AM I Eating too much...if I am I gotta get back on track

[samndaisy64 0]

I'm about 6 wks post op. Had my first fill on Sept 23. 1.5 cc added to the 1 cc given in surgery for 2.5cc total. I wasn't feeling hungry, had lost 12 lbs surgery date to 1st fill. After about a week I noticed my appetite was increasing.:thumbup: At times I could eat almost a full "normal" (pre-op size) meal and sometimes not. When I say "almost normal meal", I mean I can eat a 6 oz steak, part of a salad and a bite or two of potato vs.NORMAL for ME pre-op would be a 9 oz steak the whole salad and baked potato.

I know I am eating less than I was before surgery. There have been days when I track my calories and have eaten less than 1000 calories, and some days when I've averaged 1200 to 1300. I am making healthier choices, but this week I gained 3 pounds. I have been exercising, but struggling to drink enough Water. Have my 2nd fill on Tues. Don't want the surgeon to think I'm not being compliant. I see lots of posts where people talk about eating 1 cup of food. Is this TOTAL food intake?

Sorry if sounds like I'm babbling and running on and on, but I really want to do this right and if I am doing something wrong I want to get it straight NOW. Thanks for any comments and suggestions =)

[WrenBird 11]

Everyday I enter what I eat into my account at fitday.com

It tells you how many calories you've burnt and how many you've eaten. It also does a bunch of other stuff. It might be helpful to you to keep on track and know roughly how many calories you're burning and intaking.

Cheers,

WrenBird.

[samndaisy64 0]

Thanks Wren!

I am entering my foods and exercise on sparkpeople.com. According to their site i should eat between 1100 and 1550 calories a daily. For the most part I have been at or below this amount. I did go over today. I'm just not sure this is accurate on the calorie counting...this is not specifically for lapband individuals.

I will be getting a fill on tuesday, guess the best advice I can give myself is to ask the doctor and his staff and see what they advise.

Over the weekend I'm going to really try to decrease my portions some more and focus on the Water intake. May also have gained that 3 lbs from a Soup recipe I found for a chicken tortilla Soup (no tortilla's were added) mostly chicken and Beans, but I did use chicken broth...may have gotten more salt than I am used to.

Good luck to you!

[WrenBird 11]

Thanks Wren!

I am entering my foods and exercise on sparkpeople.com. According to their site i should eat between 1100 and 1550 calories a daily. For the most part I have been at or below this amount. I did go over today. I'm just not sure this is accurate on the calorie counting...this is not specifically for LAP-BAND® individuals.

I will be getting a fill on tuesday, guess the best advice I can give myself is to ask the doctor and his staff and see what they advise.

Over the weekend I'm going to really try to decrease my portions some more and focus on the Water intake. May also have gained that 3 lbs from a Soup recipe I found for a chicken tortilla soup (no tortilla's were added) mostly chicken and Beans, but I did use chicken broth...may have gotten more salt than I am used to.

Good luck to you!

Welllll I try to eat less than 1000 calories a day. The other day I ate 2700, so you can imagine the exercise I had to do to stop myself from feeling very very guilty.

I also exercise for an hour a day...The kilos aren't particularly falling off for me, so I guess I have to work harder.

In the end it depends on how hungry you are. Just make sure you're eating less calories than you're burning off and don't torture yourself or you might binge.

But yeah, I wouldn't go over 1200 calories (despite the fact that I did the other day. argh.) to lose weight.

If you go on Optifast you eat less than 500 calories a day...Now THAT'S hard lol.

[ElfiePoo 109]

I know I am eating less than I was before surgery. There have been days when I track my calories and have eaten less than 1000 calories, and some days when I've averaged 1200 to 1300.

Studies show that women who eat about 1200 calories a day lose weight faster and more steadily than those who drop below that so you aren't eating too much food. You do need to make sure you get in your Water because not drinking enough Water will also slow down your weight loss.

You may find when you start getting fills that you'll eat less Protein just because you're tighter. My meals are usually about 3-4 oz of Protein, 3/4 cup steamed vegies and (maybe) 1/4 c of starch).

.

[WrenBird 11]

Studies show that women who eat about 1200 calories a day lose weight faster and more steadily than those who drop below that so you aren't eating too much food. You do need to make sure you get in your Water because not drinking enough Water will also slow down your weight loss.

You may find when you start getting fills that you'll eat less Protein just because you're tighter. My meals are usually about 3-4 oz of Protein, 3/4 cup steamed vegies and (maybe) 1/4 c of starch).

.

Hi,

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure starvation mode kicks in when you're not getting enough nutrients and calories, thus taking them from muscles and organs. From my understanding, it's perfectly safe as long as you're getting the right nutriants and Vitamins your body needs - which can be done quite easily under 1000 calories.

I heard that your body can go into starvation mode and hang to every calorie by eating even 3000 calories a day if you're not getting enough nutrients.

A lot of approved shakes on the market are under 500 calories, but are successful because they offer some - if not all of the nutrients you need.

