Wait...shouldn't Calories Per Day For Weight Loss Still Work The Same As Pre-Op?

[LoserMama 37]

Like you I was given no set caloric value for any phase I've been in, just a Protein goal of 60-100 grams. I'm averaging about 600-800 calories a day in terms of focusing on the Protein and always getting in Water. Anything else is bonus.

I too use myfitnesspal, its great. Jsut about any food you can think of seems to be there.

Like you've I've wondered about the caloric intake deal.

the way my NUT explained it to me, you want to make hay while the sun shines in the first 12-18 months and really take advantage of our lower appetite and do more exercise to get the most benefit, since apparently once that "window" closes it wil lbecome harder to lsoe weight. We are given the Vitamins and supplements to still ensure we are getting the nutrients we need, so theoretically that is why we can eat fewer calories.

I have had days when I have gone higher or eaten something not officially on my plan, but I move on and just keep focused on protein and Water.

If your stall continues then maybe talk more to your nut, but if you feel good about what level you are at and the scale starts to move again, that's good.

[Afro_Cyster 74]

I am soooooooooo grateful for this particular post. I get 400-600 cals a day and thought it was a bit too low. But I'm glad to know that others experience this as well. I focus on Protein (I couldn't stand the taste of Protein drinks post-op) and experimenting with new recipes that are within my comfort zone (I'm not much of an explorer when it comes to new foods).

I've been stalled for the last week and a half, but haven't freaked yet because you wonderful people warned me ahead of time. I meet with my PCP mid-February and hope that my nutrition efforts have been worthwhile. I'm not the type to work well with a regiment of Vitamins and pills -- I ALWAYS FORGET THOSE DARN THINGS!!!

I know that I'm kinda all of the place with this post, but I am so happy to see your responses.

[PdxMan 4,292]

At the beginning for me, it wasn't that I was aiming for 500 - 600 calories a day, it was all I could do to reach that. I had so much restriction that I could only eat 2 teaspoons of mushed tuna which would make me full for 2 hours. If I ate slider foods, I could eat more, but I felt confident I had enough reserves to supply me for awhile , so I avoided them.

I am amazed that you are able to not only eat a piece of pizza less than a month out, but that it is OK with your NUT to eat a piece of pizza, thin crust or whatever. WOW! I had a slice 3 nights ago and could only eat about 3/4 of it, and I am almost 7 months out. Do you eat lean Proteins? How is your restriction when eating them? My NUT had me on pureed Soups 1 month out, but as we all know, every NUT has their own plan and there seems to be hardly any consistency.

I'm guessing the info from Livestrong is for maintaining current weight, not dealing with weight loss.

This is definately not a race, in my opinion. You should eat and do what works for you. My only suggestion would be to make sure you are not sabbotaging yourself by not following your team's plans for you. If they say you can drink with your meal, then fine, but know that you can probably eat more than those who don't. If they say to eat pizza, then go for it, but know that your loss may be slower than those who don't. You will still lose eating 1,200 calories a day and lose faster if you are able to exercise daily.

[jewelwithin 13]

LoserMama & PDX man -- some really good points here, thank you. There may be something to that "window of opportunity," because I have read that at least from anecdotal "research" some people start to get more appetite back down the road. And yes -- caught in the act -- I really shouldn't be eating pizza but gave it a try very, very slowly and did OK. The slow eating and chewing thoroughly makes all the difference! That said, pizza isn't very low on the fat side, and so I am watching that more with my Protein. One of my favorite high-protein lunches is a mini noodle Campbell's Soup at hand doctored up with the powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury chicken flavored Protein (21 g for the scoop). The down side of that is the sodium content, and who knows, that may be making me hold on to more Water.

Interestingly enough, when I look over my day-by-day I see that when I was doing full liquids I would rack up MORE calories than now when I have moved to more solid food. I'm taking it slow and watching what my new tummy does and doesn't like right now, but I think that bit of solid food has made me feel full longer and typically with fewer calories than a Protein Drink.

One other question: How much do you think your sleeve holds? I ask because I can "eat" the whole Soup at hand I referenced earlier and it's just shy of 11 ounces. At that point I am FULL, not sickly so, just don't-want-to-eat-another-bite full. When I listen to folks say they're full after a couple of spoonfuls (like what you said, PDX), I wonder if my doc left my sleeve a bit on the larger side?

