How Many Calories Did You Consume In Your Recovery Stages

[bigdogluver]

Hey folks, I think I'm too type A and I've been pushing to consume optimum protein and fluid amounts. I think my weight loss is slow because of this reason. If I only need 70 - 78 grams of protein a day, then there's no need at my stage to push for 100 or more. The additional protein is actually additional calories that aren't needed at my stage. I've been adding protein powder to practically everything, and that adds calories.

I'm in stage 3, pureed and soft foods + shakes and after doing some research on-line it looks like I should be consuming 600 calories a day. In stage 4, this could stay the same or go up to 700 (intro to real food). In stage 5 it looks like it will go up to 800 (more real food). In stage 5 beyond, it looks like I could go up from 1000 - 1200 or so.

What was your caloric and protein intake in your stages and where you are now? I wish my nutritionist supplied this kind of detail but she won't do it.

Thanks in advance.

[DesertGal]

When you find out, let me know!! I'm two days behind you.

[RehabNurse]

Each bariatric program is different. The dietitian at my surgeon's office did not suggest calorie intake at different dietary phases or even have me counting calories. The only numbers she wanted me to count were grams of protein and ounces of water. That's it.

Two years later, I am glad the dietitian did not have me restricting calories. Nowadays, some people who are heavier than me rapidly regain if they eat more than 1000 calories a day while I maintain my current weight of 118 pounds on an intake of 2000+ calories a day, even with me being hypothyroid. Those folks who regain at 1000 calories are often the same ones who restricted their intake for too long, and thus, messed with their metabolisms.

The reality is this...if you eat a minimum of 80+ grams of protein from real food sources (e.g. meats, dairy, legumes, veggies), you will lose weight without all the calorie counting because protein from food has a high thermic effect. Our bodies actually burn a great deal of calories digesting protein. Unfortunately, shakes and protein bars do not have quite the same thermic effect. Our bodies also burn calories processing the cold water we drink.

Good luck to you!

[Sandra3]

My nutritionist only focused on protein (60gr per day) and water intake.
Until month 3 I was around 600 calories, at one year I was around 1200 calories. But I don't track everyday. I also noticed that if I didn't drink or eat enough I was not loosing much during the "honey moon period".
I think that you lost a lot of weight in one month and you should not worry about calories.
We eat so little those first three months that the most important is to focus on the best nutrition possible, quality over quantity.
I had strong nausea for at least six months, and during the first three months I had issues to get enough protein or just water. It got better after but I did realize that I lost lean mass during those three months. It didn't happen later when I was able to eat more protein.

[Ann2]

First, consider that our bodies are quite different -- I'm an active, healthy 71-year-old woman.

I don't think what works for one person works for everyone. There are gender, exercise, metabolism, daily activity levels, medication, and many other kinds of differences. As a result, some can eat more than others and do great, while others have to eat less. Some can lose/maintain while eating more carbs (even good carbs) than others. My advice is to keep good records of what you're eating while you're losing and see what works for you. Because, trust me, you'll always have to know how to maintain your weight, which requires that you sometimes have to lose some weight.

If you read the two links at the bottom of my sig block below, you can see what I did in Years One and Two post-op. But here's the short version of my daily calories and protein grams:

Month 1 -- gradually got up to 400 cals/day and 60 grams of protein

Months 2-4 -- 800 cals/day and 75 grams of protein

Months 5-6 -- 1,000 cals/day and 90 grams of protein (my super-smart bariatric nurse practitioner told me not to starve myself while losing weight or I risked accustoming my body go living low-cal forever)

Months 7-8 -- 1,200 cals and 100 grams of protein.

Month 9 -- reached my first goal (150 pounds) and moved to 1700 calories and averaged 80-100 grams of protein

Months 10-18 -- while averaging 1700 cals/day I lost another 15 pounds and hit my final (and current) weight of 135 pounds.

At 2 years, 8 months post-op I'm still sitting on 135 pounds while averaging 1700-1750 cals/day and 80-100 grams of protein. BTW, I now strive to eat 7 veggies and fruits a day. No way I could have eaten that many veggies/fruits while losing weight though.

[bigdogluver]

First, consider that our bodies are quite different -- I'm an active, healthy 71-year-old woman.

I don't think what works for one person works for everyone. There are gender, exercise, metabolism, daily activity levels, medication, and many other kinds of differences. As a result, some can eat more than others and do great, while others have to eat less. Some can lose/maintain while eating more carbs (even good carbs) than others. My advice is to keep good records of what you're eating while you're losing and see what works for you. Because, trust me, you'll always have to know how to maintain your weight, which requires that you sometimes have to lose some weight.

If you read the two links at the bottom of my sig block below, you can see what I did in Years One and Two post-op. But here's the short version of my daily calories and protein grams:

Month 1 -- gradually got up to 400 cals/day and 60 grams of protein

Months 2-4 -- 800 cals/day and 75 grams of protein

Months 5-6 -- 1,000 cals/day and 90 grams of protein (my super-smart bariatric nurse practitioner told me not to starve myself while losing weight or I risked accustoming my body go living low-cal forever)

Months 7-8 -- 1,200 cals and 100 grams of protein.

Month 9 -- reached my first goal (150 pounds) and moved to 1700 calories and averaged 80-100 grams of protein

Months 10-18 -- while averaging 1700 cals/day I lost another 15 pounds and hit my final (and current) weight of 135 pounds.

At 2 years, 8 months post-op I'm still sitting on 135 pounds while averaging 1700-1750 cals/day and 80-100 grams of protein. BTW, I now strive to eat 7 veggies and fruits a day. No way I could have eaten that many veggies/fruits while losing weight though.

