Okay...guess I am really outta the loop, but what is the acceptable range of fat, carbs, and calories for one day? What range should I be trying to stay within?

You just had your surgery, right? If that is the case...only worry about taking in the right amount of protein and water. Your nutritionist should have given you the number of grams of protein that you should be consuming.

When I'm trying to lose, I eat much differently than when I'm trying to maintain. Here are my figures for weight loss (this is what I did until I hit my goal weight after surgery)

Calories per day: 900-1200
Fat: tried to stay under 30 grams a day (mostly monounsaturated)
Carbs: under 40 grams (from cooked veggies mostly or from the bran/yogurt I ate to stay "regular")
Protein: 70-100 grams a day (from meat, seafood, poultry with occasional tofu or cottage cheese)

I also believe that getting a minimum of 70 ounces of water, my full amount of vitamins and minerals and at least 45-60 minutes of aerobic exercise every day while trying to reach goal weight.

That was and is the program that worked for me. Good luck and best wishes with your plan!

Kim...I am 26 months out of surgery...but maintain between 45-60 g of protein a day...and 60 oz of water...as for what I am supposed to stay between, well...lets just say that after having my surgery...and subsequently having to sue my physician for things that followed...I am unable to contact him or his office for advice. So now I seek the knowledge I need from others like us that have had the surgery...

Sandi...goodness gracious...I am nowhere near that. Today I followed the liquids only portion...and the pumpkin/sausage soup was 32 grams of fat alone...for one CUP of it...

Okay...would you mind sharing with me what a typical day foodwise is/was for you at that point when you achieved those numbers? I need some sort of plan to follow I guess...I dont want to do this and still fail...

Feeling a bit discouraged here...even being strict, FitDay counts me at 977 calories, 54 grams of fat, 66 carbs < mostly from milk upon reviewing...I use 2%, cannot tolerate soy or lactaid...any other suggestions? >, and 64 grams of protein.

each person approaches this differently....

but the really best way to eat for optimal health is as your ancestors did---which is high fat

the typical diet most WLSers follow can lead to stalls and rabbit starvation---surviving on lean meat is not good

too much protein is not good either---here are some helpful links

Why Low-Carb Diets Must Be High-Fat Not High Protein

Try Our New Protein Need Calculator - And Break Through Stalls!

The Skinny on Fats

because of my reactive hypoglycemia I follow a very strict high fat, moderate protein carbrestricted way of eating my fat intake is nearly 80% now with my protein runs about 70 gms now and my carbs around 30 gms 50% of my fat intake is saturated fat too

for those terrified of fat---let me share this with you---when youeat saturated fat---it turns into the same type of fat in your blood stream as olive oil is....your not afraid of olive oil---so don't be afraid of saturated fat----matter of fact--your hear actually will thank you for it since it lives exclusively on saturated fat.....

• Saturated fatty acids constitute at least 50% of the cell membranes. They are what gives our cells necessary stiffness and integrity.
• They play a vital role in the health of our bones. For calcium to be effectively incorporated into the skeletal structure, at least 50% of the dietary fats should be saturated.³⁸
• They lower Lp(a), a substance in the blood that indicates proneness to heart disease.³⁹ They protect the liver from alcohol and other toxins, such as Tylenol.⁴⁰
• They enhance the immune system.⁴¹
• They are needed for the proper utilization of essential fatty acids.
  Elongated omega-3 fatty acids are better retained in the tissues when the diet is rich in saturated fats. ⁴²
• Saturated 18-carbon stearic acid and 16-carbon palmitic acid are the preferred foods for the heart, which is why the fat around the heart muscle is highly saturated.⁴³ The heart draws on this reserve of fat in times of stress.
• Short- and medium-chain saturated fatty acids have important antimicrobial properties. They protect us against harmful microorganisms in the digestive tract.

Bamma... wow... I know that I'll be going back to read the citations from your previous
post many times! Thank you for the references! I've bookmarked them all and will
spend time with them. Also good to be introduced to your blog! I'll be sure to sign up.
SO much to know about body and mind. Kudos to you for these references!

I always save your comments on stats for weight loss, Sandi. Are you saying that none of the protein
was taken in supplement form? ie. all from foods rather than powders? Do you think there's a difference
in satiety and/ or results?

