How many calories is good?

i am 16 months out....my maintenance has been a lil bit of a struggle...but overall i'm doin ok...1 question that i have is how many calories can you have in 1 day?  my nutrionist said i didn't need to ever worry about counting calories ever again but when i see the posts of what you all are eating i see that everyone is counting them.  i'm i supposed to have 60 grams protein, 80 oz of water, 10 grams max of fat and 5 grams max of sugar per serving.. but im no****ching calories.  also i was wondering if anyone eats the lean cuisine meals?  i eat alot of those a half for lunch and the other half for dinner.  i work from 3pm to 1am 7 days a week...so not much time for cooking... i have thought about th e websit ms. schell talked about...the world according to egg face... but so far for today i've had....

B..2 hard boiled eggs
S..1/2 cup almonds
L..1/2 peanut butter sandwich

that's it so far since it's only 230pm...well it's off to work...any suggestions or advice e would be                     Thanks

Yes, most of us need to keep an eye on the calories.  That does not mean that we need to obsess with them, but we need to know what we are eating. In my humble opinion, 1/2 a cup of almonds is asking for trouble.  Almonds are great, but just a small handful, 1/4 cup has 170 calories.  Peanut butter sandwich is just an OK choice, the peanut butter is fine, but do you really need the bread?  Lean Cuisine is full of sodium.  I am sorry if I am picking your food apart, I would not do it if you didn't ask for advice.  I think you might consider more real meat and veggies in your diet.  I know the pre-made meals are very convenient, but they are less than perfect.  Maybe you could cook something really healthy and live off of the leftovers for a few days.  Like roast a chicken and put the meat into a number of different meals for two days.  You could also add some berries into your meals as they are so very good for us and low in carbs.  Just some suggestions. 

I just ate almonds. I counted them out/portioned them and included them in my daily caloric/macro intake. Almonds are great. They are a whole food and an excellent way to get your healthy fats. They are actually perfect, IMO, for sleevers who can only eat small portions but need to fit in certain macronutrients (fat/protein/carbs). It's odd to me that you think peanut butter which has a HUGE amount of calories for such a miniscule portion is OK but almonds aren't. ??

I also don't see anything wrong with her eating bread. What's wrong with a slice of bread? I eat bread, oats, or crackers every day. Tonight it will be a big bowl of oats w/ protein powder (proats). So yummy. I eat tuna fish on bread often.

To the OP: I count my calories and macros. I make sure to stay within my caloric limit and meet my protein, fat, and carb requirements. I don't really HAVE to do this, but I find it helps me not only be aware of what I'm putting in my body, but to meet my goals. I do believe I could easily maintain my weight without counting calories if I ate teensy portions or just stuck to mostly protein. I don't do either of those two things. I like my food. = )

That said, everyone's caloric needs are different based on height, weight, age, body composition, and activity level. Nobody can tell you how many calories you should be eating. You have to find your maintenance level by counting your calories for a few weeks, and if your weight remains stable, those are your maintenance calories.

Hi Mandy,
I ate almonds today too, I eat almonds most days and think they are fantastic, although I prefer the sprouted almonds because they have fewer calories and taste great.  I was referring to the AMOUNT only.  I would not eat 1/2 a cup at a time, as that would be too much for me in calories, especially for a snack.  That is closer to how much I would eat at a regular meal.  I didn't comment on the PB as I think the OP ate a small amount of it.  I don't eat bread as I find bread, pasta and rice fill me up way to fast and are empty calories for me.  I am also carb sensitive and start to crave more carbs if I eat too many.  I hope this explains it better.  I did not go out seeking to give advice here, the OP wanted to know my opinion and here it is .

I'm 10 months out today!!
I think I am the odd-one here...I do count calories and eat pretty much what I want when I want andI log  all food and exercise on myfitnesspal.com , I was doing  atkins style for the first 5 months, then the holiday season sent me into a spiral upward, I gained 10 lbs and I was 3 lbs from my first goal of 160lbs, I went up to 173lbs.  I joined TOPS the first of January for the accountability and support.  I've lost 20Lbs and reset my goal to 150lbs,  I'm now 3 lbs from my 2nd goal of 15olbs.   I can eat 1200 cal and lose 1 lb a week and I can eat any calories I earn in exercise, so I eat 1200 - 1800 M-F based on my exercise during the day. 

I don't exercise on the week-ends and I eat my Maintanence amount in calories (1700) and more at times, but, I log, log, log everything!!!

Get all your protein, water and vits and do what works for you!!  As long as this works for me, I will continue with this plan.  When I reached my 2nd goal of 150lbs, I plan to set 3rd goal of 145lbs, due to the fact I just got off my  last BP med 3 lbs ago and I want to put a little "buffer" zone between the med and me with the lower weight times of celebrations, i.e. Holidays and Special Occasions eating!!!

I may at some point return to Atkins style program as needed. But, sure am enjoing my current plan!!!!

I have learned is that I have to really work at this 2nd chance I have been given to stay healthy!!
 

Nothing to see here. ; ; OH decided to cut off my lengthy post and I don't feel like retyping it. Going to kick the Internet now. 

You sound just like me when I reached goal and was scared. I am 11 months out, and I reached goal a month ago. I was afraid to put anything in my mouth. I do count calories and I have found that I do best when I journal my food. I would be careful with the nuts. They are really good for you, especially almonds, but you have to watch the portion sizes. I consider nuts, a slider food, they just slide right down. You can eat a lot of these and not get full and before you know if you have eaten 3 or 4 servings and at 170 calories a serving, that can be dangerous.

The best advice I can give is to relax, jouran, and stay on the OH board. As time passes, you will see that you will become more comfortable. I am slowly but surely getting their myself.

I eat almonds almost every day as a snack.  I measure out 1 oz, which is 28 almonds.  They stretch out my snack time and give me the salty crunchy that I crave.  I've done that since day 1 and have lost 145 pounds in 14 months, so I don't think it has hurt me.  In fact, some days, I have them again for my afternoon snack. 

I too count calories and log everything that I eat and drink (if it isn'****er).  It keeps me honest with myself.  I too go to TOPS.  In fact, in the weight loss surgery division, I was the best loser for 2010.   I figure it's probably because I had my surgery early in the year and joined TOPS less than a month later, but it still made me proud that I was the state's best loser in that division. 

well i just met with my dietician and told her i still count calories and track and record that and protein and carbs and journal it all.  i find i have to keep to about 1200 calories per day to maintain.still do 70 g protein which my surgeon demands. see nothing wrong with the prepared lean meals if you read the labels and count the calories. might be hard to get protein in and you might need a supplement.

anyway she thinks its good to keep track and slowly increase them until you get to where you are stable. i have accepted that i will probably always have to do this since i need such a low amount  - at least until i get real old.

we talked about getting in fruits and vegetables as there is no clear answer on what amount are recommended for barriatric patients. she said veggies before fruit but protein first. so looks like you need a veg or two. hope this helps.  diane