500 Calories A Day

[pvpierce]

Hi my name is Piper and I am 7 weeks out. I have lost 35 (very proud) pounds. My question is this.... my center says we can only have 500 calories a day. Anyone else have the same caloric limitation?

Thanks

Piper

[MargeB]

For how long? That's pretty low. I do between 800-1000. Too many days below 1,000 and I stall.

[mellowjoy]

pvpierce - 500 seems a bit low to me. I think it would be difficult to get all of your protein in daily. I know you can do a combination of food and protein drinks but at 500 I feel you would be highly dependent on the protein drinks. I would call the nutritionist and double check. I know early on I made lots of calls because there was so much going on and there were a few times I misunderstood something. Congratulations on your 35 pound loss!

[RehabNurse]

My dietician does not have me counting calories. The only thing I closely track is protein to ensure I'm consuming at least 80 grams per day.

There's a reason why a huge number of weight loss surgery patients regain significant weight several years down the line. It's called adaptive thermogenesis. Once your body becomes accustomed to 500 calories per day for a prolonged period, it goes into starvation mode and slows all bodily processes the hell down. You are left with a slower metabolism than ever and a propensity to regain weight fiercely.

I didn't get sleeved to live on 500 calories per day. Living on 500 calories per day leaves you with few options. I currently eat in the 1500-1600 range per day and plan to add more food each month until I hit a comfortable maintenance spot. I hope to reach my goal weight within the next few months.

I'd rather lose slowly than permanently damage my metabolic rate by eating 500 calories per day. I can be honest with myself and say that I got to 225 pounds by eating 3000+ calories per day of processed carbs and fast foods. As long as you do not overeat and stay away from your personal trigger foods, you should be fine eating more food.

By the way, nutritionists who have not had bariatic surgery are not experts on your body. You need to formulate an eating plan that works for you. Nobody cares about your progress as much as you.

[Kindle]

....

[Kindle]

... my center says we can only have 500 calories a day.

For how long?

My surgeon gave me no caloric goals or restrictions, only protein and fluid minimums. For the reasons RehabNurse described I specifically tried to increase my calories as soon as my restriction would allow. I did not want to slow down my metabolism. Just based on my protein shakes, I know I was never below 600 calories, starting day 3 postop. I've never really tracked or measure, but a couple spot checks along the way had me at 800 calories at 3 months, 1000 calories at 6 months, 1200 at 8-10 months and I have been maintaining below goal at 1400-1600 calories for over a year.

[beachgirl22851]

The way my surgeon's office explained it to me was not to worry about the calories as long as I am meeting my nutrition requirements. If I am meeting the nutrition requirements, the sleeve will help to prevent me from eating more than necessary and thus helping me to not consume more calories than I need to. In the beginning, I never strayed into the world of snack foods or really any food that did nothing to provide my body with the nutrition it needed. I am now just over 1 year out and I will on occasion have a snack to which I can say is truly a snack that does not contribute true nutrition. I only do this about every other week and it is a small amount, however I have learned that the longer I go on the true health eating lifestyle, the less my body craves the bad stuff which makes it easier to skip it.
Remember too, that what works for me may not work for you and vice versa but we can all learn something from someone else's journey

[Ann2]

To answer your specific question -- no, I've never heard of WLS patients limited to 500 calories a day.

(I assume you meant that instruction means "... until you've lost all your weight.")

That's very counter to my surgeon's practice's instructions to me. They encouraged me to raise my daily calories in Months 5-6 to 1,000 cals/day and in Months 7-8 to 1,200 cals/day.

FYI, in Months 1-4 about the most I could eat was 800 cals/day.

Eighteen months post-op I'm maintaining at 135 pounds eating 1700-1800 cals/day (on average).

[redliner]

I echo everyone else here. I was told specifically not to worry about calories - just focus on hitting my protein goal and drinking enough water. They have said this should not be seen as a diet - it's a lifestyle change. Supposedly, if you eat the correct amount of protein, drink your water, and avoid snacking between meals, the weight will come off.

[pvpierce]

Thank you all for the responses. I checked again with clinic and they said 500. I am like you in that i don't want to shut down my metabolism. It was slow to start with anyhow.

And yes it is very hard to get my protein in at such a low caloric number.

[pvpierce]

Until I hit goal weight.

[pvpierce]

They say until I am at goal. I actuall haven't lost anything this week. I wonder if it is because my calories are too low?

[RehabNurse]

They say until I am at goal. I actuall haven't lost anything this week. I wonder if it is because my calories are too low?

Many sleeved people who keep their caloric intake too low end up stalling frequently and very often. It is the body's way of slowing its metabolic processes the hell down in response to the lack of fuel you're consuming.

The only way to get your body to trust that you will feed it what it needs is to eat more food. Once your body trusts you to give it what it needs, it will let go and start burning fat again. 500 calories a day until you hit goal weight is unreasonable and unsustainable. A gastric sleeve is a tool to a healthier, more normal life, but 500 calories per day until goal is anything but normal.

Protein fuels the fire...30 percent more calories are burned consuming protein when compared to the other macronutrients. Stick to a protein-first mantra and you will continue to lose pounds, even if you eat more food. Stick to dense proteins such as chicken, beef, fish, pork, and so on. Start eating these as soon as you can.

By the way, I have always stayed away from the scale. I am 10 months out, still losing gradually, and only weigh myself once a month on the 20th (monthly anniversary of my sleeve operation). Frequent weigh-ins are not only anxiety-provoking for me, but they will not speed up the weight loss process either.

Good luck to you!

[rathgirl68]

Wow you are doing such a great job !!!! Mine never gave me any I think if I wasn't losing like they thought they would try to figure out why and maybe then they would of. Keep up the good work so happy for you

[bikrchk]

I was eating about 600/day and was told by my team to add snacks because it wasn't enough. Bumped it up to around 1200/day eventually (exercising about 500/day) which was my sweet spot for weight loss. I had about 90 pounds to lose total and reached maintenance in 7 months.