How Many Calories Do You Consume On An AVERAGE Day?

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

Having the right amount of a fill has made a huge difference for me. Now I am struggling to get my Protein in. I have lost 5 lbs since I got that fill, less than a week ago.

By the way, what kind of fat free cheese is good? I eat the string cheese, but they are low fat, not fat free.

[adorable 1]

Adorable,

we are in the same boat. I had my surgery done 4/30 and have gone from 296.5 to 280 - 281.5 (about 15 lbs) Although I am happy with the total weight loss I am still frustrated, like you are, that I haven't seen any significant loss in over a week. My goal was 20 lbs in the first month post op).

I am eating no more than 600 - 900 calories a day. A shake for Breakfast and another for lunch with some chicken or fish and vegs for dinner. sugar free Jello or broth to stop the hunger. I am drinking 4 x 16 oz Water every day.

So my plan like yours is to kick in some exercise. I am going to my doctor tomorrow for the 30 day check up and hopefully for a fill that will give me some restriction.

Hang in there for a few more days and I'm sure you will see some loss. I am tracking my food intake on FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal, it seems to help me stay focused. Although my scales are telling me there is no loss my head is telling me that it has to show up real soon because I have changed my eating habits.

Please post if you have a pound or two loss. I'm sure there are many people out there just like us who would be encouraged by knowing you have gotten over this early plateau.

ahem....well I had my first fill on 6/4 (2 weeks ago) and I still feel no restriction. I've lost 2-3 lbs since my fill in the past 2 weeks. I think I'm doing something wrong. I'm getting my water and Protein in...my calories are between 800-1100 calories a day at the most, and I'm more active than I used to be....I think I need another fill....

[anniemac 0]

Adorable,

you may need another fill but try to cut the calories first. It really worked for me. I also find that keeping things really simple helps me. I have an Atkins shake at 8am and another 4 hours later at 12 noon. That way I do not put myself in danger of larger portions. Most evenings I have another shake. (I have a husband and 4 kids, a full time job etc etc etc). When I make dinner for the family I keep handy a measure for two tablespoons (1/8 cup) and if I want to eat what they are eating I limit myself. Plan to suceed by having sugar free Jello, ice pops and broth at home. I also keep sliced chicken or turkey for a snack at 60 cals a portion. There is no secret to losing - the carbs are the focus for me. I wish I had started this weight loss plan years ago. I have spent 10 years focusing on low fat. All I did was gain.

I also have bought several books and I am educating myself on carbs and weight loss/gain.

Also...I have a goal sheet that takes me through the end of the year losing 3 lbs a week.

You are so close to being under 200 that I know you can get there if you really try. I challenge you to get under 200 by September 1. Can you see yourself in a smaller size. Not having to shop in the Plus dept?

Get that picture in your mind and you'll be able to do it.

Are you adding up everything? Remember if you only cheat one day a week that adds up to 52 days a year which is almost two months of cheating. In two months you could lose 25 lbs.

I can tell by your posts that you really want this. You go for it girl - you've already lost weight so you know you can do it.

Good luck, I'm getting off the soap box now.

Ann

[Big Monkey 0]

I eat between 700-1000 calories a day. No reason for that number, just foods I like and i get full pretty quickly.

Some things I've read about weight loss:

Multiply each pound you weigh currently by 100. That's about how many calories you should be eating to maintain your current body weight. A safe way to lose some pounds is to cut your calories by about 10-15%. Slowly and gradually losing weight until you meet your goal. Along the way, hopefully you'll try new foods that are better for you, healthier, and fill you up more instead of junk.

Personally, I'm eating a lot less calories than is recommended to cut out, but that's only because I'm banded and filled.

Here's some of the foods I enjoy:

Breakfast:

oatmeal - half a cup of oatmeal cooked with Water in the microwave = 150 calories. I add a couple of Splenda packets and sometimes some strawberries or blueberries. It tastes good. I also bought some Sturm's whole grain oatmeal (Cranberry flavor is pretty tasty) and that has about 120 calories per packet...also made with Water.< /p>

Other times I'll microwave an egg(scrambled) and get a piece of Pepperidge Farm's 100% whole wheat bread. 170 calories for both.

