3 weeks out eating about 1200 cal/day

[kulita 243]

I'm 5'9"...I exercised 5-6 days per week its become somewhat of an addiction

I must have been confusing you with another person on here... Sorry for that. Like I wrote before, follow your NUT & Dr's guidelines and I am sure everyone on here will do fine. Each of our bodies work differently and has different needs.

[kulita 243]

^ my quote didn't work!!!! That post was for Janice

[itstheamarie 77]

Hey Mamamareli. Wow.....reading this thread and the comments has been depressing. There is a ton if misinformation being given here. Look, first of all, 1200 calories is not too much, but just make sure you're making the right food choices. If you're on full foods, then dense Protein and green veggies should be your staples. If you're still on mushies or liquids, sometimes you don't get the full feeling with those foods. As soon as you start eating things like chicken and beef, believe me you get full very quickly and you may not eat as much. If you're hungry alot, someone else mentioned a PPI. You should try one to make sure you're hunger isn't really stomach acid. After surgery the 2 feel very similar.

It also sounds like you were doing a pretty strong workout routine before. You likely have a higher metabolism than some people. Crossfit and weight lifting will definitely do that. If you plan to go back to that level of activity, you're gonna need those calories or you're gonna catabolize alot of muscle when you do. It doesn't matter how much Protein you eat, working out strenuously while eating 4-500 calories a day will catabolize muscle, so those calories will be necessary.

Finally, lets do the math. 1200 calories per day vs 800. That's a 400 calorie difference. Considering it takes a 3500 calorie deficit to lose 1 pound, that's 1 pound every 9 days that you won't be losing. Big deal. You will more than make up for that doing crossfit and strength training. And you'll be healthier, you'll maintain more lean body mass therefore maintaining your metabolism.

Everyone should read up on TDEE.

http://www.fitnessfr...calculator.html

Here's a calculator which is fairly accurate that gives you your daily energy expenditure in calories. I've had my basal metabolic rate measured with a fit test and these calculators are pretty close. A 30 year old woman who is 5'2" and weighs 200 pounds and workouts 4-5 times per week has an average daily caloric expenditure of 2500 calories per day. If you consistently eat 600-800 calories per day your body will slow down your calorie expenditure to match your low intake and halt your weight loss. I've seen it time and time again. People lose initially but eventually stall. As soon as they up their calories to a decent level, they start losing again.....and they have the energy to be active.

OMG thank you SO much for posting this!!!! I was about to pull my hair out with the misinformation being spread about needing to be on a VLCD (very low calorie diet) forever to lose/maintain. Anyone every question why there are a MILLION threads on here about stalling after eating low cal and working out like crazy? OUR BODIES GO INTO PANICK MODE AND HOLD ON TO WHAT WE HAVE. As my doctor told me regarding losing my menstrual cycle- evolution has taught our body to resist famine. Say what you want about starvation mode, but I am walking proof that our body will shut down natural processes (ovulation since we can't support a child) to resist famine. Many of us experience this before surgery, too (stalling at 1,2000 cal/day). The reason we regain + more wt after these diets is that we gave up and went back to our ways after losing weight (MUSCLE and fat), but have ruined our metabolism (less lean body mass = lower BMR). This happens with the sleeve, too- look at all the threads about regain as we slip into old ways. The good news is, you can reset your metabolism by eating at TDEE. This is something to think about in the long term, not immediately after surgery of course. VST is great for support, but there are other sources out there, too. Myfitnesspal has several groups such as "EatMore2WeighLess" and "Eat.Train.Progress" who can provide you with information for days along with success stories about people who eat at normal levels and maintain weight loss (long term, not week 3 post op). We have to realize that if we are doing things that we can't maintain for life, all the work and stress we're putting our bodies through could be in vain. Your success does not depend on your sleeve. It depends on the choices we make all day every day to be healthy or not. Lastly, be careful who you listen to (myself included)! There are countless books and papers on these subjects who are written by experts. There are trainers and registered dieticians who can help, too. If you are having success, keep up the hard work! If not, keep looking for what works for you, because everyone is going to give you a different answer.

[NMJG 1,266]

Personally, I can't lose weight at 1200 calories, I just maintain. I would talk to your nut if you are concerned. Also, do you log your food and exercise in MFP or something like that? Your net calories after exercise may be much lower than 1200. Do be careful as the first 6 months I believe are supposed to be your prime time to get the most amount of weight off. Also, WLS diets and regular diets are different, so be careful about using standard weightloss logic after getting your sleeve. Can you go to nut classes or workshops at your doctor's office?

