Question:
How many calories should I be eating this close to goal?

I am about five pounds away from my ideal weight, and I currently eat about 1200-1500 calories a day. I do exercise very intensely 6-7 days a week, most days running about 3 miles. I am feeling guilty about consuming this much. Do other post-ops at or close to goal consume this much?    — Chris L. (posted on May 10, 2004)

May 9, 2004
Are you still losing? How far post op are you? I don't think it's how many calories but what the calories are coming from. They should be high protein, complex carb calories. Your exercise routine seems great - make sure you are getting in plenty of water.
   — Yolanda J.

May 10, 2004
1200-1500 CALORIES IS EQUIVALENT TO A VERY STRICT DIET, for a 'normal' person. So, I wouldn't worry about that. You don't mention at what rate you are still loosing weight. If it's still going fast, then you're going to need to add major calories or decrease intensity of activity by a lot. If it's just a trickle, a slight modification of adding a snack a day or cutting out one day of exercise should be all it takes. It's very individual at this point, there is no magic number anyone can give you. It's just trial and error. Good luck to you!
   — LMCLILLY

May 10, 2004
Wow! I'd need to eat at least 2500 to exercise like that. Are you sure you are eating enough? I am 60-70 pounds from goal and I eat that much on a daily basis. I exercise an hour a day 5x a week.
   — mrsmyranow

May 10, 2004
Many post-ops eat alot more than you, especially when exercising intensely. Your profile does not give us any info on when you had your surgery, how far out you are, what you are eating, etc, etc. Please update it. Guilt is a difficult thing to let go of, as most of us spent YEARS feeling guilty for every morsel of food we ate, or overate. As long as you are losing, and want to keep losing, keep your calories where they are. When you want to slow it down or stop, start adding more calories per day. I'm at goal and consume about 1500-1800 a day, thereabouts.
   — Cindy R.

May 10, 2004
OK, I think I've figured out from your profile that you had surgery in November 2003, so you're at this level of activity at six months post-op (awesome, I must say). I dunno how far away from goal you are (your profile just says 31 BMI). I will say, though, that my exercise level, which I thought was pretty studly until I read about yours (!), shot me wayyy past goal eating just 1200-1500 calories a day. I wound up eventually needing 2000 calories a day just to stop the loss, and I was working out 5x a week, running maybe once-twice a week tops for 3 miles, doing other machines and weight on other days. Running is a very intense exercise, and for me, anyway, burns more calories than any other exercise, standardized charts notwithstanding. Don't be surprised if you actually might lose at the same rate if you increase your calories to the 1500-1800 range. I remember being very surprised to see that I kept right on losing in that range.
   — Suzy C.