OMG I'm back in the 600s again
my sleeve!!!
Oh Mandy, I know how you feel. I've been bodybuilding with a trainer for 12 years and I just could never get my eating under control. Well, enter my new sleevie and the weight just melted away. I always kept up the same level of activity post surgery...doing lost of HIIT and regular cardio and lifting very heavy. I squat almost 200lbs!!... that's a lot for an old lady of 47.
It is hard to push the calories, even when we KNOW that it is for our own good. It's a battle that I face constantly. I know they tell me that on the calories that I consume (1200/1300) that I'll never gain muscle, but somehow I've increased strength a lot since I had my surgery. I'm benching over 100lbs, squatting heavy and deadlifting 135. SO I HAVE put on a lot of muscle on this measly amount of calories. If I hadn't, I'd never be able to lift this much. I sometimes get to 1500 cals but it's so hard because of the extreme restriction. I do make myself have 2 shakes per day that have about 35gms pf protein each to reach my minimum goal of 125gms. You are still early out and eating that much would be difficult. What I would do is increase gragually and eat on a schedule. I eat every 3 hours or I never make my food goals for the day. Try to get yourself to 1000 cals and hold it there for 2 to 3 weeks, then add in another 150 or so and maintain that level for a bit...and so on until you get to a level where your comfortable and not gaining weight but building muscle. It'll take you a while to figure this out, but you can't live on 600 calories forever. It's not healthy and you know it! You won't gain fat even if you double your cals...I promise. Just know you're not alone with these mental struggles.
Laura
It is hard to push the calories, even when we KNOW that it is for our own good. It's a battle that I face constantly. I know they tell me that on the calories that I consume (1200/1300) that I'll never gain muscle, but somehow I've increased strength a lot since I had my surgery. I'm benching over 100lbs, squatting heavy and deadlifting 135. SO I HAVE put on a lot of muscle on this measly amount of calories. If I hadn't, I'd never be able to lift this much. I sometimes get to 1500 cals but it's so hard because of the extreme restriction. I do make myself have 2 shakes per day that have about 35gms pf protein each to reach my minimum goal of 125gms. You are still early out and eating that much would be difficult. What I would do is increase gragually and eat on a schedule. I eat every 3 hours or I never make my food goals for the day. Try to get yourself to 1000 cals and hold it there for 2 to 3 weeks, then add in another 150 or so and maintain that level for a bit...and so on until you get to a level where your comfortable and not gaining weight but building muscle. It'll take you a while to figure this out, but you can't live on 600 calories forever. It's not healthy and you know it! You won't gain fat even if you double your cals...I promise. Just know you're not alone with these mental struggles.
Laura
Oh Laura thank you so much for your post!!!!
I have felt like NOBODY understands this sort of struggle and have been bottling it up the past few weeks. I feel so discouraged that I want to cry sometimes. I feel like I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't, does that make sense? I have non-surgery and surgery folks say "eat more!" but I can only eat so much! I see the key is what I'm eating rather than how much I'm eating.
Your suggestions are great. I've been thinking I need to gradually increase my calories but I just can't seem to formulate a good plan of action.
I think I need to make a trip to the grocery store sans children so I can really concentrate on products there that might help me increase my calories. I gotta look into Brandilynn's oils!
I have felt like NOBODY understands this sort of struggle and have been bottling it up the past few weeks. I feel so discouraged that I want to cry sometimes. I feel like I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't, does that make sense? I have non-surgery and surgery folks say "eat more!" but I can only eat so much! I see the key is what I'm eating rather than how much I'm eating.
Your suggestions are great. I've been thinking I need to gradually increase my calories but I just can't seem to formulate a good plan of action.
I think I need to make a trip to the grocery store sans children so I can really concentrate on products there that might help me increase my calories. I gotta look into Brandilynn's oils!
5'8" - 40 years old
I also add ground flax seed to my shakes, this adds good fat calories as well! I start most mornings out with a 300 calorie shake. I make mine with milk as a way to up the calories. I know it's so frustrating...I also eat a raw trail mix made by NOW. It has like 200 cals for 1/4 cup and does not have any added sugar or salt. It really helped me through plastics...your calorie requirement after those big surgeries is HUGE!!!
