Long post, Thamnks for any feedback.  I don't know if I am eating enough considering todays workout.  Here is my Fitday journal for today: I worked out for 95 minutes. I walked 4 laps, then I alternated running and walking for 24 laps, 2 more walking laps (40 minutes, walking about 1.9 miles and running 1.1 miles)20 minutes strength training, lower body, 3 sets of 12. Did 3 sets of 20 crunches and finished up with 30 minutes of stationary bike at 14 mph on the strength setting. Average heart rate was 144 Max heart rate was 179.

Foods

	Cals	Fat	Carb	Prot
Milk, cow's, fluid, skim or nonfat, 0.5% or less butterfat ( 1 cup )	86	0	12	8
Coffee, espresso ( 4 fl oz )	11	0	2	0
Vitamin c ( 1 serving )	0	0	0	0
iron ( 1 serving )	0	0	0	0
prenatal ( 1 serving )	0	0	0	0
upcal d ( 1 oz )	0	0	0	0
Tuna, canned, water pack ( 3 oz )	99	1	0	22
Water ( 56 fl oz )	0	0	0	0
Cheese, Mozzarella, part skim ( 2 slice (1 oz) )	159	10	2	16
Multigrain mixture, pretzels, cereal and/or crackers, nuts ( 0.25 cup, NFS )	61	2	10	2
Beef barbecue or Sloppy Joe, on bun ( 1.5 barbecue )	535	22	54	27
Asparagus, cooked, from fresh, fat not added in cooking ( 5 medium spear (5-1/4" to 7" long) )	18	0	3	2
Mayonnaise, regular ( 1 tablespoon )	99	11	0	0
Maximum Complex ( 1 tablespoon )	130	1	2	28
Milk, cow's, fluid, skim or nonfat, 0.5% or less butterfat ( 1 cup )	86	0	12	8
Peanut butter ( 1 tablespoon )	95	8	3	4
Total	1377	56	100	117

Activities

	Time Spent	Cals Burned
Automobile or light truck (not a semi) driving	2:00	136
Sitting-light office work, in general (chemistry lab work, light use of handtools, watch repair or micro-assembly, light assembly / repair)	8:00	272
Showering, toweling off (standing)	0:20	68
Dressing, undressing (standing or sitting)	0:20	34
Cooking or food preparation - walking	0:30	51
Running, 5.2 mph (11.5 min per mile)	0:12	109
Walking, 4.5 mph, level, firm surface, very very brisk pace	0:28	111
Weight lifting (free, nautilus or universal-type) light or moderate effort, light workout, general	0:20	45
Bicycling, 14-15.9 mph, racing or leisure, fast vigorous effort	0:30	306
Total Calories Burned		1133

Without knowing more details, it's hard to say whether you're eating enough to support this level of workout.  Plus, it depends on whether your trying to lose, maintain or gain (yep, some folks lose too much).  I try to eat at least the number of calories to meet my base metobolic needs each day.  That number can vary significantly from person-to-person, but you can get a rough idea of your base metabolic rate (BMR) using the Harris-Benedict formula.  Here's a link to a site with a Harris-Benedict calculator -> http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ If you eat less calories than your BMR on a regular basis, there's a line of thought that your metabolism will slow down because your body does not know if it's going to get sufficient energy to meet your everyday needs.  Keep in mind that BMR does not take into account your daily physical activity; it's just the number of calories your body needs to do it's every day stuff (breathing, heart pumping, kidneys functioning, etc.).   Any calories you burn through exercise are burned off over and above your BMR.  So if you aim for your BMR number as a daily calorie average, but you're exercising regularly, over time you should lose weight.  If you're trying to maintain, you need to eat more calories than your BMR; the exact number will depend on just how active you are.   For example, my BMR is around 2000, so I aim to eat about 2000 calories each day.  I exercise about 10 hours per week, split between strength training and cardio.  So I burn 500-600 calories through exercise 6 days a week.  I'm losing about 1 pound a week, although it's not consistent (some weeks I maintain, some weeks I drop 2-3 pounds).   Keep in mind that the Harris-Benedict calculator is just an estimate.  If you want to know your actual BMR, you can get it tested by New Leaf Fitness or a similar organization.  (I had that done about a year ago - usually costs $150-200 in most markets, but I found the information invaluable.)   Good luck finding a food plan that supports your workout routine!  It can be challenging, but it's doable!   Kellie

Thank you Kelly, I am trying to lose.  My current BMR is 1630.  I have been shooting for 1200 calories a day but that is pretty hard for me to get in.  I average 1100 calories a day over the last month.  I have been incorperating excercise since January.  I am going to take measurements so that I will have a referance point, I already know that the scale will not be a true reflection on the progress I am making.   The issue I have with food is that I went on a 2 year graze fest with a 40 pound regain and know I am trying not to graze, that is probebly why the calories are so low.  I am a work in progress and a sponge for information.  Thanks again for the feedback.

Since your BMR is 1630, 1100-1200 calories a day is probably too low for the level of exercise you are doing.  I totally understand working to break the grazing habit though, since it can often lead to undesired regain.   Can you try adding either a pre-workout snack or a post-workout snack, or perhaps both?  The pre-workout snack will give you energy to support your workout and the post-workout snack will give you body energy to replenish your glycogen stores, so it's ready for your next workout.  I eat a pre-workout snack 45-60 minutes before I exercise - usually a banana w/ 1 tbsp. of peanut butter, or a banana and a small yogurt - more carbs than fat or protein, since my body needs those carbs to be able to exercise.   For post-workout, I do a couple different things.  If I do a mid-day workout, I eat lunch right after I workout, always include 3-5 oz. lean protein, plus some carbs and fat.  When I workout at the end of the day, I'll eat a small granola bar (90 calories or so) in the car on the way home.   I know it seems a little counterintuitive to eat before and after you work out, but it helps keep your metabolism revved up.  As I think I mentioned in my earlier post, I aim for 2000 calories per day, although I often go up as high as 2300-2400 calories per day.  I'm only losing 3-5 pounds per month, but at 29 months out, that's pretty darn good.  If I were eating much less than that and continuing to exercise 10+ hours per week, I do not think I would lose anything because my metabolism would slow down as my body's self-preservation mode kicked in.   Mind you, I've been tinkering around with my exercise and daily calorie intake for over a year now, so I know my body really well.  I also understand that what works for me might not work for you.  But if you're able to try bumping your calories up closer to 1500-1600 per day, I think you'll be happy with the results.   Good luck on your continuing journey -  Kellie

Thanks again Kellie, The last week I have gotten in a little more calories, average of 1400 calories.  I feel guilty eating that much, but I know it is the right thing to do.  I am going to take measurements tonight so that I have numbers to compare since the scale may not reflect my improvements.  I will add some SCHEDULED snacks pre and post workout.  That really makes sense to me.

Guilty?  Girl, I can relate to that - I eat between 2000-2400 calories per day.  When I read posts from post-ops who eat 1200-1400 calories a day I wonder what I'm doing to myself.  But I feel like total crap when I try to eat much less, and I don't have the energy to work out.   I've become much better at paying attention to how my body feels and adjusting my food/exercise routines to maximize my health.  Keep playing around with your numbers until you find your "sweet spot."  It took me about 6 months to find mine, but oh so worth it.  Who knew a post-op could eat like I do and continue to lose, albeit slowly.  Not me, but I'm happy I learned this particular lesson.  Let me know how you're doing if you have time - Kellie