male only Advice for Transitioning to Maintenance

[Thucydides 250]

I am wondering if anyone has any advice in terms of their macro targets once you have transitioned to maintenance. I have been gradually upping my calorie target (now at about 1600 calories), but I'm still losing weight at that level. I'm ok with that for a bit longer, but I am struggling with how best to change my macro targets as I increase my calories. I'm kind of wary to increase my Protein intact above 100-120 g per day, but I am a bit fearful that upping carb intake too much will set the stage for me falling back to bad habits. Any advice on how you approached this?

I'm grateful for any advice. The dietitian that I have consulted (my surgeon does not have an in-house dietitian so we are referred to one for phone consult) with keeps recommending a max of 900 calories per day, but that seems like really bad advice for a 6'3" man doing a lot of cardio and weightlifting who is continuing to sometimes lose 4-5 lbs a week. To add to complications, my surgeon is currently under federal indictment, so I don't have a lot of great outlets for guidance at the moment.

[James Marusek 5,244]

I am three and a half years post-op RNY gastric bypass surgery. This is my experience with the Maintenance phase. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery2.pdf

[axlr8n 161]

I was struggling with the same thing a few months ago. I'm 6'2 and my initial goal weight was 210 - which I would have been ecstatic with... but I blew right by that and have been maintaining between 180 & 185 since April. I'm okay with this weight, but definitely don't want to lose any more. I'll probably gain a few pounds of muscle in the next few months - I've been nursing a shoulder injury which has prevented me from lifting and really weakened my arms.

I require around 2500 calories a day to maintain this weight given the amount of exercise I get. Similar to James, I have had to work on eating - focusing on calorie dense Protein and fats in order to get enough calories with the available volume. I eat 3 meals and 3-4 Snacks. Sometimes eating feels like a job... but if I don't stay on top of it, I start losing weight again.

It sounds to me like your body wants to be less than 240... but I also think that you need way more than 900 calories. I would focus on adding more calorie dense foods (Peanut Butter, avocado, etc.) and upping your fat content as long as your body tolerates it (2% milk and yogurt vs skim, using some olive oil and dressings, etc.).

Hope that helps!

[Thucydides 250]

Thanks, @@James Marusek and @axlr8n. This is really helpful.

[DeletedMember 715]

Great post - I have been "transitioning" into maintenance over the last few months and am really having a hard time finding the "sweet spot".

My plan is a bit different from many on this site - I am allowed carbs as long as they are natural, unrefined carbs (fruits, veggies, Beans, lentils, etc). (as a side note, carbs seems to be a hot topic today, this is like my third post addressing them, so sorry for any repetition).

I am not, however, allowed dairy (ok, so I'm not perfect here, but I eat very, very little dairy). I also eat as little processed food as possible.

Herein lies the problem for me. It's REALLY hard for me to get my calories up to where I stop losing weight while still sticking to plan.

I eat about 5-7 times a day, but when you are eating pretty much nothing but fruits, veggies and Protein (animal and non-animal protein), there just aren't a lot of calories to be had. I struggle to get over 1,600 calories a day at most.

I don't think I am really answering your question in any way, but wanted to commiserate that it's a tough transition! Maybe the one thing I can offer is to not overly stress on carbs, as long as you aren't eating refined carbs, and sticking to natural, unrefined sources. I have been eating lots of carbs since I transitioned to "real food" post-op and have gone from 333 to 144 in less than a year. Everyone is different, but natural, unrefined carbs certainly did not slow my weight loss in any way.

[Thucydides 250]

Thanks, @ . I can definitely relate to the struggle to get enough calories. All in all, it is such an odd feeling. After decades of obsessing about my weight and having to fight to avoid eating unhealthy food, it almost feels strange to be indifferent to the number on the scale and just focused on doing what will help me live healthy.

For me, my approach has be to largely act like I'm an addict. I have completely avoided all fast food, fried food, pizza, junk food, candy, etc. since my pre-op period in 2015. I figure that those are the things that are my undoing and, if I give in, I risk falling back into some really bad habits. Thankfully, I have no cravings for those sorts of things anymore. I'm pretty confident I would again, were I to indulge.