Not as much weightloss as expected

I pretty consistently ate more calories than many of the people on here, but I think I have a pretty decent metabolism (I now maintain on 1700 a day). But still, I wasn't up in the 1200-1400 range until I was a year (or more) out.

You have heard great advice, I will just agree with the lower your calories. Some Docs think if you keep calories too low, they will have to stay low in maintenance. There really isn't a direct correlation, some people maintain on higher calories than others. No real rhyme or reason.

I maintain at higher calories, but ate sub 1000 during weightloss and at the stage you are at I was probably averaging 750-800c a day.

Your post feels almost like I wrote it myself. At least in terms of feelings. I started my journey with high BP, pre-diabetes and PCOS. Surgery was August 7th, and to day I've went from 296 to 257. I just got done with having an almost 4 week stall of remaining at 260. And I found that if I don't stay below 800 cal. then my crazy body things I'm maintaining and doesn't want to loose weight.

PCOS is one of the most horrible things out there if you ask me. Because of cancer I had to have everything removed, uterus, ovaries, cervix. They took it all, and you know what? I still have PCOS. It never leaves us, the symptoms just get a little less. It does all it can to turn our bodies against us, and makes us have to work 4 times harder than normal bodies. It doesn't like to loose weight and it will fight us every step of the way.

But just don't loose heart. You can do this and so can I, we may go slower than other people, but we can do this. It's frustrating and it feels hopeless sometimes but just trust what everyone is saying. They have been there before us. Lower your cals, up your water and in time your body will start to loose again. If you feel extremely hungry.. drink more water and OH i might add take some ant acids to. I find if I take them the hunger pains I feel sometimes are not even that.. But just too much acid in my body.

Good luck and I will be rooting for you!

You're awesome! Thank you for this. I wish you good luck on your journey as well. :)

Hi

I'm in maintenance and I have 1200 calories a day. Weight loss mode was 800. I also have/had PCOS

Just my experience.

You can do this!

You've gotten some great advice on here! I definitely advocate for 100 ounces of water a day. Water helps keep me full. Since I don't drink during meals or for 30 minutes after (be VERY strict about this!) then once it's 45 minutes or so after a meal, I start drinking my huge 32oz camelback water jug. I make sure to fill it 3 times a day, minimum. If I have a super busy day and drink less water, I swear it shows on the scale the day after!

Also, make sure you log all of your blt's (bites, licks and tastes!). Get creative to eat dense protein that you love but gets you more bang for your buck. If you love Mexican food, use 93% ground turkey (around 170 calories for 4 oz) as opposed to ground beef (likely 350 calories for the same amount). Season it up with taco seasoning and add some cheese. Dressings can add hundreds of calories, sadly. Even when I make my own, just a couple of tbsp of olive oil bumps it up, ya know? Look for chicken sausages that have 200 calories or less - I have found some awesome ones from AmyLu at Costco. Honestly, the difference between calories in foods varies insanely. I can eat a Quest protein bar for 20 g of protein and 200 calories; my boyfriend's protein bar has 20 g of protein and 340 calories! A good general rule of thumb is to stick to foods that have 1 g of protein for each 10 calories. So a 200 calorie shake with 20 g of protein - great! A 300 calorie shake with 15 g of protein - not great.

ETA: Also watch out for sneaky things like coffee creamer. I used to use legit 100+ calories a day in creamer! If you're trying to have 800 calories a day total, that's not ok. Some people use the ready to drink (RTD) Premier Protein brand vanilla or caramel flavor shake as creamer. Brilliant! Just mix it in to your coffee for flavor AND protein. Way better for weight loss than using International Foods Hazelnut creamer, for example :)

As others have said, up your fluids, lower your calories, and keep up the good fight. Feeling healthy is worth it!

You've gotten some great advice here, but here's something I haven't really seen addressed.

Don't compare yourself to others; not only is everybody different, but you don't get the full picture of someone's life based on only what you see at work.

Your first coworker may live in gym clothes, but she may not follow recommendations. Maybe her prepped meals are too high in calories and carbs. Maybe she has binge-eating disorder. Maybe she drinks. Your second coworker may eat fast food, but maybe he makes decent choices anyway. Maybe he eats one meal all day, and it happens to be a cheeseburger.

Bottom line is, you have no idea, and it's not fair to judge.

I agree, ignore your benchmark comparisons. I looked at those prepped meals option early out and most had between 40 and 80 carbs per meal. That may work for someone eating 1700 calories a day, but not for someone on a protein first diet. That is closer to the 70/20/10 diet, where protein is under 25% of calories. I find that if I eat the wrong kinds of carbs I get hungry. When I'm doing CAMAW, like this week, I don't get hungry as much (or at all). My therapist and I are working up the plan for maintenance that really keeps me in plan compliance - or near weight loss mode except for special occasions like vacation or other unique events (that happen just a few times a year). And then the carbs ingested still need to be close to profile - no mashed this or that or pasta.... I mean having a piece of whole wheat toast when I eat a sandwich out on vacation (but not both sides of the sandwich, etc). But that is me trying to find what will work in 60 pounds. Not in weight loss phase. Carbs are a trigger, even in low quantities - so really watch them and assess why you are hungry in an hour. You should be full for a few hours, if not there is likely a reason. Wrong protein, sugar hidden, carbs hidden or drinking too close to the meal. Something isn't working right, but trust in yourself to figure it out. Good luck.

Hi and ditto to what everyone else said here.

I am a little more than 3 months out and I eat 600 calories a day. The most I eat is 700 and some days in the 500's. Unfortunately my metabolism sucks and I will never be eating 1200-1400 a day even when I get to goal.

Things may have changed since I had surgery back in 2005 and the last time I was actually an active participant in anything related to bariatric surgery was back in 2008. So this is just my opinion....I can't eat 2 or 3 meals a day. Even after 12 years, my pouch can only handle about 8 ounces and then I'm full. Ive broken so many rules over the years...but the one rule Ive been able to stick with is small portions all day long. I am constantly eating. I may order a "meal" but to this day, my coworkers, friends and family still tease me like "why do you order all that food when you know you can't eat it" and my close friends wait for me to order first so they can order something different then it turns into a grand buffet for them and I get to create the "perfect bite" from whatever is on the table and I'm satisfied. Chocolate is my main "meal" everyday. I need it, like I need caffeine and red wine. Everything else just fits in where it can. LOL So the moral to this story is instead of eating 2 to 3 meals a day with snacks, eat small "meals" (this includes protein shakes) every two hours till about 4 hours before bedtime and after 30 minutes of finishing a "meal" start drinking water. You MUST have at least the minimum of 64 ounces of water or water based hydration every day or you will not be able to lose any more weight. Oh and since you go to the gym, please stop looking at the scale, muscle weighs more than fat and it will f&&k with your mind when you see those numbers go up even though you are doing a super great job. Instead, pay attention to how your clothes feel and take naked pics of yourself every 3 months or so and then you can SEE the difference and how better defined your body shape has become. I hope this helps.