Calories at maintenance shock

[ms.sss 15,713]

i would be wary of any dietician that prescribes the same maintenance caloric amounts to all their patients without taking individual size, weight and metabolic rates into account (among a multitude of other factors!)

i would be especially be wary of any dietician, when asked for a reason for his/her prescription, answers with "i don't know".

as with all things, listen to what you are told and advised, but also make informed decisions on how to deal with your body based on observations of its responses to stimuli (i.e., caloric intake in this case).

the 2000 calorie suggestion is an AVERAGE and does not apply to all. STATISTICALLY, only a small very very small percentage of the population actually requires exactly 2000 calories. the vast majority of the population fall above and below 2000 cals. thats MATH people.

with that said, i am a 5yr post op, 5'2", 51 yr old, currently 117 lb female that maintains at about 1800 cals a day...and has been doing so for about 2+ years.

(i used to maintain at 2300+ cals a day, but i was exercising like a fiend those days so it made sense).

everyone will have varying maintenance calorie levels...if u can figure out yours and adjust as necessary, you are golden.

Good Luck! ❤️

[maintenanceman 286]

I agree. It's all trial and error. I stay in and around 2000, and I have been maintaining since December. When I started maintenance, I tried to stay below 1600, but that wasn't enough. I ended every day too hungry.

More than anything, listen to your body. It will tell you when it needs more food (or needs less). Post-op, most of my head hunger is gone. My body does a good job of telling me when its hungry.

I watch my weight like a hawk, weigh every morning. I know some people advise against it, but it works for me.

Edited September 26, 2023 by losinglosinglosing

[BigSue 1,392]

5'3" woman here and I'm maintaining on 1200 calories per day, and that's with at least 90 minutes of cardio per day. I can relate to the feeling of shock about having to stick to such a low calorie count forever because I wanted to cry when my surgeon estimated that my maintenance calories would be around 1200-1400, maybe 1500 if I worked out a lot. Being short is a real drag.

So as I see it, you have a few options (which you can mix and match to find a balance that works for you):

1. Adopt and maintain eating habits that keep your calories low. I have found some go-to low-calorie foods that allow me to keep a low calorie intake without making me feel too deprived because I enjoy what I'm eating. 3 years out from surgery, my restriction isn't what it was immediately post-op, but it still helps, especially when I'm filling up on salads and other low-calorie veggies.
2. Increase your exercise. Unfortunately, that doesn't help a whole lot because diet contributes far more to weight management than exercise, but for me, increasing my exercise from 60 minutes/day to 90 minutes/day allows me to maintain about 5 pounds lower with the same number of calories.
3. Accept a higher maintenance weight. A lot of people get way too focused on a number on the scale as their goal/maintenance weight. The number on the scale, or your BMI, doesn't tell the whole story. You list your goal weight as 140 pounds, but if you are satisfied with your health, quality of life, and appearance at 150 pounds, maybe that should be your goal weight, and you can maintain that with slightly higher calories than 140.

[Jeanniebug 473]

I don't track, I only ever spot-check my calorie intake. Right now I'm maintaining my current weight, at between 1,200 and 1,300 calories per day. I have about 15 pounds to go, to get to my goal weight. But, I'm happy where I am. I'm an easy keeper, right now. I'm healthy. I can accomplish most things I want to do. I would like to lose the extra few pounds, but I don't really feel like working that hard. I reckon that when I can start working out, I'll start losing again.

[Spinoza 1,452]

Thanks to the link for the BMR and calorie calculator - it was really interesting!

I am at the tail end of my journey - still losing after 22 months but at a super slow rate - like half a pound a month now.

I am still like 500 calories a day below my predicted maintenance intake. I can only presume that I will need to stay well below that in order not to regain. Amazing how different it can be for people who look the same on paper. I wish you the best of luck OP xx

[Hope4NewMe 173]

This has been amazingly helpful to hear everyone's experiences and advice. Thank you so much for the understanding, support and great information. I've learned a lot and I'm grateful. I'm fine on my 1000 calorie diet for now until I reach goal and then I'll do some experimenting and see what calories my body wants to be at. I know I'll have to keep watching it over the years too because I'm worried about that 3 year gain I've heard about. It was a shock because I just wanted to feel like I had achieved becoming normal if that makes any sense. Now it seems that 2000 calories isn't exactly normal so I don't have to feel left out. Thank you for the support and help!

[Spinoza 1,452]

8 minutes ago, Hope4NewMe said:

This has been amazingly helpful to hear everyone's experiences and advice. Thank you so much for the understanding, support and great information. I've learned a lot and I'm grateful. I'm fine on my 1000 calorie diet for now until I reach goal and then I'll do some experimenting and see what calories my body wants to be at. I know I'll have to keep watching it over the years too because I'm worried about that 3 year gain I've heard about. It was a shock because I just wanted to feel like I had achieved becoming normal if that makes any sense. Now it seems that 2000 calories isn't exactly normal so I don't have to feel left out. Thank you for the support and help!

This absolutely makes sense to most of us. We do need the support of people who've been through what we've been through in order to feel normal or reassure us that we've achieved something good.

I too had no idea my maintenance calories would be anything less than 2000 - although it now seems ridiculous to say that.

