Question:
How do I know if I am getting enough calories?

I am a little over two months post-op (lap RNY) and just finished the second week of a plateau. I haven't completely stopped losing but it has slowed to a painfully slow crawl (half a pound this week). I started working out last week (treadmill and weight machines for my upper body) and that didn't kick it. I hear that eating too few calories can have a detrimental effect on weight loss. I am getting less than 400 calories a day (a protein drink for breakfast, beans and/or meat for lunch and dinner, sometimes a little salad for the "munch factor.") I am not freaking out too much about my plateau but wonder whether I am sabatoging myself. I will appreciate any input from longer post-ops or those who are more nutritionally in the know.    — Pamela C. (posted on July 16, 2001)

July 16, 2001
i have never counted calories and i had a steady weight loss the first 3 months. now it seems i lose nothing for almost 3 weeks at a time then bam!!! i will lose like 15 pounds in one week. your body does react when you eat too little but when it adjusts you will start loosing again. i am not a protein watcher either but have found upping my water really seems to help.
   — Kathy831

July 16, 2001
You're getting a nice 30g protein drink for bfast, no milk , no sugar, so that's a good start. But where's the rest of the protein? The beans & stuff are not at all BAD, but just so low on the bioavailability scale that you're maybe getting a FEW g of protein. Holding volume down under 2 oz per meal, right? Getting so much water in you feel like you're drowning? Like 64 oz? So, perhaps another 30g of protein mid-day will perk you up and pick up the speed. If your body feels nourished, it is more inclined to allow you to "spend" your calories vs storing 'em. Not so much calories, but TYPE of calories is what you want to manipulate.
   — vitalady

July 16, 2001
I had a similar experience. I started at 267 (I am 5'5"). the first 4 weeks, 30 pounds fell off. Then very slowly over the next month I only lost about 10 pounds. It seemed like weeks would go by at about the same weight, but then suddenly I would be down about 4-5 pounds. I also thought that I wasn't eating enough to lose. I just concentrated on protein, started working out, and summer rolled along and keeping my kids busy has kept me on the go. I am about 3 1/2 months post-op and 60 pounds down - 7 of that in just the last 10 days. So....don't get discouraged, try to be active, and try to be patient. I think our bodies just have to go thru adjustments as we go along. Now I don't worry if the scale doesn't budge for several days at a time. I figure my body just has to catch up and then I will have several days where I will go down. Good Luck!
   — Kim D.