Please Help

I'm 3 months out and hve lost 66 pounds. I feelgreat am excersizing at Curves, joined a belly dancing class and have no problms with arthtitis anymore! up and down stairs can breathe great! My problem that I'm stressing about is the amount that I can eat. I'm anywhere from 1000 to 1200 calories a day. I get my protein and fluids. I don't desire sweets and am not craving the "bad" things. My fears, concerns, worries are that Im eating too much. I have never had problems with dumping. I don't keep eating when I feel full. I'm no longer a member of the clean plate club. Could somebody let me know if I'm doing this right? my dietician meeting is the end of august. OK here goes - my daily menu looks like this: breakfast 1 egg, 1slice of no fat cheese, & 4 oz of applesauce sometimes I have 2/3 of a cup of oatmeal or 8 0z of yogurt instead of the egg & cheese. lunch is 2 or 3 oz of chicken or tuna, or 8oz of yogurt. dinner is 2 or 3 oz of beef or chicken, usually i have 1/2 or 3/4 of a baked potato with a slice of melted no fat cheese on it. sometimes I'll have 4 oz of fruit at dinner if i'm still hungry. if i'm hungry for snack in between meals i'll have one of the following, banana, low fat cheese stick, cherrys, jello, or 8oz of skim milk. i take vitamins 2 times a day and the calcium chewys 3 times a day. I'm able to eat almost anything like watermelon fresh peaches. I think Im doing good. I think I'm doing what 'm suppose to but I worry cause it seems like I can eat things that others cant. I'm also concerned with the amount. I weight and measure everything that goes into me now. I also love how I feel and am having such a greattime shopping!!!!!!! Please am I doing this right? After so many years of gaining weight and doing it all wrong I need to hear from the voices of those who have "been there, done that". HELP

O'my gosh Pam, I can see why you are worried. That is my biggest fear is that I will have the surgery and then gain back all the weight! I wish I had an answer for you, but as you know, I am still pre-op. I know you'll get some answers here. Have you called your doctor? I would call and see if they can give you some interim guidance until your appt. with the nutritionist. Good luck, and God bless. JA

Hi Pamela, Don't freak out yet!! . Some of us around here know exactly how you feel and we constantly worry that we are eating too much. Like you nothing I have tried has given me any problems at all. I do feel that the quantities that I now eat (have felt like this for a while) are too big but I really do get hungry and I don't always get that full feeling. I try to stay away from all the starches not because I can't eat them but because I know I shouldn't. I eat alot but at least what I eat is protein, some veggies and some fruit. I am careful with what veggies and fruits I do eat. You are losing well and feeling great so don't stress. Keep up your exercising and watch what you eat. You are doing just fine. Linda

Pam: I am only 3 weeks out right now, and for me, that would be A LOT of food. But if you think you are doing good, you are not getting sick, and you are still losing, I would think your current diet is a healthy one. I know for myself, I was told starch is no good until 6 months post-op. My dietition actually forbids me from eating a baked potato ever again! Sounds to me like you are doing things right for you! If you are truly concerned, you might want to check with a nutritionist, a clinical dietition or your surgeon. Sorry I can't be of more help to you! Tara

Hi Pam, You're doing great! If it helps any I can tell you what I eat in the average day and it is more than you are eating. My carb intake needs to be a bit higher than most because I am a type 1 diabetic. I work very closely with a local dietician who is focused in gastric bypass surgery. Breakfast: 1 egg beater, which is equal to 2 eggs (scrambled) 1 piece of low carb toast (3grams carb) very lightly spread with peanut butter fresh fruit: 4 stawberries or 1/2 a peach or pineapple I don't do snacks Lunch: 2-2 1/2 oz. of turkey breast 6 grape tomatoes 4 wheat crackers a piece of fresh fruit dinner: similar to lunch 2 - 2 1/2 oz. of chicken, seafood or beef about a cup of salad with broccoli, spinach, peppers, (you name it) sometimes that's it but occasionally I will have a bite or 2 of whatever carb the rest of the family is having. A small red potato, or a bite of pasta. If I do not have the starchy carb then I usually will have a piece of fruit. Everyone is different but this has been working well for me. I will be 8 months post-op on August 1st and I am down 119 pounds. I hope this was helpful. Keep up the good work! Carolyn

I AM ONLY THREE WEEKS OUT BUT WHEN I ASKED THE NUTRITIONIST WHAT WOULD MY CALORIE INTAKE LOOK LIKE AFTER ALL THIS TRIAL PERIOD, SHE SAID 600-800 CALORIES UNTIL I REACHED MY GOAL - MY NUTRITIONIST OFFICE WILL TAKE PHONE CALLS ANYTIME - MAYBE YOU SHOULD TRY CALLING YOURS AND ASKING SOME QUESTIONS ON THE PHONE. SOUNDS LIKE YOUR DOING OK BY YOUR WEIGHT LOSS. GOOD LUCK

Pam, I heard from Dr Aranow's dietican said we are supposed to use 600 -800 calories a day. I hope to see you on July 26th at group support. Please come to me because I won't reconize you since you lost alot of weights HAHA!!! Kathy K

Hi Pam, Your weight loss is great, so at this point I wouldn't be too concerned. I noticed that if I dont get at least 800 calories a day I wont lose weight. In fact, I broke a plateau when I was on vacation, eating a lot more food than normal! It makes me feel better to check in periodically with my nutritionist, she give me suggestions on how to tweak my eating habits and new recipes. Best of luck to you! -Deb

It sounds like you're doing fine. You've lost a good amount of weight in just 3 months, and you're not struggling with dumping, so you must be doing something right! I too struggle with the issue of whether or not I'm eating too much, etc. I think I eat in the neighborhood of 1000 calories a day, and I have for a few months now. It wouldn't hurt to talk to your nutritionist about your concerns & see what response you get. I could stand to do that myself at this point, since at 8 months out I'm kinda doing my own thing. Talk to your nutritionist, but I think eating 600 calories after a period of time is quite small. After all, you do need to have energy to get through the day. As long as you're eating the right foods, you're probably fine. Kathy F.