[BOOTS]

1- I KNOW THIS IS A STUPID QUESTION CAUSE EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT BUT ON THE AVERAGE HOW MANY CALORIES SHOULD SOMEONE LIKE ME WHO IS 7 MONTHS OUT BE DOING?

2- HOW OFTEN SHOULD WE UP OUR CALORIES?

3- ALSO, HOW MANY CALORIES ON THE AVERAGE ARE POST OP PATIENTS (like 1,2 and even 3 years out) BE DOING? I GUESS MY QUES IS WHAT IS THE MOST CALORIES A WL PATIENT WHO IS YEARS OUT, CAN CONSUME OF COURSE FOLLOWING THE RULES OF THE POUCH?

[Kenyar]

these are excellent q's. cant wait for doc to answer.

[ragdolldude]

I'm 21 months post op, and I've never counted calories. I try to get in 48 ounces of liquid, but on some days that is difficult. I do my walking, eat as healthy as possbile, still have protein 3-4 shakes per week. On every day I eat a cup of oatmeal, with 2 Sweet & Low packets, and my powdered calcium. It's good to start the day with a breakfast to get your metabolism going. I have left over chicken, pork chop, fish, etc. for lunch. Snack on almonds twice daily--dry roasted, no salt. Eat about 6 oz of protein each night, veggies, small amount of starch. Try not to eat past 7 PM, but that doens't always work. Sometimes I share a microwave popcorn with other members of the house. But I never keep track of calories. And I've lost weight successfully. Hoping I'll have a little more energy, after I recover from pacemaker surgery. Initially, calories may make a difference to some nutritionist. But it was never stressed to me by my surgeon or my support groups. DAVE

[Kenyar]

idunno. i would be nervous if i didnt have a guideline of what would make me gain vs. maintain. i kind of like the idea of a number. im nervous now i can only imagine how i will be 5 years out about gaining....maybe thats just me.

[Corrine]

I was told that given my age, level of activity etc., I needed to work towards eating 1440 cals/day to lose weight at a steady but safe level.

I'm not even close to that yet (between 900-1000) but I'm working on it.

This is a good site: Calorie Need - Nutrition Guide for Women

[Kenyar]

this says i need 2376 calories to maintain my weight lol. i guess there is hope that i wont gain

[DocSanae]

Probably, men are less concerned about calories than women.
A lot of women who have surgery have done just about all the diets out there, and so have at one point or another, have calories drilled into their brains.
Being concerned about calories is probably more about what makes you feel safe and comfortable, than what the numbers themselves actually mean.

That said.
When patients need to be instructed about food intake, the base guideline is how many calories for that person, then, how to balance that out between the 3 major nutrients, protein, carbohydrates and fat.
1) This program is individual, in other words, unique to the needs of the person.
2) It is determined by the body frame of the person, what conditions they need to control, and what their daily activities are.
Then
3) If you do not have a medical issue that is best taken care of by losing weight first, then the calories will be calculated to maintain your present weight.
4) If you have medical issues, you wil be instructed to a) change the balance of your food intake by limiting the intake of certain types of food, and, b) if you need to lose weight, then will be instructed for weight loss by limiting the total intake as well.

The determining factor of preferable body frame with medical issues where body weight plays a part is your height.
In other words, the taller you are, you will be expected to be heavier, the shorter you are, you will be expected to be lighter.
Let's translate this into BMI-body mass index, which indicates the balance of your body frame. 22 is considered the median. A 5 foot person will have a BMI of 22 when he/she is just over 112 lbs. A 6 foot person will have a BMI of 22 when he/she is 162 lbs.

The amount of calories you expend is calculated from your weight, with your age and gender are taken into consideration.
FYI: one equation that is often used. (Please note, the unit is metric, so you need to do some conversion for inches and lbs)
Harris-Benedict Equation for REE (Resting Energy Expenditure)
Male: REE=666+(13.7 x weight in kg)+(5 x height in cm) - (6.8x age in years)
Female: REE=655+(9.5 x weight in kg) + (1.8 x height in cm) - (4.7 x age in years)
To this, the total calories of the person's daily activities are added. For instance, if you walk at a fast clip for 30 minutes, add 100 kcals, house work for 30 minutes, add 80kcals, etc.
The total of all your activities and REE is your daily expenditure.
To lost weight the conventional way, you subract 500 to 1000 kcals from this total.
To maintain your weight, your intake should equal this.

So.... I probably lost you somewhere along the way

[DocSanae]

To simplyfy it all, there's a kind of standard simplified equation, but I'm not going to go into it here.
Suffice it to say, maintenance calories is around 11-14 per lb, unless your activity level is very high.

Also, basically, for women, maintenace calories is around 1200-1600, the lower end for those who are short, the higher end for those who are tall. If you are a very tall woman, and relatively active (have small kids that you need to chase around all day, etc) then it could go up to 1800.
For men, because of the difference in muscle mass, this translates to 1600-2000 kcals.

[DocSanae]

Originally Posted by Kenyar

this says i need 2376 calories to maintain my weight lol. i guess there is hope that i wont gain

I think it's too high. Since you are tall, 1600-1800 at most is your best range.

[kbfrmaz]

My nutritionist recommends 1000-1200 calories a day the first year after surgery. (and specifies high in lean protein and nutrient rich foods)

She said if you don't eat that much your body actually loses weight slower. However, at 4 weeks out, I still haven't got that high, but it is a goal.