Eating Too Much?

Hi everyone,

Just looking for some advice.... I had surgery December 19, 2014. HW 296, CW 211, 85 pounds loss so far. I have 2 appointments tonight, one with my dietitian and one with my nurse practitioner so I hope to have these questions more formally answered.

I tend to go through spurts of weight loss, however, I find that I sometimes lose no weight at all for long periods of time, approximately 3 to 4 weeks at a time.

I talked to some of my team over the phone months ago as I religiously use My Fitness Pal and I wanted to get some daily goals. They told me that I should aim for 900-1200 calories a day, no more than 5 grams of sugar per meal (30 g per day), 80-110 grams of protein and weren't very specific in terms of fats, salts, carbs, etc. however, I ended up with fat being 33 and carbs at 135 (which I know is high but MFP won't let me lower it).

Usually I am right on target for the high end of calories and am pretty good to keep everything else in check. I wonder if I have stretched my stomach, if I am eating too much and if I may be eating too many calories? Sometimes I find that I get full SUPER quick, and other times I feel like I am able to eat perhaps too much! I am really good to stick to "good" foods, but I just worry that I am screwing it up since I am not losing the way I feel I still should be at this stage.

I am hoping to lose another 21 lbs at least. I would like to get as low as safely possible as I plan to have kids when I am able to safely able to do so and worry about putting on a bit of weight again then (NO I will not be a mom who uses pregnancy as an excuse to eat anything I want).

Thanks in advance!!

Well, I didn't have RNY, I had VSG.  But eating 1200 calories at less than 6 months post-op is a TON of calories!  I didn't even approach that amount until I got into maintenance.  If you have to "aim" for something then I would always aim for the low end of that range.  

Good job on losing 85 lbs. so far - that's great progress!   

When you eat 1200 calories are you losing weight? Many people maintain on 1200 calories. If you are not losing, you are eating too many calories and need to cut back.

ETA- Personally I think 1200 calories at 6 months is way too many.

I agree with Laura.  That is probably too many calories for only 6 months out.  I am almost 8 years out and I have to stay at 1400 to maintain my weight.

if you are only 21 pounds from your goal weight, though, it would be natural for your loss to slow down quite a bit.  Your caloric needs are smaller than when you were heavier, so your daily caloric deficit is smaller even if you are eating the same. Still, that seems like too many calories...

Lora

This is how many calories I ate/eat:

• 1-2 Months After Surgery: I ate 500 calories a day
• 3-6 Months After Surgery: I ate 600-700 calories a day
• 7-9 Months After Surgery: I ate 800-900 calories a day
• 10-12 Months After Surgery: I ate 1000 calories a day
• 13-15 Months After Surgery: I ate 1200 calories a day to goal weight (I reached my goal weight at 15 months out)
• Maintenance 16-30 Months After Surgery: I ate 2000-2500 calories a day
• Maintenance: 31 Months After Surgery to Today: 1800-2000 calories a day

All of the above calories eaten were without exercise. I would not concern yourself with what calories are burned through exercise since those figures (no matter what the source) are not truly accurate. Exercise should be for the physical and mental benefits only. If interested, please see my profile page where I detail my experience with RNY.

gbsinsatx, I'm so impressed with your success.  You should be very proud of yourself.

Thank you for such a detailed reply.  It's good to see the specifics of what people do.

For what it's worth, my surgeon's plan has you at 1,000-1,300 calories at six months post-op.

As others have said, if you're on the home stretch then your weight loss is naturally going to be very slow.  Ideally your caloric intake and caloric needs converge and you slowly settle into your maintenance weight.

That said, while I don't know your sex, age, or height I think that 1,200 calories is probably well below your total energy expenditure so I'm going to suggest you might be eating more than you think.  You say you're "usually" right on target and "pretty good to keep everything else in check" but how often are you not and by how much?  It's so easy to eat more than you think or to underestimate just how big we splurge.

Thank you all so very much for your replies and congratulations on your weight loss!!

I had an appointment with my Nurse Practitioner and my Dietitian last night! Both went very well!

My NP did find that my blood pressure is a little low, but that all of my blood work was where it is supposed to be.

I found out that my clinic expects me to be at 1200 - 1500 calories a day at 6 months - so turns out I am on target. They were also surprised at how little sugar and fats I am consuming which is also a good thing. We took a look at portion size and although every food is different, I seem to be on track there too.

I am a 29 y/o female, 5'11", and am moderately active. I run/walk every second day and my job requires quite a lot of physical activity.

Both the NP and the Dietitian said that for my height, start weight, etc. I am doing just fine. They also said that I had lost a significant amount of weight in a very short period of time and that I should consider myself ahead of the game. They said that "steps" of weight loss should be expected at this point which is exactly what is happening. The most they want me to lose at this point would be 20 more pounds.

I will continue to work my butt off and eat the best I can. The NP suggested starting to lift weights, she suspected that would help speed up my progress again.

Again, thanks for all of your thoughts and input! I really do appreciate it. Sounds like every clinic has different expectations and everybody loses at a different rate and does it in a different way.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!! Looking super forward to being in Onederland and to reaching my goal.

Cheers, have a great weekend!