Exercise is coming back: Had not yet completed a full 60 min boot camp class...could only make it through about 40 minutes before feeling like I was going to heave. But today I did it!! So I'm sitting here with a great feeling about that because I have felt that my energy isn't 100% yet.

[LindaS 316]

Why wouldn't reduced calories and increased exercise work the same way after the sleeve as it would before (well, when I was able to stick to a reduced calorie diet that is!! ; )

It sounds like it is working just like it did before, which for me was that it didn't work. I have never been able to get the calories in/calories out thing to equal weight loss. For me, 3500 calories less does not and never has equaled one pound loss. But it seems like 200 calories plus has always pretty much equaled 2 pounds gained. It's not fair, but it never has seemed like the math involved in calculating weight loss actually works.

[FishingNurse 1,210]

I have been eating AT LEAST 1200 cals a day since 2 months out and I have lost 70lbs post op in 5 months and I'm 20 from goal. :-)

[PdxMan 4,292]

Eating Soups, mushies or other foods with high liquids is going to allow your pyloric valve to open up allowing more food to be put into your tummy. When you eat dense Proteins, just the opposite happens. The valve stays closed and you feel the restriction. This is one of the reasons why you shouldn't drink while you eat.

Since you are eating pizza, you should be able to eat dense Protein. Give that a try and see how much you can eat, but don't overdo it. Your sleeve is still healing ...

[Caitlyn_Cat 7]

It is also a good habit to start regular measurements of waist, hip, bust, arms, thighs. It is very common amongst us to see lost inches even if the pounds have stalled. I measure monthly and have kept a spreadsheet since surgery 10 months ago. The change is amazing.

Along with calories, I cannot emphasize enough that exercise is just as important. You do not want your body to be convinced it is in starvation mode with only 600-700 calories a day coming in. Regular exercise of whatever form you find works for you will help keep up the metabolism and help for muscles mass, and muscles= more calories burned per weight compared to fat.

[Talia0406 0]

I had my surgery on December 13. A couple of weeks after, my weight loss slowed down and then stopped. I thought it was just a plateau (I was still losing inches), but when I started charting what I was eating, I realized I was eating too many calories and carbohydrates. I was told the eating rule of thumb for the first 1-2 years after surgery is:

600-800 calories/day

70g of protein/day

No more than 40g of carbohydrates/day

When I began to stick to those guidelines, I started losing big time. You should be able to increase to 1000-1200 calories/day when you get to the maintenance stage. I hope that helps.

[jewelwithin 13]

Sleeveofsteel (love the name, but the way!): That is SO encouraging, especially because we are the same height and have roughly the same goal weight it seems from your ticker.

Caitlyn -- Very good point, and I did mention to a friend last night that I have noticed my pants fitting differently. With the boot camp I go to there is a mix of cardio, interval training, and strength/core work. Chances are there is at least a little muscle coming on board...a good thing!

PDXman: That is the BEST explanation I've received for why you can't drink & eat at the same time, which I haven't been. Still, I wondered why...and now I know! in light of all this great discussion, I am trying to be much more careful with carb vs. Protein intake. And you're right, sleeve is fine with meat -- just had two turkey slices rolled up with a 1/2 a slice of cheese inside...yum!

[jewelwithin 13]

I'm just curious after reading Sleeveofsteel's post...how many of you ate in the range of 1,200 calories a day post-op and lost weight?

AND...for those of you that have hit goal -- what is your typical caloric intake now?

[FishingNurse 1,210]

I'm just curious after reading Sleeveofsteel's post...how many of you ate in the range of 1,200 calories a day post-op and lost weight?

AND...for those of you that have hit goal -- what is your typical caloric intake now?

I even had my resting metabolic rate tested at lifetime fitness. I work with a RD and a personal trainer regarding this. I was told never to go under 1200 calories or my body will go in to starvation mode and my metabolism will slow way down-- I used to eat 3500-4000 calories a day preop when I was weighing 255 for most my adult life. 1200 is not a lot. No way will I eat 600 calories a day to lose weight faster. I will make goal and Its okay if it takes me another 6 months to lose those 20lbs.

[PdxMan 4,292]

I eat somewhere in the 1,400-1,600 calorie range, I believe. I just started tracking since I am starting training for a half-marathon this summer. I have been running a lot lately and have been working at getting my intake up, since on my average run, I burn over 500 calories, so, net, I'm in the 1,200 range, I guess. I also have been lifting weights, so my loss has been stablizing, but now that I have started this new running program, I'm guessing I will be back to losing again.

