Calories

Forgot to mention- you are doing a fantastic job with your weight loss- congrats!!! I just spotted you are in the double century club, impressive even by bariatric standards!

Thank you! I still have another almost 100 to lose! It's been a crazy 10 months, that's for sure. Thank you for your advice on calories. My surgeon's recommendation sounded too high to me too. Even when I tried to up my calories to 1000 for him, I just couldn't. I was eating all day to even get close to it, made me feel miserable.

I stayed under 800 during the weight loss period and am maintaining at about 1350 (I'm only 5'3"). I think that my metabolism is changing back to pre-surgery now, as I seem to be much more sensitive to calorie increases than I was a year ago.

Thank you for your reply! I try to stay around 700-800. That is my "sweet spot" where I get all my wiggle room for protein and can still remain at around 40 carbs for the day. I know I am not actually ever hitting 800 though. I log all my food, but I can never get a whole meal in, I get about 2.5 MAYBE 3oz of food in out of the 4oz of meat I measure out. My chihuahua is very happy with this situation, since she gets the rest.

Still losing here - anywhere from 800-1200 depending on how active I am in a day. On days I fence, I go more toward 1000-1100 as I'll burn 900 or 1000 calories in 2.5 hours of fencing.

I think I was at about 800 calories through about 9 months and then bumped up a little.

I'm so glad you guys are talking about this. My surgeon's NUT said we should be between 400-600 per day at first, and no matter what I think I've only been below 600 two days unless I skip meals. If I eat on plan and do 3 meals and 2 snacks I'm way over that.

I've been adjusting and since I seem WAY hungrier in the later part of the day and evening, I've been eating later in the day. This goes directly against what they tell us to do, but it's working for me. I'm hitting my protein and staying around 700 calories a day.

My loss is still slow. It was fast at first then the last 4 weeks it's been only about 3lbs. So STRESSFUL.

I have slowed down quite a lot, as well. It's frustrating.

Like others have said - if you feel good, have energy, are hitting your protein goals and your blood work is good then eat as little as you can! I see no reason to slow down your weight loss just to get an extra 300-500 calories a day, just to get the calories. I just don't see the value, personally.

I was around 500-800 calories a day during my weight loss phase, and I was able to drop over 180lbs in 9 months. I now maintain at around 1,800-2,000 calories a day (yeah, being a guy can be awesome! haha). But I could never have done that in the first year or so, nor would I have wanted to.

You obviously know what you're doing as you are CRUSHING it - so stick with what's working. The faster that weight comes off the better. You will have a lifetime (and statistically speaking, a much longer lifetime now) to tweak your maintenance calories and see where you need to be. For now, just keep rockin' it.

Thank you! I definitely knew the answer in my head, but my anxiety was not going to stop until I asked the question and got feedback on it! I am so thankful for this site

Never say never, lol! I am maintaining at similar calories (and I'm female) and only 10 months out. You gotta do, what you gotta do. I eat 4-5oz of nuts per day to get in those calories.