One thing I wouldn't do is jump up to the 1600 range all at once...I don't think you can do it "mentally". We still do have that fear behind eating and it's normal to be scared. This fear will help you later down the road when you may see some people having regains. We won't be, because we've been "scared straight"!
Laura
One thing I wouldn't do is jump up to the 1600 range all at once...I don't think you can do it "mentally". We still do have that fear behind eating and it's normal to be scared. This fear will help you later down the road when you may see some people having regains. We won't be, because we've been "scared straight"!
Laura
It's interesting because I eat very similar to Brandilynn and I've met few people who eat like me. I eat 5-6 small meals per day. Breakfast is a protein shake so I can kind of hit my quota (I mix vanilla protein with green tea for a nice warm breakfast and some caffeine - green tea helps boost weight loss too).
Then afterward I eat 4-5 boring meals of 2-3 ounces of filet mignon sauteed in coconut oil with a little bit of tomato sauce or salsa. I fix this up in the morning and bring it with me all day in a food thermos. Once in a while I might have a spinach salad for my greens.
Like Brandilynn I also find that eating the same thing all the time helps me not be so interested in eating all the time. Unfortunately I do not have the problem of not wanting to eat ever.. I have to schedule my meals so that I don't eat more frequently.
Maybe scheduling your meals would help you eat more often in the same way it helps me eat less often? I also manage to get well over 100 grams of protein a day eating this way, between my 50 gram protein shake in the morning and the filet mignon the rest of the day.
I do pretty well when I eat like this.. my main problem is I tend to want to snack at night before bed on cheese or nuts.. when I do this my weight loss stalls. I'm also lifting weights with a trainer but aiming for 800 cals a day since I know I can still do this and get plenty of protein.
I don't think the trainers that you are seeing are dietitians or nutritionists, and I find that sometimes trainers give bad advice in this area. As a nutritionist I'd say to you that as long as you are hitting your protein goals (over 100 is good), you don't need to up your calories.
In other words you don't need to hit 1600 calories, you want to hit 100+ grams of protein to build muscle, but you don't need to necessarily have more calories, carbs, fat, etc. to get that protein to build the muscle.. just the protein.
I used to do body building in high school and at 150 pounds I was bench pressing 220 and broke every record for females in my school. I out-lifted many of the smaller men in my school too.. they hated that. But then again I'm not a trainer, I'm a nutritionist, so you'll have to take what I say from that perspective.
Hope that helps...
Then afterward I eat 4-5 boring meals of 2-3 ounces of filet mignon sauteed in coconut oil with a little bit of tomato sauce or salsa. I fix this up in the morning and bring it with me all day in a food thermos. Once in a while I might have a spinach salad for my greens.
Like Brandilynn I also find that eating the same thing all the time helps me not be so interested in eating all the time. Unfortunately I do not have the problem of not wanting to eat ever.. I have to schedule my meals so that I don't eat more frequently.
Maybe scheduling your meals would help you eat more often in the same way it helps me eat less often? I also manage to get well over 100 grams of protein a day eating this way, between my 50 gram protein shake in the morning and the filet mignon the rest of the day.
I do pretty well when I eat like this.. my main problem is I tend to want to snack at night before bed on cheese or nuts.. when I do this my weight loss stalls. I'm also lifting weights with a trainer but aiming for 800 cals a day since I know I can still do this and get plenty of protein.
I don't think the trainers that you are seeing are dietitians or nutritionists, and I find that sometimes trainers give bad advice in this area. As a nutritionist I'd say to you that as long as you are hitting your protein goals (over 100 is good), you don't need to up your calories.
In other words you don't need to hit 1600 calories, you want to hit 100+ grams of protein to build muscle, but you don't need to necessarily have more calories, carbs, fat, etc. to get that protein to build the muscle.. just the protein.
I used to do body building in high school and at 150 pounds I was bench pressing 220 and broke every record for females in my school. I out-lifted many of the smaller men in my school too.. they hated that. But then again I'm not a trainer, I'm a nutritionist, so you'll have to take what I say from that perspective.
Hope that helps...
Start weight: 388, Current Weight: 185, Goal Weight: 180, Weight Lost: 203 lbs
Certified Nutritionist ♥ VSG FAQ♥ sublimate: To elevate or uplift.
3/2012 Plastics: LBL, 3 Hernias Fixed, BL/BA, Rhinoplasty & Septum Fix. 6/2013 Plastics: Arm and thigh lift
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