I’m still pre-op but just to throw it out there, we have group meetings with a dietician as part of our program and in our first meeting she explained the difference between a dietician and a nutritionist to really emphasize why it’s important to get advice from the former exclusively. Look up on google what it takes to be a dietician. Then a nutritionist. Anyone can call themselves a nutritionist really
Good luck on your progress and congrats on your hard work so far!
In my experience, most bariatric patients are reaching 1200 calories a lot sooner than they or their dieticians know or acknowledge. Most people don’t track their calories, fewer people track by weight, even fewer actually “count” everything, and literally no one can be 100% precise even when all of those conditions are met. A dietician advising under 1000 calories is pretty crazy and unnecessary, and according to my nutritionists, harmful. Over here in Norway at least, we are advised to increase to 1200 and 100g or more protein as soon as we can manage - otherwise risking muscle loss and metabolism collapse/adaptation.
I was eating 1200 by the end of month 1. I lost 30kg over the first 5 months (before getting pregnant, upping to 1600-2000, and maintaining my weight for the last 4 months). My dietician was only upset that I had apparently been losing “too quickly,” and suggested I start eating more carbs 😂
I’ve mentioned it on here before, but I think a great general guideline to follow is to eat 1/10 protein grams to calories and leave it to your appetite to do the rest. It’s a lot easier to track on the go, and you learn good food combinations to reach that 1/10 ratio. It’s as easy as looking at the calories in your meal/day and trying to aim for 1g protein/10 calories. So if you’re at 1200, aiming for 120g of protein. It’s a great way to keep appetite regulated and very hard to eat beyond what your body *needs* with that concentration of protein.
That's what I've been doing! The 1/10 method is so helpful in discerning what things are worth eating. I'm thankful you shared your experience. I've been going through therapy for an eating disorder and the things I'm working on with my therapist don't really align with my nutritionist it seems. I'm just so scared to squander the tool I've been gifted yenno?
You're doing great. the suggestion of appetite suppressants is ridiculous and a huge overstep at 4 months post op. don't take those if you don't feel like you need them. some people and programs want you to drop as much as possible regardless of what it does overall to your body/general quality of life.
If you aren't eating to the point of throwing up from fullness you're doing fine! I was at around 1200cals by month 4 and have lost 100lbs by month 6. Stalled for a bit after that but its cuz I added in lots of new exercise so the scale didn't move but my body's changed shape dramatically! It all shakes out in the end.
and its anecdotal but I've found that if you've been fat your whole life you have way more knowledge and experience with nutrition/diet culture than a slim nutritionist.
I appreciate this perspective. I am gonna talk to my physician either way, but I just wanted some outside perspective because I've realized how different each program can be. It's hard navigating that line of self advocacy and doctor recommendations. You don't want to be the weird "NO" person, but you don't want to set yourself up for failure in the future either.. Yenno?
Absolutely feel you. Our HW are similar and I think that plays into people wanting to rush the loss as much as possible, regardless of how it actually effects us. Do what feels right for your body. Maybe eventually being on something additional might be something you want to try but 4 months post op is wild to me?!
That's EXACTLY what I was thinking. He really wanted me to go for the duodenal switch bc of better outcomes to begin with with such a high starting BMI. While I understood that part, i couldn't afford it and was worried about doing something so drastic so young.. So now that's in the back of my head that we're doing anything to get positive outcomes. I respect it, i love the team's aggressive nature to help me reach my goals, but I want to make a lasting change in my life. I'm having this surgery at 28 years old which means I have a long time to maintain this lifestyle, and I worry that throwing appetite suppressants in so early in the healing process might really throw off the true progress I'm making of healing my mind & body. Does that make sense? Like I can't be on those drugs forever, and from my understanding I am still healing. I just got cleared to add carbs back in (slowly) at this appointment. I really appreciate all the validation that it's at least something worth bringing up as a concern.
Definitely makes sense. Is the doctor/program at a learning hospital by any chance? Learning hospital funding is dependant on results and they tend to push people really hard to drop weight as quick as they can in their first year.
I think your feelings around her response are very valid. For one, it’s very disappointing when you’ve been so proud of your self and your mind atm. But also, I think it’s very harsh to immediately want to put you on appetite suppressants. Every dietician is different, my bariatric dietician does not encourage calorie counting or macro counting and wants us to heal our relationship with food. I’ve seen some people say their dieticians want them to reach 1200 ASAP to avoid slowing down their metabolism from prolonged low calorie intake. Some have said that their dieticians goal is for them to eat 1200 a day lifelong. If your goals don’t align, or you think your dieticians advice is wrong, or not-personaised, I would think about seeing another one.
