Calories. How do you decide?

App 2 months post ok I was still counting proteins .. Calories were not as important. But if I remember correctly I was eating 400- 800 a day. Depends on a day ...averaging 600 per day. 

Later on - as my volume increased - my average went to 800...with 600-1000 cal per day.. And stayed that way until I lost all my excessive weight at 10 months post op... 

I was eating proteins and some fat and limiting calories. Processed foods like protein bars helped increase my calories when I was in maintnace and helped me stop losing weight.  Same as nuts. Both are very dense calorie choices.  

Let me repeat: protein bars helped me stop losing weight...  At at some point they make me start gaining. ..

I worry that I can eat too much. I have no problem eating 3 oz of meat at a meal. Is this normal 10 weeks post op? Eating this much protein at a time puts me at about 800 calories. I eat three meals and two snacks.

And I guess I need to kick the protein bars to the curb. I can tell they are messing with my head hunger. But what about protein shakes? Drinking one a day really helps get my protein numbers up.

is shakes don't keep you full - I woudl skip the shakes and get more solid proteins... 

i do shakes even now if and only if I don't eat enough and need to increase calories and proteins.  

My NUT was useless. And my surgeon gave me no calorie info.

I ate 500 calories for 4-8 weeks. 600 calories up to 3-4 months. And I've ben at 800 calories since and I'm 17 months out.

I rarely get to 1000 calories - sometimes on a weekend if I go out to eat I might hit that. But that is super rare, I almost never go out to eat. If I feel hungry I eat a protein filled snack like beef jerky or something and that tides me over.

So IMO if I can be at 800 calories at 17 months there is no need for 1000 calories. I imagine I'll get up there by around 2 years out. I've lost 201 pounds in that timeframe so take from that what you will.