4 yrs out... very slow metabolism.. so hard

hi all.. I fear I've wrecked my metabolism from yo yo fad diets since the age of 14.. you name it, I did it. I had sleeve 4 yrs ago.. but never lost everything I wanted to. I'm on ww but also started just simply calorie tracking .. seems I'm maintaining at 1400-1500 cals from what I can tell. I think I need to drop to 1200 at least to lose ..the problem is actually doing it...does anyone try to stay at 1200? What does your daily diet look like? Are you also tracking carbs?

I'm only 2-1/2 years out, but maybe you'll find some of these tips helpful.

I try to organise things so I never have to tell myself "no". I try to focus on what I should eat rather than what I shouldn't eat. How does that work? I focus on meeting certain goals (have 2 litres of water, have this much protein, some veggies, some fruit). Once I've met those goals, if I crave something, I eat it.

I have learned that there are days I want to eat more, but I don't need to panic. They're balance out by the days I'm not very hungry. I don't worry about it until I've had 3 days in a row of eating more, at which point I will look for ways to tweak my diet.

The only thing I almost never eat is sugar, because 1) I think it's addictive for me, and 2) there are excellent artificial sweeteners, so why risk it. On the rare occasions where i do have something with sugar, it makes me feel slightly queasy.

I have learned to accept that it's perfectly normal to sometimes want to eat when you're not hungry. So I keep certain "fun" foods on hand. Crunchy, chewy, or tart things such as pomegranate seeds, carrot sticks, golden raisins, dried mango really satisfy me.

If I do eat something that I feel was a mistake, I do not decide the day is ruined so I might as well wait to tomorrow. I also don't try to make it up by eating less at the next meal. Instead, I just eat normally for the rest of the day.

When I need to cut down my calories, I focus on "tweaks" or small changes. I look at the things that I eat most often, and consider if there is a lower calorie alternative that I would enjoy just as much.

I don't track carbs. Meeting my protein needs and watching overall calories helps to keep carbs in check for me. Also, I'm vegan, and most vegan sources of protein have more carbs than, say, a steak. So I probably eat a lot more carbs than most people on here do, but a lot less fat. Occasionally I feel I'm not getting enough fat in my diet, so I'll top up with nuts or seeds.

A woman needs 10 calories a day to maintain one pound. 1400 to 1500 should have you maintaining between 140 and 150 pounds. To lose one pound, eliminate 3500 calories. If you cut 500 calories a day, you will lose one pound a week.

My goal is 136 and I have to eat 800 to 900 calories a day to lose one pound every week. I do that with My Fitness Pal or with Weigh****chers. WW does not give you calories, but one point is about 50 calories. So to lose on WW, I need to be on a plan that allows me 16 or 17 points a day. The 30 point plans do not work for me. I maintain or gain on 30 points.

When I make up my mind to lose weight, I can stay on 800 calories. I weigh my food on a food scale and track it carefully. I drink a lot of water. I eat foods that are almost zero calories like lettuce, green beans, sugarfree jello, sugarfree hard candies. My meals are beef, pork, chicken, fish, or fatfree cheeses. I add a lot of non starchy vegetables, clear broth, sugarfee popsicles, a small amount of fruit No bread, flour, potatoes, cereal, sugar, pastries, etc.

I don't tell myself it is a lifestyle change. I tell myself it is a diet and I need to stay on it until the scale says what I want to see. I do this from January until about May to lose 10 to 15 pounds. Some of it comes back by the next year and I will be on diets for life.

hi all.. I fear I?ve wrecked my metabolism from yo yo fad diets since the age of 14.. you name it, I did it. I had sleeve 4 yrs ago.. but never lost everything I wanted to. I?m on ww but also started just simply calorie tracking .. seems I?m maintaining at 1400-1500 cals from what I can tell. I think I need to drop to 1200 at least to lose ..the problem is actually doing it...does anyone try to stay at 1200? What does your daily diet look like? Are you also tracking carbs?

1200 cals is above maintenance cals for many of us. Maintenance is around 800 and to lose, we have to drop to 600 cals , mostly protein.

I am 6.5 (Aug 14,2014) years out and myself was becoming frustrated because it seemed that after 2 years I had lost all the weight that I could lose. I started at 347lbs, got down to 247lbs after 2 years and then just remained around that weight for the next 4 years no matter what I did-even exercising and what I thought was restricting my calories. I would go between 247-255lbs, one time even up to 262lbs! But for the most part I stayed between 247-255 and just accepted it. I just assumed surgery changed my metabolism because I knew I was eating 1600 calories or less-but a lot of it was carb and/or sugar laden.

