I'm a 50 year old male, 6'1, weight 425 pounds. I'm healthy, exercise regularly, but I'm unable to control my weight so I'm finally pursuing surgery. Right now I average around 3000 calories a day and often splurge well beyond that. When I've successfully lost weight in the past (last time about 5 years ago), I ate about 2500 calories a day. Reading these boards, I'm seeing so much talk of living on 1000 calories per day, at least for a few months. I. Just. Can't. Imagine. Those of you that have done it ... HOW???

6 minutes ago, vikingbeast said:

I'm 45, 6 feet tall, and started out at 396 my heaviest (was 366 at the start of the pre-op diet).

I am very, very active. Outdoor work, sports, CrossFit.

I did track my food and, like you, was on way more than 3,000 calories a day.

.....

Wow! Thank you so much for all that detail. It's so helpful to hear that from someone in such a similar situation. You are officially my hero now! ?

16 hours ago, doobie31 said:

Thanks everyone for the responses. I have talked to my doctor which is how I arrived at WLS. She felt it was a good option for me. I'm in the early stages of going through the process with the surgeon now, so we'll see if they agree I'm a good candidate. I assume for a few months I'll have a much smaller appetite, it's the long-term 1000 cals a day I was more thinking about. Maybe that's too few. Maybe that's just what my body will get used to. Just seems so incredibly small but if it others in my situation do it and get used to it, I'm sure I can, too.

you'll likely be eating more than 1000 kcal/day long term. That's really just during the weight loss phase. How much you'll need to maintain your weight depends on individual factors, and it's different for everyone. I can maintain my weight if I stay in the 1500-1700 range - and if I stay pretty active (exercising 5+ days a week), I can push that up to about 1900 kcal/day.

11 hours ago, doobie31 said:

I can't wait to find out!

I have to agree with all the posts on this. I could not imagine going down to 800-900 calories per day either. I actually struggle getting more than that in on a daily basis. Yes, if I went crazy and ate fatty foods and fast foods I could, but with healthy food choices, it is very difficult. I eat a lot of fish which is very low in fat and calories and high in protein, particularly tuna and cod. You will not have a problem staying satisfied.

49 minutes ago, Tony B - NJ said:

I have to agree with all the posts on this. I could not imagine going down to 800-900 calories per day either. I actually struggle getting more than that in on a daily basis. Yes, if I went crazy and ate fatty foods and fast foods I could, but with healthy food choices, it is very difficult. I eat a lot of fish which is very low in fat and calories and high in Protein, particularly tuna and cod. You will not have a problem staying satisfied.

Miraculous! I tend to eat pretty healthy foods (being a vegetarian helps), I just eat way too much of it. So feeling positive about things right now.

I was shocked at how much energy I had when I was only consuming 500/600cal in the beginning, and how well I feel on under 1000cal a day currently (5mo out). I can’t tell you the how or why, but I can tell you it works! I can see where you are coming from, I would have been hangry or dizzy before surgery if I only had 500cal in a day. But, now I feel like a million bucks & hope I never feel the need for more. You may just have to experience it. :)

Oh and yes, nutrient dense, protein rich foods & vitamins are key. ??

Your body will get the energy it needs from the fat it is burning.

On 11/14/2021 at 22:19, Arabesque said:

The calories you need to maintain will depend on many factors like age, gender, metabolic rate, how active you are, height, build, etc. Yes, you will be eating much fewer calories than you did before surgery (but let’s be honest that was why you were overweight - it’s why we all were) but the calories will increase as you progress & are physically able to eat more. To begin, I was eating <300 calories, <900 by goal & now eat about 1300 to maintain at my weight. But I’m also female, older than you, have a small frame & am not very active.

It all comes down to that basic equation: to maintain a weight the calories you burn must equal the calories your body burns to function. Eat more than you need you gain. Eat less you lose. If you want to maintain at a lower weight eat fewer calories. If you want to maintain at a higher weight eat more calories.

