meetings. Food is the last drug that I have and thus why I ended up weighing 440 pounds. I still get the high from food, the endorphin rush, the pleasure sensors in my brain are triggered.

7 minutes ago, Walter.Sobchak said:

I am an addict, I will abuse anything that makes me feel good. I have struggled with drug addiction and I am an alcoholic. I am sober today and go to AA meetings. food is the last drug that I have and thus why I ended up weighing 440 pounds. I still get the high from food, the endorphin rush, the pleasure sensors in my brain are triggered.

The problem is you can't give up food completely like other substances that are abused. Have you looked into OA further? I'm curious how they help.

I hate to make this comparison because it feels tacky but salads can be used like methadone (too far?)

On 12/13/2018 at 4:00 AM, Walter.Sobchak said:

I am surely eating the wrong foods as I am taking in about 3000 calories per day.

3000 calories is one heck of a lot. What are you eating?

An average woman needs to eat about 2000 calories per day to maintain, and 1500 calories to lose one pound of weight per week. An average man needs 2500 calories to maintain, and 2000 to lose one pound of weight per week.Jul 6, 2018