CALORIES

Kim

This is how my doc does it and as you can see from what others have said everybody is different.

All I know is if I eat this way and my snack at night which is usally some cheese and 6 to 8 oz of milk I can go about 3.5-5 hrs nof not being hungry.

So far this is working I have went since surgery without a single fill , but check with your doc and make sure its okay first every doc is different :o)

This is funny.   Steeler, you know I love ya but I cannot see that 4 oz of weighed chicken would equal 1/2 C if my 1/3 cup of chicken weighs out to be 1 3/4 oz!!!  And that's cutting it up tiny and packing it into my 1/3 c measuring cup   I'm feeling frustrated enough that I am bringing this subject up at my next support group.  I know I am not crazy and I know that I am understanding what I was told.  I know you said that you know also that our pouches accept volumn.  I know that my scale also is accurate, so what gives????     What I will ask them when I go is that if
1oz protein equals 7 grams, how does my 1 3/4 weighed oz. equal 21 grams ?

I wish I could copy my paperwork and post it to prove how little I am eating compared to what some others  are.   In my plan, I cannot have a complex carb unless I omit that tiny 1/4 C fruit OR veggie.  I can't have both.  sheeesh.

I'm about ready to head to the pantry and pig out!!!!  Only kidding but I am frustrated.  I don't think I will talk anymore about what I eat.    I will however let you know about how I make out at the support group and what they say, even if I am wrong in my understanding.  Hey I hope I am wrong cause then I will get more food to eat!!!

 I really think you are over thinking all of this, but I appreciate the fact that you want to do what you've been told to do!  Honestly, you don't have to be all that precise about this stuff to make it work.  Don't over-fill your pouch.  Get in plenty of protein.  Don't graze, and if you snack, use that as an opportunity to get in some nutrients that you might be low on recently due to the volume limitation.  Keep in mind that our nutrient needs are met over time, not per meal, and not per day.  So, if you don't get in all your protein at this meal or on this day, just try to get in more later. 

Absolutely, double check with your support group, and get clarification if that helps you.  In the meantime, don't stress about it!  

Just my 2 cents!

Tami

Oh gosh Shaesnana dont fret :o) Whatever you are doing is workign because look how much weight you have lost :o)

It just really caught me off guard when you put in your amounts you are eating because me and you have always agreed its been about volume and not weight . So, when I saw how little you was eating it just suprised me lol.

Me personally I know I couldnt handle that but the amounts Im eating is just enough to get me to that full point and plus I can have a variety on my plate also at the same time.

I would just ask about that in your next support group and see what they say .  Like I said our pouches are big enough to hold one cup of food and gosh 1/3 cup of protein and 1/4 cup of veggies sure isnt much in my opinion .

And there is nothing wrong talking about your food :o) there might be another person that has to eat like you do and you can help them out .

Im always asking these kind of questions when I go to my docs office from what I see on here that is different from mine lol he is use to it lmao

I'm back.    I weighed my 1/3 Cup of cut up tiny chicken.  It was 1 and 3/4 ounces!!  That proves that I am cramming the meat in more so than I did in the beginning and also proves the weight vs volumn issue as I know it.   I'm now going to go enjoy my lunch!
We all need to do as we were told, whatever that may be.  I know there is a wide difference in what some of us have been told.   I am also amazed by the number of folks who got hardly any education on our bands by our surgeons.  Those folks are out there floundering and don't know what they are suppose to be doing.   Bad medicine.
Like I said, I am not trying to be a know-it-all.   Just doing what I was told.   Am I perfect???
No sireeee!

 I had a specific metabolic test done by my nutritionist.

I had to breathe into a machine to determine how many calories I need per day to  sustain body weight and how much to lose.....test took around 10 minutes...

My results, I have a low metabolism so I need to consume under 1500 calories a day to lose weight/fat. She also wants me to increase movement ....which will burn more calories.....and increase muscle......

I would encourage everyone to get this test done!  

I don't count calories.  I eat when I am hungry and how much I supposed to for snacks and meals.  I follow the rules as to no junk food.  The calories seem to fall into place.

I just joined the new weigh****chers points system and even they have stopped counting calories. The most recent science has shown that the calories is not what is the most important part of your meal, its what goes into making that calorie. I think we have all always known there was just something unbalanced about how an egg and a small chocolate have similar calories when we know darn well an egg is better for us and not what made us get fat to begin with. Weigh****chers looks at fat, fiber, carbs, and protein instead.

My point is that you shouldnt fixate on the calories because if you are eating the wrong types of calories you still may not lose. I am not promoting weigh****chers I am just adding to what previous posters said. Try to stick to the proper portions of protein, and vegetables with each meal and you should be ok.

 When I first got started, and periodically over the past 4 years, I've used an online nutrition calculator to help me get a grip on my nutritional needs.  I used SparkPeople.com, although there are several others available as well.  I didn't focus on the calories, but in getting in my protein (60-70g) and fiber (20-25g).  When I followed that guideline in combination with the *quantity* guidelines my doctor recommended (about 1 c. of food per meal, protein first), I stayed around 1,000 to 1,200 calories per day (average).  

The good thing about using a nutrition calculator and actually weighing/measuring your food for a while, is that it helps you learn portion sizes, so that later, when you're not weighing and measuring, you are more realistic when you are "eyeballing" it.  

Tami