Am I really going to live on 1000 calories?

[Officially Not Fatty Matty 461]

I’m 6’4” and my highest known weight was 356 (but likely higher as I didn’t weigh often). Like you I was pretty active and my daily calorie count was high. I never counted (still don’t) but an honest assessment of my past puts me around 4-6000 calories a day! I would eat huge meals. Despite that insane guess, I put weight on slowly over the years, averaging 4lbs a year… it’s not a fair estimate because some years I would lose 30 then put 40 on etc. but overall average of 4lbs since I turned 18 (I was 45 when I had surgery). Fast forward 18 months post op and I’m not able to enter maintenance. I’m trying so hard to not lose more weight. I set a goal of 240, blew past that then thought “ok 220 would be good” and blew past that. I’m down to 182 now, my wife and mom (they never stop being moms do they?) are worried - and have been since I broke below 200 in April. Anyway, for the first six months I survived on about 500cal a day. I should say thrived. I had zero problems with that low of a calorie count. I was more active than ever, still am. I feel healthier than I was when I was 16, seriously. The hard part for me was remembering to eat. The day would go by and I would realize I only had my Protein Shake in the morning. I’m still not hungry, and I know I’m in the minority for going this long without feeling any hunger. I literally eat 1000 calories of peanut m&ms a day. Literally. And I’m still losing. I know it’s probably the least healthy thing I could eat but they are small and pocketable and I like them enough where I don’t get bored of them. I simply don’t have the capacity to eat enough “healthy” meals to make up the difference. I do get regular blood work done and everything is perfectly in the middle of where it should be, Vitamin levels are good as well. I’d say I’m close to maintaining, I’ve been between 190 and 182 for about six months but it’s still trending ever so slightly down. I guess what all this rambling is getting at is this: you sound a lot like me. If you are the type of person that can drop weight fast on a diet you’re likely to be wildly successful with the weight loss portion of this endeavor. Everything else is up in the air and seems to be variable for everyone. For me I have had no complications, no foods bother me, nothing tastes different (I hoped it would but it didn’t), I can and do eat whatever I want, but my restriction is so good (and it does feel good) that it still takes me two days to eat a burger, or four days to eat a chipotle burrito (and I don’t even finish it). I don’t have a problem being around food or seeing people eat. My whole relationship with food is completely different. I see it as an inconvenience, but I still enjoy good food and I seek out new and exotic things for fun, I just know I’m taking home 90% of what I order most of the time. My only complaint is my wife and mom think I’m too skinny, which is just an opinion, my doctors are thrilled with my weight and all associated / tested statistics, and as I said I feel absolutely amazing. I feel like I have another 10-15lbs to lose but I’m riding the struggle bus to keep that from happening for the benefit of others. 5000 calories? I’m disgusted with that person. 1500 - 2000 a day give or take is plenty 18 months out and I had nooo problem living on half that for the first year. This was - by far - the best money I’ve ever spent on myself. I’ve easily saved more than my surgery cost ($4400 in Mexico) and I have only great things to say about every aspect of it. I wish it was this easy for everyone. My wife had it done too but she has lost nothing at this point. She eats less than I do, but she never lost when dieting before so we should have known a smaller stomach wouldn’t have helped. I don’t think she needs to lose weight anyway, she’s perfect. But my opinion doesn’t count in her mind :) she has some underlying heath issues we’re working through which we believe contributes to her crazy slow metabolic rate. So I see and live with both sides of how surgery works and doesn’t work for some (if you’re a slow “loser” reading this and you’re on plan and doing everything you should, I BELIEVE YOU, even though everyone assumes you’re not on plan. I know how hard it is for you, and I’m so sorry you’re going through this. Don’t give up, find a doctor that listens to you and believes you too and start looking for why, and stop going to doctors that don’t listen. Don’t let them give you self doubts (end tangent)).
Best of luck to you. I wish you the best.

[Bill Potts 64]

9 hours ago, Chantrella said:

I'm 8 months out and struggle with getting 1000. I have 0 problem meeting Protein and Water goals daily. Usually I don't go over 500 to 800. Which sucks. I get full really fast. Hopefully this improves for me.

