Had My BMR tested..

Hell Mel :-) great post!..... this is very interesting.... as Danielle said -  I wouldn't suggest for a second that you bump your calories up to 2300 - at least not until you start  running marathons. with that being said - the same thing goes with CARBS.  YOU have a "light activity" for a lifestyle so keep the carbs low as well as CALORIES! if you are NOT running marathons and you are NOT VIGOROUSLY active....  like an athletic or a body builder .....who is constantly exercising HARD every single day then i would NOT bump up my calories and carbs ... Again , like what Danielle said your body is using up AND is very comfortable at  1600 calories per day! i would STAY at 1600 calories per day ... and with the CARBS ....  depending on HOW much exercising you are doing per day / week. i would stay about 80 - 100 carbs a day... NO more than that on the carbs. we do need some GOOD complex carbs .... so do not cut back on carbs. we need carbs to help us think and use our brain ...or we will be very tired and confused. Get the good carbs from foods that are HIGH in rich- fiber foods. i eat a Light Multigrain English muffin for breakfast every single day. the Carbs in this muffin are the GOOD kind of carbs that we want to eat.... this muffin has 24 grams of CARBS. and it has 8 grams of FIBER. this is an EXECELLENT source of carbs that we should be eating. i spoke to the Health & Fitness Writer/Advisor - Jeremy Gentles from ...OH.com on the exercising message board. he told me that... the Multigrain Light English Muffin is a fantastic source of carb to eat. eat carbs that are HIGH in fiber..... reseach online first before going to the FOOD STORE and write down these HIGH fiber foods. High bran fiber cereal anything that is Whole wheat  anything that is Multigrain foods. Oatmeal is execellent!! peanuts - good CARBS! :-) peanut butter made from whole peanuts. ( do not eat regular peanut butter ) find a health food store that can ground up regular peanuts for you and turn it into peanut butter. OR you can grind it up yourself and turn it into peanut butter. BUY peanuts at The Price Club or BJ's whole sale store put the nuts into the food proccessor and grind them up until it is nice and smooth. if the nuts are STILL NOT smooth.... add some water until it is smooth like peanut butter. whole grain foods are great source of complex carbs foods. because our body can break down these kind of carbs down better. SOME fresh vegies and fruits do have THE good carbs in them - look them up in google.com on which foods these are. and then go buy them eat foods that are lower in the carbs. this is what i go by....

Low (good) glycemic index levels: 55 or less

Medium glycemic index levels: 56–69

High (bad) glycemic index levels: 70 or higher  IF you are NOT a bodybuilder, or a running marathons and you are NOT VIGOROUSLY active.... every SINGLE DAY .... like an athletic who NEEDS A LOT of calories and A LOT of carbs. i would not make my calories and carbs higher then it should be. ON the days that you are NOT weight training and not exercising....at all. (rest Days ) then try to make your carbs lower then 100 grams a day. but do eat some carbs from the good carbs. and stay lower in the carbs. on your REST DAYS!  Eat about 20 - 30 grams of carbs on rest days. you exercise light to moderate. so with that being said , i think you are doing perfect with all your eating. and dieting. just lower your CARBS a little bit WHEN you are NOT working out. AGAIN ....remember if you start TRAINING and EXERCISING VERY HARD AND VIGOROUSLY ......... THEN ......i would bump up my calories and carbs.... stay LOW on both ...calories and carbs.....because you have a "light activity" for a lifestyle i think you will be just fine :-) Mel , you are doing fantastic... you have the basic knowledge and guidelines to help you STAY ON TRACK and be very successful long term post op. :-) with this , you will go far and be so healthy... CONTINUE to do what you are doing..... you are doing so good. best wishes to you happy holidays to you and your family Much love hugss Lizzy

