Getting back on track

I had my surgery on May 21, 2014. I am needing to get back on track with protein 1st and keeping track of what I am eating. 

How many calories a day should I be eating to lose some weight?  Moderately active

Most vets here advise 700 or under and at least 60 of protein.

Personally I haven't counted calories in the nearly 6 years since my surgery.  Seriously.  I simply limit carbs to 50-100 g a day (more in the summer when I bike, less in the winter when I don't), focus on protein and healthy fats first, and listen to Pouchy when he says I am full.  Some days that means a lot of calories.  Other days it means not so many.  Pouchy can be quite fickle :)

I eat early and often, many small meals and snacks all day as opposed to three large meals.  This has the added bonus of keeping my blood sugar stable as I tend toward reactive hypoglycemia if I forget the carb rules.

I drink constantly, although I will admit it's less water, and more sugar-free energy drinks and Diet Dew.  I am pretty bad abou****er, but I just hate the stuff so damn much.

As for tracking what you eat, I know a lot of people use My Fitness Pal and other online programs.  Or just write everything down that passes your lips and look it up later... whatever works for you.

Back to basics is always your best bet.

Audrey

I am still losing (over a year out) and try my darndest to get under 780 calories a day- I'm losing about 4-5 pounds a month.

carbs below 50 or as close to zero as possible.

weigh and log everything into my fitness pal- i have almost a 600 day streak.

lean proteins/non starchy veg is best. Try to avoid relying on shakes and bars.

There is no magic number. A lot depends on what you weigh, how far you are from goal, and how much you have lost already. The formula that doctors give people who are not WLS patients, is to multiply their body weight x 10. That number is the max amount of calories they can have a day to maintain (and to eat lower than that means losing).

However, this formula won't work for people who have lot a lot of weight already, because our metabolism is permanently messed up. But it's a good starting point to get a rough estimate. If you still have 100+ pounds to lose, than you can still lose weight at a higher calorie count than if you only have 5 pounds to get to goal.

Also, not every calorie is created equally! 100 calories from dense proteins is going to further your weight loss much more than 100 calories of crackers. 

If you haven't explored the full site yet, I encourage you to take a peek through the daily menu thread. You can go back and read through years worth of ideas, and many people post their calories, carb and fat intake for the day from My Fitness Pal. That will give you an idea of how people are managing at different weight points and at different post-op stages.

Good luck!