I eat way more food now in a day in terms of volume than I did when I was overweight. I eat way more frequently now too. The difference is the number of calories I eat & the quality of the food I choose to eat.

I totally agree!

I’m 15 months out from a revision (gerd caused by hernia), have been at goal for about 11 of those months and maintain on around 1300-1500 calories a day. Most of the meals I eat are pretty plant-based as most animal protein sits heavy these days.

These are pretty typical days when I’ve packed all my meals for the day for work. The red blender bottle is a green smoothie with kale, spinach, a frozen fruit, protein powder and almond milk. The little thermos is almost always some kind of vegetable heavy soup. The calories for the day are pictured after each one. While they’re convenience food heavy (protein shakes and bars) I know that’s what I need at work as I rarely have time to sit and eat regularly meals.

As you get closer to surgery and after surgery you’ll eventually find what works for you and you’ll be able to better gage hunger/fullness cues, what your body needs and the calories you’ll need.

For now, work on tracking what you eat and making small changes, mindful eating, and finding ways to make your favorite dishes healthier.

If you ever have questions we’re here to help the best we can even if that means directing you back to your surgery team and dietitian.

Edited November 21, 20214 yr by Starwarsandcupcakes

Thank you so much! What a helpful post. I'm giving myself until after the Thanksgiving weekend and then I'll start tracking everything and make a concerted effort to drop some pre-surgery pounds (wait until Monday .... no overweight person every said that). I have made small improvements already but I know, realistically, there's only so much I'm going to do before the holiday weekend.

But wow, I'm honestly looking forward to eating like this and feeling satisfied.

2 hours ago, doobie31 said:

Thank you so much! What a helpful post. I'm giving myself until after the Thanksgiving weekend and then I'll start tracking everything and make a concerted effort to drop some pre-surgery pounds (wait until Monday .... no overweight person every said that). I have made small improvements already but I know, realistically, there's only so much I'm going to do before the holiday weekend.

But wow, I'm honestly looking forward to eating like this and feeling satisfied.

Not only am I satisfied on a small quantity of food (my stats are almost exactly like @Starwarsandcupcakes' though they are much further out than I am), I literally don't think I could eat more without grazing all day.

Hi @doobie31, I also think it may depend on the type of surgery you end up having. I had the SADI and during the loss phase I was very satisfied and consistently lost each week when I consumed 700 to 800 calories per day. Now that I’m trying to maintain, I’m up around the 1600 to 1800 calories a day and if I’m very active then I need around 2000 to not lose more weight. With my restriction, I am finding it difficult to each that much at the moment but it will get easier over time.

Each person is different and will have different needs but as all of the other posts have said, it becomes a new way of living and it’s definitely worth it.

Good luck and I look forward to hearing about your journey!!

Hi doobie. I had gastric sleeve surgery 8 months ago. With my program you dieted for several months prior to surgery, then two weekes before surgery we had to drink only 800 cal of protein drinks a day. After surgery your sleeve will prevent you from eating for several weeks. Broth and water only to start, then back on shakes. You will gradually start eating solid foods egg whites etc. It took several weeks to finally eat 800 cal again. I really never felt hungry just frustrated that I couldn't eat. I didnt starve and now 8 months later I have lost 154 lb. I am 5' 6.5" and I weighed 324.2 lbs when I started in the program. I am 68 and nobody recognizes me now. This was the best thing that ever happened to me. So, hang in there and trust your nutrition team. They have done this for several hundred people before you. Good luck.

1Thank you so much everyone. @Butterflyeffect, I'm about the same height as you and pretty active, especially when I'm a lower weight, so hearing you can eat like that and still lose weight is helpful. And of course, I do trust "my team". So far they're all great and I can't wait to continue down the path.