On the weekends when I can cook at home in the morning, I make some egg white omelettes(sp?.) A cup of egg whites is about 4 eggs. I use about 3/4 cups of the stuff, add in some diced tomatoes, spinach sometimes, onions, and sprinkle a little salsa on it and have myself an awesome omelette. It tastes great. Less than 200 calories for the whole thing! I'm thinking of buying some ground turkey and try adding some of that in there. I used to love eating ground beef and egg tacos or sandwiches in the morning. I wouldn't be able to finish it with bread or a tortilla, but I bet I could pass the ground turkey. Yum.

Lunch: Microwaveable Soups. I buy those 2 cup servings of Progresso, Campbell's/Campbell's Chunky, and my favorite is Healthy Choice because they're low in sodium. 2 cup serving of Healthy Choice Country Vegetable Soup is 200 calories.

Starkist tuna salad lunch kit is 210 calories total. It's pretty good too. I like mayo and relish in my tuna. The crackers are meh. I like melba toast better, but whatever.

Dinner: A can of Campbell's Chunky Beef Barley Soup is 340 calories.

Sam's Club sells these potstickers. 6 of those are 240 calories. Comes with some yummy sauce too.

I love chicken wings, so now and then I'll have 4-9 chicken wing drummettes with no skin. I guess it's more like 2-4 whole wings? I dunno. I don't know how many calories those are, but I'm guessing probably between 200-400 calories. As long as I don't eat the skin, I eat till I'm full because I love them and their mainly Protein.

Snacks: Celery with Peanut Butter is sooo good! I never tried this before my surgery. I buy Nature's Own Natural Peanut Butter (with Omega 3) and have about 3-4 celery sticks with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter (about 170 calories of healthy fats) around 30-45 minutes before I go to bed. It's delicious.

I've also learned to love fruit and fat free cottage cheese. The cheese has about as much flavor as air, so I always add Splenda. Half of cup of cottage cheese is 70 calories, and full of Protein. Each strawberry is about 8-10 calories, each blueberrie about 1-1.5. I add 6-9 strawberries and 20-25 blueberries and go nuts. It's very good too.

Planters make a brand called NUT-rition mixed nuts. It's got a South Beach diet label on it or whatever, but it's healthy and I love the variety of nuts in there. I buy those regularly and some almonds too.

Apples, Grapefruit (I can only eat it with Splenda, it tastes too bitter alone), and Oranges are other fruits I enjoy by themselves.

If you like carrots and can eat them without ranch dressing, or very little, then that is also a great snack. Personally, I love to drown them in dressing so I try to stay away from them.

[adorable 1]

Adorable,

you may need another fill but try to cut the calories first. It really worked for me. I also find that keeping things really simple helps me. I have an Atkins shake at 8am and another 4 hours later at 12 noon. That way I do not put myself in danger of larger portions. Most evenings I have another shake. (I have a husband and 4 kids, a full time job etc etc etc). When I make dinner for the family I keep handy a measure for two tablespoons (1/8 cup) and if I want to eat what they are eating I limit myself. Plan to suceed by having sugar free Jello, ice pops and broth at home. I also keep sliced chicken or turkey for a snack at 60 cals a portion. There is no secret to losing - the carbs are the focus for me. I wish I had started this weight loss plan years ago. I have spent 10 years focusing on low fat. All I did was gain.

I also have bought several books and I am educating myself on carbs and weight loss/gain.

Also...I have a goal sheet that takes me through the end of the year losing 3 lbs a week.

You are so close to being under 200 that I know you can get there if you really try. I challenge you to get under 200 by September 1. Can you see yourself in a smaller size. Not having to shop in the Plus dept?

Get that picture in your mind and you'll be able to do it.

Are you adding up everything? Remember if you only cheat one day a week that adds up to 52 days a year which is almost two months of cheating. In two months you could lose 25 lbs.

I can tell by your posts that you really want this. You go for it girl - you've already lost weight so you know you can do it.

Good luck, I'm getting off the soap box now.

Ann

Wow that post was inspirational! Thank you so much ann! you're right...my problem is that I eat and i dont realize my portions i guess. then i end up staying the same weight. i'm going to buy some Protein shakes to have for breakfast and lunch....and i'll do cottage cheese or something with substance for dinner. if you don't mind me asking, how do you get your Protein in? i've tried a few of the Protein drinks and i about gag! the only one that i can handle only has about 15g of protein...it's the carnation breakfast drink. any other ideas??

thanks again,

Denise

[tztmama 0]

I voted 1000-1200 but am not losing weight at that amount. I had gone down to 142 but am up to 152 )-: And I'm having my TT in 3 wks. Problem is that even though I am on the elliptical 5- 6 days a wk for 30 min, I don't lose unless I eat around 800 cals a day and right now if I get a fill, I'm painfully too tight. Where I am, I'm mostly too loose. I can't get the sweet spot to save my life.