Ann2, thanks for supplying the calorie info because it hits the nail right on the head for me. I thought I was eating 600-650 calories a day, but it turns out that I've been eating 675 to 750 calories and at the end of my first month!. On-line research and talking with some people it seems that I should be consuming more like 500-600-ish calories a day. And in stage 4, it will go up.

I've been consuming more than necessary because I was adding protein powder to everything! I forgot that the protein powder has calories and it added to my caloric intake big time! I've been pushing to consume as much protein as possible because I wanted to heal as fast as possible - which means I was pushing myself more than I should. It isn't necessary to consume that many calories at this time and I can stop pushing and relax. I'm already eating well over my daily requirements and I don't have to push to get in the highest amount possible each day. I only need 70-80 a day for the rest of my life, I don't need 90 - 120 daily, I can let up on myself. I plan to now eliminate the protein powder and only use it when necessary. My calorie consumption should fall back into the correct range for my recovery timeline.

It's been hard to explain to people - I'm eating and drinking beyond my nutritionist's standards because I wanted to prove to myself what a good little patient I could be and I wanted to recuperate as fast as possible and put it all behind me, like I did with all my other operations. When I first stalled, I increased calories because I went into stage 3, and my body needed it and the weight lost started again. But after it started again, it quickly stopped. When stage 3 started, I thought I should eat more which was correct, but I was eating too much too soon in the recovery timeline because I started to add protein powder to everything. Because of how I am, I went overboard with the protein powder and the next thing I noticed was I wasn't losing weight again. The powder was adding in additional calories and protein not needed at this stage, and not accounted for - and weight loss stopped again.

I finally get it, I don't have to push myself when I shouldn't be!

But, the flip side is my metabolism is still working just fine and I think my recovery has gone faster. It's all living and learning. I'm a bottom-line, get-it-done, results oriented Type A. The sleeve has been a big learning experience for me, in many more ways than I thought it would be. I don't have to push for the goal of high protein, I can just meet the goal and relax.

I've been concentrating on the recovery part and ignoring the needs of my journey and sleeve. (Yeah, that sounds weird even to me.) I don't know if this makes sense to others, but it does now to me. Thanks for reading my ramblings and thanks for sharing your history and stats. It's very helpful to me.

PS: My nutritionist just wrote back to me and said to pull back on the powder protein for all the reasons I listed above. It's too much too soon and not necessary. Whew, that's relief, I'm back on track. Sometimes I hate being me and how I am. Too much of a Type A...

[Christie13]

I can honestly say I don't really track. I try to be intuitive with my eating. I mentally think of the amount of protein and fluids I have had. I have never counted calories, fat, carbs etc. I do eat low carb but I do it by making good choices not counting carbs. I think each person finds what works best for them. I do not force myself to eat more unless I feel my body needs it.

[Ann2]

Laura -- from one Type A to another, hullo.

I think everything you posted above sounds good. As you already said, you're on the front end of a very long haul. From someone coming up on 3 years post-op, I know that all we ever have to do right is what we need to do today. Yes, on the front end it's hard to get all this figured out because it has quite a few moving pieces. But once you get into the "real food" phase you'll probably find it gets much easier and that for months at a time you can pretty much do the same things. And pretty soon, voila! You've got a new lifestyle.

I think you're doing great.

[bigdogluver]

Laura -- from one Type A to another, hullo.

I think everything you posted above sounds good. As you already said, you're on the front end of a very long haul. From someone coming up on 3 years post-op, I know that all we ever have to do right is what we need to do today. Yes, on the front end it's hard to get all this figured out because it has quite a few moving pieces. But once you get into the "real food" phase you'll probably find it gets much easier and that for months at a time you can pretty much do the same things. And pretty soon, voila! You've got a new lifestyle.

I think you're doing great.

Ann, thank you so much for the support and kind words, I sincerely appreciate.

[ghost_ryder]

Laura,

Devon will tell you not to concentrate on the calories but to concentrate on the macros. Protein, carbs and fat. If you meet the requirements, you will lose significant weight over time. Just stay true to the program. If you overeat protein, carbs and/or fat you will by theory overeat on calories. Just make sure you eat your protein first and don't overeat carbs and fat. Calories are not equal. If you concentrate on the lean protein for the first three months, you will not be able to overeat carbs or fat. Once you get to your protein requirements then you can have non-protein veggies.

PS-it was great meeting you last night, I hope you liked the group. It was a little different but next month will be a little more of the normal meeting.

[bigdogluver]

Laura,

Devon will tell you not to concentrate on the calories but to concentrate on the macros. Protein, carbs and fat. If you meet the requirements, you will lose significant weight over time. Just stay true to the program. If you overeat protein, carbs and/or fat you will by theory overeat on calories. Just make sure you eat your protein first and don't overeat carbs and fat. Calories are not equal. If you concentrate on the lean protein for the first three months, you will not be able to overeat carbs or fat. Once you get to your protein requirements then you can have non-protein veggies.

PS-it was great meeting you last night, I hope you liked the group. It was a little different but next month will be a little more of the normal meeting.

Hi Greg, it was great meeting you, too! Regarding my issue, I've been emailing Devon and she and I figured out my problem - I needed to stop adding protein powder to all of my foods. I don't need the extra protein, I was already hitting my goals and the extra calories from the powder were stopping weight loss. Wow, what a journey, I'm learning every day.

[ghost_ryder]

I look back, my daily requirement for protein was and is so high there was no way for me to hit those levels. I was trying hard to no avail.

You are going to do so well when you get to real food. Real protein burns so much better than powders and bars. I still need them to hit my goals so I can keep my muscle from burning away. Keep up the good work, you are doing really well.