HOW many calories?!?!

[Kindle 8,667]

In reply to Kindle you had gastric sleeve. Different ball game than lap band. Glad to hear that you can eat what what you want. Most people would have all sorts of trouble trying to eat as you do. Lucky for you.

Sorry, this was posted in the General Weight Loss Surgery Forum. Didn't notice it was a lap bander discussion. You're right, your meal plans are probably different. But good luck to everyone. "Make it work" (ok, so I watch Project Runway )

[JustWatchMe 7,117]

No I posted this here on purpose. All discussion is welcome, and I have a big curiosity about what other WLS patients eat.

I just assumed that sleevers and RNY patients also kept track of calories, but maybe that's not true. At any rate I'm still in weight-loss stage, so I am tracking because I was advised by my surgeon to keep my calories to a certain number.

And most of the time, I do check MyFitnessPal before I eat something. But sometimes, I think something is going to be "healthy", only to find out later that it had more calories than a Whopper!

[terrydumont46 1,954]

i had several the first one was Protein drinks. my Protein is 100 calories but i was mixing it with skim milk adding 110 calories to my shake. now i am more careful what i mix my shake with. the other was salmon. until i got the scale that records all the stuff i ate salmon 3-4 times a week. it has as many calories as a regular steak. my doctor reassured me the fat in salmon is good stuff so don't worry about it. but i switched to tilapia which has 110 calories and the thickness or slimness is all good with me. but fresh salmon is something i can't resist. my neighbors and family go salmon fishing and i get my share. yea

[vincereautmori 323]

No I posted this here on purpose. All discussion is welcome, and I have a big curiosity about what other WLS patients eat.

I just assumed that sleevers and RNY patients also kept track of calories, but maybe that's not true. At any rate I'm still in weight-loss stage, so I am tracking because I was advised by my surgeon to keep my calories to a certain number.

And most of the time, I do check MyFitnessPal before I eat something. But sometimes, I think something is going to be "healthy", only to find out later that it had more calories than a Whopper!

There seems to be many variations of diets to follow after surgery, no matter the method (VSG, RNY, LB), my NUT told us not to worry about calories yet. In the early stages she was primarily concerned with Protein and Water, just getting enough of that down is tough enough. One thing that I reflect on, and I suggest as a stark reminder of our dietary habits from before surgery, honestly calculate a week of eating from before, the calories, the fats, the carbs, the Protein. Mine, I was averaging 3,000- 4,000 calories/day, and I could hit days that fats were over 40% of my calories and carbs hit highs of 60%. I'm only 6 weeks out from surgery, my calorie intake is 700-800 cal/day, eventually I guess I'll try to double that by the end of the year, I know I have to be vigilant of the calories and I keep a record of them, but I'm not currently concerned with them since I'm so far from the danger zone.

[scrapbasket 83]

salmon is so much better for you than tilapia. tilapia is farm raised and I hear they feed them junk. your body knows the difference. when a craving is healthy, go with it. I wish I could come over your house for some fresh caught salmon. love sara

[Bandista 7,466]

I was a professional dieter for decades -- some one recently said something about being a walking talking calculator of calories, WW points, fats, carbs, etc. I really identified with that and, for me, it's been a year of unlearning that behavior as it was messing too much with my head. Now I am eating to satiety and listening to my body rather than counting, but that's only because I still have that deprivation reflex going on and I have a good nutritional base -- the food I love is wholesome, "good" food. My only rule is to eat when I'm hungry and not eat when I'm not hungry. I did have extra food this weekend as it was my birthday. I stay away from breads, Pasta, rice, etc. but I did have a small piece of tart two days in a row and a bite of flour less chocolate cake. And cheese, my weakness. One of my birthday cards said, "what a friend we have in cheeses." Cracks me up! So even though I overdid it a bit I know there was a part of my brain tallying it all up. Just Watch Me, I loved what you said about the forty almonds -- so easy to get carried away with nuts. To answer your original question, juice. I was adding a splash of lemonade or limeade into my cocktail rather than the Water with unsweetened cranberry and aloe that I usually drink. We bought several cartons of limeade for a BBQ we canceled and I started in on it a bit at a time. No HFCS but, still, sugar. I was pretty surprised by how many totally useless calories I was introducing that way. No more of that. And no more of the using stuff up mentality.....I was such a finisher. Do not need to finish what's taking up room in the fridge! Don't need to finish anything.

Sorry for the long post -- just wanted to chime in as a bander who is not counting anything.......left that behind in the operating room. But you who are, good for you! We all have our own histories with food and how we got where we are. Point is there are many ways of doing what we are doing -- choosing ourselves and our healthy futures first!

[par1959 470]

I cant talk for others, but after counting calories for a period I can look at what Im served and calculate the calories. I have found that some restraunts underestimate their calorie count on the menus. Just because its on the lite menu doesnt mean it is lite. For example, Shari's has a 3 egg denver omlet with the works hashbrowns, toast and lots of cheese at 530 calories. First off toast starts at 100 calories a slice without the butter. Cheese is about 100 cals per ounce, eggs in this case come in a 228 not including the oil they were cooked in. There is 500 cals and we havent got to the hash browns or ham. Luckly my sleeve only lets me eat about 1/2 the omlet and nothing else.

