Opinions please -- should I eat more calories today?

[2mara]

Hi All -

It's 7pm and I've only had 650 calories (and I'm probably rounding high) AND I worked out with a personal trainer for an hour today with at least a 300 calorie burn. I know I lose better with at least 1200 calories/day, but it's already 7pm and I've been working hard not to eat during my witching hours of 8pm to midnight when I traditionally consumed 80% of my calories! I will most likely have a glass of skim milk before bed, but I'm wondering if I should "force" some more calories in or just try again tomorrow? (Ice cream would probably be the answer to get a bump in today's calories!)

Here's a quick bullet point background:

Banded May 2008 at OCC -- 277 lbs.

Down to 205 lbs. by 2009 and stuck between 201 and 205 for most of 2009.

Started running in 2010, training for a 1/2 marathon in October 2010 and got down to 190. (I'm 5' 9" and big boned. 190 was wonderful, although if I ever got to 175 I'd be in bliss!)

Nov. 2010 had a much needed tummy tuck to remove loose skin. Had a slight unfill before hand.

Dec. 2010 - over-enjoyed holidays without much of a fill/restriction.

Feb. 2011 - Girl Scout cookies arrive and it was not pretty. I punished anyone who failed to pay for their cookies by eating them!

March 2011 - Fill. He was very aggressive and it was too much. Had to back off after a couple of weeks of misery.

Tried to start running/walking again but suffered a pinched nerve in my back that I've been fighting all year with both meds and chiropractor visits. That relieved the pain symptoms for a couple weeks at a time, but not the underlying cause.

SO August 2011 I was ballooned up to 215 pounds (25 more than my 190 happy point last October), out of work for over a week because my back was so bad, and just fed up! I decided I had to start loosing weight again to give my back some relief and I found a fantastic personal trainer that is helping me build my core muscles to support my back. I started tracking calories again; increased my water intakes and protein; and cut down on the carbs, sugar, caffiene and fast food that had snuck into my diet.

My fill is in a good place. Mornings are a little tough to eat solids, so I often do a greek yogurt or a protein shake. Making good choices for lunch. Eating same dinner as family - smaller portions and none of the bread. And after just a couple of weeks I am pain free, except for the sore muscles :-) and I'm back down to 205 - which was my year long plataue before I started exercsing regularly. Feels so good to be using my LapBand tool again!

How did I get in to this 600 calorie canundrum?? Well, this morning the protein shake I grabbed on the way out the door was chunky. BLEH! Skipped it and ate my "grown up Lunchable" with some turkey and wheat crackers for an early lunch around 10:30. It's Thursday so we are out of fresh fruit. Sounds weird, but I grocery shop on Saturday so by Thursday the clementines were all gone except for a mushy one that I threw out instead of sticking it in my lunch bag. Worked out HARD and was shaking when I got home so I made a quick 100 calorie instant oats and then had Healthy Choice Chicken Soup for dinner with the kids (drained the liquid and eat it like a casserole.)

What do you think, folks? Does my body HAVE to have 1200 calories every day? I struggle to get it most days -- getting about 1100. I am loosing weight and I know from experience if I start eating 1500 I won't lose. I'm kinda an all or nothing gal -- I either struggle to get 1200 or I top 3,000 no prob! Can I have a bowl of ice cream tonight or will that throw me off track for another year!?!?

Thanks for your thoughts and hope everyone is enjoying their LapBand journey. It is the best thing I've ever done for myself. I would never have been able to camp, canoe, hike, or zip-line with my kids' Scouting Troops if I was still that 300 pound lady!

T. in Tennessee

[Lindsay]

I wouldn't go below that .. esp if you're working out regularly.

Just need to schedule much smaller meals throughout the day. I'm always snacking, to ensure I'm getting enough in me.

[EcMjawad1]

Hi Tmara,

glad you wrote this...I sometimes do this and find I almost faint..I also have a hereditary heart condition which doesn't allow be to do much exercise other then some walking on flat ground and some lap swimming, a real bummer cause I would love to build some muscle..Yoga is good for flexibility...I have been at a 6 month plateau and can't see to get below 200..of course this is 89 pounds lower then I have been in 20 years but still....let me know what you end up doing. I have found that I really do need at least 1200. Still learning the ropes and about me..I would hazard to say we are all different, but I too do small snacks to keep blood sugar stable. I try to follow at all times a "Clean diet."

Michele

[CxJx]

Well, they say if you go under the 1200 calorie minimum, your body goes into starvation mode. I noticed for myself that I struggle when I go under 1200.. With you working out, you definitely need at least 1200!! Sometimes I do better weight loss wise with 1300. Get those calories in! Something that helps me is setting alarms on my phone to remind me to eat. If I'm busy I'm terrible at remembering, because my mind isn't on food. I love doing green smoothies and throwing vegan protein powder in them. It helps me meet my calories. There's a program I use on my iphone for calorie counting called myfitnesspal. It's free, and amazing!