Really Now, 1/8 oz???

 You seem right on track with my route.  I had approx 100 lbs to lose and did in 10 months.  I feel that I probably eat more than a lot of people in maintenance at between 1400 and 2000 calories per day.  I seem to be maintaining just fine at that but have decided that I want to lose another ten in the New Year.  I love my VSG soooo much!

You are doing great!! Losing 82 lbs since August is wonderful!!! It seems to be normal to be able to eat more, as we get further out. I am about to start my fifth month and can eat more than I could 1-2 months ago. This is normal. Our sleeve is healing and the swelling is going down, which allows more room for food. Also, the further down you get, the weight loss may slow down. At least that is what I have found.

Increasing your calories to 900-1000 is normal at this stage and may help to ease some of your hunger issues. The above posters seem to agree with increasing your calories. 500 cal/day at this stage isn't enough.

I would like to eat some desserts, but at this stage, I don't want to risk slowing down my weight loss and making goal. Any lifestyle change is challenging, but hopefully, it will get a bit easier and feel more natural.

Deb,
I saw David time before last and he was the one who said 3 meals and 500-800 calories.  My checkup was with Hailey mid December and she doesn't really talk to me or encourage me.  It is almost like she thinks I am going to cause trouble for them about the original surgery problem.  Of course, if I was going to that, I would have done it already.  I don't blame the Dr. for the June problems, it was just one of those things (I am also in the medical field).  I hope to get David for my next check up - he is very positive and encouraging. I have to work very hard to keep 900-1000 calories.  Deb - did you go the the x-mas party?
Kathy

Hey Kat!! I did go to the Christmas party, missed seeing you there!! Next time you schedule an appointment specifically ask for David. I was told you can request who you see. Hailey seems nice enough but I prefer to see David. I dont think it has anything to do with your original surgery problems, I really think it's more her personality. I know I'm struggling to get in 1200 calories. I really find I eat more junk and justify it is going towards my calorie goal. I need to stop this or I'm going to be looking at a gain. I'm glad the holidays are over and all the crap has been cleaned out of my house. I'm looking forward to getting back on track and deciding if I want to lose a few more lbs or stay where I'm at. Take care lady and hope to see you soon!!
Debby

"I can't eat a whole piece of bread, or I can't eat more than 1/8 oz of this or that, I just want to scream. "

Don't forget, a lot of those people aren't very far out. I could only eat .5-1 oz. at time once too. It but I can eat a lot more now! LOL

Anyway, you've lost 82 pounds in 4.2 months. That's pretty darn fast in my book. Heck, you've lost almost as much in 4.5 months as my surgeon wants people to lose by 6 months and lots of people find his timetable very aggressive.

I kept track of my food intake for my first year and you can see form my records, I didn't stick to <800 calories the whole time I was losing. But I also upped my exercise during that time:

http://fattyfightsback.blogspot.com/2010/07/calories-protein-carbs-exercise-weight.html

I post this to show that it's not realistic to compare calories alone and that there are many paths to success. We all have different calorie needs based on how fast our metabolisms are and how active we are. If you are losing at a good clip (and you are), why force yourself to try to eat only 500-900 calories when you already have trouble keeping to 900-1000?

Hi Kathy - I had my surgery just a few days after you.  I too have been a slow loser, while following the "rules" 95% of the time.  In my case I attribute that to my age (60), as I remember being a fairly fast loser in the past. Just in the past few weeks I've noticed that my capacity has increased, and I do get hungry every three hours.  Not head hunger or just empty - actual ravenous hunger, where I need to eat RIGHT NOW.  Like Brandilynn, if I concentrate on dense protein, the hunger stays away for about the 3-hour timeframe; if not it comes earlier, and I too wait it out until I hit that 3-hour mark.  I track every morsel on SparkPeople, and it appears my daily calories range from the 700s to the 1000s.  Most of the time I'm in the 800s or 900s.  I am also very carb-sensitive; a few refined carbs and I'm off to the races!

The one thing I don't do (yet) is exercise, as I have a very painful knee.  But I will have to start at least walking, and soon, and then ramp up to a bit more.  Can no longer use the "excuse" of having excess weight, or not much anyway. 

I assume I'll be doing what I do today - very low carb, high protein, vites, water, tracking, etc., with the addition of exercise - for the rest of my life if I intend to keep the weight off once my body reaches goal.  But I knew that when I signed up for this, based on my research on OH and elsewhere.  It's VERY hard to read about people losing 40-eleven pounds in 10 minutes, while I plod along, but I try to keep my mindset focused on the fact that, for me, this is a lifetime thing.  So I guess if it takes me another 18 mos to lose the weight, I will just have to be satisfied that the scale is moving in the right direction.  I'm already amazed at the difference in how I look and feel right now, which keeps me pretty happy day-to-day, LOL!

BTW, I love this particular forum.  I've always heard, if you want to be a winner, do what the winners do, so even though I'm not on maintenance yet, I lurk here every day!