I'm 8 months out and struggle with getting 1000. I have 0 problem meeting protein and water goals daily. Usually I don't go over 500 to 800. Which sucks. I get full really fast. Hopefully this improves for me.

I’m 6’4” and my highest known weight was 356 (but likely higher as I didn’t weigh often). Like you I was pretty active and my daily calorie count was high. I never counted (still don’t) but an honest assessment of my past puts me around 4-6000 calories a day! I would eat huge meals. Despite that insane guess, I put weight on slowly over the years, averaging 4lbs a year… it’s not a fair estimate because some years I would lose 30 then put 40 on etc. but overall average of 4lbs since I turned 18 (I was 45 when I had surgery). Fast forward 18 months post op and I’m not able to enter maintenance. I’m trying so hard to not lose more weight. I set a goal of 240, blew past that then thought “ok 220 would be good” and blew past that. I’m down to 182 now, my wife and mom (they never stop being moms do they?) are worried - and have been since I broke below 200 in April. Anyway, for the first six months I survived on about 500cal a day. I should say thrived. I had zero problems with that low of a calorie count. I was more active than ever, still am. I feel healthier than I was when I was 16, seriously. The hard part for me was remembering to eat. The day would go by and I would realize I only had my protein shake in the morning. I’m still not hungry, and I know I’m in the minority for going this long without feeling any hunger. I literally eat 1000 calories of peanut m&ms a day. Literally. And I’m still losing. I know it’s probably the least healthy thing I could eat but they are small and pocketable and I like them enough where I don’t get bored of them. I simply don’t have the capacity to eat enough “healthy” meals to make up the difference. I do get regular blood work done and everything is perfectly in the middle of where it should be, vitamin levels are good as well. I’d say I’m close to maintaining, I’ve been between 190 and 182 for about six months but it’s still trending ever so slightly down. I guess what all this rambling is getting at is this: you sound a lot like me. If you are the type of person that can drop weight fast on a diet you’re likely to be wildly successful with the weight loss portion of this endeavor. Everything else is up in the air and seems to be variable for everyone. For me I have had no complications, no foods bother me, nothing tastes different (I hoped it would but it didn’t), I can and do eat whatever I want, but my restriction is so good (and it does feel good) that it still takes me two days to eat a burger, or four days to eat a chipotle burrito (and I don’t even finish it). I don’t have a problem being around food or seeing people eat. My whole relationship with food is completely different. I see it as an inconvenience, but I still enjoy good food and I seek out new and exotic things for fun, I just know I’m taking home 90% of what I order most of the time. My only complaint is my wife and mom think I’m too skinny, which is just an opinion, my doctors are thrilled with my weight and all associated / tested statistics, and as I said I feel absolutely amazing. I feel like I have another 10-15lbs to lose but I’m riding the struggle bus to keep that from happening for the benefit of others. 5000 calories? I’m disgusted with that person. 1500 - 2000 a day give or take is plenty 18 months out and I had nooo problem living on half that for the first year. This was - by far - the best money I’ve ever spent on myself. I’ve easily saved more than my surgery cost ($4400 in Mexico) and I have only great things to say about every aspect of it. I wish it was this easy for everyone. My wife had it done too but she has lost nothing at this point. She eats less than I do, but she never lost when dieting before so we should have known a smaller stomach wouldn’t have helped. I don’t think she needs to lose weight anyway, she’s perfect. But my opinion doesn’t count in her mind :) she has some underlying heath issues we’re working through which we believe contributes to her crazy slow metabolic rate. So I see and live with both sides of how surgery works and doesn’t work for some (if you’re a slow “loser” reading this and you’re on plan and doing everything you should, I BELIEVE YOU, even though everyone assumes you’re not on plan. I know how hard it is for you, and I’m so sorry you’re going through this. Don’t give up, find a doctor that listens to you and believes you too and start looking for why, and stop going to doctors that don’t listen. Don’t let them give you self doubts (end tangent)).
Best of luck to you. I wish you the best.