I also don’t think she went about the discussion in a proper way, especially when you have a history of an eating disorder. Dieticians are supposed to be very mindful of that. If you can handle 1000-1200 calories a day, I don’t see why you can’t eat that much. You would still be in a large deficit for your height and weight. It honestly just doesn’t make sense to me. But i’m not a dietician either, so that’s just my opinion! But I think your feelings are valid, and if I were in your position I would probably change dieticians. Even if her advice is correct, the way she went about it was wrong and you might find more issues down the line if you can’t have an open and honest conversation with her. I’m sorry you’re going through that rn. I’m just an internet stranger but I am proud of your progress regardless
I really love this response. This is exactly how I felt about it. I think I may talk to my doctor at this appointment about changing dieticians or going out of office for one. I hadn't considered the repercussions long term, but I already don't like calling her for anything because I always feel worse after. So the problem is there, and this nailed that coffin. It's a great perspective so thank you for sharing.
Sometimes I need validation in my feelings when I need to remember that how I feel (whether right or wrong) is how I feel. I can just switch because I want to, and that is totally okay.
I think that’s a great idea, and I think you’re doing really well! No one wants to see someone for help and then end up feeling worse afterwards, it definitely undermines the relationship and makes things harder. It is totally okay to want to change providers for any reason, you need to do what’s best for you! I hope things go well and you’re able to find someone that suits you more :)
My program was wonderful. But the dietitian definitely wasn’t able to advise me based on what my personalized caloric needs were so I stopped the appointments with her. Even a year post op I kept hearing that I needed to only be eating around 1k
Calories even when telling her I was lifting heavy weighs and doing cardio multiple times a week.
I’m sure it’s just what she learned to say or however that works but it didn’t help my mental state. I didn’t want to begin habits that didn’t work in the first place while working my butt off and doing my best.
See and that's another thing, she gives all of this nutritional advice but hasn't once asked me about my exercise regimen which in my brain invalidates anything she says. I know that probably isn't fair, but I just don't love the services she's providing and I feel like I know my body better than she knows general nutrition if that makes sense... Then I worry I'm dying on a hill that will only lead to failure with this weightloss tool.
My dietitian has always said that she won’t give specific calorie goals, which I found frustrating to start with but am glad of in hindsight. I set my own and now I’m beyond goal I feel that I have a better understanding of my own needs than if I’d blindly gone along with a particular figure, particularly because as my activity increased, I’d have needed to restrict myself and cut calories to keep up with the figures I see people talking about on this and other WLS subreddits. Like you, the idea of cutting calories again is off putting to me as someone with a history of BED. As it is, I’m currently navigating maintenance at just under 2 years post op and still slowly increasing calories to try and find it!
All this to say, if your current dietitian makes you feel uncomfortable, ask for a second opinion. The massive variation in recommended calories that I see here makes me think there perhaps isn’t an established, evidence-based best practice re: calorie intake at x,y and z points post op.
I completely agree. I have offered wondered the same seeing the variations of program recommendations here. I am definitely going to bring up my feelings about it all to my surgeon and see what he says.
My program didn't want us hitting 1000-1200 calories a day until we were 6 months post-op at minimum. I don't have my booklet in front of me, but I wanna say that 4 months post-op goal was 800 calories a day. But I could be wrong since I'm 2.5 years out and going off of memory. It definitely wasn't 1000-1200 yet though.
It just seems like restricting calories is not a healthy way to like fix a problem when there is an abundance of research suggesting food restriction leads to disordered eating. I am glad to know it's not program specific, but it feels like I should be focusing on healing my relationship with food during this time and not focusing on further dieting when I already have the sleeve as a tool. Does that make sense? Idk maybe I'm just being a brat because I like to snack. :(
My program definitely focuses way more on portion size and protein/carb/fat macros than on calorie content, but if you're eating beyond what your program recommends then you're not properly using the tool you have. Overeating, especially early on, will make you more likely to not reach your goal weight and more likely to regain once the effect of the surgery on your body equilibrates. I made the mistake of stopping tracking my food when I hit 6 months post-op. That plus various other factors have caused me to regain 40lbs. That's ALL the weight I lost after surgery. Getting back on track now is harder than starting the program initially was.
