What are you eating in the maintenance phase? Let's share the method to our madness!

For those in maintenance phase, what are your food choices, how many calories do you consume?  What is your carb/protein count.  # of meals a day, portion sizes.  I will start with mine:

Hopefully, it helps someone!

2 years post op, I have gone a bit off track in the last 2-3 months but typically here is what I do:

• Calories: 1200 to 1500
• Protein ~ 100 g, Carbs ~ 125 grams (I weight train, so a little higher on carbs per my nut. advice)
• 5 meals a day
• Cannot eat more than 5 oz of meat per meal, very small amount of carbs.
• 100 oz of water per day

For fun:  2 things I have not been able to give up and work it in my plan: Fudge Graham Zone Bars and ice cream. 

Maintained 160-165 for almost 2 years.  Have fallen off the track but trying to get back to what works for me. Was at 173 earlier this week but getting back to the plan above has helped.  Dropped 3 pounds in 2 days with lots of water! Share your method!

The "what's on your menu" threads are great for this info.

In maintenance, I shot for 1100 calories, 65+g protein, under 60g carbs. No "only" carbs (bread, pasta, etc.), dense protein first and foremost. No more than 4oz meat at a time.

Breakfast most days is oatmeal, prefer steel cut - cooked in almond milk with a splenda and sometimes sliced almonds

Lunch is often a salad with some protein  - chicken, tuna etc.  

Snacks - too many, often a small bag of smartfood or animal crackers

Dinner is whatever the family is eating minus the carbs - steak, chicken, pork chop (2-3 oz at most) and veg

i try to walk 10K steps daily and rarely count anything - but when I do - i usually am at about 60 grams of protein, which is all i ever look for.

When I start to gain weight, I try to stop the mindless eating -it's always the culprit.

I also aim for 1200 to 1500 calories per day. 

I keep my carbs lower - maybe 50 g per day.  When I am trying to lose weight I keep it closer to 25g/day.

4 meals a day - cut back to 3 when trying to lose weight.

I limit myself to 4  oz of dense protein per meal.

I eat a lot of casseroles like the crack slaw, chicken and broccoli au gratin,  chicken in spicy peanut sauce,  broccoli slaw.  when my weight is good, I'll splurge a little with enchilada casserole, buffalo chicken, chicken Florentine, etc - these have more calories.

I always eat dense protein first, and avoid grazing, and no liquids with meals, etc.  These are important to maximize the sleeve.

best wishes,

Carol

This post actually had a delayed effect of making me happy -  I never thought I would be able to get to goal by any means - and not only did I- but I've been maintaining for over a year now - sometimes up a few pounds, sometimes down.  This surgery really has been nothing short of a miracle for me.  

Soo - do you just up your calories a little until you stop losing?? I am just asking for info. Even though I am at a normal BMI I would like to be on the lower end of it. The less I have to bring around the track with me the better

people have different strategies = I know Carol adds a 4th small meal.  I just add a snack or two - maybe a yogurt (or the darn popcorn, lol).  

I upped my calories when I started exercising a lot. Something's gotta balance things out.

Anyway, weight loss got slower and ultimately stopped.  I am still trying to find a balance but for myself I notice that I cannot go way up in calories without the scale going up too.  I was at 700-900 in wt. loss phase.  Interestingly enough, with me, it matters where I am getting my calories from.  If they are mainly from bad carbs and sugar, I gain weight quicker vs. when I take the same amount of calories from protein & healthy carbs/fat. 

I think even with all the exercise I do if I want to lose I have to stay under 700 calories. I don't think my body needs a lot of calories to maintain. I want to seriously start hitting the weights when I get to the low end of my BMI. I use enough - 2 days a week  - not to lose any more muscle - but I know when I up these weights It will try to up the scale with my muscle gain. That will freak me out right now so I am not ready to do it. Maybe if I keep myself in weight loss mode and lift the weights it might stay the same?

Calories 900 to 1200 a day.

Breakfast...Nutracelle Nutralean Shake

Salad with protein

Coffee shake

then high protein supper...

hugs 

Donna