Thanks Lizzy! You are always so helpful.  I realized the last time I talked to you that you were staying at 800 calories, I just can't do that.. I lose too much too fast.  Even at 1200 I am still losing.  I don't mind losing a few more but then 130 is my limit.  I am already wearing a size 4 pants which I love but not really wanting to be a 0 or a 2.. ya know?  I don't understand how with the amount you exercise and how little you consume you don't go into starvation mode?  Please enlighten me... I'd love to understand this whole thing better.  You have done great but it appears you don't eat much, like as little as those that aren't that far out postop, am I wrong?  I just want to understand this better.  I do follow the low glycemic index as a guide and eat only whole grains, lean meat, low fat or nonfat diary products, beans and that's about it in the way of carbs.  I do nothing white.. no bread, pasta, rice, or startchy veggies or fruits.. just low glycemic index stuff, just afraid to up it more than 80-100 grams and honestly at 1200 calories my protein is maxed at 100-115 grams a day and my fat is at 35% so the only thing left to up to get my overall calories higher is carbs.. scares me. Thanks again, you always take such time to help me, I so appreciate it! Hugs!

Hello Mel, keep in mind , everyone is different...  my appetite and activity for a lifestyle is different then yours...... no person is the same in anything. and what works for me does not  work for everybody..... i have found my that  MY body  can utilize between  800 - 1000 calories per day So like i said to you before..... my body is comfortable at this number So again ... i have found my magic number.... that works for ME :-) and you have to do the same for you.... So.....with that being said.... Please  read  my  post  here ,   this should explain my eating habits  better :-) my best advice to you is to keep your calories the same BECAUSE ...you have a "light activity" for a lifestyle. IF you become an marathon runner then i would suggest you to slowly up your calories and carbs OVER TIME. ( i think i spoke to you about upping your calories over time slowly so that your body can ADJUST to the calories... eat about 100 calories a day more.... and slowly get up to the number of  calories you want when you are not working out .... cut back on your carbs. you are doing wonderful Mel.. keep up the great work!!!! happy holidays  hugss Lizzy

Hi Lizzy.. I just find it interesting how much we all differ.. have you ever had your BMR tested or thought about it?  I found it very helpful to get an idea of what I can safely consume and not regain.  Just from knowing you though it seems your lifestyle is more active than my own and you still eat less than me.. its just weird to me how everyone can be so different.  I just wonder if there isn't a lot of postops that COULD eat more but do not.  I know you know your body well and have figured out what works for you though.. I would hate to think that any postop that exercises as hard as you do would have to limit themselves to 800-1000 calories for life though.  I have to be honest, most kids eat more than that.  I am not looking for a way to eat a lot more food, I am just not wanting my body to get used to such a low calorie level that I cannot maintain forever.  You are doing good maintaing that little caloric level and I have to applaud you for doing that. I also know your appetite isn't much either.. so that helps you.  I have an appetite and I have to keep myself in check but do I have an appetite b/c I "stoke my fire" more than you do? Meaning I eat more and keep the fire burning more?  I donno just my head questioning things.. I hope I am not offending you in any way, you have such a great outlook and do so well as a postop and are so successful.  I am just curious as to why some have to be sooo low calorically but then you see Kellie above who is eating much more and prolli the same amount of exercise as you and can keep her weight off.. I know we are all different but these are DRASTIC differences and part of me questions that I guess.  I will have to find what works well for ME like you said.. all I know is that I don't want to be on that graduate board in a year complaining of regain b/c I didn't get it figured out now.  Again Lizzy, I appreciate you taking the time out to tell me what works well for you and suggest things that might work well for me.  It means a lot to me. I like that we can be open and honest in this thread and you guys aren't getting offended by my questions, I am just trying to figure out the mechanics of this stuff so I can be a successful postop patient.  You are awesome.. I love you!

