Whats the right amount for me? - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

Melody2006 · 10-17-2008, 01:06 AM

3 months ago I had lapband surgery. And I did great, lost 50 pounds so far with the pre-opt diet & lapband.

I'm 5'3 and now weigh 208. My goal weight is 135. I've consistantly been eating around 750 calories a day, never under. Some days as high as 900, but not often. I've had a 3 week weight loss plateau. I use thedailyplate.com and have for months now. I'm getting in 65+ grams of protein a day. I'm also now drinking a cup of green tea a day on top of 64 oz of water daily. (No sodas or carbonation for lapbanders)

Someone said to me my calories my be too low. I didn't want to believe that but now I'm thinking maybe so. I do keep a pedometer in my pocket daily and always walk 10,000 steps or more a day with 30 minutes of them being continuous. Should I up my calories? How many should I be eating daily?

The dietitian said between 800-1200.

lorilove · 10-17-2008, 08:26 AM

I would definitely say that anything less then 1200 calories is definitely too low (my personal thought is that you should be closer to 1500 calories) I don't know if there are special concerns when you have the Lapband but my understanding is that the main restriction there is to just eat many small meals.

Please keep in mind that food is fuel. Your body needs food to optimize its performance. If it is not getting adequate nutrients then it can't possibly work its best. So now your body is holding on to every possible calorie just to support its basic functions like breathing etc.

Food is not the enemy, your body is not the enemy. Our inability to control hunger and desire for food is why we gained the weight. You have gotten that problem under control with the lapband. Now don't try to punish your body with withholding the fuel it needs. It will only fight back and it will win!

srmb60 · 10-17-2008, 09:36 AM

Don't worry about a three week plateau. It happens to almost everyone sooner or later. Just change something up. Play with some dumbells, increase the intensity of your walk, really stride out there ...

I'd be very uncomfortable second guessing your dietitian. Why don't you check with her/him? That'd be your best bet.

Melody2006 · 10-17-2008, 02:23 PM

I think I should make my goal around 1,200 calories. I see others weighing less than myself (people here in the 145 area) still loosing eating that amount with exercize.

chick_in_the_hat · 10-17-2008, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SusanB

Don't worry about a three week plateau. It happens to almost everyone sooner or later. Just change something up. Play with some dumbells, increase the intensity of your walk, really stride out there ...

I'd be very uncomfortable second guessing your dietitian. Why don't you check with her/him? That'd be your best bet.

DITTO....'specially since I don't know much of anything about lapbands.

Melody2006 · 10-19-2008, 01:46 PM

Lap band is just a tool to help you loose. It just helps you not over eat in quantity. Past that you have to do all the work.

chick_in_the_hat · 10-20-2008, 06:06 PM

I seem to recall someone who had some kind of surgery (maybe a stoamch staple kind of thing?) and they had to be REALLY careful of what they ate becuase of the tiny portions they were able to consume at a time. They also had to be sure and take certain vitamins and stuff to make sure their bodies got the required nutrients.

Is this different? If it is...I would never recommend going under 1200 calories a day. I would even say at where you are at now you should probably be a little higher, like 1500. I'd say you are probably at starvation mode from being at 750 for a long time. What did your doctor recommend for a calorie level for you?

PhotoChick · 10-20-2008, 06:18 PM

The problem with dropping under 1200 calories a day is that you can't get in all the nutrition your body needs to function and it can cause a stall. Heck, for some people who are heavier, dropping under 1500 or even 1800 can cause a stall as the body freaks out about not getting enough calories.

Unfortunately I don't know how that works with lapbanding or other WLS. I personally can't imagine that any diet that requires you to eat less than 1000 calories for the long term is healthy, no matter what surgery you've had.

I would talk to your dietitian or your doctor and see what advice you can get there.

.

Lori Bell · 10-21-2008, 12:50 PM

Are you taking some heavy duty prescription multi vitamin? (Hopefully). 750 calories a day is not much. I'd classify it in the "crash diet" range. Even with medically supervised quick loss diets for the super morbidly obese, the calorie range is between 800 to 1000 calories a day.

You are eating less than your dietician recommended. I'd follow his/her plan lined out for you. Seriously, if you continue on this path, your hair will begin to fall out and your skin will look terrible. I don't think anything (with the exception of chemotherapy) is worth losing your hair over.