do men need more calories

I'm 9 weeks out and I gained a half a pound this week.
In my 6th week I only lost 2 pounds
but made up for it the following week.
My energy level has returned, I've been really active, building decks, landscaping yet I actually gained this week!  Frustrating.

I'm eating most foods now, and thought I might actually be eating more than I thought, so I tracked it for a few days, and still only getting 800-900 calories.

In previous weight loss attempts I found that if I didn't eat enough my weight loss actually slowed down. Not sure if that means anything with WLS.
Just wondering if I should be eating more to feed my body and if that might help me loose weight faster.??

I know it's different for everyone, but what should I be expecting to loose weekly?
The nut told me 2 pounds a week.. That's what I used to loose on a regular diet eating a ton more food than I am now.. I was hoping to loose about 15 pound a month in the first 6 months.

Also.. do men loose their hair too. I hear the women complaining about this, but haven't seen any of this on the men's forum
any ideas?
John

Start with the easy one - hair loss.  Get Biotine and use it.  Think it is a pill.  Supposedly helps with keeping your skin moisture and the hair loss.  I had some loss but not enough to lead to any significant balding.  Hair is thickening but not growing that fast.   

2. - Gain could be muscle mass from your labors.

3. - Protein!  Protein! Protein!

4. - As to what to expect loss wise - your mileage will vary!

Hair loss ? oh yea.... It got me at exactly 3 mo post op.... no bald spots but noticed lots in hands while shampooing. Now it seems my hair is curlier.  I had experienced the reduced loss or no loss when I didnt eat enough.My appetite is slowly coming back ,but for a while I had no desire to eat anything if I didnt need to. I thought Id be living on protien shakes forever! Now at this time muscle loss in the upper body is a concern for me. Thats my next mission. Please take this tip- Dont slack on your water and protien intake, that indicates my energy level 99% of the time.I can feel the difference.

There is no normal amount of loss , everyone is different. Don't concern yourself with a slight gain - it's impossible you have gained fat at this point. You could be holding a little extra fluid or need a good crap and the scale will move. You will need to move the cals up slowly to aid the weightloss but everyone's calorie goal are different.

Lessons I learned as I plateaued frequently post-op: 

1.  When the weight isn't dropping according to the scales, the inches seem to be shifting on the body (first shoe size got smaller, then watchband needed a coulpe of links removed; butt and gut were the last to start shrinking). Get pictures every 3-4 weeks and compare.  The body is changing though you don't realize it.

2.  You can live on protein and vitamin supplements; but the 60mg of protein minimum (my surgeon required) is the MINIMUM not the maximum.  What really didn't soakin for me is if you are RNY, you now have approximately a 60% malabsorption rate.  SO 60 mg of protein a day is only netting you about 20-25 useable.  If your body is working and not getting enough complex carbs and/or protein, it will digest your muscle tissue for what it need.  That equates to weight loss but it also equates to less ability to burn calories and loss of strength.  As I got more active and hit walls of fatique, increasing my protein helped restore energy and feeling peppy enough to go do stuff (I also needed more iron, B-12, and potassium in later stages within the first year post-op to get energy levels up and feeling healthy).  I currently consume 200 mg of protein thru protein bars (Pure Protein bars from Walmart) and smoothie fruit shakes with protein powder (Body Fortress Whey Protein; also from Walmart).  Any protein I get from food is extra, so at 60% malabsorption, I am benefiting from about 120mg of the 200 mg consumed a day.

3.  If you get your protein in and are eating right, you have to drink your water to flush out the waste and toxins in the liver and kidneys of burning fat and MORE IMPORTANTLY to prevent kidney stones that intake of protein can produce.

4.  The scale dropping is exciting and motivating, but you will learn to appreciate the pants and shirt sizes as a better long term standard than that lieing dog scale.  Try to think of the plateaus, as frsutrating as they are, the body rethinking wehat yyou are doing to it and determining if it should go into starvation protection mode (slowing down your metabolism to conserve fat stores) or burn it up because you are providing hi-octane nutrition at regular intervals and it doesn't need the stores anymore.  You are retraining your metabolism and set points, your thyroid, kidneys and liver are in a state of adjustment.  You are turning your old garbage truck into a hi-performance racing machine. 

The plan works if you work the plan honestly.  Its a new lifestyle that makes a new body; it's marathon, not a sprint.  Its not a diet; lose the weight then go back to eat what made you fat to start with; its chance to have a digestive tract and plumbing that rejeats fats an surgars if you don't force it to adjust and a chance at a better way of life, it you will endur e the change and leave the old eating and sitting around habits behind you.  You already sound extremely active and I believe it is only a matter of time before you will see and be unable to deny remarkable WOW moments and body changes. 

Keep the faith there dude!

Joe

Great stuff Joe.  I am slowly increasing my protein from the minimum 60G.  I have started to add Nectar protein powder to my liquids which is helping. I should be consistently up to at least 100G a day and hope to pu**** even further than that.

In your case, I would recommend yes.  I would say you should be around 1200 - 1500 but good stuff, not just anything. Protein stuff like Wendy's chili, reduced fat peanut butter and banana on wheat sandwich or rolled on a wheat tortilla, oatmeal, shrimp, egg whites, cheddar or provolone cheese, bake potatoes, protein bars and shakes,etc........

Joe 

Thanks Joe for the advice. I'm going to try getting in more protein. especially protein shakes. I've sorta been thinking that I should be getting my protein from food, but that's practically impossible.

I'm definitely loosing muscle, I went to pick up my 4 year grandson and I couldn't lift him.
Lately it seems that I can't eat as much as I did a few weeks ago. Couple bites and I'm full, and I feel slightly nauseous. (Never enough to puke.. just slightly uncomfortable)
So a protein shake a day would be a good idea.
Thanks
John

 My nutritionist was not at all upset about me trying to keep around 100g of protein pre/post-op.  Remember, most of the people in classes are the female variety, they are usually 6" shorter and 100lbs lighter.  That's who needs 60g of protein.