Getting Enough Calories w/o Grazing

[Thucydides 250]

A key thing that my surgeon has preached is avoiding grazing between meals. Now that I'm trying to maintain my current weight, given the amount that I can eat at any one time, I am finding it impossible to get enough calories in without eating throughout the day (ie; grazing). Right now I am at a target of 2400 calories/day and I am still losing 1-2 lbs per week. I am interested in how other guys have dealt with this. Do you tend to eat throughout the day and just focus on tracking and making good choices in what you eat or are you doing something else? Right now, I am finding myself eating even when I am not hungry just to try to hit a calorie target and limit further weight loss.

I don't want to scale back the amount of exercise that I do, but I also see that having to eat throughout the day could also potentially send me down a road back toward some bad habits. Any advice?

[blizair09 3,250]

1 hour ago, Thucydides said:

A key thing that my surgeon has preached is avoiding grazing between meals. Now that I'm trying to maintain my current weight, given the amount that I can eat at any one time, I am finding it impossible to get enough calories in without eating throughout the day (ie; grazing). Right now I am at a target of 2400 calories/day and I am still losing 1-2 lbs per week. I am interested in how other guys have dealt with this. Do you tend to eat throughout the day and just focus on tracking and making good choices in what you eat or are you doing something else? Right now, I am finding myself eating even when I am not hungry just to try to hit a calorie target and limit further weight loss.

I don't want to scale back the amount of exercise that I do, but I also see that having to eat throughout the day could also potentially send me down a road back toward some bad habits. Any advice?

I think that there is a difference between grazing and eating toward target macros throughout the day. In my case, I eat 8 small meals per day, approximately 2 hours apart (1.5 hours apart in the evenings) between 10am and about 11pm. This strategy has worked well for me since my surgery last November. I have gradually inched my calories up to about 1600, and I have always done this by adding additional meals, not by adding volume to existing meals. I never eat until I am full. I eat specified amounts at a time, and I know that I am going to be eating again in a couple of hours.

[Thucydides 250]

Thanks, blizair09. That is really helpful and fits pretty closely what I have been doing as well. Congratulations on your incredible progress!

[blizair09 3,250]

51 minutes ago, Thucydides said:

Thanks, blizair09. That is really helpful and fits pretty closely what I have been doing as well. Congratulations on your incredible progress!

@Thucydides, thanks, and the same to you!!

[Torriluv87 300]

This has really been a struggle to me. I'm back working full time in retail and my schedule is all over the place. So i go most of the day at work not eating much or drinking much at all. I make what meals i do bring or buy as low carb as i can but i can't seem to get in much anything until i get home and by then I'm ravenous so i just shove food in my mouth until i realise that's a bad idea and make myself sick. I have no balance in my life.

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[Torriluv87 300]

Just realised this is "guys room". My bad fellas. But it did seem like a relevant topic for me lol

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[blizair09 3,250]

1 minute ago, Torriluv87 said:

This has really been a struggle to me. I'm back working full time in retail and my schedule is all over the place. So i go most of the day at work not eating much or drinking much at all. I make what meals i do bring or buy as low carb as i can but i can't seem to get in much anything until i get home and by then I'm ravenous so i just shove food in my mouth until i realise that's a bad idea and make myself sick. I have no balance in my life.

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That's why you have to plan ahead. Meal prep and pack yourself a little cooler to take to work with you. If nothing else, rely on Protein Shakes on those days that eating real food isn't possible.

[Torriluv87 300]

@blizair09, i was thinking of going back to Protein Shakes for my Breakfast and 15 minute breaks. Its hard because i find myself feeling kind if sick if i go more than 5 hours without food it seems. And that's usually how long it is between meals for me when working. Some days longer.

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[blizair09 3,250]

1 minute ago, Torriluv87 said:

@blizair09, i was thinking of going back to Protein Shakes for my breakfast and 15 minute breaks. Its hard because i find myself feeling kind if sick if i go more than 5 hours without food it seems. And that's usually how long it is between meals for me when working. Some days longer.

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@Torriluv87, I would definitely go that route. 5 hours is a long time between meals. And a Protein Shake is easy enough to drink in 15 minutes at your stage of the game.

[Sophie74656 1,572]

I can't get all my calories and Protein just from three meals. So I've figured out that for me the best way is to have a set schedule of Snacks. I have my breakfast at home, and before I leave I make a large Protein Shake that I take to work with me. I'll sip on that throughout the day. At 11;00 I'll have my first snack, at 1:30 I take my lunch, at around 3:30 I have another snack, at 6:30 I have dinner, then I may have one more snack if I need to get in some more protein.

[Torriluv87 300]

I wish i could have something line that. My schedule is all over the place. I work 10pm to 7am tonight and 3 to 11 Friday and Saturday. Its rough. Looking into other employment options.

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[redliner 2]

Interesting, I have the exact opposite problem. I'm about 1.5 years post surgery, started at 367 and am currently at 228. I eat low carb (under 20 net carbs per day) and generally in the 1400 - 1600 calorie range, and the scale is not moving. Unfortunately with work and a long commute, I don't exercise as much as I should, but still manage to hit the gym several days a week.

[Torriluv87 300]

Part of me went back to retail because im lazy and haven't worked out since getting this surgery and figured being on my feet for hours a day would help keep me active to an extent. I still need to hit the gym but it's scary.

I have no idea what my calories are 98% of the time. I just try really hard to stick as close to my plan as possible. Doesn't always work tho lol.

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