Bama...thanks for the links! I will spend some time with them tonight, and see what I find.

I have reached the conclusion that maybe I need to hire a personal chef...wonder if Celadon is available? Those recipes sure look good !!! <wonder if working for protein shakes is negotiable??> LOL!

You know, if I just lived closer to all of you, I could make a fortune on the chef circuit!

Seriously, Marianna, I was where you are now, the confusion. You just have to keep working it and asking questions here and you will find your answers. I believe very strongly in the research that Bama provides us and I read everything that she posts. Then I make up my own mind. We all have to do what is right for us but she makes so much sense that you can't discount anything she writes. Right now, I am on the same Vitamin D that she is because it is right for me.

All I am saying is you have time so don't stress out. Just keep reading and all things will become clearer with each week that passes.

@Mickee, sorry, with the snafus on here lately, I just never saw your comment. When I was losing weight, once I got off of liquids, I did NOT use protein shakes. There were a couple of people on here who told me that they weren't good to use and that I needed to get on "real" food as soon as possible, so that is what I did. NOW however, I don't think that protein shakes and bars are necessarily a BAAAAADDDD thing, but I find that a protein shake or bar really does not keep me feeling satisfied as long as meat of seafood or poultry does.

I also looked up my surgeon's recommendations for losing weight vs maintaining weight loss for life. His recommendations are

weight loss: 600-900 calories for the first 6 month, 800-1000 after that. Fat/Carbs/Protein in grams = 30/40/70
maintenence: 900-1200 calories 30/60/90

He's more of the old school lean protein, fat is bad mentality though. I've seen others who say that more fat grams are good depending on the type of fat.

There is a lot of stuff in the library on this site. This is just one voice. There are so many others.

@ Marianne: Please don't be discouraged. The 5DPT plan is different than how you'll be living your life, so the numbers won't necessarily match your post 5DPT life. Just follow the rules closely for now. Once you feel the sensation of having your control back and your pouch in good working order, you can begin finding the ratio of fat/carbs/protein that works perfectly FOR YOU! Never give up. You're doing fine, your calories look good, and if you feel satisfied and not starved, and if your hair isn't falling out, I wouldn't worry too much about the exact ratio. The ratio is only important if you feel like you're starving all the time... Hope this helps.

hugs

These are all very helpful posts...I just wanted to say "thank you" for your info!

Agreed, Sandi! Different things work for different people, hence the numerous weight loss methods out there including WLS. There are good and "bad" fats. My goal is to educate myself and make the best decisions for me personally. Keep working the too, Marianna . . . you'll figure it out.

Sandi there are still many docs out there who are fat phobic---they just don't keep up with the research---plus they are really caught up in a group think mentality

I agree people should look to their surgeons for advice---but my opinion is you also have to be your own health advocate and do your own research---not blindly follow what the recommendations are

the caloric levels of my surgeons office in the beginning was never go below 1000 cals a day--

eating too little to sustain your body will set you up for failure and ultimately drop your metabolism to zilch

also getting too much protein is not good---your body will convert it to glucose raising your blood sugars---tiggering you to store it as fat what is not used at that time---then the blood sugar drops and you are hungry again---higher fat is the way to go, moderate protein and restricted carbs---

but that is MY opinion....from the research I have read....

Bama...you'd be proud of me. I really gave it a TRUE try...50% of my calories from fat. Oh...gosh...it just didn't work for me. I was full, but had horrid gas and bloat. My best fat level is under 30% with my calories somewhere between 1400 and 1600.

Kim---it may be because I have just done all that research on celiac disease---but when I read your post that popped into my head---gas and bloating after fat intake is one of the symptoms--

at least you tried to up your fat intake----as long as what you are doing is working for you that's what matters and it is working....plus glad to see some decent calories---that's a good range for you---

XOXO Bama! I only developed the "gas/bloat" thing AFTER WLS. I used to consume 95% of my calories from fat!!!

Good question M!

And Bama...I tend to agree with a lot of what you are saying....not that you need my approval. Also, I have bookmarked the websites you gave and will do further research myself, thanks for the info!