Am I a WLS grad???

I am a little over 1 yr out and not feeling connected to the main board with the beginners questions. I know I was once there but now I feel like I have  other issues. I am in the clutches of the Carb monster. I did the 5 day pouch a while ago and did well and I feel like I need it again. I can eat carbs and a certain amount of sugar with no ill effects. I do get the hot flashes and icky feeling when I go over the line which I feel is too frequently. I am logging my food intake on The Daily Plate and that is showing me alot. I have been doing that for about the last 5-6 dys. I am also logging my steps everyday as part of a contest with coworkers. These are good steps forward for me but I still can't get off the carb wagon. I eat multiple Luna bars a day thinking they are a decent form of protein but they are also 26gr of carbs. I have been consuming about 1700-1800 calories. Does anyone have any ideas about calories at this point for me??The daily plate says this is what I should be taking in if I want to loss 1 lb a week at my activity level. It just seems like a lot more than most people on this board are eating. Thanks  Jennifer

Welcome to the Grad Board!  You'll find wonderful support from the terrific people here! I have the same reaction to carbs, hot flashes and that icky feeling-- that's the best I can describe it.  Carbs are a constant struggle. I'm not sure about your calorie question, I'll leave that up to the experts! Michele

Hi Jen, Welcome...Your still a little young but *****ally cares?  LOL I didn't really stop losing til 18 months...Really slowly, but still losing. You didn't mention whether you were or whether you are gaining or maintaining.   I'm not sure where my calories should be either. (At four years out) I am only just begining to track my food...I am trying to find a spot where I am on the border of losing so I can try to lose a little more weight for summer without over doing it. So I'm just kind of waiting things out and seeing where I am. Since I did the 5DPT, I have cut back and I am learning about my varying food choices, so I can get some kind of idea of where I need to be. I've been doing it for about two weeks and I have finally got my scale to stabilize from bouncing up and down. What are your goals? To lose or maintain?  I think you've already got a great start just by trying to find out what you eat and how much. I'm sure you can post it in the accountability thread and see what they all think...Don't ask me...I'm still trying to find my own ideal calories! But we are all different sizes and heights too..so You really can't go by a golden standard I don't think.   But they can give you an idea of whether you are eating right or what you need to add or get rid of...It's casual in there!  Nice atmoshpere!

Welcome to the grads board. I'm nearly 19 months out and I'm taking in 1500-2000 calories a day, depending on how much I work out. I seem to get hungrier on days that I exercise a lot, but I guess that makes sense. I eat a lot of bars too (Kashi, Fiber One, and homemade ones). I eat every couple of hours or so to keep my blood sugar up, and they seem to be one of the better alternatives, better than popcorn or something like that. Those carbs can be destructive. If I eat a pack of crackers instead of a protein bar, I'm starving to death in 30 minutes.

Hi Jennifer, welcome to the Grad Board......yes you are a grad (1 year post-op).  I believe you'll enjoy the grad board, it isn't as busy as the main board but lots of great knowledge, experiences and sharing by everyone. As for the calorie intake, I believe it's so individual for each of us based on what we want to do and how much exercise we do.  As Anita said, check out the Accountablity thread that Carla post daily for ideas and experiences that might help you. That carb monster attacks many of us, you'll see lots of people doing the 5 day pouch test and posting the results, it's a great tool to regain control. Best wishes,

hi and welcome to the grads board. i am about 20 months out and i so understand that carb monster. actually just last week in frustration i started tracking on sparkpeople to see what im really eating. i also just said no to crackers and chips which were talking to me.  ive been pretty good with that, only maybe once every other day at the moment. there are bars out there with fewer carbs, you just need to research them a bit.  go to your vitamin shoppe or nutrition store and just read the labels. i use south beach, atkins and sometimes the oh yeah wafer bars. some of those bars are high on carbs and sugar and i dont want to go there. you know u can do this, maybe just look at the bars you are eating and trade them in for some lower on carbs. best of luck, jacki

Welcome Jennifer!!!! I LOVE thedailyplate~in fact, I'm now addicted to it, LOL! When maintaining I eat around 1800-2000cal daily. If trying to lose a few I eat around 1500.

Hi, Jennifer.  I'm in the same boat as you.  My surgery was 2/14/07 and I'm on Day 4 of the pouch test.  I started logging my food on the Daily Plate also.  I'm trying to figure the site out and all the info it has to offer.  I'm trying to figure out my caloric intake as well to continue to lose.  We should stay in touch! Sherry