I could use a diet assessment - 8wks post op

I feel like I'm doing okay, but wondering if I could be doing great. My first month's weight loss was 20lbs, of course without even trying. Second month has been 8.5lbs. I really hoped it would be at least double that. First week was 4lbs, 2nd - 4th week has been a steady 1.5lbs per week.

My NUT said I should aim for 800 to 1000 calories a day since I'm burning 400 to 600 calories per day through exercise. That's based on a HR monitor. I'm going to the gym and taking classes like Zumba, Body Pump (cardio weight lifting), Body Combat, and Spinning.

He had no recommendation for macros. I really struggle to get less than 60 grams of carbs per day. I don't eat vegetables very well and rely on complex carbs (grains) for my fiber. If I don't eat enough fiber I get hypoglycemia.

I averaged my calories and macros over the last three weeks:

Calories - 950

Fat - 42g (40%)

Carbs - 65g (28%)

Protien - 72g (32%)

I get 64oz of water on the dot. It's still tough it get it all down.

So what do you think? Stay the course or is there something I should try changing?

TIA! -Kelly

Hi,

I ate between 600 to 800 calories a day for the first 6 months after surgery. At 6 months, I slowly increased it to 800 to 1000.  Then it slowly crept up to 1200 calories per day after a year post op. 

This is consistent with what I've seen others post on the site.  I think 950 calories is a little high for where you are, and would account for the slower weight loss than you hoped for.  When I was eating 600 to 800 calories per day, I was losing about 15 pounds a month. at 1000 calories per day, I was losing more in the range of 8 to 10 pounds per month.

best wishes,

Carol

I don't want to give advice if you actually get true hypoglycemia- so I think the first question is- what have been your blood glucose readings & symptoms  when you go hypo??? (and fiber has no "energy" so I'm assuming you meant if you go too low-carb, as fiber has no effect on blood sugar?) Have you been diagnosed with hypoglycemia or diabetes? Hypoglycemia is a serious condition and can stem from many different causes, so for anyone to give prudent information- prob need to know  why you experience it or else we may give you bad info..d

Your protein looks good. I personally stayed ketogenic till I got to goal (12 months out, 110lbs down from surgery wt. ) I stayed- sub 20-30g carbs, and typically maintain now at or around 75-100g a day, a bit less to lose slowly. I was consuming about 600 cal a day or less at 8 weeks, sub 900 till goal, and up to 1200 at 1.5 yrs out to get to my all time low. Our fat provides the surplus- so no need to "eat back" expended energy. 

FYI, had to sign up under a new user- but I am nearly 6yrs out from surgery, and maintaining a bit above where I prefer just because I really don't care to cut back due to extreme life stress.. healthy & happy otherwise! I maintain while eating basically "what I want" within a healthy reason as my restriction is still in full force. Went from about 270 to a low in the high 130's- too low!! Goal was 155, I'm hanging a bit above that but thankfully not gaining further in the last several years despite not really paying a lot of attention to myself. Good luck with your journey & I hope you get your hypo figured out!

Your calories are high. And you should ditch the grains. You can control the hypoglycemia by eating a mix of protein and fats more often. Grains will cause you a lot more trouble in the long run.

In addition to the great advice you've gotten so far - your exercise calories don't really matter for anything. So avoid eating them back.  

Ditto to everything said by the others replying!

Overall I think you are doing well. i would suggest to try to keep it closer to 800 calories, and not to eat too much complex carbs in one sitting- but given you many carbs you are posting it does not lool like you are doing that at all. I also had issues with low blood sugar. Do not feel pressure to keep carbs under 40 in your case, as that will cause you other issues. There is absolutely nothing wrong with 65 carbs. Don't eat back the calories you burn off- that is terrible advice. 

Thanks all! So too many calories. I figured that was the case. I think I'll back down to 800 over the next 4 weeks and see if it makes a difference. Of course, my morning weigh-in showed a 3.5lb loss for the week. I should talk about how slow I think I'm losing more often!

I do have true hypoglycemia and I've never had diabetes. Not diagnosed but I know what it feels like so I bought a glucose monitor. Whenever I was feeling it, I tested and my glucose level would be in the 65 to 75 range. This was happening every few hours per day. I know a combo of complex carbs and protein can level blood sugar out and that's what I was doing but it was still happening. I did some research and found that fiber slows down the absorption of carbs thus creating an even more level blood glucose without any dips. So I added more fiber and immediately the hypoglycemia stopped. Haven't had it one time since. For now, grains are my friend. I'll switch to getting my fiber with vegetables when I'm able to eat them without issue.

Again, thanks so much! -k

When I was having problems predicting what food and the timing of eating would do to my blood sugar levels I kept a very detailed log for 2 weeks. i checked my fasting level, right before i ate. I would then eat, and check again 15 min, 60 min, and 2 hours after eating. It really helped me to get a handle on it. For example, I was shocked to find that drinking a protein shake for breakfast consistently lowered my blood sugar level. Once I had a 2 week log I was able to make adjustments and eliminate my low sugar levels very significantly. Then the new eating habits became my normal and I almost never notice going low now. I did redo that a couple of years into it as I suspected that my levels were starting to drift back towards being in the pre-diabetic range. I was right, after monitoring for two weeks my fasting levels were high. Went in and my A1c had climbed. More adjustments and now trying to keep that at bay. 

Hey ya'll, thought I would give an update. I naturally eat about 950 calories so cutting back takes more effort. I'm willing to make that effort, but only if necessary. Due to my surprise loss last week, I just wanted to see how much I would lose this week by staying the course. Well, I lost four pounds, so 7.5 in the last two weeks. I'm working out like a beast, going to the gym everyday except Sunday, so hopefully I can keep it up.

This is what I averaged this week:

Calories - 920

Fat - 40g (39%)

Carbs - 67g (29%)

Protien - 75g (32%)

Really interesting that my macros are so close to the previous weeks I tracked. Can you tell I'm a number cruncher?