For people who've lost 150-200 pounds...

How many calories did you stick to post-op?  Right now I'm between 500-700 on average (rarely more), and the nutritionist's plan has me closer to 900.  I'd love to hit 200 pounds one day, though.  I was wondering what your daily food looks like portion wise after the first 50-100lbs.  I am planning on not going much over 700... I really don't usually feel a need to eat more than that, anyway.

I stayed on 600-700 calories for the first year.  By then I had lost over 200 pounds.  I am now 2 years out, less than 20 pounds from goal.  I have increase my calorie intake to 1000 give or take per day.  I am not gaining and still loosing slowly.  I am very careful on what I eat, I know what my old triggers were and do not eat them.  I limit carb intake and cut all fat off any meats I eat.  I am very active compared to what I was and I weigh myself almost daily.  Some people may think I am obsessive, but this works for me and I am determined to not go back to the way I was.  Good luck to you!

Thank you!

I just had my first surgiversary and I lost 165lbs. My surgeon doesn't have us counting calories per se, although I do look at the protein/calorie ratio. Should be about 1g protein for every 10 calories. I have done My fitness pal on and off and I know in the beginning I fluctuated between 550 and 750 calories. Being you can only eat a few bites at a time in the beginning I remember my surgeon saying I could eat up to 6 times a day. I still also drink one protein drink a day.

For the first 6 months, I was under 700 calories and 30 grams of carbs.  Now I am on 900 calories and under 40 grams of carbs.  If I go to 950, I completely stall.  I started at 355 and currently weigh 145.  I'd like to lose 10 to 15 more pounds.  I've lost 197 so far.

I don't count calories anymore, thanks to my Duodenal Switch, and I won't have to for the rest of my life.

I count protein grams, since optimum protein intake is essential to the success of my particular surgery, the Duodenal Switch.  I pretty much look at complex carbs, that is,  fruits, vegetables and whole grains, as "garnishes" on my plate now.

That said, I must have a very high calorie intake in order to maintain my weight.  Not everyone is like that.  There are also some foods when eaten in combination that will "wake up" my DS and I'll start droppng weight like I did when I was a newbie.  If I don't get enough protein or calcium, my body will "cannibalize" itself, and get calcium from my bones, and protein from my muscles and organs.  This is *NOT* something you want to have happen to you.  I'm dealing with that now. Because of a severe emotional trauma, that has a preliminary diagnosis of PTSD, I was not on my nutritional game, missed a whole lot of vitamins and protein supplements and did not eat properly.  

Don't be afraid to eat.  Your malabsorption is already reducing the nutrients being delivered to your body.  Trust your surgery, no matter which type you have.  You and your medical team can address issues when they arise, but know that you don't have to starve yourself any more.

I eat normal portions, but I don't feel compelled to clean my plate.  I'm a grazer, and I will finish a plated meal over a couple of hours time.  At restaurants, I usually ask for a carry out container with my order, so that I can box up what I'm going to take home before I even start eating.  Most restaurant portions are too large, and seeing all that food on the plate makes me queasy sometimes.

I like that, " I pretty much look at complex carbs, that is,  fruits, vegetables and whole grains, as "garnishes" on my plate now." It is a great way to put it. I have to ask though, what are the foods eaten in combination that 'wake up' your DS and have you dropping weight like a newbie? That is too interesting for me to pass up and not ask you... I am always open to learning something new...

Many times, the combinations are discovered by accident, but are usually high simple carb/sugar combinations.  The key is to learn which foods fall into what  category Simple vs. Complex. 

I would suggest using fitday.com to help with that.  You can type in customized foods to get the nutritional breakdown in the food journal.

One combination that has become known as a stall breaker is the "Krispy Creme Stall Breaker".

One Kripsy Kreme glazed preferably "hot"  ( if you bring it home, or get a box of them at the store, you can heat it in your microwave for about 20 seconds, depending on your microwave's power.

One Regular coffee with cream (real cream) and sugar or sweetener to taste.

Once you have the DS, you must educate yourself with regard to food chemistry and how different foods interact with each other.  Fibrous foods, like Romaine lettuce for example, apple and cucumber skins, and popcorn, for example, have also worked for me.  They pretty much come out the same way they came in, but they will bring with them whatever residue has collected in the small intestine. The way they work is mechanical, as opposed to the chemically based simple carb/simple sugar stall breaker.

****CAUTION****  THIS IS NOT SOMETHING YOU WANT TO DO IMMEDIATELY AFTER SURGERY !!!!

If you feel locked up that soon, you need to discuss what to do with your surgeon. I didn't do any of this until I was six months down the road, and even then, there was rarely a need to, I just liked the crunchiness of salads.  In any case, I waited until the food plan given to me by my program gave the green light to add certain foods.  We had a 1-inch binder that included a food guide for the first year, in terms of what foods we could add when. 

Most DSers don't have the "stopped up" issue until they've been living with the DS for a while.

I'm studying to become a RD (Registered Dietitian)  with emphasis on pre and post op weight loss surgery patients.  That does not mean you should take anything I say as gospel, as I am not yet certified, and can only tell you what worked for me as a DS PATIENT.

The unique thing about the DS is that it is truly a customized surgery, and though the basic anatomy is the same, it will work differently in everyone, based on several variables, the biggest being common channel length.

I hope I've made some sense here regarding "waking up" your DS.

Thanks for taking the time to share. I had RNY so I can't do Krispy Kreme, but I do agree that adding a nice salad or adding some fat can get things moving. I find without realizing it sometimes I am going too low fat... Sometimes we get into a rut with eating and need to change it up. Thanks again.

Like the previous poster stated, I too will take a plated meal & eat it over the course of the day. Usually I only have to do that with restaurant meals when I can't eat the whole omlette or whatever it is they gave me.

My plan doesn't have me counting calories, carbs, fats etc. Only for me to get in at least 80g of protein each day & I can go higher if I want. After that it's carbs from veggies first, then fruit, along with my vitamin & water requirements.

I do track all of this with the mfp app & change it up calorie wise sometimes. I aim to stay as close to 800 calories as I can, but often times it'll be between 800 - 1000.

Just remember that it's natural for weight loss to slow down the closer you are to goal, so you might have to change up your numbers to get to goal. Since in general we don't malabsorb, it might take a little more effort to get over the hump.