I came to realize that the kind of food we ate was important regardless of the caloric total! 1600 calories of bad carbs-donuts, cereal, pizza, chips, etc is a lot different than 1600 calories of complex carbs such as veggies, lean meats, nuts, etc. I was almost like what they call a "Dry Drunk", one although not drinking alcohol still showing the effects of it! So I was I guess like a "Dry Overeater!? So at onset of pandemic I decided to make a change. First I did intermittent fasting because it is a lot easier for me to stick to, and I've learned over the years the only "diet" that works is one that is sustainable but also it gave me a window in which to eat in (11am-7pm) and I found that I not only made better choices in what to eat but after a few days I.F.'ing I was not always that hungry and it also took away my "snacking" period which was after 7pm. And although high in sodium I know-dill pickles helped me out a lot-I would just cut them up along with cucumbers and carrots which helped satisfy my crunch desires and so forth. I also started walking the dog for longer periods making sure at end of day I had 10,000 steps in.

I know in the end it all came down to C.I.****alories In, Calories Out) i.e. "eating less and exercising" the time-honored procedure for weight loss but I guess in our journey we have to find a way to make it difficult and what we think is our own originality? At current, I am 235 lbs, so about 17 lbs lost since the pandemic started. So it had been a long time that I was stuck at what I thought was my body's chosen weight (4 years!!), but I was determine just not to go back to my old ways which gradually I was doing and why the weight stall. So all in all, I.F. worked for me because I was able to restrict my calories (which we are supposed to do anyway!) and basically get back on the program as originally planned. So this is what worked for my, not saying it will work for others, but just the way my twisted food addled mind works!

I have determined, I think fairly accurately based on my calorie intake and weight loss, that my "BMR" pretty much equals my "TDEE", about 1500-1600 calories per day. Yeah, I'm not particularly active at the moment.

Like many, I've had some minor weight regain in 2020. This happened because of lack of activity, and eating too many simple carbs, sugars, and processed unhealthy foods. I'm dieting to lose that regain fast and, during the past month, I am averaging about 2 lbs. lost per week. One more month and I'll be back at my lowest weight post-WLS.

Though I am eating less at the moment, I have determined that you can absolutely feast on 1200-1300 calories per day - provided that you are very careful and deliberate about your food choices, and avoid snacks outside of vegetables and a few fruits per day - and absolutely no grazing!

I have found, for me to be successful, I need to carefully track my calories to the "T", and plan out my meals well in advance. I plan my meals in MyFitnessPal at least three to four days in advance, and religiously eat per that plan, even snacks.

I am careful to weigh foods and ingredients accurately, and weigh my portions to the ounce.

I am fortunate in that I lost well below my original weight loss goal originally (really too low) and even with the regain, I stayed within the "normal" BMI range for my height. I caught the regain and made the decision to reverse it before it got out of hand, fortunately.

It takes determination, motivation, and will-power. We are human, and that can be difficult. Since I am choosing satiating low calorie foods like vegetables, salads with measured dressings, cottage cheese (quite the super-food for weight loss!), I'm not starving and I feel nice satisfaction in my accomplishment, and I will carry over my new healthy eating habits (salads, grilled veggies, lean proteins - all carefully measured) when I go back to maintenance, hopefully in one more month.

There is no reason you can't do this. I thought it would be difficult to lose regain after WLS, but it has actually been easier to "diet" than I remember it being pre-surgery.

Good Luck!

Very good advice! Thank you!

I think you've got some great insight here and I hope you find something that works for you. I know some that track calories and wouldn't try anything else and have been very successful and I know some that have been on WW and have also been successful. I would think it may be helpful for you to talk with your dietician that might also give you some greater insight as well. I'm nearing my 10-year surg-iversary and I recently chose WW and have been successful to continue weight loss. I liked the flexibility of WW for my life. I've lost 30 lbs on the purple plan and I'm continuing weight loss. Although, it has been slow about a pound a week or so has kept me motivated. I struggled with reactive hypoglycemia for 3.5 years and then 2 years of working through it with an endocrinologist. I'm on the right medication now to help me control it and I do carefully watch my carb intake and what type of carbs I do eat. I think the best diet will be the one you can work on confidently and something you can manage for the rest of your life for your health. Best wishes to you!

I've heard that there are some medicines that can help.