How much protein, carbs, fats and calories do I need?

I am almost 8 months out. I have about 10 more pounds I WAN to lose, 20 more I would LIKE to lose.  Right now, I am at 65 pounds lost, so as you can see, I am considered a "lightweight" by some people on this board's standards.  I have been hobbling around this weight for a good month-6 weeks, but continung to still shrink,  so not a true stall, but a stall of some sort nonetheless.  I exercise 5 to 6 times a week--30 minutes of some kind of cardio 4 days a week, strength training 2 x a week, 45 minute Pilates class once a week and one weekend day, a good 40 to 50 minute brisk walk.

My question is--given all you have just read about me, what should I be aiming for regarding protein intake and caloric intake?  should I be worrying about calories, are just protein?  what about carbs and fat?  (when I say fat, either fat like in dairy, almonds and olive oil more so than other fatty foods, which I cannot tolerate anyway). 

I am looking for amounts I will need to finish this leg of my journey and what I should strive to attain for maintenance

Not real pleased with the nutritionist our practice has and besides I think I want to talk to those who have walked in my shoes!

thanks in advance fro all your help!

• These are the rules I followed/follow: 
•  

• Breakfast: 1 Multi Vitamin/Mineral, 2-300mg Calcium Citrate, 1 Spring Valley 500mcg B12 Sublingual Dot, 1 mg prescription Folic Acid, 1 Vita Lady Tender Dry 5000 IU Vitamin D3 capsule, 1-100mg B1 tablet, 1-200mcg Selenium tablet
• Lunch: 1-300mg Calcium Citrate, 1 packet Orange Coromega Omega 3 Squeeze
• Non-Calcium Snack: 1-500mg Vitamin C, 2 Sundown 25mg Carbonyl Perfect Iron ***take 2 hours from Calcium/Dairy Products***
• Dinner: 1 Multi Vitamin/Mineral, 2-300mg Calcium Citrate
•  
• *Drink 64 ounces Liquids daily (drink up to a meal, wait 60 minutes after a meal) (I add 2 packets sugar free drink mix and 1 teaspoon Benefiber to 2-32 ounce water containers)
  
• *Must eat at least 60 grams of Protein a day (100 or more grams beginning at 1200 calories a day)
• *Eat no fat/lowfat dairy products
• *Eat simple (fruit) and complex (vegetables, whole grains) Carbohydrates (I do not count daily grams)
• *No more than 15 grams of Sugar per meal (more grams if able to tolerate-I allow myself no more than a maximum of 30 grams Sugar per meal from Simple and Complex Carbohydrate sources because I do not seem to dump on Sugar)
  
• *Eat 3 main meals (B, L, D) no further than 5-6 hours apart
• *Eat 1 protein snack at 1200 calories a day at least 2-3 hours from breakfast
• *Eat 2-3 protein snacks at Maintenance calories a day at least 2-3 hours from B, L, D
• *3-6 Months After Surgery: I ate 600-700 calories a day
• *6-9 Months After Surgery: I ate 800-900 calories a day
• *9-12 Months After Surgery: I ate 1000 calories a day
• *12-18 Months After Surgery: eat 1200 calories a day (I ate 1200 calories a day until 15 months when I reached my goal weight)
• *18 Months after surgery (or when goal weight is reached before 18 months): Maintenance calories (BMR/RMR & Activity Level) (Malabsorption of calories lasts approximately 18-24 months)
• * I do not participate in a formal exercise program due to Rheumatoid and Osteoarthritis. I do move around a lot more and do a lot more walking.

 I am working on maintenance right now.  I am 18 months out and I lost 228 pounds as of this morning.  I am at 136.6 and 5'5'' tall.  

The first thing you want to do (if you are not already) is start tracking your food intake so you know where you are on a day to day basis. There are many online sites as well as Apps that you can use.  I use My Fat Secret site and the Calorie Counter App that syncs with it.

Next, you want to get a estimate of your RMR (resting metabolic rate).  That will tell you how many calories your body needs just to operate and maintain your current weight if you did nothing but laid in bed all day.  It will also tell you what your calorie needs are to maintain based on your activity level.   It is based on age, weight, height and gender.  The one I use is:

http://www.caloriesperhour.com/tutorial_BMR.php

From there, you have to determine how many calories you need to reduce to keep losing.  3,500 per week equals approximately a 1 pound loss.  Remember, that the closer you are to goal the slower is goes.  

