What's Your Calorie Count?

Hi Everyone, Like many of us here, I've been playing around with the same 4 or 5 pounds for nearly 2 months. I'll be the first to admit that I am a major carbaholic and although I don't indulge in the ' sweet junk food' carbs, I do tend to munch on the crunchy carbs, mainly soy crisps and rice cakes. So, I've decided to get back on track and start a food journal again. Which brings me to my question...what should our calorie count be? I have paperwork for when I was 6 months post-op and that says between 700 - 900 with no more than 80 grams of carbs total. So, now at 8 months, I seem to be lurking between 900 - 1100 and unfortunately around 100 grams of carbs. Is this too much? Too little? I also confess that my water intake is way off and I realize that these are all contributing factors to my stalls. I had lost nearly 14 pounds since Easter, but then somehow put 6 of it right back on. I am blaming my scale for that one! Will I ever get below 200 lbs? A girl can dream....

Toni I feel your pain. I weighed in at 183 on Friday which put me at a 3 lb loss for the month. Whoo hoo.. NOT! And now this morning I am back up to 187!!!! I just can't seem to drop any weight after my 14lb loss in April. I admit to eating too many times a day lately. Especially in the evenings. I find myself wanting to eat after dinner. I don't eat bad stuff. I have been eating sugarfree jello with cool whip, rolled turkey with cream cheese, cheese, popcorn. I just don't get why I am so danged hungry now. I don't get in enough fluids either. I try but only seem to be able to get about 48oz or less. I didn't get any walking in last week and that hurt. I am determined to walk at least 3 days this week. I have to get this weightloss started again. The worst thing is I have my monthly appt with my nutritionist in 2 days and I worry that I will have to report a gain instead of a loss. Last month, I was 186 at my appt. We thought FOR SURE that I would be past the 100lb mark by this month. Ain't happening... I am 6lbs away. I am starting to worry.... We are in this together! I am here for support as well as everyone else! We need each other to make it through this. Take care, Lori

I am there with both of you! I was looking at my tracking chart last night and I only lost 3.5 lbs in March and 3.0 lbs in April. I am NOT real happy with myself. The really bad part is I have been walking on my treadmill for at least 20 minutes for the last 4 weeks, increasing my time each night, 5 nights a wee****ep up with my times/stats/distances and compare them to the excercise group but I always forget to post them =( Although I have stepped on the scale twice in the last month and saw 199, a few hours later I will get on the scale again and it will say 202. I can't get and STAY below 202 at this point! My boyfriend's family is coming in from Chicago this weekend for my oldest son's First Holy Communion and I really really wanted to be below 200. Granted, they have never even seen me at 202 as it seems like I have been pregnant everytime I've seen them in the last 5 years (!), so this is the smallest they've seen me, but still, I had a personal goal that I did not make. They are a very critical bunch and although they would never say anything to me personally, I know they still compare me to his much smaller Ex. I am trying not to be too hard on myself and I have increased my protein in the last few days. I just need to vent a little to ya'll and make myself feel better! On the flip side, I have lost another inch in my stomach over the last month, making the total number of inches lost in my tummy 13.5! Add to that the 11 in my waist, 5 in each thigh and 6 in my chest and I really can not complain. All this in just over 8 months. If I look at the positives rather than the one or two setbacks, I can get motivated again. Does it really help to stay off the scale for a few days? I am truley addicted to mine and get one probably 8-10 times a day, I am embarrassed to say. Ok, I am done whining, for now! I'll need to focus back on my job (hehehe) but was feeling bad aboutmyself and I just KNEW you girls would understand andlet me vent! Thanks to all of you. I don't post a lot, but I do read almost every day! Don't know what I would do without ya'll to "talk" to and commiserate with!

Debbi Thanks for posting... & NO, you're not whining. That's why we all come here. We know we're not alone & we know we'll get the support that we need. Regarding your scale... 8-10 times a day??? wow that's alot.... I think we all get addicted in some way to our scale because of those first few months when the pounds were dropping off of us like water... I read this on bariatriceating.com under the "This Months Rant" section. It may help.... think I'll post it seperately on this board too... Step Away From The Scale. The scale lies. It tells you a number and we think we're good or bad based on that number. It does not take our behavior into consideration, or how little we have been eating or how much we have been exercising. It only knows a number and we make judgements on ourselves based on this. During the weight loss phase, we need to concentrate on healing first, then retraining our thoughts about food and learn good, new behaviors and making better food choices for the future. To weigh ourselves once in a while may keep us on track, but to weigh all the time is a distraction and can be so discouraging until we get to the maintenance phase How true is that eh??? Maybe we should all print that out & keep it in view all day to keep reminding ourselves that it is just a number and we shouldn't define ourselves and our success through this number... Something to think about..... Tammy

Hey Tammy, I totally agree with you regarding that dang scale! I ashamedly weigh myself obsessively throughout the day, even though I KNOW weight fluctuates. I try to keep that in mind, but still I am pulled to it and react based on that fluctuation. And, yes...I DO find myself feeling bad after a weight gain, regardless of the fact that now that I am journaling I have noticed a steady loss, albeit two tenths of a pound a day! Hey, it adds up!! So, what about the calorie/carb intake? As I mentioned in my post, I'm hovering between 900 and 1100 cals with up to 100 carbs. Granted, some of those carbs are healthy, fiber-rich carbs and not so much of the sugar variety. Just curious where folks are in their intake.... Ciao, Toni

I too have been harboring the same 4 or 5 pounds for about two months. It really sucks, but at least we aren't alone - it seems the whole board is in the same boat. I also seem to be getting alot more calories and carbs than I was, and I graze on alot of days. I also wonder if I'll ever make it under 200. I'm sure we will, eventually! I definately agree that a food journal is a wonderful idea at this stage for all of us. At first, it's easy to eat right, because we're rapidly losing and it's all new to us. Then, later on, we (or atleast I do) get more comfortable and start making bad choices. A food journal will allow us to see our mistakes and correct them. Good luck