One Year Dammit

Amazingly enough it has been one year...down 171lbs to 208 from 379, things are going pretty well, i would like to know how you guys deal with all the mental aspects of food desires creeping back into your life, i still dont eat alot of regular foods bu****ch out when it comes to nuts and protein bars and triple shot latte's, i can do a hurting on them..im not proud i can put a hurting on them, it just is what it is, i excercise and i have a pretty physical job now slinging gashoses and whatnot so i get my excercise, is it safe for me to be consuming between 1500-2000 calories a day? i guess i should know the answer since i was probably doing 5000 a day before surgery, but it's always nice to hear from my fellow men, on how you are dealing with day to day issues at this point, thanks for the input.

Can't comment because I'm not that far out and am still struggling with eating enough. But I'm sure interested in reading the responces as that is my biggest fear; that I will slip back into my old ways. Hope you get some strong advice. Good luck.

Bob, You are ahead of me. I had my surgery on 06/28/06. I have just looked at your profile pics and you look awesome. You should be jumping for joy in every sense of the word. I wish I could comment on the calories. I have no idea what I am eating. Keep up the good work dude! Tommy Alabama

Congratulations on making it a year...you've done a great job!  Don't sweat the triple shot latte's and the nuts....each has benefits!  Besides being mighty tasty, the nuts are an excellent source of protein and good fats.  The latte's - well if you're going sugar free and non-fat you're getting a good amount of protein from the milk and if you're like me the caffeine provides a little extra boost.  As long as you're consuming these in moderation, you'll be fine...and hey, it doesn't appear they've hurt you thus far!   Dry roasted, lightly salted peanuts and lattes (Venti, 5 shot, sugar free, skinny) for me are what help me get through the day - they keep my energy levels up and just a little here and there keeps the cravings away for me for both sweet and salty foods that were my downfall before. As far as calories go - the amount of intake depends entirely on what your goals are.  If you want to keep losing you may need to stay with what you're doing or adjust up or down (whatever works to keep your metabolism firing).  If you want to maintain and stop the loss then it's likely an increase is in order.  It's hard to say - EVERYONE is so different - the best recommendation is some good ol trial and error. Happy one year!  The best is yet to come! Cards Fan "STEP OFF THE SIDELINES AND GET IN THE GAME!"

great job is all i can say. your caloric intake looks like nothing at your weight and activity. like the other post mentioned, depends on your goal, lose, gain, maintain. as for the grazing. me too. i really hate myself for it too. i can eat a lot and i can graze. i have to make an almost superhuman effort to stop myself. usually i give in. like you, my activity level is so high i burn off everything but that's not the point. i'm not respecting the good habits i tried so hard to instill. i need Dx to kick my ass or something. he makes it sound so effortless. he's the poster boy for good reason. so i would go look at his past posts on the subject and start there. he had some real good ones about maintaining and head hunger. i'm going to revisit myself tonight.

now i haven't done any harm yet other than get into a bad habit. so it's time for me to clean up. i just started doing this recently so it's not ingrained yet. just found i could eat more, eat more crap and not gain. so that's where i'm at about 16 months or so out. i reached all my goals and then some but need to take care of this bump in the road. keep up the good work bob............carbonblob

Hey, You're fine I'm 14 months out and over 3000 calories a day, but not gaining any bodyfat. I haven't been that structured with my diet, but what the RNY has done with me is, I know that, should I gain past a certain weight, I can cut back and lose easily - very different from before. Right now, I don't know that I can actually gain much more than muscle weight. The fat has yet to come back. 1500-2000 is great.

Best Wishes, Dave

At nearly 11 months out I have gone from 346 to under 190 and still losing. My calorie consumption averages less than 1,000 per day with 110-135 grams of protein, less than 30 carbs and less than 25 fat grams per day. I just don't find that I need more than that typically.  I agree with one of the previous posts about the lattes or espresso's as long as you are using a sugar substitute and fat free milk (even Soy Light is great).  When I give in to the urge to snack (usually I allow once a week) I tend to over indulge in Baked Pita Chips or hard Pretzels.  You are looking great.......... so keep it up !! D.

Congrats on your one-year mark. You have done an awesome job!

Bob: Your post rang true with me... I can now eat "foods" and not gain weight... it trips my mind out.. WOW.. "food" equals pain.... not today... "food" is what it is food.....not pain.... I feel testing and pushing the limits is all a part of the journey.... Your loss is fantastic Kev-