i was wondering why we sometimes dont lose even when our calorie intake is alot less than it used to be. i went from 2500 or so down to about 1000 calories a day. you would think that the weight would melt away. i am eating no fast food, hardly any bread or pasta, mostly fluids and protein. i am not getting enough fruits and veg in but i had a hard time with this before surgery because i would choose bad things over good things. i have definitely come a long way from what i used to eat. yes i cheat once in awhile but it shouldnt be enough to keep the weight from coming off. i am now 7 weeks and didnt lose for about 2 1/2 weeks and now i just lost about 3 pounds in the past few days. i know that wieght loss is slower with the band but if we are eating less all away around why arent we losing so much?

andrea

Bloody good question and one I'd like the answer to

I was banded 12/6/07 and wondered this same thing myself. I started charting everything I eat, just to make sure that I wasn't fooling myself about how much I was eating, but I'm staying under 1000 calories. I have lost lbs, but I'm noticing more that clothes fit differently. I'm down a size already, even though I've lost just 19 lbs. Here's my theory - I am losing fat but gaining muscle, since I now focus on Proteins and veggies instead of the mega-carbs and sugar that made up a large portion of my diet for so many years. I'm also exercising and moving more, so I've decided to worry less about what the scale says and relish the fact that I'm already wearing smaller clothes. I already look different, so I rarely get on the scales and just look at myself in the mirror each day.

Lucysmom

299/285/265/?

12/06/07

:clap2:

I lost remarkably fast the first 6 weeks. The MINUTE I was able to add meat to my diet, I quit losing. WHY? It's so frustrating. I've given up all kinds of fattening foods myself, and I haven't lost a pound for two weeks. I know that restricting your calories slows down your metabolism more, but really....... I thought the increase in exercise would counteract that.....

I went from 4000+ calories a day to between 1200 to 2000 a day now, and I have seen a HUGE change. I was banded 9/29/07 and so far I have lost almost 50 pounds and six inches off of my waist (from size 42 to 36). I feel better and I definitely look better. I constantly change my diet around, and I do not get down by gobbling down the worst food sometimes (ate a pint of Cookie Dough ice cream in one sitting last weekend). That was an aberration. My typical diet is vastly different than the one I had before, and I get to see the benefits every day. Results will come, whether you are eating 1000 calories or almost 2000 a day. Find your Basal Metabolic Rate, eat below that, and ensure you are exercising, and you can't help but lose weight.

Here's my theory - I am losing fat but gaining muscle, since I now focus on Proteins and veggies instead of the mega-carbs and sugar that made up a large portion of my diet for so many years.

I think you hit the nail on the head. If your clothes are looser but you're not losing much weight, your theory is probably right on the money.

when the nutrionist say to eat 800-1000 calories a day how do they base that? everyone is different i used to eat fast food at least once a week on top of sweets and didnt gain a pound in 5 months before surgery which must have come to more than 2000 calories a day. so for me now to only eat 800-1000 calories a day is such a big difference that you would think that the weight would melt off. how do you know if you should be getting more. is the drastic change preventing me to lose? i am now exercising 4-5 times a week for at leat 30 minutes. i havent really noticed that my clothes are loser but some people think i look a little thinner and some dont notice. i guess i will have to do the best that i can and stay away from fast food and sweets and keep on drinking plenty of water. this is such a big improvement over what i used to eat so i should look at it thay way and realize that we are going to be healthier in the long run.

andrea

use this BMR site as a starting point, rather than the "global guess" most nutritionists give: BMR Calculator

According to the site, I should eat 2,057 calories to maintain my weight, not counting for exercise. So, I could easily eat 2500 calories a day and not gain/lose. However, I average 2,000 calories a day, and with the exercise I get (very rigid about my schedule) I continue to lose 2-3 pounds a week on average.