In terms of fat, carbs, protein  you need to consider not only total grams, but the percentage of each nutrient in your overall nutrition. While trying to lose I tried to keep the protein percentage at 40%  or more and split the difference for carbs and fats.  I also get over 100 grams of protein each day and have fo almost a year now with few exceptions.  At maintainence, I strive for 35% protein, 33% carbs and 32% fat.  Basically, I hover at about a third for each.  My daily caloric intake varies right now between 1200 and 1500, but I am recovering from surgery (TT and hernia repair), so my activity is more sedentary and at this range, I am still losing  little.

I came to this point from reading/researching and consulting with my Nut. There is no clear road map out there for this stage, as far as I have seen.  It could be because so much is so individualized.  

As this is just my personal journey and I am not a Dietician, I would strongly encourage you to find a dietician that you can work collaboratively with.  Mine has been very helpful.   It is worth the time and expense (if insurance doesn't cover it).  If you have any questions you can PM me.

yes, I am using fitness pal and it tells me that I should be around 1200 calories a day, more if I exercise.  I have been getting anywhere from 800-1100 a day, some day****ting 1200, rarely going over even on days when I exercise.   so from what both of you say, it seems I am pretty much on target.  I also stay under 20 grams a sugar for each meal.  I am just now having room in my pouch to east some veggies with my protein.  Kind of sounds like 80 to 100 grams protein a day is not too much which i what I usually hover around.

So I guess I am doing everything okay.  I guess I was starting to worry that I have stalled out.  But with only 10 to 20 pounds left to lose, I guess those are going to be stubborn and just want to hang on! Any thought on how I can ramp it up and at least lose a pound or two a week?

I think as you get closer to goal, you have to be aware of your calorie needs. You might not have to be overly concerned about hitting exact targets, but I truly think you need to be aware of what nutrients your body functions best on.

The previous poster who suggested figuring out your RMR and energy needs is right on. If nothing else, it gives you information to use so that you can be proactive in your choices.

I'm a data girl (love numbers to do analysis on), so I wear a Body Media device. I know that on days I work out, I'm burning anywhere from 2600 to 2800 calories per day for my total energy expenditure (the variance by their scientific standards is +- 10%). So in order to lose 2 pounds per week, I need to eat 1000 calories less than that a day. But all math and science aside, it's a crap shoot. Even if I am totally mindful about the 1,000 calorie deficit and am maximizing my burn, I seldom lose 2 pounds per week (at this stage). I'm losing approximately 5-6 pounds per month and that's totally fine with me. I'm in the midst of menopause, I lift heavy weights, and I do High Intensity Interval Training (using 65-85% of my maximum heart rate)...Can you tell I'm a data girl?

But I'm digressing, back to you....

I suggest doing the math with the Metabolic Calculator. If you have the chance, get your percent of body fat tested, if you have a better chance, get a RMR calculation done by professionals (your gym, or perhaps at a University near you?).

Caloric needs should be based on how much energy you expend during the day and what your weight loss goals are. As you are closer to goal, it will take you longer, but that's part of the journey isn't it?

I probably would up my calories from what you are eating, but that's me...your mileage my vary. I tend to stick to a 40/30/30 ratio for Protein/Carbs/Fat and that is what's working for me...my health is very good and my fitness is improving weekly.

I might also increase my protein...that increase can only help in replacing other carby options that may have eased their way into your eating plan, plus protein helps with the building of a shapely muscle mass (lean body tissue).

Undoubtedly, you feel stronger (love that rock-solid Pilates core), capable, and your body is definitely morphing into something that you admire (well, girls can hope, can't we?).

I'm not at maintenance yet, but I'd definitely listen carefully to those who are and how they handle their eating plans and exercise regimes. Those that post here have been living and doing and maintaining with great accumen and within target ranges. They are the Yodas of successfully living at goal.

Sorry, didn't mean to write a damn novel. I think you are going about this spot on. Level headed, patient, willing to try different things, keeping an eye on the prize, but always knowing it's a wonderful journey. Congrats to you and your continued success!