Question:
My doctor says I need to eat more to lose more???

I get 60 to 90 grams of protein daily. I've lost 50 pounds in first 5 months. But the last month I have been keeping my calories under 1800 and exercising daily. I started at 274 and have a goal of 151. Doc says I need to eat 2200 to 3000 calories a day to get the bypass working???    — Sher R. (posted on May 2, 2003)

May 2, 2003
Wow...that sounds really, really high. My Dr. and nutritionist recommended 1000-1200 calories a day for maximum weight loss.
   — Amy W.

May 2, 2003
For every 3600 calories you eat, you can gain a lb. I eat 100 calories one day and the next about 1600 to 1800 this seems to help keep things moving but you are going to plateau....your body has to catch up. I am not your doc but that seems high to me too.
   — Oldsoul

May 2, 2003
Jimminy...I meant 1000 calories...
   — Oldsoul

May 2, 2003
Your profile says you had a "distal bypass" (no further info). Did you have the duodenal switch? Or RNY? Or something else? It might help you get better answers if you could add more info about your surgery type. No doubt I'd gain weight on the calories your doc recommends, but I'm a proximal RNY (at goal, maintaining on 1700 calories a day now), so that figures for my surgery type. Yours may be very different, though.
   — Suzy C.

May 2, 2003
That seems a little high to me. But ofcourse your surgeon is the expert, not me. I would try it and see if it works, then its good. I believe someone mentioned you are distal? In that case, you usually will have to eat more than a proximal such as myself, but you also need alot more protein. Like staying at the higher end of the 90 grams. have you talked to a nutritionist? I know that during the earlier stages when I ate more I lost more weight, so i completely understand his concept, its it seems pretty high to me. at 1 year post-op, I maintain at 1200-1400 calroies a day. Goodluck to you!
   — Lezlie Y.

May 2, 2003
I think there must be some misunderstanding about taking in 2500-3000 calories per day. You would stretch your stomach right back to the size it was. That is nuts. You do need to eat less at each meal, eat protein and eat more times per day. My doctor just told me the same thing (I had to eat more often and eat protein to keep losing). But he said I should be eating 800-1000 calories per day. Remember 1 ounce of meat/fish = 7 grams of protein. You need 60 grams of protein per day. You can get 15 of them in a protein drink. I would not go anywhere near 3000 calories per day. Recheck with him or your nutritionist and see if you get the same story twice. Good luck!
   — Meg T.

May 3, 2003
For every 3500 calories over what you burn you can gain a pound. If you eat 3500 calories but need 1500 to live then you have an excess of 2000. That should translate to 3500 calories over what your body needs = 1 pound but we all know that just sometimes isn't the case :-) I know I have been on diets where I should be dropping several pounds a week not nope! It ain't happening! So anyways - I agree with the previous posters - that's way too much a day. I'm 15 mo post-op and eat about 1500 a day.
   — crishsapig