lifeofblair

I hit my nut goal on Wednesday. This is my down before goal but a general idea  

I hit my nut goal on Wednesday. This is my down before goal but a general idea  

Not sure how it’ll work for you. Here's how it worked for me ....
I'm a tracker -- use My Fitness Pal. So all along I knew how much I was eating calorie-wise (and otherwise, but calories are most relevant to this topic).
So when I hit my first goal weight (150 pounds) I was sitting on a lot of MFP data. And based on ALL the calorie data I'd collected and how many calories I'd NOT eaten (to lose X pounds at that point). I calculated that to stop losing weight and to maintain at 150 pounds I'd need to eat 1700 calories.
Turns out I was wrong and that my metabolism had actually increased while I was losing weight. How did I learn that? Because while I was eating 1700 calories a day I then proceeded to slowly, slowly lose another 15 pounds over the next 8 months. My current weight is 135 pounds, which I've been maintaining for a few months now.
I recently knocked my cals up to 1800/day. And that seems like it's working fine. I don't eat exactly 1800 every day. Some days it's 1500. Some days it's 2100. But 1800 on average is about right for me now.
An interesting question is: Why did my metabolism increase while I was losing weight? I think it's a simple matter of my just being in motion a lot more these days. I actually fidget more than I used to. And God knows, I sure get up out of my chair more often, do a lot more housework and yardwork, than I used to do, run more errands. For instance, when I turn on the microwave to heat something I walk around the bar until the “done” buzzer sounds.
All our lives we’ve heard inane comments like "calories in, calories out." It turns out that when you’re not 100 pounds overweight it's a helluva lot easier and much less painful to send "calories out."
Of course, your mileage may differ.

@@Bufflehead this is very helpful! I had an epidural block, so once I'm cleared to exercise again hopefully I can start on my normal routine and do this. I have been adding a few calories hopefully it will all level out smoothly.

Wow, the instructions I got from my dietitian are completely different from the "don't change anything, your body decides what weight it wants to be" stuff I am reading here.
These are the instructions I got, and they have worked well for me:
1. When you hit your goal weight and want to maintain, start eating your body weight x 10 in calories every day.
2. Continue to weigh, measure and track your food religiously.
3. Weigh yourself every day.
4. After two weeks of strict maintenance eating, assess. If you have lost more than 2 lbs, add in another 100 calories per day to your eating. If you have gained more than 2 lbs, subtract 100 calories per day.
5. Repeat for another 2 weeks and assess. Again, either add or subtract calories by 100 calories per day.
6. Keep repeating until you find your target calorie range.
7. When adding in calories, focus on adding in high Protein or high fat foods -- Jerky, dark meat instead of white meat poultry, avocado, cheese, nuts, olive oil, grass fed butter, switch from nonfat to full fat yogurt or milk, etc. Do not raise your calories with high carb foods such as grains or fruits or sugary foods. Do not raise your calories by grazing or snacking.
8. Weigh yourself a minimum of once a week once you hit maintenance. Every day is better. If you are weighing yourself regularly and sticking to your eating plan, you can stop weighing and measuring your food and tracking it in MFP.
9. When/if you find yourself 4 lbs over your target maintenance goal, or outside of your maintenance range at all if you set a range instead of a specific number as your goal, immediately drop into weight loss mode. This means: lowering your calories by 500 per day (more if that does not result in weight loss), weighing and measuring your food, tracking everything in MFP, and stopping eating all grains, starchy vegetables, and sweets. Once you get back into your maintenance goal/range, resume maintenance eating but be mindful of why/what behaviors you got out of your range and stop doing that.
This worked really well for me. If I had just given up on being in control I would have been an utter failure. YMMV of course.

It's not about what your friends say. It's how you feel. They're not used to seeing you at a normal weight.
As far as maintenance goes, just keep doing what you're doing. That's all it is. Nothing changes.
As James said above, your body will choose where it wants to be and sort of equalize.
For me, if I eat more, my weight goes up. I bounce a few pounds. And that's ok. I typically have 1100 cal a day. That keeps me stable. If it creeps up, I gain. To drop it, I cut back to about 800 and it comes off in a week. Pretty simple. No panicking. :-)
When I first hit maint I was panicking. Then my Nut told me it's business as usual. Don't worry about it. Just keep following the food plan and all will be ok. She was right. The stress disappeared. I had it figured out all ready.
Congrats on your success !!

I had a surgeon explain the difference between the two very effectively and I was set on having the sleeve, then I met with the surgeon (I moved) that actually did my surgery and he recommended the bypass due to some of my medical conditions.

I had a surgeon explain the difference between the two very effectively and I was set on having the sleeve, then I met with the surgeon (I moved) that actually did my surgery and he recommended the bypass due to some of my medical conditions.

I hit my nut goal on Wednesday. This is my down before goal but a general idea  

So I hit my goal weight this past week, which is exciting, but now I'm trying to transition to maintaining. I know everyone is different and I am going to call my nut, but in the past they haven't been helpful. So I'm asking at you vets.
1. How did your transition go?
2. How did you learn what amount of food would maintain your weight? Trial and error?
The thought of eating more scares me for the fact I've always needed to eat less, so it's weird that I'm now not needing to. I'm sure others felt this way too. Any tips/advice is appreciated.

My coworkers kind of figured it out on their own because there is another lady that had it before she started and is very open about it and I was not. But, they noticed I was only eating yogurt and such when I came back and that I was losing weight pretty fast. They've been nice at least to my face and I work with all women.

Not sure off the top of my head but can't go wrong searching Pinterest! That's were I've found a lot of blogs to help me.

My coworkers kind of figured it out on their own because there is another lady that had it before she started and is very open about it and I was not. But, they noticed I was only eating yogurt and such when I came back and that I was losing weight pretty fast. They've been nice at least to my face and I work with all women.

I never tried anything crazy except the typical teenager stuff of not eating until 4pm when I got home after school. Worked great until I would binge. I did lose weight until I started getting hunger headaches.

They were on the row where they have all the trail mix / snack stuff. Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

I hit my nut goal on Wednesday. This is my down before goal but a general idea  

I hit my nut goal on Wednesday. This is my down before goal but a general idea  

I hit my nut goal on Wednesday. This is my down before goal but a general idea  

Oh I did! I remember the day before I had to start my pre op diet I binged like crazy. My mom visited and I had her bring my favorite treats from the local bakery since it was the last time to eat them. I drank Dr Pepper. I guess I did the whole "food funeral". But, I think for me I needed to enjoy them one last time. I haven't eaten anything off plan since my surgery and that was 8 months ago. I'm sure it doesn't work for others, but it did for me.

I usually end up between 800 and 900, but lately there have been days when I am more active that I will eat more. My nut isn't really helpful either, so I'm trying to find the right balance for me. I decided to start experimenting eating more on the days I work out and am very active.

@@MzB I'm going to have to try this!

The only thing is buying Cookies from the girls supports their troop and that's how they get to go on trips and do service projects so I try to buy when possible. It's basically a donation.

We go to Disney World frequently. Make sure to take Protein bars as a back up, but there are a lot of healthy options. If you don't like what one place offers, walk 50 feet and you will have all new options. Lots of protein and veggie options.

I knew this time of year would be hard, but man do I want some Girl Scout cookies!! It makes it so much harder when I work for a local council and there are trailers full right outside.

The only thing is buying Cookies from the girls supports their troop and that's how they get to go on trips and do service projects so I try to buy when possible. It's basically a donation.