thanks ill have to check it out. i sometimes think that im not eating enough but i am just trying to follow what they tell me

andrea

kagoscuba- i weigh 246 pounds and am 5'3 and am 33 years old if i calculated right according to the calculator i should be eating around 1800 calories a day. should i discuss this with my nutritionist? i know that they tell everyone who had the bypass or band to eat 800-1000 calories a day. its standard for everyone. what did your nutritionist tell you when you had the band?

andrea

You should ask your nutritionist what the Basal Metabolic Rate means in your particular situation. Remember, absent exercise, 1800 calories a day means you will not lose weight (nor gain). I believe it is something like cutting out 500 calories a day by either exercise or diet means you should "average" 2 pounds a week weight loss. Some weeks you'll plateau, but over an extended period of time, the losses should compensate for even or gains in weight. My rule is "never get addicted to the scale." I never weigh myself more than once a week, and I never get concerned until a second weigh-in gives me similar results I may not like.

My nutritionist said to strictly follow the doctor's guidelines, until on solids. Once there, she suggested finding a web journal for calorie and nutrition logging. I use http://www.my-calorie-counter.com/Journal.asp

I log every meal, and it not only give me calories, but it tells me sodium, fat, saturated fat, sugar, protein, carbs, and sodium. Using that tool I can pretty much custom create my meal plans. I rotate through four weekly plans I made up to "keep my body guessing."

Hi kagoscuba,

By your picture, I assume you are male. Please forgive me if you are not but the picture is small and I'm getting old. But men seems to loose weight easier than woman. Woman seem to hit plateaues easier and stay that way. Not to say that loosing weight is impossible but its very hard. We have all these crazy hormones that want to hold on to the fat for some stupid reason. My advice to the ones who are eating under a thousand calories is to add a small amount of fat back into their diet. Ok im newly banded but I am a nurse and have been a diet professional for over forty years and when i added a small spoon of peanut butter in the pounds seemed to drop. If our bodies dont get enough fuel we go in starvation mode and stop loosing weight no matter what we do. It worked sans band for me and maybe it will work for you too

good luck to all of us

Jo Ann

Remember, absent exercise, 1800 calories a day means you will not lose weight (nor gain). I believe it is something like cutting out 500 calories a day by either exercise or diet means you should "average" 2 pounds a week weight loss. Some weeks you'll plateau, but over an extended period of time, the losses should compensate for even or gains in weight. My rule is "never get addicted to the scale." I never weigh myself more than once a week, and I never get concerned until a second weigh-in gives me similar results I may not like.

."

Good advice Kago. I log everything on FitDay. It's great. Just one correction - cutting 500 cals gives you a 7 day deficit of 3,500 cals (1 pound). Cutting cals AND adding 500 cals a day gives yiou a 7,000 cal deficit for the week (2 pounds).

Once you start exercising, your muscles initially hang on to water, so you may be losing fat without seeing any appreciable loss on the scale. It will eventually come off, especially if you stay hydrated. I weigh daily, but more as a science experiemnt. I like to see the ups and downs, but never let them freak me out. It will all work out in the end.

I don't get it either!!! In the last month I have upped my calories from 1000 to 1300 (wasn't losing really any weight on 1000 so was told to up), I log all my calories and do 30-45mins per day. I make sure that I have fat in my diet and keep my protein up - still nada, nothing, zip!! It has taken my nearly 5months to lose 4.7kgs (5kgs lost during post liquid diet week). I don't think its as simple as energy in,energy out and mixing the right foods - there must be something else that goes on in our body. I just hope that sticking to my program day after day that one day I will wake upand miracle of miracles I will be thin!!!

*sigh* Isn't it funny how I never managed to find all these stories about how people struggled to lose even when doing all the right things BEFORE I got banded. Now that I'm post-op, they are all around me. I guess we only see what we want to see, eh?

I try to stay around 1000 calories per day, walk 3-5 miles every morning, spend 40-60 minutes on weight training or exercise bike and am losing very well. Make sure you get in ALL of your liquids, vary your diet and make sure the calories you consume are good foods. 1000 calories of junk food still adds weight, but the same in good food will show results.