Caloric Intake???

[kelsey94568 0]

Just curious, how many calories do you eat a day? I fluctuate between 800 - 1000 calories a day on average, but my weight loss just plateaued again. I think I might be under eating, but what do you guys think?

[zeniada 9]

Just curious, how many calories do you eat a day? I fluctuate between 800 - 1000 calories a day on average, but my weight loss just plateaued again. I think I might be under eating, but what do you guys think?

I havent been counting and I think that is my whole problem...I think that is why I am not losing... at 3 weeks post band what is the "normal" calorie intake???

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1.03.01

[kelsey94568 0]

u know i think my doc said between 800-1000, but ppl keep telling me that isn't enough and my body is in starvation mode.

[danielle b 32]

u know i think my doc said between 800-1000, but ppl keep telling me that isn't enough and my body is in starvation mode.

That is exactly what my surgeons nurse told me...I was in starvation mode, but for me, I was taking in 600-800 calories a day. I increased my exercise (mostly walking) and increased my food intake (mostly increasing protein) to about 1000 calories a day. And the weight loss began....I have now lost 48 pounds in 3 months....I average 2-4 lbs loss a week. Good luck!!

Oh yea....buy yourself a pedometer. I never knew how many calories I burn just walking around my house, work, etc. One day I burned almost 900 calories!!

[Jachut 487]

I couldnt live on that, I found I never needed to dip below about 1400 a day. I maintain quite well on 1800 to 2000.

[BeachBabe 0]

am not exceeding 950 calories a day and I am consistantly losing weight. About one pound every 3-4 days. When I want to lose faster I have been doing a bootcamp 3x a week and on the off days I will only eat 600-700 calories.

Listen to your doctor and not everyone else that has an opinion on what you should be doing. You are not on starvation mode.

[reverie 49]

I started with 650-700 but I've bumped them up to 1,000. More exercise calls for more calories, or else you will plateau. But, everyone's caloric needs differ insanely, so I'd say test the waters and find what's best for you. Add 100-200 calories and see what that does.

[ElfiePoo 109]

Research has proven that those on a diet of 1200 calories lose more weight, more consistently (fewer plateaus) than those eating less. The lower you drop your calories, the more efficient your body becomes (metabolism slows) at hanging on to the calories you're eating. It's a survival mechanism.

Obviously, as evidenced by famine victims in third world countries, your body will eventually have to give in and you'll lose weight, but why do it the hard way? I read about people on this forum who spend 2-3 hours per day every day on strenuous exercise, eating 800 calories a day and I just shake my head. Seems to me they're doing it the hard way but then each to his own.

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[Noturningback15 45]

Research has proven that those on a diet of 1200 calories lose more weight, more consistently (fewer plateaus) than those eating less. The lower you drop your calories, the more efficient your body becomes (metabolism slows) at hanging on to the calories you're eating. It's a survival mechanism.

Obviously, as evidenced by famine victims in third world countries, your body will eventually have to give in and you'll lose weight, but why do it the hard way? I read about people on this forum who spend 2-3 hours per day every day on strenuous exercise, eating 800 calories a day and I just shake my head. Seems to me they're doing it the hard way but then each to his own.

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So true, I have increased my exercise to 1 hour a day and I keep my calories no less than 1200 but no more than 1600 and I have lost 4 pounds in one week which is more than have lost in the past three months put together! It's important to keep your calories up if you are increasing your workouts just like the other posters stated.

[BetsyB 9]

I eat 800-900/day and have, since banding. I have had a couple of very brief plateaus, but loss has resumed quickly.

I don't buy into the "starvation mode" theory; there isn't peer-reviewed evidence to back it up. Some people may, indeed, need more calories than I do.

But most of us have ample fuel stored on our bodies in the form of fat--and our bodies simply are NOT ever in the position of "starving." As we get smaller, though, metabolism does decrease (smaller bodies need more fuel)---so loss tends to slow a bit.

The common wisdom is to shake things up by eating more; for me, this is not a good approach---it causes gain. So I look over my journals, see whether things are creeping in that needn't, and if I'm doing well, I just tough the plateau out. If I need to make changes (and here, I usually try to do it with exercise so that I don't pare down calories further), I do that.