Calorie Intake

[SleevePerry 248]

I will be 6 weeks post-op this Tuesday. I saw my Doc on Friday and, while she was pleased with my Protein numbers (75-85g/day), she asked me to up my calories from 700/day to 1000/day.

I don't think I'll have an issue eating 1000 calories a day, but the number itself seems a little high for someone only 6 weeks out from surgery. I'm obviously going to follow my doctor's advice, but I also wanted to ask all of you how far out you are from surgery, and how many calories per day you are eating, or what your Doc recommends for you?

I am 5'6 and 216 pounds. I have lost 26 pounds since my surgery on 6/9. I'm moderately active, and exercise 3 days/week. I am trying to keep my net carbs (after Fiber intake) under 20g.

Thanks in advance!

Edited July 20, 2015 by SleevePerry

[MzB 297]

SleevePerry,

for my 6 week checkup I got similar advice and I think it is a doable goal. I am just a little bit further than you in my journey (2 months) and I have found that I can get 700 calories pretty easily. I strive for 800, but only get there occasionally. I have never gotten to 1000/day, but it is nice to know that I I shouldn't worry if I go above 800. Most of what I eat is Protein, I am still struggling to get in some good carbs.

I use MFP to track everything, but I focus on the nutrition numbers not the calories. I have even stopped reading them on the labels. Just look at carbs and Protein.

[SleevePerry 248]

@@MzB Thanks! I got to 950 calories yesterday, but I felt like I was eating way too much. I actually had to eat at 10pm to get those extra calories in. I'm also using MyFitnessPal, and am tracking all of my calories, Protein, carbs, sugar and fiber. Ideally, I'd like to shoot for 850 calories/day, but I'm torn between doing that and following my Doc's advice to the letter.

[ShrinkingPeach 1,291]

It makes total sense to fear an increase in calories. We have all overeaten our whole lives and now we are losing and someone says eat more. When have you heard that ...EVER? Did he also tell you what to increase your Protein to? If not speak to your nutritionist to map out a plan to increase your calorie intake wile preserving the weight loss. Good luck!!

[SleevePerry 248]

@@ShrinkingPeach Thanks for the reply!

Yeah, I was suprised when the surgeon told me my 700 calories were too low, especially since her own nurse had told me on my previous follow up appointment specifically to aim for 700 calories/day. The Doc liked my other numbers, Proteins, fat and carbs, she just wants me to bump the calories.

I'm more inclined to listen to the surgeon than I am the NUT. Although they are within the same practice, they both told me very conflicting things. The NUT is also a bit more carb happy than I would prefer to be. She's fine with sugars and starches in moderation, whereas I'm a bit more wary during this stage in my journey.

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

I was 400-600 until week 6 then I was 600 - 800. My calories stayed in the 750 -850 range until month 9. I am now allowed to go up to 1000. Some days I need it and other days I don't. Most days I still hoover between 850 - 950.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

I can tell you my experience:

My highest weight was 235. I lost almost 20 pounds pre-op (on my own diet and my surgeon's pre-op diet). Surgery day I weighed 216.

Month 1 I got up (finally) to almost 800 calories (was hitting closer to 500 most of that month).

Months 2-4 I ate 800 cals/day on average.

Months 5-6 (thanks to my bariatric PA's advice - who knows TONS of stuff about bariatric nutrition, more than my NUT, frankly) I gradually bumped up my cals to 1,000 cals/day.

Months 7-8 I gradually raised my daily cals to 1,200.

I hit my weight goal (150 pounds) 8.3 months post-op.

In the last 2.7 months I've been trying to hit 1,750 calories/day -- the calorie budget that my PA, my NUT, my exercise consultant and I all independently determined would be a good maintenance diet for me. That's pretty hard to do, and as a result I've lost another 6 pounds. However, I think that finally at 144 pounds the 1,750 cals/day thing is working for me.

I am sooo glad I didn't eat 800 calories for 8 months. There's no way to know for sure, but my feeling is that if I had eaten less during that time that my maintenance calorie budget would be lower than it is.

I don't want to lose anymore. I am older (69 years old now) and look just fine. I also want to be able to bounce if I fall down. And I don't want to eat like a bird to maintain some fantasy 125 pound weight that's too light for me at my age.

This has worked out really well for me.

Everyone's mileage may differ considerably from mine, but that's my story.

