New with questions! Any help is appreciated!

Good morning all! 

I am new to this group. I had my sleeve done 10 months ago and I am now in maintenance.  Just writing that freaks me out.  Honestly, I am so nervous because I never want to gain my weight back.  Before I ask my questions let me give you a little background information.  My highest weight was 340lbs and I wore a size 26.  I now weigh 170 and wear a size 6/8.  I have lost 170lbs in 10 months, which still blows my mind. My body fat according to my trainer is 18%.  I can't believe that either.  I have a large frame, so I weigh pretty heavy.  I workout 5 days a week, I do a lot of weight training and running. I run my first 5k this Saturday coming up. 

This has been an unbelieveable journey for me. I still have trouble believing that I wear a size 8 and shop in regular stores.  My mind is still trying to catch up with my body. I still feel fat in the mind. I know it sounds crazy. I accidently go to the plus size section. I still feel as if people are staring at me when I go out.  I am working on that part.

However, I do have a few questions.

1.  How much do you all eat in a sitting? Do you eat till your tummy says stop or do you measure the 1/2 cup or 3/4 cup of food out?

2.  Do you wait 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after you eat to drink something? Does anybody eat and drink at the same time? (I am so scared to do this)

3.  Does anybody drink out of a straw?

4.  How many calories do you all eat a day? My NUT says that I should be getting around 800 calories a day at this stage.  I would pass out and die if I only ate 800 calories.  I burn 800 calories working out.  So, I am nervous that I am eating too much because I eat around 1200-1500 depending on the day and the workout.

I am looking forward to feedback because I am so nervous.  I am used to always being on a diet. So this is so new to me! 

Welcome to this group,  I think you will find a great home here.  This site has many really caring wonderful people who are keep me on track every day.  You have done a miraculous job of getting to goal at record speed.  I bet it still feels surreal when you think about all the changes you have gone through in the past 8 months.  I am so very impressed my your dedication to eating well and exercise.  Let me answer your questions one at a time.
 1) I don't' measure anymore, but I eye ball it and I only eat (at home) out of bowls that have been pre measured.  This way I know how much I am eating at every meal.  When I go out, I eat just about the same amount but I use the picture of a deck of cards or my palm as my guide.

2)I drink right up to the time when I start to eat, but I do wait about 30 -45 min. after I eat before I drink.  I do this because I still get a little sick if I don't wait and I start to feel to full very fast if I eat and drink at the same time.

3)I drink out of a straw all the time, I have never had any problems with this at all.

4)I eat between 1200 - 1800 cals. a day.  I think your NUT is a little nuts.  I think  you are doing great with your eating, just keep it up.  I don't exercise at all and I am maintaining at this calorie count for about one year.  If I ate 800 cals. a day, I think I would be under 95 lbs. and that would be unhealthy and look terrible.

Don't be nervous, you are not alone, we are all going through this together.  Welcome and I am glad you found us.

Hi and welcome. you are gonna love this group. regarding your questions:

at 16 months i can still eat maybe only 2/3 cup food; more if it is greek yogurt or something mushy like that. i have a lot of small serving bowls and just sort of guess the amount. usually eat what i have dished out but once in a while tummy says stop sooner so i do.

no, i don't always wait the time between drinking and eating. will drink up to pretty close before eating. wait more after like 30 min. sometimes i do have a few small sips of water with a meal if its something that makes me thirsty but its a very small amount.

I don't use straws much but certainly will when i get iced tea at a fast food place. thats about all i get at fast food. no sugar.

to maintain i eat 1100 or 1200 calories. that isn't much but i am older and less active than you and smaller framed. Don't see how you could eat 800 and not keep losing. I would do at least 1200 and see how that works for you.

Everyone finds that maintenance is an individual journey and thats how we try to help eachother in this group. there is so much variation in what we as indiviuals can do.But you will get lots of good advice here. read through older posts for lots of good advice.

Diane

I just eye ball my food now. I know what size portion is right for me. I eat protein first and veggies if there is room.

I use a straw all the time. I ask for a straw when I eat out.

I wait usually 45-1 hour usually before I drink. I am full so it does not bother me. I may take one '
sip of water during the meal if I am just that thirsty I have to have it.
 
I maintain with around 1,000 calories per day. If I do a heavy workout, when I come home, I drink a protein shake.

My best advice is to weigh every day. If you see the scale go down past where you want to be, eat some healthy fat like nuts. If it's going up, well, you know what to do! 

Welcome to maintenance!

I can be known for overstressing.  I followed the doctor's orders the first 9 months and it paid off big time.  Now, venturing out and it makes me nervous. I went and saw the NUT for advice and she made me more frustrated and confused.  I have gotten to where I don't care for too much meat, so I have been trying to find other proteins. If I didn't LOVE carbs so much I probably wouldn't be as nervous!

Thank you all for the advice, it has helped more than you know.

Welcome aboard, we're all learning our way here.  As to carbs, they can be a cruel taskmaster.  I've found that if I eat simple carbs I will want more carbs all day.  Carbs seem to draw you if you eat much of them.  I try to keep my carbs between 40-50 grams a day.  And these would be complex carbs like the ones in vegetables and whole grains.  I VERY rarely will eat bread.  Actually, I've only had bread once since my surgery.  But we are all different, so you'll find your own happy place.  With the 800 cal/day thing, if your are not still trying to lose, I'd say that's very low.  I don't know how tall you are or what your activity is like, but I'd guess you need at least 1200 cal if you want to maintain.  I am still trying to find my maintenance number, I consume about 800-1000 cal/day right now and my weight is still going down.  Slowly, but still down.  Like you, I find it scary to up my calories since I have a horrid fear of regain.  I think, with time, we'll find that place.
Blessings to you and looking forward to reading about your continued success!
Marie   

Congratulations on getting to goal so fast! I've hit my personal goal, but may now go a little lower and see how I look and feel. To answer your questions:

1. I've never measured. I put the amount I think I should eat on my plate and usually can't fini****

2. I will drink up until I start eating, but don't drink with my meals because it makes me too full. My Dr. is very laid back and does not have any eating & drinking rules.

3. I've used a straw since the day of my surgery. I get more air in my tummy from sipping hot beverages than I do from using a straw.

4. I also don't count my calories. Rough guess is I'm around 1200 - 1500, but if I want to eat something, I eat it. As long as I'm sticking to protein and complex carbs, this works for me. As soon as I add in refined sugars I crave and want to eat to be eating.

I also work out quite a bit. I don't know how you can survive on 800 calories with your workouts. You have to fuel your body for rigorous exercise. I would suggest SLOWLY adding in calories and watching what the scale does. You might be surprised and see it go down instead of up.

Good luck!
Jen

Thank you for answering.  I work out a lot as well.  Today I ran 3.4 miles and my time was 34 minutes.  I have my first 5k race on this Saturday.  I also work out with a trainer 2x a week.  I only drink out of a straw when I buy a protein shake or treak myself to a light frap. from starbucks.  Other than that I pretty much drink water. 

Most days I feel like I eat to much. 

Are you all able to eat cereal? Also, if you get a sandwich from subway how much of it do you it? I am so affraid that I will eat too much of it.