[winning_by_losing 107]

Almonds was the most surprising to me. I knew nuts in general were high, but for some reason I had been tricked into thinking Almonds weren't that bad.

After seeing that each one is 7 calories (that is of course the raw, unflavored ones), my jaw hit the floor.

Luckily I noticed after eating 3 of them, but even if you were to get the little tiny airplane size bag those have to be getting close to 300 calories. Yikes.

[hillgirly 228]

salmon is so much better for you than tilapia. tilapia is farm raised and I hear they feed them junk. your body knows the difference. when a craving is healthy, go with it. I wish I could come over your house for some fresh caught salmon. love sara

I don't really care for either one, but thought I'd throw in...a lot of fish are farm raised, but it doesn't matter where tilapia are, they eat junk. That's their place in the food chain..pretty much like catfish and others. They eat anything that is or ever was alive. That is why they are used for cleaning ponds. Thankfully given what they eat, it isn't reflected in the taste of their meat. Good luck everyone!

Edited September 29, 2014 by hillgirly

[finediva 979]

There is wild caught salmon, but it's seasonal and the cost per pound can start around $15 and go up from there; well unless you live in Alaska and can go catch it yourself. I love wild caught salmon and the taste is incomparable. I treat myself in the fall when it's available in my area for a few short months. You can also purchase wild caught shrimp.

[S(he) be(lie)ve(d) 151]

We gave up eating out completely. I don't usually count calories at home. There is a difference between the good and the bad calories/fat. I eat part of an avocado just about every day. They are really good for you, even though it is high in fat. But, it is the kind of fat you are putting into your body. On my 6 month supervised diet, I switched completely to eating a Paleo style diet. With the sleeve, it has made it incredibly easy to stick to it and eat the healthy foods that I need to keep my body healthy and lose the weight that I need to. Cut out the processed stuff. You really don't need it. Check it out! We've invested a lot into these little Bentley Tummies, feed them like the best possible nutrition you can.

[par1959 470]

If you pare the caveman diet (Paleo) with all the hunter gatherer exercise required to collect the food none of us would need the sleeve.

[vincereautmori 323]

If you pare the caveman diet (Paleo) with all the hunter gatherer exercise required to collect the food none of us would need the sleeve.

LOL. Right, if you have to chase your food down, you're not going to have a weight problem.

[F_it 101]

My biggest goof ups were definitely in the form of "salads".. Ahh what an optical illusion of a word that is! Rofl!

Before I got the band I was convinced that I ate "healthy and nutritious food" because whener we ate out I was all over the salad menu.. Oh, no steak for me thank you I'll just have a salad, I'd say with an almost smug look on my face.

Of course when a salad is loaded with breaded chicken/hard boiled eggs/potatoes/sauteed mushrooms/fried cauliflower/cheeeese or a combination of the above.. Not to mention the sinful dressings.. Holy honey mustard youre better off with a huge steak lmao!!

Of course now I am banded and aware of that silliness I avoid THOSE species of salads and stick to actual salads lol, homemade and elegant little portions of clean leafiness and a sprinkle of lime juice, spices and herbs for pops of refreshing zing. Yoghurt is my friend when I want a thicker saucy dressing. And tuna or a few thin slices of smoked salmon to make it a properly satisfying meal. I dont really count calories but aim for good choices and I stay aware in the back of my head of what choices are not worth the calories, and which choices ARE occasionally worth the calories. Everyone deserves a little treat now and then.. I do have a small piece of dark chocolate when I miss chocolate, but stay away from the calorie loaded mess that you get in say a snickers bar etc. and when Im craving ice cream, I make a very luxurious home made version.. That way I know the ingredients are top notch and by the time its done I'll have given my craving time to be sensible & satisfied with one little scoop :-)

Edited September 29, 2014 by F_it

[gowalking 10,790]

Shortly after I was banded and using myfitnesspal regularly, I plugged in an 'average' serviing of spaghetti and Tomato sauce. When I say average, I mean my pre-band average which was often half the box or more. To my horror, but not surprise, that was probably 2,000+ calories alone. I think I once plugged in a whole day of eating pre-band and saw that I often consumed 3,500 calories or more a day. No wonder I was morbidly obese. Sheesh.

Anyway, the second 'surprise' I got was when I started feeling more comfortable and was ready to eat out again, i checked the calorie count of the crab legs at Red Lobster. I figured as long as I stayed away from the drawn butter, I'd be OK. Well...no not really. The calories were not the problem as much as the sodium. I think they boil or steam the damn things in ocean Water, the sodium is so high. People forget about the sodium count. Water weight though it may be, it's still weight.

Now I'm more than 18 months out and I know what are good choices and what are not. I live in NYC and eating out isn't a treat, it's a way of life. But if you go to 'better' restaurants, you can get simple grilled fish and wonderful sides. I share alot these days and by doing that, I don't eat too much of anything which limits the damage.

Edited September 29, 2014 by gowalking