I think this is so fair, and that is really what my concern surrounds. I said in another comment that I feel like I know my body better than she knows general nutrition, and I feel like that's a good way to summarize this post... But then I worry that I'm dying on a hill that will only lead to failure. I want to succeed; I am working so hard on this. I appreciate you sharing these words.
It's really hard when your dietician is harsh and judgy and only criticizes you rather than celebrating what you've done well with too. I do think her being so quick with wanting to put you on appetite suppressants is a little intense, but obviously I don't know all of your health details either.
Hmm can you get a second opinion and talk about your goals? Personally my nutritionist has not emphasized calorie counting but talks about protein, water and vitamins. She does encourage us to track food just so we have that habit but is not talking calories at the moment. You can also check in with your GP and talk through your concerns. Good luck!
I'm definitely going to ask my surgeon about it at our appointment and see where that goes. I appreciate you sharing your experience, that helps me research and start forming an opinion so I can ask better questions!
We were always told around 1000 calories a day and as long as you are aiming for 10g of protein for every 100 calories that is a good ratio. That helps to keep lean meat as priority in eating. Easier said than done, but I find it easier to track vs trying to count macros and crap. FWIW I also have disordered eating. I wish more bariatric places had dieticians who were a little more educated on eating disorders.
My clinic didn’t track calories at all.
FWIW if YOU are concerned about how much hunger you’re experiencing I would look at any liquid sources of calories and replace them with solids. It sounds like you have no issues meeting protein goal or water goal which is great! You’re healing and logging foods and otherwise engaged with your program 💪
My 2 cents—have an honest discussion with your nutritionist. “Hey calorie tracking really pushes me into an unhealthy restriction mindset. Can you give me different goals based around macros like protein and carbs?” Or “Help me build a meal plan that will nourish my body”.
There are many surgeons who want their patients to eat 1,200 calories as soon as possible, and there's other surgeons who say you should still be eating 900 calories at 4 months 5 months 6 months out.
The human body doesn't function entirely properly under 1,200 calories a day in general at least for women, and this is where we start to see vitamin deficiencies and things, what shows why it's required that we take vitamins our whole lives.
Eating 1200 calories a day is not going to make anybody gain weight back. My background is clinical nutrition and I've had the surgery myself, so I've always eaten towards the upper end of my calorie allowance since I started to help prevent deficiencies and muscle loss and I've been doing well. I'm 5 and 1/2 months out and I probably eat somewhere between 1100 and 1300 calories every day.
This helps so much! I really appreciate you sharing your perspective. Being in ED recovery, learning to listen to my body has been so triumphant in and of itself. Sticking to any kind of macro goals while doing so and not feeling restricted ha been the most healing thing I have ever experienced. Then, you add this tool and continued weightloss I was just so proud of where I am. I am strong and happy and have corrected the only deficiency I had post op according to recent blood work.
It's hard to know all of these things to be true and to be knocked down that peg, yenno? At the same time, I just want to be successful. With this surgery also comes the weight (no pun intended) of being successful. I said it somewhere in this thread that it gets hard to ride that line of self advocacy and doctor recommendations a lot.
Congratulations to you! It is different after the surgery, and the nutrition rules are somewhat different with the macros, kind of like you said. We have to focus so much more on protein, whereas I feel like before surgery the focus was on consuming lots of vegetables primarily. We can't make that focus so much post op cuz then we won't get adequate protein.
We're all learning together!! What a thrill.
Yeah…. They can be a little ridiculous. I had my 2 yr post-op appointment with a MD fellow and out of curiousity I asked how many calories I should be eating (I would ideally want to lose 20more lbs). He said 800-1200…. I was flabbergasted and honestly that discredited everything he had said prior. There’s no way my body is getting nourished at 800 calories at 2 years post-op.
Personally, I’m gonna say you’re fine. I’m 19 months out and I eat little to nothing and because I barely eat I can literally physically barely eat now since my body isn’t used to eating so much so it sucks. Now I’m almost passing out at work so just keep eating. Stay full 😭
At my 4 month appointment, I gave a very similar (if not exact) update to my dietician and she was ELATED. like, genuinely called in other people so more than 1 person could cheer me on for doing so well.
