What's on Your Wednesday Menu, RNYers?

I can't either really, but I don't know what to do to get the scale moving again.  I'm at a loss, truly.  I've been eating clean, calories have been at or below 1000 and I've been exercising.  Still the scale is moving in the wrong direction,  Desperate times call for desperate measures!  Since my plan is already over the 800 mark, I'll have to rethink my plan.  I'm amazed at those of you who are more than a month or 2 post surgery who can keep calories in the 600 range.

How much more do you want to lose?  

Well, as of today, I'm up 13 lbs from my lowest.  When my surgeon and NUT increased my calories to 1200, they told me I'd likely gain 10 lbs. (I literally cried).  I'd like to lose about 10 of the regain.  I felt better at the lower weight and running is definitely easier.  I'm having an issue with my doctors though who are adamant that I stay in the 1200/day range.  I don't know that I can actually go down to the 800 range again.  I don't know that I have the mental strength and I think I'd have to give up some of my exercise, which I'm not willing to do.  It's training season, after all.  My first half marathon of the year is April 7

Were your protein levels low?  Were your vitamins out of whack?  Did you not have energy?  Why did they make you increase to 1200.  I know all of our doctors are different but mine have always worried less about calories and more about quality.  Sometimes you have to do whats right for you...

It's a long story, but my 1 year labs came back totally out of whack.  My cholesterol was about 310, my HS-CRP was extremely high, my Vit. D which had been low was at high toxic levels. On retest, by Pre-Albumin was also off.  Based on my labs and my food diary and exercise history, my surgeon, NUT and Primary Care doc all got together and decided it was because I was malnourished.  My calories were too low to support the exercise I was doing (I know there are people here who won't believe this, that exercise is always overstated, and that you don't need to increase calories to support physical activity, that surgeons know nothing about nutrition, etc. but this is not so in my case.  My surgeon has a degree in nutrition and I trust them implicitly.  I don't want to get in a debate about whether my surgeon and other medical team are whack.  I also know you get it because of the training you do)  So, long story short, I was ordered to increase calories to 1200, cut back my exercise (give up one run and one class a week) and on exercise days, do my best to eat back every calorie I burned.  I was told it would likely result in a weight gain (which it did), but like I said at the time, when my surgeon walked into the room and said "you're slowly killing yourself and it's going to stop today" I listen!  My last labs were better, with my cholesterol down to 220.

Im tired of the weight gain though.

Ok, that all makes sense.  Now that your labs are closer to normal could you add back in your exercise?  Maybe more strength training (turn the extra 10 lbs into solid muscle)?  I feel for you!  All of that sounds awful!

That's basically my plan.  I need the extra running day anyway to keep my training on track.  I'd like to keep my calories under 1000 and increase my exercise by one day and see where that gets me.  I have another blood test next month and if I'm still on track, hopefully that's a plan I can live with.  If my numbers are going in the wrong direction (cholesterol, etc.) I honestly don't know what I'll do!

As a low calorie person (600-650) I would say you probably cant go low and keep your protein up near 100. I hit 75-80 a day with very careful planning.  

I am 10 months out and down almost 150.

Hi!  Me chiming in again.  Craziness all around this morning--dog vomiting on my son in the car on the way to school--roofer here to assess the water DRIPPING down from the ceiling above my kitchen table--really bad.  Also, crazy snow and wind here today.  Snow is good--we really need it here in the "high desert" of the Rocky Mountains--too much drought these past years.  But it is so awful cold this year.

Good things today:  starting with a personal trainer.  She is much younger than me, and I have a chronic injury that I will have to remind her of.  But I am hopeful it will be a good fit.

Behavior goals:

1-post regularly on this thread so that I am planning my meals in advance

2-return to tracking my eating in MFP--I have gotten away from that

3-be more mindful of any eating standing up--I have returned to some grazing, and I want to stop this.  I think a rule of only eating when sitting would help me.

Menu for today:

B:  1 cup homemade lentil/ham soup.  Already eaten.  Yum!

L:  Chopped turkey in homemade L/F gravy, small salad (like, 1/4 cup salad)

D:  Beefy spaghetti sauce, parmesan cheese, brocolli.  I am making spaghetti for the family.  I will just eat the sauce without the pasta.

S1:  1/4 cup almonds

S2:  I know I will do this, so I had better write it down:  4 squares extra dark chocolate, 70 calories

Liquids:  On track with my pots of herb tea and crio bru.  Will end up adding unsweetened soy to the Crio, for about 1/2 cup total of the soy milk throughout the day.

Vitamins:  On track--I get them already the night before for the next day. 

Exercise:  I already went for a 20-min walk, and as I wrote above, I am starting with a personal trainer today.  My chronic Achilles Tendon injury has been more than usually painful for the past 4 weeks, which makes any activity painful--even biking and swimming are quite painful.  (This morning's walk:  ouch.  I need to use my creativity to think of something I can do that returns me to cardio.  I am hopeful that the trainer may have some ideas.

I am 12 years post as of this month. At goal, at times dropping below.

B- K protein cereal

L- small salad with 2 oz low fat cottage cheese and 5 oz of canned chunk chicken mixed in

s- not sure yet but ? celery with all natural PB or jerky

d- chicken with roasted potato and veggies, made in crockpot

s- handful of nuts maybe