Hi ya Mel, absolutely not ... i am not at all offended by your questions... so please NEVER even think that ... you can freely ask me anything always :-) we are all here trying to educate ourselves better and try to understand things.   so that we can have a successful life after weight loss surgery. i have always thought about testing my BMR... i have seem others mention this on the board and wondered how i would do witht my testing. i haven't researched the BMR testings but if and when i do get it done. i will be sure to ask you more about it before going through with it. this is from your post up above... i will explain and clear some more questions up for you....lol you say - Just from knowing you though it seems your lifestyle is more active than my own and you still eat  less than me.. how do you know i am MORE active ? maybe i am not ....lol ya know ? for my workout schedule - I alternate...workout days and off rest days... i workout for 3 days ( in a row ) ....then i take off 2 days. then workout 4 days ( in a row ) then i take off 2 days. then i workout 3 days and i take off 1 day. every week i change up my workout schedule I change up my routines as well as alternating my workout schedule. nothing i do stays the same every week... i try to make it interesting and not very boring when i workout. here is am example of my routine. regardless.....if it is raining or not... I walk 3 miles at 3.0 speed at the mall i have a walk Pedometer. so i know how much calories i am buring somedays i go back at the mall and do another 3 miles...LATER on after dinner. one week - i will run on the treadmil for 10 minutes, workout my abs.... then do a DVD exercise and also walk the mall for 3 miles...and alternate days with that. week two - i would do weight training and concentrate on muscle groups. train... legs, arms, biceps...etc. week three -  DVD exercise and also walk the mall for 3 miles week four -  i would workout on the Treadmil HIGH intensity level and ab workout afterwards then do a DVD later on at night. etc...etc... here is another question from your post. you say - I just wonder if there isn't a lot of postops that COULD eat more but do not.  to be honest with you.... i rather NOT eat more than i should .... i use portion control for every thing i eat. i mean i bet if I try ... i could eat MORE... but i don't...and shouln't i worked hard on my portion size's....in the early post op days. so by now 3 years post op... i know my portion sizes. i eye ball all my portions when i eat home or eat out. to me , that is VERY important for staying on track and maintaining your weight ...for long term post op. you can research on portion control in google.com and there are great books out there too for portion control. i eat anywhere between around 130 - 200 calories in one sitting. i keep my portion sizes down From your post you say - I have an appetite and I have to keep myself in check but do I have an appetite b/c I "stoke my fire" more than you do?  If you read my post HERE i have no appetite whatsoever....  i will have to speak to my own nut and get some answers on this because would like to have some advice from a professional point of view... Mel ..regardless if i am NOT hungry. I DO EAT I force myself to EAT.... if I don't eat enough calories from regular food ... i make SURE i supplement them with protein shakes....etc.... as for what Kellie said about "stoke my fire" i do keep stoking my fire as well.. i get up very early in the morning..i am up at about 4:00ish am and i workout then i eat. something small. i usually don't eat  the same thing everyday... i change things around always. again ..like i said... so that my body doesn't get use to and get comfy with a certain food. I do eat 6 small meals/snacks a day. which contains about 130 - 180 calories. and SOME DAYS i eat MORE calories in ONE siting then other days. like if I eat peanuts... or another kind of food that is HIGH in calories, carbs or fats. i know not to go over my calorie intake for the day so i watch myself throughout the day... that is all i am doing. you know what mel ? i don't want to be on that GRAD board either and complaining about anything. i try to keep to myself UNTIL someone ask me about my daily routines and such... like you do always and i share. and then i complain and vent ....LOL i have to be honest... i am as confused by all of this stuff as much as YOU ARE LOL it bothers me too that i haven't figured this stuff out yet ..either so you are not the only one who is getting crazy over this...lol my mother and I talk constantly about our dieting.... she is my walking buddy. we push each other to walk faster at the mall ..lol SHE is just as nuts over this dieting stuff too. ( she didn't have WLS - she is using Alli weight loss diet pill. ) She has lost 70 lbs on Alli.... with exercising and dieting. Anywho....i just keep everything LOW.....basically i eat like a diabetic LOW calories LOW sugar LOW CARBS LOW FATS and watch how much salt intake you get too.... the list gores on ..lol and I stay away from carby snacks and junk foods if I eat peanuts. one serving size a day. i watch my fats that day. and don't eat any other fats. if I have a Multigrain Pite bread while i am eating out. i make sure i don't eat any other breads after that. i do get carbs from vegies...and fruit. but try to stay limited with breads .... once a day only... BELOW is is an example of what I eat during the day. it changes up daily... i try not to eat the same thing everyday. also my calories eaten.. in ONE sitting ...does changes up everyday too. i keep track of my portion sizes on everything.. i will not eat MORE if I COULD.... i eat until i am satisfied and confmy and until i am feeling full. i do not sit there and eat over 30 minutes. to me that is going overeating...and grazing at that point. i do not take that long to eat. i mean i do not sit there and shove foods down mt throat. i eat regular... like a normal.....human being. like a thin person would eat... i should say... i take about 10 - 15 minutes to eat a meal/snack and then i am done. B - 1/2 multigrain light english muffin. with PB  ( PB - naturally made from reg. nuts. there is no sugar in that PB) and i spread alittle bit of sf jelly. again just wanted to make this clearer .. if I have PB... it is ONE seriving size only. whatever the serving size IS on the label of the jar. thats how much i eat only. same thing goes for all my foods that i eat. snack - 1 hard boil egg and 1 yogurt.  snack - 1/2 of banana - yogurt. snack - 1 turkey mealball dinner -  Fish and a small plate of mixed vegies. snack - usually my nectar protein drink you have to just balance it all out.... and keep yourt portion size's under control as well. carefully watch yourself and keep track of what you eat. Anyway , this is what i usually do for my daily exercising routines and eating habits. PLEASE remember you can ask me anything... i would always love to share things here with you and others. i keep an open mind to everything as i am still learing how to live after having WLS. its scary yes it is.... everything about WEIGHT LOSS is scary because i do not  believe that my - 155 lbs is gone forever.... i know ME ... and i can gain that wieght right back in a second  if I don't have GOOD self -control over my eating habits. i am thankful that i changed my eating habits for the better. although , its a weird feeling that i have no desire to eat... i can not even imagine ME having no appetite... that is so strange!!  it is hard to eat when you are actually NOT hungry anyway ... i better end this before my post runs into a longer post then it already IS ..LOL i am sorry about this long post. but i had to explain myself and make things CLEARER  so you would hopefully understand better. everyone is different... i know ... i still can't figure all this dieting stuff out either. but my body is reacting to my calories very well and i am maintaining my weight  for over a year and a half now. so my body is now comfortable at this calorie intake i am not going to be changing it either. as they say ... if it isn't broken... do not fix it....  right ? :-) so i am going to leave it alone  until i need to fix it ...lol  and i am gaining weight or whatever the case might be... OK ... i am ending it now :-) thank you Mel for your post. it really had me thinking about things. i will be back probably next week. So PLEASE have a safe holiday and Mel , i love you too always please remember you can ask me anything much love hugss Lizzy