[kulita 243]

I know that one calculator was posted but someone in the forum also posted this macro calculator to help determine caloric intake with exercise. it is pretty useful

http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

[ambalam 54]

I was sleeved 12/19/12 and am down 71 pounds. My doc says right now to be getting between 850-1000 calories.I struggle to get to 900, but that is my daily goal. I feel that as early out as we are that much calorie consumption can slow loss. Right now what works is the fact that we can take in so little and feel okay. But I do understand about wanting to have a properly functioning metabolism. I plan on keeping my calories at my docs goal and when the time is right, increasing calories to reset my metabolism. Please do discuss this with your doctor, you dont want to sabotage yourself. As for loose skin, mine isn't bad but its there. The more I workout the better it looks :-D Best wishes to you

[mamamareli 144]

Wow, what an interesting discussion. Both sides of the issue clear represented here.

For me, I believe it is ok to be a little on the higher side. I am very active and was so even before my surgery. I carry fat but I also carry a lot if muscle. When I had my body fat % done 1 year ago at 245 lbs, it was 28%. Not great, but a lot of women at that weight are at 50% body fat. So, I want to maintain my muscle while I lose the weight.

I think I can keep my calories around 1000/day now by watching that I do not drink

Too close to meals. This has been the hardest rule for me to follow.

I do intend to get back into the same level (or more) of exercise very soon. I was at the gym today doing light weight and easy spinning. Another big reason I want to lose is so I can exercise better/more. I was maxing out in crossfit at a place I wasn't happy with because of my weight. Btw, I do love crossfit and if you go to a good place, they will modify and work with you to get your strength/stamina up gradually. But you have to be the kind of person who really likes to push themselves, break sweat, even grunt sometimes while flipping tires and doing other crazy things. it ain't Zumba. (Nothing against Zumba of course, it looks like great fun and exercise but I have 2 left feet so it's not for me!)

Thanks to all who responded, especially those who posted medical information and links.

[Butterthebean 8,146]

Did someone say tire flipping?

[playlikeworldchamps 595]

at 3 weeks I was lucky to get in 500 because mostly liquid and very small amounts. but everyone's sleeve is different in what it can hold. my doctor never gave a calorie goal. however the office wants us to get Protein from real food not shakes as much as possible because solid food is where the restriction works. I was able to get upto 800 calories at 4-5 weeks and upto 1200 at about 8-9 weeks and that's where I'm staying. I eat about 5 times a day. I lose about 2-3 lbs a week with this regimen. I do minimum of 60-70 protein a day and try to keep sugar under 40 and overall carbs under 100. many here are more strict but I need to live this plan forever so that's how I work it.

[itstheamarie 77]

at 3 weeks I was lucky to get in 500 because mostly liquid and very small amounts. but everyone's sleeve is different in what it can hold. my doctor never gave a calorie goal. however the office wants us to get Protein from real food not shakes as much as possible because solid food is where the restriction works. I was able to get upto 800 calories at 4-5 weeks and upto 1200 at about 8-9 weeks and that's where I'm staying. I eat about 5 times a day. I lose about 2-3 lbs a week with this regimen. I do minimum of 60-70 protein a day and try to keep sugar under 40 and overall carbs under 100. many here are more strict but I need to live this plan forever so that's how I work it.

LOVE IT!! You're doing awesome!

[AmyL1352 9]

Awesome discussion. I found this thread after looking over what everyone's carb intake was. I'm beating myself up lately for consuming 75g a day. Sounds like this is ok.

Thanks Butter for putting in some great stuff. There was a lot of misinformation going on. There's one little one though that hasn't been addressed that I'd like to add:

If your sleeve was done correctly, meaning that the fundus portion of your stomach was removed, then your sleeve can not stretch. The fundus portion is the stretchy part of your stomach that gets taken out.

[iontash 25]

Well you've lost weight so if it works for you. You will probably have more success at 1,200 calories a day of lean healthy high Protein food than someone who does 500 a day of crap food.

highest weight = 228 DOS = 219 CW = 201 DOS was May 7th 2013

[K Lee 11]

If 1200 a day is working for you then keep it up. I do anywhere from 800 to 1100 cals a day and I have been losing consistently. Down 65 lbs in 13 weeks. It doesn't have to be super fast does it? where's the race? losing is losing and I didn't have the sleeve so I could "diet" for the rest of my life. I want to eat healthy and be healthy. I think 500 cals a day would make me feel like I am starving and deprived.