Chantrella, I used to be very concerned about not getting 1200 to 1500 calories, so I would purposely add a little oil to my egg whites, vegetables and meats etc. I added either olive or canola oil. Both are high in monounsaturated fats, the good stuff. I am not talking much just a few grams. 14 grams is worth 120 cal. I always tried to get at least 1200 cal. Now a days I typically eat at least 1500 cal daily. It helps a lot to use a kitchen scale and a good food database like myfitnesspal to get a true measure of what you are eating. I am on myfitnesspal and my profile is public. If you want to see, my account is wmpottsjr. Just friend me.

[Tomo 1,191]

I thought the same thing before any WLS. I had an appt with my surgeon last week and he told me to eat more. To try to get to 900 cal. I am still eating about 600 cal. It is still mindblowing to me to be honest. I begin each meal like I could eat tons but after a couple of bites, it is over lol. In a few more months, my appetite and capacity will go up anyway so for now I am just riding the wave.

Sent from my SM-N986U using BariatricPal mobile app

[doobie31 178]

Thank you @Bill Potts for sharing your MyFoodDiary. I definitely want to look at that. I sent a friend request.

@Officially Not Fatty Matty: That is a such an interesting story. I've not read one like it before in all my reading. So fascinating. I can't imagine anything like that happening to me. But I would be thrilled with half of that success. I really appreciate all the detail.

Thank you again, everyone.

[Bill Potts 64]

48 minutes ago, doobie31 said:

Thank you @Bill Potts for sharing your MyFoodDiary. I definitely want to look at that. I sent a friend request.

@Officially Not Fatty Matty: That is a such an interesting story. I've not read one like it before in all my reading. So fascinating. I can't imagine anything like that happening to me. But I would be thrilled with half of that success. I really appreciate all the detail.

Thank you again, everyone.

Doobie I don't see your request.

[doobie31 178]

24 minutes ago, Bill Potts said:

Doobie I don't see your request.

I think I didn't finish the request before. I have now.

[Spinoza 1,380]

On 11/15/2021 at 6:10 AM, vikingbeast said:

I'm 45, 6 feet tall, and started out at 396 my heaviest (was 366 at the start of the pre-op diet).

I am very, very active. Outdoor work, sports, CrossFit.

I did track my food and, like you, was on way more than 3,000 calories a day.

Now, two months post-op, I am 94 pounds down from my heavy and 64 from the start of the pre-op diet. I eat more than most people—I take in between 1000 and 1400 calories a day, including up to 120 g of carbohydrates, which is unusual for bariatric patients. I am still in the fast-lose "honeymoon" period and am losing 3-5 pounds a week after the initial massive weight dump.

And yet... I'm satisfied. Thriving, even. The only thing is the restricted amount means my strength isn't what it was—probably lost about 30% off my PR lifts. I don't really care, because now I can run, and jump, and my palms can touch the floor, and I'm off my meds.

I do feel hunger when I haven't eaten in too long, but it's not the gnawing "feed me or I will make your life miserable" HANGRY feeling I would have had before. It's more like... "things are not right, please to be feeding me now."

Here are a couple of typical days for me, all approved by my nutritionist:

Meal 1: Fairlife Core Power Protein Shake

Meal 2 (post-workout): oatmeal with Protein Powder, a bit of maple Syrup, blueberries, and raspberries

Meal 3: Koussa (summer squash stuffed with ground meat and rice, braised in Tomato sauce)

Meal 4: tuna salad on one of those little dense squares of European-style flat rye bread

Meal 5: collagen peptide Protein and an apple

----

Meal 1: Fairlife Core Power Protein shake

Meal 2 (post-workout): Scrambled egg with a bit of cheese, spinach, and hot sauce

Meal 3: Ground turkey with sugar-free Korean BBQ Sauce, green Beans, a bit of rice

Meal 4: Skyr (Icelandic nonfat yoghurt) with raspberries

Meal 5: Lentils with ham

The biggest thing I had to teach myself was that it's okay to leave food on the plate, EVEN IF IT'S JUST ONE TINY BITE. Because the line between "I am full" and "debilitating nausea and acid reflux" is sometimes just that one single bite.

Super helpful to see that - hoping that'll be my life in a couple of months. Just have to get there in one piece!

[LilaNicole20 252]

On 11/14/2021 at 2:25 PM, Edge13 said:

Was more bored than anything.

This is huge. Learning to NOT use food as a tool for boredom.

[Dougster 7]

The magic of the procedure! I ate massive quantities before surgery. I’m 6 days post- op and I could honestly just live on Water now. It’s such a relief to not be a slave to your stomach.