How many calories are you eating during the losing phase?

Options
KDar1988
KDar1988 Posts: 650 Member
I have the VSG and just curious what you take in? I am always under 1,000, between 700 and 900. I exercise every day and weight lift so I usually have calorie burn from that at about 300 cals or more. I suspect I'm not eating enough because my weight isn't coming off. I'm trying to increase calories to see if I see movement.

Seeing my nutritionist wednesday so I'll talk to her too. Was just wondering about you all?
Thanks!

Replies

  • joysie1970
    joysie1970 Posts: 415 Member
    Options
    Everyone is different but I would say you are probably right and not eating enough - talk to Tosha Knopp at www.barifit.com. I am 10 months post op and at 1250 calories approximately Tosha sets your macs based on your work outs and energy expenditures and your body comp - she's a sports nutritionist and she's amazing!
  • KDar1988
    KDar1988 Posts: 650 Member
    Options
    Thank you for the tip, I appreciate it!
  • xickel
    xickel Posts: 48 Member
    Options
    I am 9.5 months post-op and eat 1200 calories per day as instructed by my dietician.
  • KarlaYP
    KarlaYP Posts: 4,439 Member
    Options
    I don't believe you are eating enough to fuel your metabolism. At that level I would guess you aren't even meeting your protein needs, which will lead to muscle loss (not good). I recommend an honest sit down with your nutritionist to evaluate, and tweak, your intake. It's not easy to hear that you aren't eating enough, when you've been obese for so long (in my case) and can lead to a "free for all". This increase needs to be controlled, to prevent spikes in cravings for junk. Best of luck!
  • KDar1988
    KDar1988 Posts: 650 Member
    Options
    I saw my nutritionist yesterday. She says I should be eating 800 calories a day. I almost died right there. I could do that early on after surgery because I was only drinking protein shakes and had a few tablespoons of cream of wheat or pea soup. But now that I'm able to progress my diet, 800 calories doesn't seem like enough. I lost weight right after surgery, calories were lower than 800, I hope that's not the level I need to eat at to lose. If it is, I'm doomed.
  • sinderstorm
    sinderstorm Posts: 225 Member
    Options
    I'm 10 months out and between 1200-1400 cals per day, and doing hour long workouts 4-5x/wk. I stalled the first 5 weeks of working out, I suspect as my body adjusted and I started to build muscle and lose fat. Now I'm losing again, and feel really good.

    I posted this article yesterday in another thread, but will leave it here for you. It is a bit technical, but gives the formulas for calculating needed carbs, protein, etc for active bariatric patients. http://bariatrictimes.com/nutritional-management-of-the-bariatric-athlete/
  • AngieViolet
    AngieViolet Posts: 232 Member
    Options
    I eat between 600-800 cals daily. It is tempting to go over some days, but I've learned to limit some foods to one option a day (ie: yogurt, fruit, saltines). My diary is open if it helps at all!
  • loveshoe
    loveshoe Posts: 365 Member
    Options
    I was told not to exceed 800 calories per day until I got to my goal weight. I'm there now and it was tough. I had to preplan every bite that went into my mount. On the days I went over I exercised off the surplus calories. I also thought it was too few calories but I will have to admit the dietitian was right. I'm at my goal weight. 800 calories per day will make you choose very carefully what you eat. I basically ate protein, veggies, and a little fruit. I made up any differences in protein with a protein shake. It took me 1 year and 2 days to get to my goal weight. It's tough but doable.
  • KDar1988
    KDar1988 Posts: 650 Member
    Options
    Thanks everyone. Yesterday I switched some food items out and found that it wasn't too hard staying at the 800 or less level. I can't eat everything just yet, I'm still progressing through the different stages so I still tend to stay with mushier textures until more solid food can be introduced. I can't wait to eat a salad. I think once I can get more vegetables and solid protein I'll be more satisfied. I appreciate the advice!
  • Robin628
    Robin628 Posts: 103 Member
    Options
    There seems to be a lot of conflicting info out there depending on who your surgeon and NUT are. How far out from surgery are you? If you've been stalled for a while at 800 calories, I would try upping to 1000 for a day or two and just see what happens. You aren't going to derail yourself in 2 days. Everyone's baseline is different. When I saw my surgeon at 8 weeks and complained about my stalls, he said you need to trick your body every once in a while - up your calories, change up your exercise routine, etc. I was being really strict in the 700 - 900 calorie range and found when I upped my calories to 1000 - 1100, I would break my stall. Same thing happened a few days ago, I was stalled for a week and then had a high cal day of 1300 and the day after, the scale moved down again. Just reinforces the idea that everyone's caloric needs are different - your body may need more than others to function optimally. This article was really helpful in explaining how losing weight is not just about cutting calories and increasing exercise cnn.com/2016/01/28/health/weight-loss-exercise-plateau/index.html
  • KDar1988
    KDar1988 Posts: 650 Member
    Options
    Thanks Robin. I'm almost 3 months out. This week I have been strict and only eating 600-800 and I'm down 2lbs since Monday. I hate having to count calories, I really do. But...I have to. I'll see how this goes, maybe when I get back to the gym I will need to up it a little.