Confused...Need Help/Advice

Ok, I talked to my exercise specialist recently, and today talked to my dietitian. Both of them said I need to up my calories, carbs, even fat a little. They said I don't need as much protein as I am getting either. I had the sleeve, so I absorb everything. They both said I am working out hard and eventually I will crash or get injured on my intake. 

I said I didn't want to stall my weight loss, and they both said at this point I don't really need to worry about weight loss because I am at a normal BMI.

Here's what I do now:

600-700 calories
100 protein
30 or less carbs
20 fat

I don't care what they say, I want to lose a little more, but I also don't want to hurt my body. Thoughts? Advice? What should I do?

word for word from my trainer and nut.  they just dont "get it" i guess

i think that "we" dont want to slow down and lose what momentum we have going.  i think you will know when to rachet back.  it surely sounds like you should be able to up your caloric intake but i hardly think you'll  breakdown.  i think taking a day off from hard exercise is a good idea once in a while but not at the expense of your mental state.

i'm not going to tell you to slow down! 

you look to be the picture of health and seem clever enough to recognize fatigue.  go with your gut instinct.

I don't think you're going to hurt yourself if you only need to do this for a couple or 3 more months. Once you reach your goal or a little under you can adjust. However, there might not be a thing wrong with adding a light salad a day. Good carbs, lots of fiber, etc. See what it would do to your totals and see what you think. I think you're doing an awesome job!

--g

You guys told me exactly what I wanted to hear. I was thinking maybe mix my afternoon protein shake with skim milk instead of water or try to squeeze in a little fruit or switch back to light yogurt instead of the carbmaster. 

I have energy to get through my day. I get up super early, work out hard, and chase 3 kids around all day, run errands, clean house, etc. I think I would know if I was starving myself or getting ready to collapse.

I'm gonna keep doing what I'm doing and maybe try to tweak a couple of things. I feel good and I'm losing, even though I feel it's getting slower.

Thanks!

Shannon, years ago, I lost about 35 lbs on Jenny Craig and was down to 120 lbs, from about 155. I am about 4'11. I ate about 1,000-1,200 cal/day, exercised 40-45 min on a Stairstepper 3-4 times/week,  and worked out with a trainer for weight training about 2-3 times a week. Some weeks I was able to lose 2-3 lbs/week and that was when I weighed in the 130's. By doing this  I was able to get down to 120, over a period of 5-6 months. Slow by WLS standards, but I found that the lower I weighed, the harder it was to get off.

The point of this, is that at this stage you do need to up your calories. I think adding a protein shake with skim milk and adding healthy carbs (fruit and veggies) and fats, is the way to go.  You need more fuel. The program that I attend recommends about 30 grams of fat/day, which is low-fat. I get my fats from a little avocado and about 0.5 ounce of walnuts a few times/week. 20 grams seems low, especially for someone your age.

You have been an inspiration for me. I hope that I can do as well as you. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

Thank you! I am going to tweak some things, but if I stall or gain, I'm going right back to what I am doing. I know a few days before my race I need to up the carbs, but for now, just a little. No bread or pasta or anything, but more fruits and veggies, etc.

Exactly. It helps to mix things up. I am still losing on the pre-op plan. I started at 210 and now, I am at 184. Surgery is on 8.30.10, so I may go down a couple of more lbs.

I had been keeping my calories around 1,000 to reach surgery goal, but I increased them to 1200-1500 a couple of weeks ago, and I still dropped a couple of more lbs. Crazy. Protein based, carbs from fruits and veggies seem to agree with me. I do have a protein shake with enhanced soy milk and a little fruit in the am, just because it is quick.

Great replies, but one more thought. Just ask any of the bodybuilders what their pre-contest diet consists of, and you'll find that they eat almost no carbs, almost no fat (not even the yolks of the eggs), and very high protein in an attempt to keep their muscle mass. They eat that way so that they can quickly lose body fat for contests to help the underlying muscle show up better on contest day.

As everyone said above, people who are trained in exercise fields don't understand that you don't need to cram on carbs to stay fit. You and I are trying to lose body fat, so we need to continue following a low carb program.  Once a person is at goal, he or she may need to add some healthy carbs in order to maintain weight, depending on his or her activity level. 

Your current diet is pretty much identical to the low carb plans that many non-weight loss folks live on all the time (they also do not have malabsorption). That extra protein helps us build and maintain muscle, and it will carve down belly fat. Here is a great site full of people who follow your current plan and have been on it for years...lowcarbfriends.com.

P.S., I wish I could stick to your numbers. I did a similar plan for years, but got off track and can't seem to stay away from the carbs full-time. You are doing great!

Thank you very much for your reply! I told my NUT that I still had some fat I wanted to burn. I don't care if I am in the healthy BMI range, I'm trying to be physically fit and get rid of the majority of my body fat!

you know=if your husband starts telling you he feels as if he;s cuddling with a schwin, you might be getting too slim.  until then..