Question:
Do you concern yourself with Calories?

hello I will be 5 months post op on may 7th. I started at 314 and I weigh 227.5 right now so I am loosing weight(not comlaining about that) What my question is do you concer yurself about calories when you eat? I wathc the fat intake and have more protein than carbohydrates. I drink my water and have protein bars for when i am rushed. but I started writing down the calories of what i am eating and I am at 1020 right now and i havent had dinner yest and this seems kind of high. I didnt eat the qwrong kinds of fooc. i had carnation Instant Breakfast, banana; orange juice, protein bar, a salad w/ Fat free Italin dressing and turkey breast and another protein bar. I had the second protein bar when i was still hungryu after the small salad. Now I work out allot could that be making me so hungry? This seems like allot of food and as I said I havent had dinner yet!    — Lisa W. (posted on May 1, 2001)

May 1, 2001
I DON'T count calories because that is like dieting. I had this surgery so I never had to diet again! I wanted to eat like a "normal" person. I watch what I eat and make sure I get enough protein and water. I don't think I could eat two protein bars in a day though, I'm lucky to choke down one and sometimes only 1/2 (and I like the taste of the ones I'm eating now).
   — georgiacarol

May 1, 2001
Many do concern them themselves w/ calories.. I don't think I will unless or until I hit a plauteu or gain weight. Other than that I think I'll be happy w/ eating healthy and doing the best I can. The working out probably does stimulate your appetite some. Sounds like you are doing good so far. You can always talk w/ a nutritionist and they can let you know the calories you shoudl be at etc.. seems to me its around 1250 a day or something.. though I'm pulling that out of the air.. I thought I heard it somewhere but not sure its correct.
   — Dawn R.

May 1, 2001
I don't count calories diligently. However, I do keep a casual running total in my head because I feel like a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. For example I might think well, it's ok for me to eat an extra piece of fruit if I'm particularly hungry because I know I've had only about 500 calories today and it's still a couple of hours till dinner. I don't obsess about it but I keep it in the back of my mind. It tends to keep me focused and disciplined.
   — ronascott

May 1, 2001
I also keep a casual idea of calories in my head so that I don't go overboard. I'd say 1200 daily should be max. You aren't doing bad though. Love the name.
   — Cindy H.

May 1, 2001
I don't watch the total calories so much as what KIND of calories they are. I get almost 1200 in protein supps alone, but all told, I am getting 0g of sugar. So, nothing to hurt me there. I use water, so only a plus for me, nothing to hurt me. I've maintained my wt for years now. I do NOT recommend others hold this level of protein supps consumption unless they feel comfortable with it or are distal. I find that it makes my OTHER calorie choices more controlled. Lately I've been on a salad binge, don't ask me why. But if I get silly with sugar, I WILL gain wt. No question at all.
   — vitalady

May 1, 2001
I do count calories. More through the week than on the weekends. I keep a little fatboy tablet at my desk and write down everything I eat for the day. As before surgery, sometimes we don't relize how much we eat during the day. This really keeps me on track. My doctor told me to eat 1600 calories per day. I know it seems like a lot but I listen to my doc and only my doc concerning my health and diet. If we feel I need to ingest less, we will cross that bridge when we come to it. According to my present weight, I should be ingesting around 4000 calories per day to maintain my weight, so I'm eating about less than half the calories I need. My weight loss has been slow, consistant and my bloodwork has been good. The good thing is you are doing a spot check on the calories you are eating and as Martha says "that is a good thing". You may want to also go on to a website and do a calorie analysis for your weight to see how many calories you need to maintain your weigh. Then you can compare what you need to maintain and how many calories you are actually ingesting for any perticular day.
   — Jan M.

May 2, 2001
I do not count calories at all. I watch my fat, sugar & protein intake and drink as much as I can.
   — Lisa B.

May 2, 2001
I have seen the number of ten calories per pound to maintain your wieght and that is if you are in a sedentary life style. It goes up from there.
   — Dennis J. B.