My original goal was 200# and I have since reset it 180 as I still do have some noticable fat. I'm not too concerned about a number, though. My pants fit looser than they did a month ago, but I had a gain, so ...

Bottom line is I feel great and I can keep up with my kids, now. That is what I really wanted from my sleeve.

[jewelwithin 13]

Steel sleeve -- thank you...I keep looking over your numbers since I am 5'4" with a starting pre-op weight of 245, and wearing 20/22 and 1X-3X tops depending on the maker. What tremendous progress you've made!! Congrats, congrats!! Because of our size "similarities," you're an inspiration to me. To shop for a 12 and regular size tops is a dream...can't WAIT to be able to shop for what I really like rather than being forced to select from the few things that will fit and hide what needs to be hidden. Good luck on you last 20.

PDXMan -- Thank you for the info. Now I know all people are different, and we all know that men and women tend to lose weight differently, but still wanted to ask: Do you know offhand if you regularly go over your typical 1200-1400 if you will start gaining? Good luck on your training...a marathon...WOW, wow...

[PdxMan 4,292]

Well, the bottom line is calories consumed vs calories burned.

This is my understanding of it based on my research. Please correct me if what I type here is inaccurate

Let's talk about calories for a second. A calorie is a unit of energy. 1 gram of carbs^{(Error here, meant to say fat)} will give you 9 units of that energy. 1 gram of Protein will give you 4 units of that energy. Your body will convert that to glycogen and use it, whether that be for running or sitting on the couch breathing. You are always consuming energy and that is different for everybody. SoS mentioned the resting metabolic rate, Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). That is the energy your body requires ... well ... resting.

If you have more of these energy units (calories) than your body needs, the body will store them first in your liver and then out to your body as visceral or subcutaneous fat. (Fancy way of saying fat deep in your organs or just underneath your skin) If you don't have enough, then your body will tap the liver (hence the pre-op diet) and then tap the reserves stored in your body (visceral/subcutaneous/muscle ... yup, muscle is a candidate ... remember, 4 units of energy)

It is widely accepted that 3,500 calories make up a pound. Burn 3,500, you lose a pound, consume an additional 3,500, you gain a pound.

http://www.caloriesp...orial_pound.php

OK, so what does this mean? Calories consumed vs Calories burned. For our purposes, here, we'll say I consume 1,400 calories/day.

Let's say my BMR is 700 and I am moderately active through the day walking to the mailbox and such. We'll say I burn an additional 500 calories doing that for a total daily burn of 1,200 calories. So, I have an overage of 200 calories/day which, if I continue like this, I will gain 1 pound in 3,500/200 = 17.5 days.

If my BMR is higher ... this changes. If I increase my activity and burn 1,000 calories/day, then I lose.

So, with this out of the way, to your question. If I typically eat 1,200-1,400 calories per day will I start gaining ... for me, I doubt it. As far as BMR goes, there are theories out there that say the more fit you get, the higher this number becomes. I am WAY more fit than I was 7 months ago. I broke a hard sweat going up the stairs at a basketball game, for crying out loud! So, I have to believe I have improved my BMR. I don't work out everyday, but I do most days and they are pretty rigorous. Running 3-5 miles at a pretty good pace (under 9 minute miles) and keeping up with the instructor for the Spinning and Tabata classes, plus lifting weights 3x a week. Averaging it all out, I'm probably burning at least an additional 500-600 calories daily. This activity allows me to eat more and still lose. But, again, notice in my signature, I did not lose this past month, but actually gained .5 pounds, but I do attribute that to my weight lifting efforts. My jeans are looser than they were a month ago, so I know my fat deposits are reducing.

So, for you, can you eat 1,200 - 1,400 calories a day and still lose? I don't know. I don't know what your BMR is and your activity level. Getting your BMR calculated accurately is an expensive proposition, though, if I am not mistaken. I used to have the BodyBugg which told me, with 90% accuracy, the number of calories I burned daily. Perhaps something like that might help you determine how many calories you can each each day.

I hope this answers your question, and before the firestorm rages, please just know this is my opinion based on my research. Nutrition is a highly debated topic. I know. But this understanding of how things work does work for me. If it doesn't work for you, that is OK.