Need some guidence

When I was3 months out I was more in the range of 600-800 calories per day and I was exercising a lot.  

I would highly recommend you track everything.  I also would strongly recommend that you stay away from all white carbs (pretzels, pasta, rice, potato etc,****il you have reached goal or close to it.  

I would shot for 100 oz of water 80-100 grams of protein, 50 or fewer grams of carbs coming from green veggies, dairy and berries.  

This is is latively strict, but it works.  

Good luck!

The carbs and fats don't make any real difference as neither can be too far out of line if the calories and protein are within normal post-op WLS limits. With your starting weight of 240, I can assume that you are an average to shorter than average woman with a moderate low to mid 40's BMI, which implies that your calorie intake is the main reason for slower than desired loss rate - many women in that range will be maintaining in the 1200 calorie range, give or take a bit, so you need to drop your calories into the 6-800 range to get an effective caloric deficit to drive your loss.

If you aren't weighing/measuring the food that you are eating, it is very easy to under-estimate your intake. Also, our estimation of full isn't always so good, particularly early on, so it's best to measure out a reasonable amount based upon your nominal starting stomach size (if your surgeon told you what it was) - maybe 3 oz or a quarter cup to start - and see how that works. You shouldn't be getting overly full on that amount, but should be satisfied if it's primarily protein.

Thank you all for your replies. I truly appreciate all the feed back. I will begin to really increase my water intake. 

Califsleevin... yes you are correct. Im 5'3. Up until week 6 i was eating approx 600 calories. Then my Dr said i was in "starvation mode" and to increase to min. 1000 calories a day. The following week i finally lost 3 pounds... but since then its still been at a stand still. Maybe i should go back to 600 again.  Ugh... my body hates me!!!! 

I am taller than you, but also have hypothyroidism, so I can relate to the low energy it can cause. I'm also a lax exerciser (any possible way to avoid it, I will). That being said, I concur with the others about the importance of measuring your food. Food scales are roughly 25 bucks at Target and a true investment in your health. I measure everything that is not pre-packaged (e.g., yogurt cups, string cheese, protein bars).

I am 5 months out on the 2nd and 75 pounds down as of today. My nutritionist and surgeon insist on the following numbers: 1000 calories a day (regardless of exercise regime), 80-100 protein, and under 50 carbs. I usually hit my calorie threshold within 100 and always meet my protein goals. Carbs are harder to manage due to fiber and net carbs, but rarely do I go over my 50 limit. I'm happy with my progress so far and feel this is the best plan for me. Every surgeon/nutritionist is different.

In terms of carbs, make sure they're worth it. Cake is good, but it's empty calories and too many carbs. It can also be a trigger for many. My weakness is chips, so I steer clear of them, including the Quest protein chips or high protein quinoa chips.

Stay strong and really being to be conscious of what's going in - estimating and guessing is what got us to the point of needing surgery in the first place.

Deb

Thank you again to ALL of you for your suggestion and opinions! I have printed out this entire thread and will make all the changes to get me to goal. What a great site to be a part of!!