Thoughts please

I went for my 2 month appointment with my surgeon and my nutritionist today. My surgery weight was 232 and my current weight is 203. Anyway, I have been averaging 550-650 calories, 65-70 protein and 20-30 carbs. The nut and my md felt like I would be losing more weight if I upped my calories to 1000 and upped my carbs to 40-60. They said carbs should be good carbs- berries, whole grains, nuts, etc. I was pretty happy with my loss and thought I was doing pretty good. So what do you guys think? Up calories? Stop staying away from carbs? Thanks!!

I'm not sure why decreasing your calorie deficit would help with weight loss.  That seems like outdated thinking having to do with the "starvation mode" myth.  You're losing 15 pounds a month, I think that's awesome - over 3 pounds a week!  What you're doing is clearly working.  

I think that you are doing well and agree with Gwen that more calories seems outdated. In my limited experience (well lots if you count before surgery), my #1 aid is drinking water and my #2 is protein. Now I've got more to lose, am male, and sweat easily, but I need to keep my water over 100 oz and days I exercise a lot I'll get in 150-200. For protein, the best I felt as preop diet on appx 150 grams a day. I try to stay around 100 now and looking back have noticed a difference for me when I get 110 vs 60 to 75. My body just seems to metabolize differently if I don't drink a lot of water. Find what works for you, just remember for most of us our weight loss steps, so if you have been in a stall, likely anything you will change up will result in a loss. 

I agree with the other posters that what you are doing seems to be working. That said, I'll tell you about the decision I made going into this, which was to trust my medical team and not try to second guess them with information provided from internet strangers or research I might do on my own. Figuring stuff out for myself clearly has never worked for me before -- that's what got me teetering on the verge of a BMI of 60 and in need of weight loss surgery to save my life in the first place. Given that, why would I throw out the advice of my medical team, with decades of experience in successfully bringing people from morbid obesity into health, based on what information I can scrounge up from the internet?

So, even when I don't like it, or don't understand it, or don't agree with it -- I do what they tell me to do. So far it is working for me! And by the way, a couple of weeks ago my dietician ordered me to up my calories pretty significantly. I was scared, but I did it - and I'm losing much faster now. I'm glad I followed my bargain with myself -- I *will* trust my medical team and follow their advice. No matter what people on the internet say.

My surgical team is on the more lenient side of the fence. The dietician said she was ok with my carbs being as many as 100 per day, and calories around 1,200. First of all, there is no way I could eat that much unless all I eat is carbs. Second, I am their "star patient," and the dietician said I should start a consulting agency here locally to teach people how to succeed with weight loss surgery. I follow the more strict plan, my calories rarely even reach 800, and they told me "whatever you're doing, keep doing it because it's working!" 

Now, I cannot imagine the planet your team is living on where increasing your intake will increase your weightloss or where 30 pounds is insufficient weightloss in 2 months, but here on Earth, if your body has less fuel consumed during the day, it has to use more of its stores to fuel its functions and people who are really good at this losing with VSG thing generally (it seems to me anyway) average losing about 10 lbs per month over the first 6 months. You're off to a great start.

My team has consistently told me to keep up what I'm doing because it's clearly working, but whenever I mentioned in the first couple months feeling tired, they would suggest increasing my calories. If you've said you're fatigued, maybe they think you'll have more energy for exercise if you eat a bit more, but I can't for the life of me figure out where that thought process comes from otherwise.

My thoughts? Your nutritionist is an idiot who doesn't understand basic science. If you eat more calories, you lose less weight. Duh.

If you want to lose more weight, exercise more! Or maybe eat more protein. They both help. How much exercise are you doing in a week?

I think your doing great !!!!

But the politically correct response is to say to follow your program.....

It's very hard to cut back on calories back when WL slows.

frisco

I think they are both nuts!  Keep doing what you are doing.  The only thing that I might suggest changing would be to up your protein to at least 80 and up your water intake.  At 2 months out I was eating 400 - 600 calories per day but I was struggling to get all of my protein in.  Once I was able to up my protein and consistently hit 80 grams or more then I really saw the scale move.  Also I was not hungry between meals and the dense protein stayed with me.  The other thing to note is that you in a since were considered a "light weight" only meaning that you do not have as much to lose as I did.  I was 285 when I started.  The lighter weight you are, the numbers are a little lower.  You will need to find what your magical number is for protein and carbs but I am a high protein, low carb gal! 

Thanks everyone- I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing. I feel full with what I'm eating and never hungry, so the idea of almost doubling my calories seem like it would take real effort on my part. I am going to try and increase my water intake and I'm hoping as the portions I eat increase a bit over time, I can up my protein too. Right now, I really have to pre-plan to hit my 70gr protein goal. I appreciate everyone's point of view!!

Your doctor and NUT seem to have bought into the "starvation mode" myth.  If you were my friend or family member I would advise you to up your protein to nothing less than 80 grams per day, which means your calories will come in a bit higher.  But going up to 800 calories per day shouldn't be a problem and you should continue with a steady weight loss trajectory.  

Good job by the way!