I totally hear you on the 3 year regain - steeling myself for that as we speak. Please keep posting and let us know how your journey goes 😃

[BabySpoons 616]

On 9/25/2023 at 8:45 PM, NickelChip said:

I bought the Pound of Cure book and made the decision to incorporate a pound of veggies every day into my diet,

I'm familiar with Dr Weiner by watching some of his videos on YouTube but haven't read the book. I'm curious of his diet suggestions post-op. I was able to eat large volumes of veggies during my pre-op diet. I could easily eat a pound of salad. I miss that.

But after WLS I can't do volume. Is he suggesting splitting that amount into many small meals along with getting our Protein in? As much as I love my veggies, I wouldn't want to stretch my tummy out meeting that goal daily and honestly not sure if I could, even if I wanted to.

[NickelChip 1,310]

14 hours ago, BabySpoons said:

I'm familiar with Dr Weiner by watching some of his videos on YouTube but haven't read the book. I'm curious of his diet suggestions post-op. I was able to eat large volumes of veggies during my pre-op diet. I could easily eat a pound of salad. I miss that.

But after WLS I can't do volume. Is he suggesting splitting that amount into many small meals along with getting our Protein in? As much as I love my veggies, I wouldn't want to stretch my tummy out meeting that goal daily and honestly not sure if I could, even if I wanted to.

So, post-op he is definitely not advocating for a pound of veggies per day, at least no time soon. That goal is for a person who has not had surgery or is years out and has regained a pretty standard appetite. What he does suggest for bariatric patients is that for that honeymoon period of the first year or so, you focus on Protein first. But as time goes on and your hunger returns and you have more capacity to add foods, you should increase the veggies you eat while keeping your protein and starch servings small by comparison. He likes to say veggies should be the star of your meal. In other words, instead of going from 3 oz of chicken to 6 oz so you can feel more full, you would eat your usual 3 oz of chicken and fill up the rest of the way on healthy veggies (but only to your personal capacity, whatever that is). Same with Snacks. If you get hungry and need a snack, make it a healthy one with veggies instead of a junk food snack. From what I gather, the strategy is one that really helps to combat that weight gain in later years when it becomes a little too easy to eat a lot more like you used to (the way that got us all into trouble to begin with!)

[Arabesque 7,413]

Yes, as @NickelChip said, it’s not expected you eat a pound of vegetables in your first year or so. Certainly as you progress you can eat more than you would be now @BabySpoons at 6 months. Actually you may be surprised how little a pound of vegetables actually is - it’s about 2 - 3 cups depending upon the vegetables.

Dr Weiner does tend to promote a diet low in animal products & therefore high in plant based Proteins like legumes (beans, chickpeas, lentils, etc.) which can count towards your vegetables too.

The UK promotes 5 serves a day which is equivalent to about a pound too. Though they do not count potatoes or other starchy vegetables defining them as more a carb.

Easy to incorporate more vegetables in your diet. Add lentils &/or mushrooms to minced meat dishes (like bolognese, meatballs, savoury mince), add Beans &/or lentils to Soups, stews, etc. Use zucchini noodles, aubergine or zucchini as lasagne sheets, mash white beans instead of mashed potatoes, cauliflower pizza bases or rice. Try roasted fava beans or chickpeas, or edamame as a snack. Add vegetables to an omelette or frittata. Remember tomatoes, cucumbers & capsicum, though fruits, are counted as vegetables.

[BabySpoons 616]

Thank you @NickelChip and @Arabesque . Makes perfect sense and great suggestions.

[Not sure 48]

I’m getting to the 1 year post operative point and just to slow my weight loss my minimum calorie intake was set to 2300 calories, very hard to do and follow my desire to only eat whole non processed food, so they have asked me to stop exercising until I can get 2300 a day and stay at a steady weight. It’s actually really hard to consume that whole foods to hit that 2300 calorie goal. Anyone else have similar problems?

[ChunkCat 731]

Oh that BMR calculator made me laugh... It estimates around 2,000 calories at my current weight and about 1,600 at my goal weight! Both are actually higher than my norm. I average around 1,200 to 1,400 calories a day (yes, tracking EVERYTHING, even drinks and junk). I've averaged that for the last 10+ years and still managed to gain about 100 lbs. But medications and health conditions helped with that gain... Still, if I actually end up at around 1,600 a day with no exercise and no gains I'll be one happy bunny! I guess it really is a matter of perspective and what we are used to. I've always thought the 2,000 calories a day thing was a load of garbage. Caloric needs vary widely depending on body composition, activity level, health issues, etc... I'd hate to see what weight I'd be at if I was actually eating those 2,000 calories it thinks I need right now.

[Arabesque 7,413]

I would never have believed I’d ever be able to eat 1500 calories and not only maintain my weight but also not gain. I’d gain weight eating 1200 calories before surgery. It took me a good 2 months to barely lose 4kgs (about 8lbs) eating less than 500 calories with the last diet I tried! The boost to your metabolism the surgery gives you is amazing. You’ll have a new norm. How much of a boost is unknown. But the calculator will give you an idea of how much you may be able to consume - it’s still just statistics based on a narrow range of factors. Then it just depends on your body/metabolism, medications, genetics, etc. Use it as a guide & see how you go in practice.

[maintenanceman 286]

10 hours ago, Arabesque said:

The boost to your metabolism the surgery gives you is amazing.

I have never heard anything about the surgery boosting your metabolism. Can you elaborate?