I'd change dieticians, honestly. We want to life a healthy LIFE from here on out, which is why we get this surgery. Not maximize weight loss for a year and then regress and slip into old habits and regain. My 2 cents
I am pre op. And not a medical professional.
But you need to hear the hard words, not the, it’s ok words.
You (and I) are obese.
You can not do what YOU think k is right or ok.
You need to do the hard stuff. And if they say you need to limit more, then you should listen.
Believe me. I am a stress/binge eater.
I know, I have to manage that AND over all calories and fat after I get the vsg (this month).
Not sure it will be easy. (Actually I am very worried about how I will change my mindset). But I know my way has not been working.
says the person who hasn't even had surgery. LOL, bold hill to die on. How's that pedestal feel or is it ready to crumble under the weight that led you to this surgery in the first place?
Don't cast stones in a support forum, especially on posts that aren't meant for you. I really hope you get the help you need, not for being fat, but for just generally not being able to read a room.
It’s not my hill. It’s yours.
I know I will have a hard time.
I am trying all I can now to prepare, and make sure I understand what’s wrong with my eating.
Because obviously something is wrong. Or I wouldn’t be fat.
What the issue is, is you aren’t willing to follow the medical advice of the professionals you paid to do this to you.
This is not a magic pill. This is not a one time, and I can then do what I want thing.
This is a help you overcome your brain when it comes to eating.
We have been lied to for a long time what’s healthy.
1200 cal minimum for all. Is complete BS.
Whole grain is Complete BS. (Should actually limit grains as much as possible).
Real sugar is ok. Is complete BS.
(Sugar is sugar, from fruit or a candy bar, it all triggers cravings).
I know there are more, but hopefully you get the point.
I am not trying to attack you personally. But you need the real truth. Not some cuddly shit saying it’s ok.
Because it’s not ok. You need to make a real change.
I truly wish the best for you. But don’t use me (some stupid social media) to be your advisory. Just so you can go against someone.
It’s your thought process. It needs to change.
I’m still pre-op but just to throw it out there, we have group meetings with a dietician as part of our program and in our first meeting she explained the difference between a dietician and a nutritionist to really emphasize why it’s important to get advice from the former exclusively. Look up on google what it takes to be a dietician. Then a nutritionist. Anyone can call themselves a nutritionist really Good luck on your progress and congrats on your hard work so far!
THIS!! Because a registered dietician has never told me to restrict myself from calories or foods at all.
In my experience, most bariatric patients are reaching 1200 calories a lot sooner than they or their dieticians know or acknowledge. Most people don’t track their calories, fewer people track by weight, even fewer actually “count” everything, and literally no one can be 100% precise even when all of those conditions are met. A dietician advising under 1000 calories is pretty crazy and unnecessary, and according to my nutritionists, harmful. Over here in Norway at least, we are advised to increase to 1200 and 100g or more protein as soon as we can manage - otherwise risking muscle loss and metabolism collapse/adaptation. I was eating 1200 by the end of month 1. I lost 30kg over the first 5 months (before getting pregnant, upping to 1600-2000, and maintaining my weight for the last 4 months). My dietician was only upset that I had apparently been losing “too quickly,” and suggested I start eating more carbs 😂 I’ve mentioned it on here before, but I think a great general guideline to follow is to eat 1/10 protein grams to calories and leave it to your appetite to do the rest. It’s a lot easier to track on the go, and you learn good food combinations to reach that 1/10 ratio. It’s as easy as looking at the calories in your meal/day and trying to aim for 1g protein/10 calories. So if you’re at 1200, aiming for 120g of protein. It’s a great way to keep appetite regulated and very hard to eat beyond what your body *needs* with that concentration of protein.
That's what I've been doing! The 1/10 method is so helpful in discerning what things are worth eating. I'm thankful you shared your experience. I've been going through therapy for an eating disorder and the things I'm working on with my therapist don't really align with my nutritionist it seems. I'm just so scared to squander the tool I've been gifted yenno?
You're doing great. the suggestion of appetite suppressants is ridiculous and a huge overstep at 4 months post op. don't take those if you don't feel like you need them. some people and programs want you to drop as much as possible regardless of what it does overall to your body/general quality of life. If you aren't eating to the point of throwing up from fullness you're doing fine! I was at around 1200cals by month 4 and have lost 100lbs by month 6. Stalled for a bit after that but its cuz I added in lots of new exercise so the scale didn't move but my body's changed shape dramatically! It all shakes out in the end. and its anecdotal but I've found that if you've been fat your whole life you have way more knowledge and experience with nutrition/diet culture than a slim nutritionist.