[SleevePerry 248]

@@BLERDgirl Thanks! Your numbers are identical to what I thought I *should* be taking in at 6 weeks (and what I'd like to be taking in). Every doc is so different; I just hope that mine isn't doing me a disservice by having me at 1000 calories so soon.

[SleevePerry 248]

Thanks, Ann. I'm tempted to follow your course of action. It makes a lot of sense.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

I started at a higher weight/BMI than you and my Protein goal is 100 grams of protein a day. I am three months out and average about 1200 calories a day. The primary number I focus on is protein bite the calories tend to stay between 1000 and 1250. My NUT is happy with where I am at and noted that I should still lose even if I had an occasional 1400 calorie day (which is extremely rare).

[IcanMakeit 1,318]

I had intended to follow a plan similar to VSGAnn2014's, but when my weight loss slowed down too much around 6 months post-op, I chickened out and reduced my calories back down to the 800 range. Now I am just where I hoped I wouldn't be: maintaining on less than 1200 calories per day. I also weigh much less than I originally intended, but I'm kind of enjoying the novelty of actually being thin.

[MzB 297]

I can tell you my experience:

My highest weight was 235. I lost almost 20 pounds pre-op (on my own diet and my surgeon's pre-op diet). Surgery day I weighed 216.

Month 1 I got up (finally) to almost 800 calories (was hitting closer to 500 most of that month).

Months 2-4 I ate 800 cals/day on average.

Months 5-6 (thanks to my bariatric PA's advice - who knows TONS of stuff about bariatric nutrition, more than my NUT, frankly) I gradually bumped up my cals to 1,000 cals/day.

Months 7-8 I gradually raised my daily cals to 1,200.

I hit my weight goal (150 pounds) 8.3 months post-op.

In the last 2.7 months I've been trying to hit 1,750 calories/day -- the calorie budget that my PA, my NUT, my exercise consultant and I all independently determined would be a good maintenance diet for me. That's pretty hard to do, and as a result I've lost another 6 pounds. However, I think that finally at 144 pounds the 1,750 cals/day thing is working for me.

I am sooo glad I didn't eat 800 calories for 8 months. There's no way to know for sure, but my feeling is that if I had eaten less during that time that my maintenance calorie budget would be lower than it is.

I don't want to lose anymore. I am older (69 years old now) and look just fine. I also want to be able to bounce if I fall down. And I don't want to eat like a bird to maintain some fantasy 125 pound weight that's too light for me at my age.

This has worked out really well for me.

Everyone's mileage may differ considerably from mine, but that's my story.

Ann,

This is great information. I may print this out and put it on my fridge to remind myself to adjust as I go along this journey.

Thanks,

MzB

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

Take into consideration age, and BMI. I'm 51, 5'2½" and my starting BMI was 67 or 68. I have never been a big meal eater to begin with. I have been using MFP for 4 years so I know that pre-op I rarely ate more than 1200 -1500 calories a day. I am sure my nutritionist recommended that I stay in the 800 range due to how much weight I need to lose. It has worked for me. 10mths in I am nearly 100lbs down with no pre-op diet at all. I aim for a Protein goal between 85 -100 daily. I eat according to how active/hungry I am. For example, last week I went to the beach. I did more walking and playing than I tend to do even on my busiest gym days. My calories totaled 1100 that day and I needed every calorie. I doubt there will ever be a day when I can eat 1700 calories consistently. My maintenance calories will likely end up in the 1200 -1500 range.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

I think everyone here knows that your body will not necessarily behave like others' bodies.

Also, remember that when you reach goal you can't HELP but be much more active than you were at your highest weight and couldn't or didn't move very much at all. Therefore, your caloric / metabolic needs will surely rise.

Here's my advice, based on my experience thus far: Don't make assumptions about how much food your body is burning. When you get to maintenance, keep recording how much (calories / Proteins / carbs) you're eating daily and what your moving macronutrient averages are. You might be surprised at how little effort this record-keeping actually takes with tools like www.myfitnesspal.com . And if you're an Excel hound, you can have a ball!

I know from a lifetime of yo-yo diets and weight losses and regains that my eating / exercise / meal-planning instincts and impulses are not reliable enough to rely on without planning and monitoring. At some point in the future my instincts could become sharper and I might be able to move away from my record-keeping and metrics. But for now, I'm sticking with what is working.

Short version: Don't guess. Know. Be prepared for things to change. Adjust as needed.

[Soapandcandlequeen 124]

I am on week 7 and I was told to strive for 600 to 800. Most days I fall right in the middle. There have been days I was above that too but not too many.