If you eat less, your metabolism goes down (which I honestly don't think is that much of a problem as it's usually too small of an adjustment to worry about), but it's easy to eat a lot under 1000 calories and feel full.

Basically you can eat 1000 calories of fat and go into starvation mode, or you can eat 1000 calories and be eating good food with lots of nutrients and not have a problem. It's not about the calories, it's whats in the food you're eating.

Sure, it's hard, but it's not impossible and not everyone who eats less than 1000 calories a day goes into starvation mode.

I'm currently at a plateaux and have had to go back onto Optifast which is less than 500 calories a day for me. I'm still losing weight, just slower than I was to begin with, though it's starting to pick up now that I've changed my diet.

It's also been proven that the slower you lose weight the more muscle you keep. So unless you're losing 8 kilos a week from eating under 1000 calories I honestly don't see a problem with it. It's entirely achievable, and for someone who now enjoys fresh fruit and rarely gets full, I can honestly say it's easier than it looks.

[ElfiePoo 109]

If I take my carbs down to about 30gm a day or less, I can eat 2000 calories and lose a lot of weight fast. I lost 70 pounds in 3 months doing just that. Increase those carbs to 60gm or more and I'll stop losing and/or start gaining at 2000 calories a day. I was essentially eating Protein and fat with some salad. Not nutritionally sound according to the 'experts'.

I was on an 800 calorie diet for a month and lost nothing...and was constantly stomach growling hungry...and was eating 'nutritionally' sound meals...again according to the 'experts'.

So I'm going to guess it has less to do with 'nutrition' and more to do with calories.

At 1200 calories, I'm able to eat more Protein which helps keep me more content. Plus, I have enough calories left that I can eat vegies and some starches. My meals are more varies and satisfying.

Everyone needs to do what they're comfortable with and successful at. Bottom line is there is no one perfect diet for everyone.

.

[BetsyB 9]

Different bodies have different needs. In general, starvation mode isn't a huge issue if you have excess body fat to lose. The body occasionally says, "Hey! Wait a minute!" but then "remembers" it has the fuel to offer, and allows you to lose body fat. (It's important to get enough lean Protein so that your muscles--including your heart---are not raided for that, though.)

I eat 800-900 calories a day. I have to, in order to lose. I was told, for years, that I had to have 1200--and the only thing that did was add the last 50 pounds to my body. (The whole time, I was treated, by professionals, as though I must be cheating--when, in fact, I was meticulously adhering to their recommendations.)

If you track your intake, and have a good idea of what is NOT working for you, you have a baseline.

For me, I knew that 1200 calories wasn't working. I took mine down, and found that I lose when I eat 800-900. (This is what prompted me to be banded.) Some people find that they need to add calories; like I said, everyone's different. All you can do is make a change, and track progress. If the change doesn't work, re-evaluate, and head in a different direction.

I also determined that I lose (and feel) better if I get 80-100 g protein/day. Finally, I learned that I lose (and feel) the best if my carbs come from fruit, veggie, and legume sources (and are in the <50g/day range.)

Journaling gives you the information you need to tweak to get what works best for you.

[samndaisy64 0]

Thanks Everyone for your replies. Good news...the 3 lbs I gained are gone again, so apparently this was Water retention from too much sodium. I am still going to focus this weekend on decreasing portion sizes and calories. I think this will be a good idea prior to getting that second fill. I think sometimes I may go into panic mode

now, because I don't want to become complacent(like I have in the past when I have lost weight). Still have to remind myself that I didn't develop bad habits in a day or week, or gain the weight either...it has been over my lifetime. But, now I'm taking back my life, ONE DAY AT A TIME, kicking bad habits to the curb!

Hope everyone has a MARVELOUS weekend!:thumbup:

[WrenBird 11]

If I take my carbs down to about 30gm a day or less, I can eat 2000 calories and lose a lot of weight fast. I lost 70 pounds in 3 months doing just that. Increase those carbs to 60gm or more and I'll stop losing and/or start gaining at 2000 calories a day. I was essentially eating Protein and fat with some salad. Not nutritionally sound according to the 'experts'.

I was on an 800 calorie diet for a month and lost nothing...and was constantly stomach growling hungry...and was eating 'nutritionally' sound meals...again according to the 'experts'.

So I'm going to guess it has less to do with 'nutrition' and more to do with calories.

At 1200 calories, I'm able to eat more Protein which helps keep me more content. Plus, I have enough calories left that I can eat vegies and some starches. My meals are more varies and satisfying.

Everyone needs to do what they're comfortable with and successful at. Bottom line is there is no one perfect diet for everyone.

.

Like Betsy said, everyone's different. But I think you'll find that scientifically your body reacts to lack of nutrients rather than lack of calories.

[anderson1970 0]

I'm about 6 wks post op. Had my first fill on Sept 23. 1.5 cc added to the 1 cc given in surgery for 2.5cc total. I wasn't feeling hungry, had lost 12 lbs surgery date to 1st fill. After about a week I noticed my appetite was increasing.:sleep: At times I could eat almost a full "normal" (pre-op size) meal and sometimes not. When I say "almost normal meal", I mean I can eat a 6 oz steak, part of a salad and a bite or two of potato vs.NORMAL for ME pre-op would be a 9 oz steak the whole salad and baked potato.

