When to up calories?

[BellaLuna 3]

How did you know it was time to up your calories?

I am 3 months post op and averaging about 750-850 calories a day. I am hitting my recommended Protein and fluid goals. I recently started working out regularly and burn about 250-400 calories a day from exercise (according to my Apple Watch). I am starting to wonder if I am not eating enough and it is hindering my weight loss. I am still losing, just slowly, and it is more of a yo yo type loss. I am worried about not properly fueling myself and wrecking my metabolism. I am not feeling overly hungry or deprived.

My dietitian/surgeon won't give out calorie goals. They take the approach that if you follow the protein/fluid/serving size guidelines, everything else will fall into place naturally. They want us to track what we eat, but only focus on protein. It's hard, because on MFP all the other numbers are right in your face (calories/macros).

Just curious what your calorie intake looked like around 3-4 months post op and how you knew it was time to adjust your calorie goals as you progressed.

Thanks!

[catwoman7 11,280]

I was eating around 800 for most of that first year. I went over 1000 at around the year mark. Your weight loss WILL slow down and do some yo-yoing the further out you go, so that's not abnormal. As long as your overall trend is down, you're still good.

Edited February 13, 2023 by catwoman7

[Spinoza 1,521]

I think I was pretty much exactly where you are at 3 months post op! My team went one step further and didn't give me ANY goals at all. Just food consistency phases. I learned how to eat and what to eat mainly by reading this forum. I think I still had to push myself to reach 800 calories a day - I remember at that stage often having to take a few spoons of nut butter or some cheese at bedtime just to hit the 800 some nights but I never wanted to eat any less than that. I was drinking alcohol at weekends by then too so my intake was well over 1000 on two days a week - that was by choice though. It may have slowed my weight loss a little but luckily it didn't stop me reaching goal.

I mainly walked, but I walked *very* fast and did (still do) it several days a week. I have never adjusted my intake to make allowances for that - never felt the need. I was very conscious of squeezing every pound of loss that I could over the 'honeymoon period' when I wasn't hungry - with my own personal concession being a couple of glasses of wine on Fri and Sat night.

Over the months my calories have kind of drifted upwards really - never planned. I can just eat a bit more before I get full, and I get properly hungry now which forces me to eat again at the most 3 hours later - at 3 months out I was pretty much eating by the clock to get 100 or so calories in every 2-3 hours.

You had your surgery almost exactly a year after me and you started 4lbs heavier. I've just looked at my diary and this time last year I was...218lb exactly, same as you today. What are the chances? You are doing brilliantly. 😍

[pintsizedmallrat 475]

At around 3-4 months I was eating about 500 calories a day and struggling to even get that down. My surgeon was concerned that wasn't enough and tried to get me to raise it by 100 each week until I got to 800. Your numbers may vary; I am a woman and I'm very small in stature so it's likely your team will want you to eat more than that.

[TRAVELRN 73]

51 minutes ago, BellaLuna said:

How did you know it was time to up your calories?

I am 3 months post op and averaging about 750-850 calories a day. I am hitting my recommended Protein and fluid goals. I recently started working out regularly and burn about 250-400 calories a day from exercise (according to my Apple Watch). I am starting to wonder if I am not eating enough and it is hindering my weight loss. I am still losing, just slowly, and it is more of a yo yo type loss. I am worried about not properly fueling myself and wrecking my metabolism. I am not feeling overly hungry or deprived.

My dietitian/surgeon won't give out calorie goals. They take the approach that if you follow the protein/fluid/serving size guidelines, everything else will fall into place naturally. They want us to track what we eat, but only focus on Protein. It's hard, because on MFP all the other numbers are right in your face (calories/macros).

Just curious what your calorie intake looked like around 3-4 months post op and how you knew it was time to adjust your calorie goals as you progressed.

Thanks!

Keep doing what you are doing. It's not uncommon to have frequently plateaus and then drop 5-10 pounds. also if you are lifting weights you will gain muscle mass as well and may not show a loss but that is fine. I had my surgery Nov 2021 and I am still losing and go up and down 3-5 lbs depending on the month. :) I have surpassed my goal weight and don't focus so much on the scale. I may weigh once a month if that. Just be mindful of your Water and protein and the rest will follow.

[Tomo 1,196]

Since everybody is different here are my stats. I am currently a little over 1.5 years after revision to rny (gerd reasons). I am 5'3, in my 60s, no formal exercising, currently averaging around 1500 cal total calories, and weigh 107.7 lbs. I stayed about 800 cal till I got to my first basic goal weight (140 lbs). Then I upped it a little each month till my weight loss slowly leveled off. I was (and still am) slowly losing weight as I grapple with finding my maintenance calorie level. I do look at my net calories for interest but I do not go by net calories since the calories burned calculations are notoriously wrong.

[Arabesque 7,597]

I wasn’t given calories either just portion sizes. Started at 1/4 - 1/3 cup slowly increasing to about a cup by my goal at 6 months. I was a low calorie consumer so barely 900 at 6 months but that was me. I found, that as your dietician suggested I slowly increased as I was able to eat more & needed more. By the time I was stabilising (around 18months) I was following more accepted recommended portion sizes: 3-4oz Protein, up to a cup vegetables & eating around 1300 calories (now about 14400) which is about appropriate for my age, height, weight & activity level. But that was me. Your needs likely will be different.