Buh Bye 250s and questions

Yay  finally broke through those 250s where I have been stuck forever.  Had my first fill and I have noticed that I stayed satisfied longer, it almost feels like too long before I get hungry.  Can someone clue me in to how many calories I should be aiming for daily?  I asked my surgeon about quantities I should be aiming for and his answer was" you have no restriction if your hungry eat".  Isn't that what got me here in the first place?  I lost 5 lbs in the last month since my first follow up visit after my surgery and now and I feel like I could have done better but I am completely unsure if Im overeating or under eating.  Yesterday I decided to eat when I was physically hungry and not just hungry.  I ended up having my snack of a yogurt between lunch and dinner and then not even eating a dinner.  I just wasn't hungry at all.  So frustrating to think maybe this might work better if I only knew what the heck I was doing. 

I think it's safe to aim for 1200 calories a day but I don't know your specifics, it just seems like where a lot of us are around. I also would encourage you to eat something every 3-4 hours even if you're not feeling hungry because a) you want to keep your metabolism going and b) if you don't you may be overly hungry the next time you do eat and eat too fast or too large of bites. If you're really not hungry, try drinking a glass of skim milk or having a lowfat yogurt or soft cheese, that kind of thing. I have never heard any doctor or nutritionist recommend skipping meals though.  If you focus on eating good quality food the quantities should take care of themselves.  Best of luck and YAY for feeling some restriction and getting out of the 250s :) 

Congratulations for your success!  Did you see a nutritionist or were you given a pre-op or post-op diet to follow? 

I usually aim for 800-1200 calories, 60-80 grams of protein, 64 oz or more of liquid and I try to keep my daily carbs beloww 100 grams.  Most of this diet information came from my surgeon's office. 

I was told to eat the protein first, and if I was still hungry, then eat the vegetables, fruits or grains (carbs).  Primarily you want to feed your body what it needs to stay healthy.  Keep in mind that if you exercise a lot, you may need to increase your calories. 

Good luck on your continued success!

YAY for your weight loss !!!! I too just eat when I am hungry . I do not really keep a count of anything I just eat protein first and foremost and drink my water and go with it. When I eat I go for protein mainly even with my snacks. Gotta get that in and then balance it out with a little veg and maybe a little carbs.  I sometimes do not think I get enough calories though so I have tried adding a few things to mix it up. It is hard to figure out the diet part. Just remember that when he says eat when you are hungry he means make good food choices and that the band will help you keep those quantities down where as before you ate huge amts now you will not be able too. It is nerve racking sometimes worrying but remember that is where the band comes in as a tool. To help you restrict how much you eat. :)

Actually "what got us here" was probably eating when we weren't really hungry.  That's the challenge, knowing the difference between real hunger and head hunger or emotional eating. 

Real hunger will not subside until you eat.  Head hunger will go away if ignored and generally centers around a craving for a certain food, unlike real hunger that isn't specific to a type of food.

I lost my weight eating 800-1000 calories a day.  3 meals a day and 1 snack IF I needed it.  There are many, many different theories and no one can say which will be right for you.  If you don't have a nutritionist working with you then I would say stay below 1200 calories and eliminate simple carbs.  If you eat carbs switch to only complex carbs which burn more efficiently and will provide more fiber in your diet.  Keep your servings to 1/2 c portions of dense food, (1 cup soft foods) to make sure you are not over filling your pouch which holds aproximately 4 ounces.

Don't go so long between meals that you end up ravenous at the end of the day which will cause you to make poor food choices if you're feeling deperate.

It takes some practice, but if you are logging your foods daily you'll get an education really fast and will learn exactly what you're putting into your body.

If nothing else, focus on getting 60-80 g of protein MINIMUM. 

Best~
Lisa O.