1200 calories

[Amy373 56]

I see that so many people eat under 1000. I'm six weeks out and hit right about 1200 everyday. And work out to equal at least 500 calories a day up to 1000.

[shelly75 35]

I'm at about the same, 9 weeks out. I've been eating around 1200 calories per day for a while now.That is what my nutritionist said to do, so I aimed for it. To me 1200 was the goal, I have to

stay at 1200 as long as I want to lose weight. She didn't exactly give me the number of calories, but the meal plan she has for me equals about 1200 calories, so I guess you're right on target.

[playlikeworldchamps 595]

I went to 1300 cals a day at 8 weeks out. I lost most of my weight at that level. I am 5-10 so that helps. I also did not exercise more that a walk about 2-3 times a week. From 8 weeks to 6 months I averaged 2 lbs a week. At that point I averaged about a lb a week until 9 months. Then I added a lot of exercise and even personal training and lost about 0.8 a week for months 9-15. I am a believer that it is a good idea to get up to 1200 as soon as you can (and reduce sugar carbs as much as possible) so that you aren't stuck with a 800 cal a day diet for the long term. Sure less calories may make it come off faster but sometimes I wonder if it messes with the metabolism and also causes potential deficiencies. So go for 1200 healthy calories. You will still lose at that level and it is a lot easier than 800 if you can get 1200 in. Some people never can because they have so much restriction.

I am gradually adding 50 cals more a day a week at a time as I ease into maintenance. I am still losing though at 1400 a day but I am exercising 4 times a week. Also if my sugar grams stay low (< 25g added sugar) I lose. This morning I was at my lowest weight in over 23 years 185.6. I can't believe it. I am under my goal of 187.

So I am an example that you don't have to stay at 800 to lose or kill yourself exercising. But we are all different so see what works for you. And above all make whatever calories you consume quality calories. Protein first!

[ProudGrammy 8,322]

many people eat under 1000. six weeks 1200 everyday

@@Amy373

at 6 weeks, my NUT had me on 600 calories

always listen to YOUR NUT/surgeon

they are the go to words of wisdom

"one thing we all have in common is that we're all different"

keep up the great job that i'm sure you are doing

good luck

kathy

Edited June 13, 2014 by proudgrammy

[Unhappysleever 39]

Amy, Shelley and playlikeworldchamps, can you give us an example of your daily menus?.?.

[shelly75 35]

This is what my day looks like

Breakfast : Bowl of Special K Protein Cereal (3/4 cup of Cereal with 1/2 cup milk)

lunch : 2 oz red meat (I don't tolerate chicken that well anymore, when I do have some I can only get in 1 oz and I start to gag)

1/2 cup mashed potatoes and a few carrots

snack : 1/2 cup cottage cheese

Supper : Same as lunch, I sometimes have Pasta, but very rarely. If I do, I'll have about 3/4 cup (spaghetti and sauce together)

Snack : 1/2 cup cottage cheese

I drink 1.5 liters of Water a day and sometimes will drink a little milk, maybe 1/2 cup a day. I will also try to eat one fruit a day,

depending on when I'm hungry. No juice and no Protein shake, my surgeon and nutritionist are against those for some reason,

that is why I rely on cottage cheese, I get 15 grams of Protein in 1/2 cup.

If I add it up, it's about 1100 calories a day. I'll switch it up sometimes and have greek yogurt instead of cottage cheese, but my calories are pretty much always between 1000 and 1200 and I have lost 43 lbs in 2 months. Hope this helps.

[playlikeworldchamps 595]

I am nearing maintenance now so I may be more lenient than the full on losing phase but you can friend me on myfitnesspal and see all my diary going back to my surgery in March 13 2013. For the first 9 months I did not exercise as much as I do now so I get to eat more now. But I've been at 1300 net calories since 2 months out. Now going up to 1400 as I see what works to maintain. My loses are so slow though it will take a while to see what is the right number.