I know I am eating less than I was before surgery. There have been days when I track my calories and have eaten less than 1000 calories, and some days when I've averaged 1200 to 1300. I am making healthier choices, but this week I gained 3 pounds. I have been exercising, but struggling to drink enough Water. Have my 2nd fill on Tues. Don't want the surgeon to think I'm not being compliant. I see lots of posts where people talk about eating 1 cup of food. Is this TOTAL food intake?

Sorry if sounds like I'm babbling and running on and on, but I really want to do this right and if I am doing something wrong I want to get it straight NOW. Thanks for any comments and suggestions =)

I know how you feel. There are days when I can eat a full meal as I did before surgery. I really feel this band is not working for me. I know it is to be used as a tool and not a miracle over night. I just wish I could lose more weight. If any one has any suggestions on a meal plan please email me and let me know . I will greatly appreciate it.:thumbup:

[samndaisy64 0]

Hi Anderson,

Please don't be discouraged! I'm not feeling that the band isn't working by any means. I'm just being very concious of all the changes I'm making, and making sure I'm doing them right, here at the beginning of my journey. I don't want to risk stretching the stoma, and I do "panic" if the scale goes in the opposite direction any at all, but, that is just because I don't want to lose momentum. I want this to work, want this weight off once and for all. We can do this! Hang in there.

[ElfiePoo 109]

Like Betsy said, everyone's different. But I think you'll find that scientifically your body reacts to lack of nutrients rather than lack of calories.

You obviously didn't read my post. I was eating a nutritionally sound diet at 800 calories and *not* losing. I was eating significantly more calories than that on a less than nutritional diet (no starches, no fruits, no vegies other than salad) and lost 70 lbs in 3 months.

My body was reacting to the lack of calories. According to the many nutritionists and doctors I've told this experience to, it was because I had so severely restricted my *calories* that my body's metabolism slowed down and became very efficient at storing those calories because it thought I was starving.

.

[WrenBird 11]

You obviously didn't read my post. I was eating a nutritionally sound diet at 800 calories and *not* losing. I was eating significantly more calories than that on a less than nutritional diet (no starches, no fruits, no vegies other than salad) and lost 70 lbs in 3 months.

My body was reacting to the lack of calories. According to the many nutritionists and doctors I've told this experience to, it was because I had so severely restricted my *calories* that my body's metabolism slowed down and became very efficient at storing those calories because it thought I was starving.

.

Hi Friend,

Your metabolism doesn't slow down unless you starve yourself. Starving and 'starvation mode' are two entirely different things :blushing:

Starving yourself is when you don't eat enough food, which effects your metabolism. Because I eat all day, my metabolism is not effected.

Starvation mode is when you don't eat enough nutrients to sustain health. Your body then takes nutrients needed from your organs and muscles to survive. This results in your metabolism also slowing down.

It may have been that you weren't eating enough throughout the day. I did read your post and I'm sorry if I sounded rude, but as I said before, everyone is different and if that works for you, then great. Eating less than 1000 calories a day works for me and I'm happy doing that :smile2:.

I don't have a explaination as to why you weren't losing as much weight when you were eating less calories, because I obviously don't know your situation - but I do know that low calorie intake is, and has in the past been wrongly accused of being responsible for 'starvation mode', when the issue really is lack of nutrients.

Cheers,

WrenBird

Edit: Optifast contains less than 500 calories a day and is given to patients in Australia to treat extreme obesity. It contains all of the nutrients needed and if eating 500 calories a day comes with a 'anorexic mentallity' then it wouldn't be on the market.

Since I've increased my calories to 1000 a day or less, I've stopped losing as much weight. I think people just need to go with what works for them :-)

Edited October 24, 2010 by WrenBird

[WrenBird 11]

I eat 800-900 calories a day. I have to, in order to lose. I was told, for years, that I had to have 1200--and the only thing that did was add the last 50 pounds to my body. (The whole time, I was treated, by professionals, as though I must be cheating--when, in fact, I was meticulously adhering to their recommendations.)

For me, I knew that 1200 calories wasn't working. I took mine down, and found that I lose when I eat 800-900. (This is what prompted me to be banded.) .

Hey me too! lol. I was on 500 calories a day with a diet called Optifast (which is often given by doctors to treat extremely obese patients) that has all of the essential nutrients you need and I was losing a lot of weight, now that I don't drink Optifast as much I'm on less than 1000 calories a day and in no way losing as much as I was before. It's a bummer, but losing weight a little slower is better I think. If I go over, I don't lose anything so I'm pretty happy with my calorie intake at the moment.

I find it a little offending when people say there's something wrong with that - my surgeon, doctor, physiotherrapist, nutritionist - you name it has all said it's fine as long as I eat reguarly and am getting all of the right nutrients.

:blushing: