Veterens-calories per day.

hi-I'm 14 months post VSG and doing great. Wondering from those further out (many years), how many calories can you eat now? i eat around 1300-1500/day, work out vigorously 3x/wee****ep small portions and eat six times a day. Most of the time I do well with food choices and amounts. I am down to 14% body fat and feel great. I'm hoping I can just continue on with this forever, but am I kidding myself? i can eat quicker now, and sometimes catch myself thing "oh i think i'm eating too fast!" and wait for a pain that doesn't come as often or as vigorously as before, so I know things are changing. Will i be eating 2500 calories again some day?  or if I keep my small portions and stay on top of my food choices, will i keep a small restrictive tummy? 

I had RNY but generally the pouch or sleeve is matured in size around 12-18 months out. Unless you overeat to uncomfortable and stray from your program you shouldn't struggle too much maintaining. If you see your weight climbing cut back on intake and refocus. 

It's a lifetime of being diligent. Congrats on your success. 

Sweet, thanks for the feedback. It's nice to know I'm on the right (est) path I can be. 

 

Ginger

What you are doing now is perfect.  A rough idea of how many calorie is to multiply your goal weight by 10.  To maintain 140 pounds, eat 1400 calories a day, etc.   Going back to 2500 is flirting with weighing 250 pounds.  I am six years out and have no desire to eat 2500 calories or to weigh 250 pounds.

You do have to work at keeping your portions small and at being aware of what you are eating.  The best advice I can give you is to weigh yourself everyday.  That way you will be able to catch a gain immediately and not get shocked by a big gain when the scale has been ignored for a long time.

The surgery gives you a tool to help you eat the amount of calories that will sustain your goal weight.  If you go back to eating like before, then you are almost definitely going to go back to weighing what you did before.

T hanks. i do weigh every day. i just read others' posts and am afraid i'm kidding myself, that one day i'll suddenly realize I've gained 50 pounds, i guess because i can't get a clear story on how that happens, how it happens that someone doesnt notice after all of this work and pain and investment that they have cheetos appearing in their cupboards and ice cream in their hand and it seems that suddenly one day they find themselves eating just as before. 

It happens because people get bored with the food plan, bored with the exercise and start pushing the envelope.  When the scale goes up, they put the scale away and keep up with the junk food and sedentary lifestyle. Going uphill is hard, going back downhill is quick and easy.

When I put the scale away at about 30 months and only weighed at the doctor's office, the first month I gained 3 pounds, the second month another 3 and the third month 3 more.  At that point I got the scale back out and started weighing everyday again.  My clothes were tight, my body felt sluggish and I realized how easy it would be to go back to my old habits.

I continued to gain even when I went back to watching every calorie and exercising hard.  It took months to get some of the excess weight off and I never lost all of it.  I was below goal at 128 when it started and I ended up getting to 145 at one point.

It took a low calorie regimen of about 600-800 a day for months to get back to my 136 goal weight.  During the regain I was still exercising more than two hours a day and I was not counting calories, but having things like a Dairy Queen cone or a bag of chips.  I thought I was cured of obesity and could eat like everyone else.  I found out that was not the case.

It is really easy to gain a pound a week and in a year that is 52 pounds.  Many people do that.  It is really easy to gain and really hard to get it back off, possibly because our metabolism has been damaged by the quick weight loss after surgery.

Since that experience I refuse to put the scale away ever again.  I take it with me when I travel.  I am always aware of my weight and get no shocks at the doctor's office.  If I quit my scale obsession, I have no doubt the weight would be back.

Thanks. i know i'm the same as everyone else and take everything y'all say to heart.

Sounds like you are doing super! If it ain't broke, don't fix it! I don't think you will be eating 2500 again- I do 1200-1400 or so 3 ½  years out, plus I exercise and that is working for me. I do the daily scale routine, too, and adjust accordingly. I go back to the basics for a few days if I need to. Just keep catching yourself when you notice yourself slipping, and I think you'll do just fine over the long haul!

"I go back to the basics for a few days if I need to."
Great advice! That's what I try to do too!

This is a great thread! I'm currently almost 3 years out and fighting a 10 lb regain. After post-op twins and 2 rounds of plastics I'm struggling to get those 10 lbs off (would love to lose another 20 realistically).  I think there is a lot of truth to the comment about our metabolisms being a little messed up. It's unfortunate, but I think it happens. I don't regret that though, I did what I had to do. I slipped into a period earlier this year where it didn't matter what I ate, I would either maintain or sometimes lose a little.  The I had my arm lift and breast lift with implants. Being stuck in bed for close to 6 weeks is hard on the brain. Then I was active for a month, then I had a panniculectomy. Down for another 4 weeks, no exercise for 6 weeks. I didn't check in on the scale because things were going good and I just had skin removed, I should be down right?? Nope, I had put on 10lbs. So I'm busy trying to lose that now. I've really cut back on my carbs and bumped up my activity. The weight is holding fast but at least not going up anymore. 

I'm currently eating 1200-1500 calories a day (I'm 5'10" and my goal is anything under 180). I do probably need to tighten up on my calories but for the holidays I feel this is a manageable goal and I'll drop them down after next week. 

Fighting the regain is much harder than maintaining. You're on the right trac****ep on keeping on.