Thanks Lizzy for always being so understanding!! :)  Well, as I "assumed" you do eat a lot less and work out  A LOT more than me.. so gain these leaves me puzzled as to why it can be so different for us all.. anyways.. I guess that is just what it is.. we are all different.  Anyways.. I wanted to reply real quick and say thank you for allowing me to openly discuss this topic and not feel "judged" you are always so kind, understanding and willing to help.. I love that Lizzy! You really do "pay it forward" something I promised I would always do also.. you inspire me in many ways.  I hope you have a VERY Merry Christmas and safe holiday travels.  I am traveling tomorrow and will be back in a few days a well.. take care! Hugs!

How is this tested? About how much does it cost?

Try google searching newleaf.com  There is a way to put a zipcode in and search for a center near you that can do the testing.. you just sit still and blow into a machine that is hooked up to a computer for a bit.  It generates the info from there.. supposedly very accurate.  Good luck!

The initial test was 70 dollars but they give u a mask and things that you can reuse if you eve retest and the price is less for future testing.. like 20 bucks.  It's worth every penny.

Carb fear - it's everywhere! Calories come from fat protein or carbohydrates - that's it.  I would look at increasing a little in each area, thereby maintaining the % balance you are already comfortable with. Try to keep your goal of increasing your calories in perspective.  You are looking at a 400 calorie increase - that's a couple yogurts and a big piece of fruit.  Go slow and look at the overall picture as far as weight goes.  Don't weigh yourself every day and make yourself crazy.  Give your body a little time to adjust to the changes.  Keep up your workouts.  Keep in mind how wonderfully successful you have been all along! We're here to help - PM if you need me to wave my pom-poms! p.s. I disagree on the peanuts, they are very high in fat and make a good treat, not a diet staple. Happy holidays!