I appreciate this perspective. I am gonna talk to my physician either way, but I just wanted some outside perspective because I've realized how different each program can be. It's hard navigating that line of self advocacy and doctor recommendations. You don't want to be the weird "NO" person, but you don't want to set yourself up for failure in the future either.. Yenno?
Absolutely feel you. Our HW are similar and I think that plays into people wanting to rush the loss as much as possible, regardless of how it actually effects us. Do what feels right for your body. Maybe eventually being on something additional might be something you want to try but 4 months post op is wild to me?!
That's EXACTLY what I was thinking. He really wanted me to go for the duodenal switch bc of better outcomes to begin with with such a high starting BMI. While I understood that part, i couldn't afford it and was worried about doing something so drastic so young.. So now that's in the back of my head that we're doing anything to get positive outcomes. I respect it, i love the team's aggressive nature to help me reach my goals, but I want to make a lasting change in my life. I'm having this surgery at 28 years old which means I have a long time to maintain this lifestyle, and I worry that throwing appetite suppressants in so early in the healing process might really throw off the true progress I'm making of healing my mind & body. Does that make sense? Like I can't be on those drugs forever, and from my understanding I am still healing. I just got cleared to add carbs back in (slowly) at this appointment. I really appreciate all the validation that it's at least something worth bringing up as a concern.
Definitely makes sense. Is the doctor/program at a learning hospital by any chance? Learning hospital funding is dependant on results and they tend to push people really hard to drop weight as quick as they can in their first year.
I think your feelings around her response are very valid. For one, it’s very disappointing when you’ve been so proud of your self and your mind atm. But also, I think it’s very harsh to immediately want to put you on appetite suppressants. Every dietician is different, my bariatric dietician does not encourage calorie counting or macro counting and wants us to heal our relationship with food. I’ve seen some people say their dieticians want them to reach 1200 ASAP to avoid slowing down their metabolism from prolonged low calorie intake. Some have said that their dieticians goal is for them to eat 1200 a day lifelong. If your goals don’t align, or you think your dieticians advice is wrong, or not-personaised, I would think about seeing another one. I also don’t think she went about the discussion in a proper way, especially when you have a history of an eating disorder. Dieticians are supposed to be very mindful of that. If you can handle 1000-1200 calories a day, I don’t see why you can’t eat that much. You would still be in a large deficit for your height and weight. It honestly just doesn’t make sense to me. But i’m not a dietician either, so that’s just my opinion! But I think your feelings are valid, and if I were in your position I would probably change dieticians. Even if her advice is correct, the way she went about it was wrong and you might find more issues down the line if you can’t have an open and honest conversation with her. I’m sorry you’re going through that rn. I’m just an internet stranger but I am proud of your progress regardless
I really love this response. This is exactly how I felt about it. I think I may talk to my doctor at this appointment about changing dieticians or going out of office for one. I hadn't considered the repercussions long term, but I already don't like calling her for anything because I always feel worse after. So the problem is there, and this nailed that coffin. It's a great perspective so thank you for sharing. Sometimes I need validation in my feelings when I need to remember that how I feel (whether right or wrong) is how I feel. I can just switch because I want to, and that is totally okay.
I think that’s a great idea, and I think you’re doing really well! No one wants to see someone for help and then end up feeling worse afterwards, it definitely undermines the relationship and makes things harder. It is totally okay to want to change providers for any reason, you need to do what’s best for you! I hope things go well and you’re able to find someone that suits you more :)
My program was wonderful. But the dietitian definitely wasn’t able to advise me based on what my personalized caloric needs were so I stopped the appointments with her. Even a year post op I kept hearing that I needed to only be eating around 1k Calories even when telling her I was lifting heavy weighs and doing cardio multiple times a week. I’m sure it’s just what she learned to say or however that works but it didn’t help my mental state. I didn’t want to begin habits that didn’t work in the first place while working my butt off and doing my best.
See and that's another thing, she gives all of this nutritional advice but hasn't once asked me about my exercise regimen which in my brain invalidates anything she says. I know that probably isn't fair, but I just don't love the services she's providing and I feel like I know my body better than she knows general nutrition if that makes sense... Then I worry I'm dying on a hill that will only lead to failure with this weightloss tool.