[cmaiorano 0]

I have lost 70 lbs. from 3/5/07 I intake approx 800 to 1000 calories per day.

[Big Monkey 0]

I voted 1000-1200 but am not losing weight at that amount. I had gone down to 142 but am up to 152 )-: And I'm having my TT in 3 wks. Problem is that even though I am on the elliptical 5- 6 days a wk for 30 min, I don't lose unless I eat around 800 cals a day and right now if I get a fill, I'm painfully too tight. Where I am, I'm mostly too loose. I can't get the sweet spot to save my life.

We may be able to help.

What kind of foods are you eating to make those 1200 calories up and when do you eat them? How many meals a day? Do you eat before bed?

If you're tracking your foods or have a good memory. List a couple of examples of how a normal day goes for you with respect to food intake. Don't leave anything out

[peaches9 3]

I eat 1000- 1200 calories per day.

I track stuff on SPARKPEOPLE.com - it tracks Protien, Sodium, Carbs, Fats and Calories.. whatever you wish. has many recipes too

It is an awesome FREE site, includes excersise tracker too and much useful info

[allwright 0]

I'm at 800-1000 cal a day. I have had 3 fills and am just not hungry...hope it stays that way!

[kacee 3]

Things have kindof come to a crashing halt. I have been sitting at 24 pounds down from original now for about two weeks. In looking at my stats on FitDay (got the software) I see that I did NOT lose weight, or gained, when I went about 1000 cal. Around 700-800 I lost. It was VERY evident in the graph, so I've cut down considerably and anticipate some loss. Had my last fill 6-27 and I am finding I can eat a LOT right now, and am thinking about food a lot....bad sign. Need to get in for a "top off" I think...

[pamla68 1]

I do good to get between 800-1000 a day. I'm certain this will change as my band gets older. Only a month out.

[Betsyjane 2]

I went to the first Spivak support group and the 3 moderators, who were at goal weight, say they eat around 600 calories a day. To me, that sounds like it's unhealthy. Does anybody know if because of our morbid obesity,we are so efficient at processing food that 600 calories will actually sustain us? Even 800 calories.....Doesn't that seem unhealthy too? Actually, I'm thinking of doing it, if someone can tell me that that makes nutritional sense....

[JulieNYC 4]

The nutritionist at my doc's office flat out told me to eat no more than 800 cals/day for the best results. She said the MO have plenty of fuel in storage (fat) and that as long as we get enough Protein, vits & mins, which can be done on 800 cals if very good choices are made, it's not an issue of whether we can be sustained, as, again we have the fuel on board. She is a firm believer in calories in versus calories out, and does not believe in the so-called "starvation mode," though that is quite the controversial topic (you might want to do a search on it, if you're interested as it's been often discussed).

I wasn't able to be satisfied on 800 cals/day. I eat about 900-1000 and that works really well for me, most days. My suggestion would be to try out different caloric intakes and see how you feel. Then you can decide how rapidly you want to approach this, or whether you need a lifestyle that is more balanced, but with a slightly slower loss.

[Jachut 487]

I went to the first Spivak support group and the 3 moderators, who were at goal weight, say they eat around 600 calories a day. To me, that sounds like it's unhealthy. Does anybody know if because of our morbid obesity,we are so efficient at processing food that 600 calories will actually sustain us? Even 800 calories.....Doesn't that seem unhealthy too? Actually, I'm thinking of doing it, if someone can tell me that that makes nutritional sense....

IMO that's just utterly ridiculous. That is no way to live. If you have to eat 600 calories jsut to MAINTAIN then something is wrong. That is not normal.

People may not believe in starvation mode, I'm not sure I do either but you see it time and time again. Lose weight fast on tiny calories and you'll never be able to eat a normal diet again without gaining. You lose all your lean body mass and lower your metabolism permanently.

I lost well on 1500 a day, but I can accept that many people need to eat less than that, even when they do exercise. But if you're eating 600 only and that's to maintain, then either you need to move a whole lot more or something is wrong with your body. Normal women need 1800 to 2000 to maintain their weight. Previously obese women may need less. But 600????