I snapped some screen shots from my diary below. My ID on MFP is kenmj11

As always your mileage may vary and your surgeon/nutritionist may have other ideas!

[Bob2013 326]

Everyone always puts the "We are all different" quote into these posts. While that may be true in many aspects, it is more of a scapegoat to move away from the program. The facts of WLS is most of the weight is lost during the initial 6-12 months. After that it slows, even if you stick with the program. The basis of the diets we are prescribed are a consensus among hundreds or more WLS specialists around the world who deal with thousands upon thousands of patients. Moving away from the recommendations we are given can be a recipe for failure for the majority. Not that it cant or wont work for some people, but more for the fact of it starting a trend that can eventually start a downward spiral and put us back to where we started. This is pretty much a one shot deal. If you mess it up it can be the end of the last chance.

Now with that said, if you are really kicking it with the workouts, and I mean kicking it hard, then you have room to increase your calorie intake. But please dont think that a mile or two walk a day gives you the room to add 500+ calories to the 800 that was recommended by your surgeon. That 800 calorie diet includes a moderate workout.

Sorry for being harsh but alot of people here seem to put the kid gloves on when responding to posts. This is a serious journey we have all started on and many people see the "We are all different" and think "well yes I must be one of those different people" and move away from what is recommended only to fail. dont take a chance on failing. Keep with the prescribed program as much as possible. Once you move away from it it can be very hard to get back.

[missannw 4]

Aaaaand if the guidelines you get are 1100 cals as mine were then you follow those. This is def one if those things that making figuring out what to do after surgery a little crazier!

3+ years out and maintaining 105 lb loss. ☺️

[playlikeworldchamps 595]

My surgeons office did not prescribe a program. Just said eat Protein first. After 2 months I asked the nutritionist if I could go to 1300 cals a day and she said yes. Others at the same surgeon still stick to 800. So talk to your NUT if you want to but even in the same practice people will need to make the program work for them and customize it. I never got much guidance except eat Protein first, and 5-6 meals a day.

It was up to me to figure out the make up of those calories and how to lose at that calorie rate. It is true that the fastest weight loss is the first 6-12 months but the weight loss phase can be as long as we need it to be if we have patience. I have seen people who lose all their weight in 4-6 months and then struggle with maintenance because they did not have the time to adjust to new eating habits and they still need to use shakes and 800 cals a day to just maintain. Each surgeon is different and each surgeons patient is different and so people need to find what works for them. It's not an excuse to indulge, it is a way to understand your own metabolism and know what works and what doesn't so we can keep the weight off in the long run.

[bikrchk 1,313]

I think it depends on whether you're getting the results you want. I've been eating 1000-1200 calories per day and exercising 500-600 calories 5 days per week since around month 3 or 4. My weight loss has been slow and steady pretty much the entire time. I eat what I like, including small treats and occasionally, alcohol. I'm 5 pounds from goal and loving my new lifestyle. At the rate I'm going, I expect I'll go below my pre-defined goal of 145, maybe as low as 135, (an even 100 pounds loss) but I doubt seriously that I'll settle there. If I do, I do, but I feel\look fine now and I'll feel fine at 145 in 5 pounds. Wherever I "land" I'll set a 5 pound range on either side of it and focus on maintaining that range. I feel like I've set myself up for a maintenance calorie goal of 1250-1300 which seems like a lot to me right now, but I'm sure I'll find a way to adjust. :-)

[AR40 88]

I was never given a calorie amount either and I won't see my doctor until August , so how do I know if I'm doing the right thing? My loss is slow but steady. I was sleeved 5/5 and have lost about 25lbs

[MichiganChic 3,262]

I was expected to eat under 600 calories for the first few months, up to 800 for the duration of weight loss. I pretty much did that, and I learned that I don't lose very well if I eat over 800-900 calories. I would have never known that without the sleeve. I eat around 1100-1200 now, and the last few pounds are coming off very slowly at 18 months.