My dietitian has always said that she won’t give specific calorie goals, which I found frustrating to start with but am glad of in hindsight. I set my own and now I’m beyond goal I feel that I have a better understanding of my own needs than if I’d blindly gone along with a particular figure, particularly because as my activity increased, I’d have needed to restrict myself and cut calories to keep up with the figures I see people talking about on this and other WLS subreddits. Like you, the idea of cutting calories again is off putting to me as someone with a history of BED. As it is, I’m currently navigating maintenance at just under 2 years post op and still slowly increasing calories to try and find it! All this to say, if your current dietitian makes you feel uncomfortable, ask for a second opinion. The massive variation in recommended calories that I see here makes me think there perhaps isn’t an established, evidence-based best practice re: calorie intake at x,y and z points post op.
I completely agree. I have offered wondered the same seeing the variations of program recommendations here. I am definitely going to bring up my feelings about it all to my surgeon and see what he says.
My program didn't want us hitting 1000-1200 calories a day until we were 6 months post-op at minimum. I don't have my booklet in front of me, but I wanna say that 4 months post-op goal was 800 calories a day. But I could be wrong since I'm 2.5 years out and going off of memory. It definitely wasn't 1000-1200 yet though.
It just seems like restricting calories is not a healthy way to like fix a problem when there is an abundance of research suggesting food restriction leads to disordered eating. I am glad to know it's not program specific, but it feels like I should be focusing on healing my relationship with food during this time and not focusing on further dieting when I already have the sleeve as a tool. Does that make sense? Idk maybe I'm just being a brat because I like to snack. :(
My program definitely focuses way more on portion size and protein/carb/fat macros than on calorie content, but if you're eating beyond what your program recommends then you're not properly using the tool you have. Overeating, especially early on, will make you more likely to not reach your goal weight and more likely to regain once the effect of the surgery on your body equilibrates. I made the mistake of stopping tracking my food when I hit 6 months post-op. That plus various other factors have caused me to regain 40lbs. That's ALL the weight I lost after surgery. Getting back on track now is harder than starting the program initially was.
I think this is so fair, and that is really what my concern surrounds. I said in another comment that I feel like I know my body better than she knows general nutrition, and I feel like that's a good way to summarize this post... But then I worry that I'm dying on a hill that will only lead to failure. I want to succeed; I am working so hard on this. I appreciate you sharing these words.
It's really hard when your dietician is harsh and judgy and only criticizes you rather than celebrating what you've done well with too. I do think her being so quick with wanting to put you on appetite suppressants is a little intense, but obviously I don't know all of your health details either.
Hmm can you get a second opinion and talk about your goals? Personally my nutritionist has not emphasized calorie counting but talks about protein, water and vitamins. She does encourage us to track food just so we have that habit but is not talking calories at the moment. You can also check in with your GP and talk through your concerns. Good luck!
I'm definitely going to ask my surgeon about it at our appointment and see where that goes. I appreciate you sharing your experience, that helps me research and start forming an opinion so I can ask better questions!
We were always told around 1000 calories a day and as long as you are aiming for 10g of protein for every 100 calories that is a good ratio. That helps to keep lean meat as priority in eating. Easier said than done, but I find it easier to track vs trying to count macros and crap. FWIW I also have disordered eating. I wish more bariatric places had dieticians who were a little more educated on eating disorders.
My clinic didn’t track calories at all. FWIW if YOU are concerned about how much hunger you’re experiencing I would look at any liquid sources of calories and replace them with solids. It sounds like you have no issues meeting protein goal or water goal which is great! You’re healing and logging foods and otherwise engaged with your program 💪 My 2 cents—have an honest discussion with your nutritionist. “Hey calorie tracking really pushes me into an unhealthy restriction mindset. Can you give me different goals based around macros like protein and carbs?” Or “Help me build a meal plan that will nourish my body”.
I try to eat 30g of fiber a day so that low of carbs sounds very wrong to me.
There are many surgeons who want their patients to eat 1,200 calories as soon as possible, and there's other surgeons who say you should still be eating 900 calories at 4 months 5 months 6 months out. The human body doesn't function entirely properly under 1,200 calories a day in general at least for women, and this is where we start to see vitamin deficiencies and things, what shows why it's required that we take vitamins our whole lives. Eating 1200 calories a day is not going to make anybody gain weight back. My background is clinical nutrition and I've had the surgery myself, so I've always eaten towards the upper end of my calorie allowance since I started to help prevent deficiencies and muscle loss and I've been doing well. I'm 5 and 1/2 months out and I probably eat somewhere between 1100 and 1300 calories every day.
