Question:
Calories & Exercise after reaching goal

After reaching your goal weight, just want an idea of how many calories most people think they are consuming and how much they are exercising in order to stay on track.    — Brenda H. (posted on November 20, 2007)

November 20, 2007
I reached my goal weight of 225 in December, 2006. I "relaxed" and 6 weeks later, my scale read 242 when I stepped on it. Back to daily walkling, and being careful what I ate. I tried several types of vitamins to help, but was disappointed with results and costs. I finally got back to my goal weight, and then down to 220. I've been using these newer liquid vitamins that have high antioxidants in them. I guess they agree with me, since I've continued the same diet and exercise routine, BUT I'm down to 207 some 6 weeks after using them. You can read about them on my profile.
   — Dave Chambers

November 20, 2007
hi! am 20 months post-op reached my goal at 18 months, 160 my last doctors appointment i was told to keep my intake at 1200 cals and 4oz a meal..and keep working out, i do 3-4 times a week am down to 154 now...dont want to go below 150. good luck
   — jcurry

November 20, 2007
Brenda, Not sure how many calories I do take in during the course of a day. My surgery was January 5, 2005. I still watch what i eat and when i start to feel full, I stop. So far that has worked great for me.. I joined a gym and work out 3 or 4 nights each week and I try to walk several days each week during my lunch hour. I lost down to about 190 but when I started going to the gym for the first couple of months I gained.. I now weigh about 210 and am enjoying life like I never have before.. Good Luck.
   — dispchr

November 20, 2007
I work out 6 days a week, usually for an hour to an hour and a half of either running, weights, use different cardio machines and I'm very active in the outdoors (hiking, rock climbing, etc). I am at goal and reached goal in a year (lost 203 pounds!) I honestly believe exercise was key for me - as long as I exercise I can eat about 2500-2800 a day and maintain. Those have to be "good" calories though - once I ate those exact same amount of calories but it was mostly junk and I gained. So, my body does know the difference. I know this isn't the norm but I have a fairly high metabolism and that combined with my exercise helps me burn those calories easily. However, if I had to stop exercising for some reason (I did have a couple of broken ribs last month and had to stop for a couple of weeks - I didn't adjust my calories at first and I gained pretty quickly), I would lower my calories by 500-800 to adjust to the change. It's been an experiment for me to find the right balance. I tend to eat more carbs than others because of how active I am and that works well for me - gives me the energy I need. A lot depends on your body and what works for you, you'll probably have to do some experimenting as well. But I have to admit it's kind of fun figuring it out - I'm discovering lots of foods I never imagined I would like to eat! Good luck!
   — [Deactivated Member]

November 24, 2007
Your nutritionist should tell you how much to eat postop, and give you a breakdown for how much daily protein, etc. As far as exercising, some people in my support group walk several times a week because that's all they can do (also in my case - I have arthritis and other medical issues), while some to total body workouts at the gym several times a week.
   — obeseforever