800 or less calories for life?? Serious Question here...

Hi All... I go for my 6-week Post op appointment / weigh-in tomorrow morning......I have a question (which is the #1 question I am asking my surgeon about) and hopefully it doesn't sound too stupid or naive and maybe someone here has some answers......

All of us are in this because we are/were BIG people..... My thought is simple.....   How on earth can 800 calories per day sustain any of us healthily??  ESPECIALLY once we start working, exercising, living life and being more active???   I mean, a regular size woman is supposed to eat 1200-1500 calories to maintain a healthy weight....   Is this 800 calorie thing for 6 months? a year? forever? etc...?     I hope I am explaining myself correctly... I am just wondering how we can get proper nourishment with such small amounts... or like I said, is this not permanent? This is puzzling to me. I am not even concerned with the amount of food just because I want to eat more, because I do not.... I am really concerned about it for health reasons.....  If someone ate this amount for life, this would be considered almost starving yourself...

First of all calorie counting is approximate at best. Most of us really are rarely right on the mark. I think I am eating 800 a day when in actual fact it is probably closer to 1200. Secondly, the low low cal period is for weight loss mode. When you will have lost your excess weight and shift to maintenance you will be eating more. Most of us in maintenance eat around 1500 for a moderately active lifestyle and more for those who train actively and are into cycling and running and all that stuff. Of course men and women eat different caloric amounts. With regard to nutrients, this is why its important to keep up with your vitamins, pull regular labs and monitor trends and catch any downward trends before they become a problem. 

Finally, I am convinced that between what we think we need in terms of food (for the nutritional value and energy and all that) and what we actually need to sustain a perfectly healthy (lean) body are two vastly different amounts and perceptions. We have been reprogrammed over the years to think we need way more than we actually do. 

And also not all calories are of equal nutritional value. This is why we privilege protein and vegetables (and fruit in moderation) and why we 'save the space' in our small tummies and maybe forego the carbs or at least limit them considerably in comparison to before.

Work closely with your medical team and I am sure that together you will work out your perfect weight loss caloric need and subsequently your maintenance sweet spot. 

Best of luck!

As a banded person, I never ate that low but in the maintaining phase, a friend who is sleeved eats more or less the same things I do, so varying from around 1200-1700 a day. 

You are completely correct.  We would all starve to death if we continued to eat such tiny amounts of food.  After about a year you will easily be able to eat much more food. 

During the losing phase your body will burn stored fat to get the energy it needs.  When you maintain your calories will be approximately 10 times your goal weight. 

I maintain at 136 and eat about 1400 calories a day.  A man maintaining 200 pounds will eat about 2200 calories a day.  Increasing exercise will burn more calories.

Thank you for your info - I've been wondering the same.  I'm 9 days post-op and only getting about 400 calories per day in, assuming as my stomach pouch matures I'll be able to consume more.  I never thought I'd be able to survive on 400 cals per day, but am doing great.  Glad to know the small caloric intake will only last a year or so. 

My 11 year anniversary is coming up in October and in order to maintain my weight, I try to eat less than 1000 calories per day and I stary off carbs as much as possible or I will gain.  Now this is just me, but carbs make me gain weight.   A little over a year ago, I got back up to over 170 pounds but I was able to get back on track and I stay around 142 now with careful eating.  Good luck!  It is so worth it!

Congrats on rocking 11 years. That is wonderful

Thank you for all of your responses....Right on, as usual! .   The nutritionist cleared everything up and it made total sense.... Caloric intake increases as you can physically eat more and as your body demands more energy and everybody is different and gets there at different times... that's why she doesn't want to give firm numbers!

Stephen

Love your question and all the responses.  I, for one, am not willing to live in 800 calories a day.  I eat in a way that nourishes and fuels my body.  I don't count calories.  I have learned to eat in a healthy way.  Could I tweak my diet? Restrict more?  Sure.  But I am comfortable and love the way I eat today.  The fact that I am maintaining a 141 pound weight loss after having surgery in 2007 makes me feel like what I'm doing is working!  We really are a bunch of individuals trying to figure out what works for our bodies!

It is shocking how long we can go on a very restrictive diet.  It helps me to really think of the food and fuel and that I want to put nutrient dense foods in my machine.  I'm regularly eating 1000 daily and taking all my vits.  Still losing on average 11 lbs a month. But 800 is low and often seems like a shocking little amount of food!  The process helps adjust what seems like enough!