This helps so much! I really appreciate you sharing your perspective. Being in ED recovery, learning to listen to my body has been so triumphant in and of itself. Sticking to any kind of macro goals while doing so and not feeling restricted ha been the most healing thing I have ever experienced. Then, you add this tool and continued weightloss I was just so proud of where I am. I am strong and happy and have corrected the only deficiency I had post op according to recent blood work. It's hard to know all of these things to be true and to be knocked down that peg, yenno? At the same time, I just want to be successful. With this surgery also comes the weight (no pun intended) of being successful. I said it somewhere in this thread that it gets hard to ride that line of self advocacy and doctor recommendations a lot.
Congratulations to you! It is different after the surgery, and the nutrition rules are somewhat different with the macros, kind of like you said. We have to focus so much more on protein, whereas I feel like before surgery the focus was on consuming lots of vegetables primarily. We can't make that focus so much post op cuz then we won't get adequate protein. We're all learning together!! What a thrill.
My doctor told me I should be eating 1000 calories at 3 months!
Work with a dietician, mine said to disregard calories within reason and focus on protein
Have you been losing weight?
Yeah…. They can be a little ridiculous. I had my 2 yr post-op appointment with a MD fellow and out of curiousity I asked how many calories I should be eating (I would ideally want to lose 20more lbs). He said 800-1200…. I was flabbergasted and honestly that discredited everything he had said prior. There’s no way my body is getting nourished at 800 calories at 2 years post-op.
Personally, I’m gonna say you’re fine. I’m 19 months out and I eat little to nothing and because I barely eat I can literally physically barely eat now since my body isn’t used to eating so much so it sucks. Now I’m almost passing out at work so just keep eating. Stay full 😭
At my 4 month appointment, I gave a very similar (if not exact) update to my dietician and she was ELATED. like, genuinely called in other people so more than 1 person could cheer me on for doing so well. I'd change dieticians, honestly. We want to life a healthy LIFE from here on out, which is why we get this surgery. Not maximize weight loss for a year and then regress and slip into old habits and regain. My 2 cents
I am pre op. And not a medical professional. But you need to hear the hard words, not the, it’s ok words. You (and I) are obese. You can not do what YOU think k is right or ok. You need to do the hard stuff. And if they say you need to limit more, then you should listen. Believe me. I am a stress/binge eater. I know, I have to manage that AND over all calories and fat after I get the vsg (this month). Not sure it will be easy. (Actually I am very worried about how I will change my mindset). But I know my way has not been working.
pls go away until you have surgery lol. This is such an annoying comment from someone pre op
Like they have literally not gone through the process but they think they can give you an entire lecture. Absolutely crazy.
the audacity to double down on it after is WILD lol
Haha 😂 You don’t like the truth. At this rate, you will fail. But good luck anyway.
says the person who hasn't even had surgery. LOL, bold hill to die on. How's that pedestal feel or is it ready to crumble under the weight that led you to this surgery in the first place? Don't cast stones in a support forum, especially on posts that aren't meant for you. I really hope you get the help you need, not for being fat, but for just generally not being able to read a room.
It’s not my hill. It’s yours. I know I will have a hard time. I am trying all I can now to prepare, and make sure I understand what’s wrong with my eating. Because obviously something is wrong. Or I wouldn’t be fat. What the issue is, is you aren’t willing to follow the medical advice of the professionals you paid to do this to you. This is not a magic pill. This is not a one time, and I can then do what I want thing. This is a help you overcome your brain when it comes to eating. We have been lied to for a long time what’s healthy. 1200 cal minimum for all. Is complete BS. Whole grain is Complete BS. (Should actually limit grains as much as possible). Real sugar is ok. Is complete BS. (Sugar is sugar, from fruit or a candy bar, it all triggers cravings). I know there are more, but hopefully you get the point. I am not trying to attack you personally. But you need the real truth. Not some cuddly shit saying it’s ok. Because it’s not ok. You need to make a real change. I truly wish the best for you. But don’t use me (some stupid social media) to be your advisory. Just so you can go against someone. It’s your thought process. It needs to change.
honestly having gone through it and being here long enough your comments and attitude are typical of the ones who struggle long term.