Maintenance meal plans...what does yours look like?

 Hi all,
I'm newly into maintenance and I'm wondering what maintenance eating looks like for others?  I'm finding this stage more challenging than any of the others post-op since I'm dealing with fears of regaining weight, fears of losing too much if I don't eat enough and making good choices given the increased range of foods that I can eat (higher calorie intake, more carbs gives me just enough rope to hang myself, or at least it feels that way)

If you could share your calorie level, protein levels and some typical meals that you eat in  day, I would totally appreciate it!  Thanks!

If your surgery date was January 2012, how are you into maintenance now? You have a honeymoon period of at least 12-18 months so you have up to another year of this stage to go.

I don't get this new thing of people reaching a certain arbitrary weight and then struggling to get their bodies to conform to it - your body will lose until it won't any more. At this stage you will be eating the same and not losing or gaining ... Your goal at this point should be maintaining your metabolism by eating right and exercising, allowing your body to adjust to its new size and regime, not increasing your food intake markedly!

Personally I think if you interfere with the process, you stand a higher chance of regain at a later date when the body decreases its malabsorption and those extra calories have to go somewhere!.

Maintenance and having to worry about whether you will regain probably won't occur until you are 3-4 years out ...

If you want to see what people in maintenance eat, the daily "What are you eating" posts are good information!

 I'm 13 pounds away from slipping into an underweight BMI and I"ve lost really quickly.  My bariatric centre is encouraging me to see myself as in maintenance and try and stop my weight loss.  I was a lightweight to start and only needed to lose 100lbs...so far I've lost 116.  

I realize that I'm having to change my eating habits now in order to stablize my weight and then will need to change them again in order to prevent weight gain.  But my BMI is 21.3 and I really don't want to lose any more weight.  I think if I didn't consciously try and eat more calories, I would continue to lose and end up seriously underweight.  While I may bounce back, I still don't want to get into the underweight category and so far, I'm still on a slow downward trend at 1600 calories a day.  This is work, not pleasure, since I'm trying really hard to fit in the calorie level that my dietician recommended.  Most of the time I'm almost reaching it by eating nuts, nut butters and sprinkling parmesan cheese on things.  I realize that this is a more rare outcome of RNY, since it seems like many don't ever get to goal, but its not about being more successful than others.  I simply had less to lose from the start.

Your loss pretty much mirrors mine - I needed to lose 100lbs and lost 120lbs in six months to a BMI of 21. In health terms, this is really not too low - I would worry if you start to get lower than a BMI of 18 or so ... This is very rare!

As time progresses, you will naturally be able to eat more and more food - the secret is to make good choices - eat good quality protein at all meals and snacks - I have seen so many people try to do what you are doing, only to post in a year or so that they are regaining and they can't stop it!

Our bodies are really clever and rarely lose weight in an out of control manner - trust the process!

ETA: I regained the 20lbs (slowly) at around years 3-4 and have since maintained my original weight goal at 8 years.

I typically eat about 1500 calories, about 90 grams of protein daily.  Some typical meals are a protein bar, a protein shake, a cup of chili or beans, a large salad, two scrambled eggs and half a muffin, about 3/4 of a grilled cheese sandwich on thin bread, a cup of homemade Greek yogurt, a sliced bell pepper with hummus, etc.

I agree with Kim that you really aren't into true maintenance yet, but FWIW my maintenance eating looks almost exactly the same as it looked when I was still losing.  The only real difference is that my body stopped losing and I added in a 100 calorie treat every day.

For me it is about 1400 calories a day (but I don't track food anymore other than once every 9-12 months to make sure I am still on track) and 80-90g of protein.

Lora

Fear is normal. So far as fear of regain, you have tools in your corner to prevent it. So far as losing too much, your body will not allow itself to waste away. It will adapt.

So far as my intake I usually fall somewhere between 1,200-1,400 calories a day (today I got 1,300) with between 100-150g of protein and about 75-100g NET carbs (100-150g total carbs but I get a lot of fiber).

I eat 1800-2000 calories a day to maintain my weight loss of 200 pounds at a weight of 131 pounds. My height is 5'4".

The following is just a suggestion, not a rule.

To Determine Your Calorie Expenditure Use The Following Formula For Women:

655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years) = BMR.

Then you have to determine your Activity Level:

-If you are Sedentary: BMR x 20 % (.2)

-If you are Lightly Active: BMR x 30 % (.3)

-If you are moderately active (You exercise 3 to 4 times per week): BMR x 40 % (.4)

-If you are very active (You exercise intensely 5 or more days per week): BMR x 50 % (.5)

-If you are extra active (You do hard labor or are in athletic training, or exercise intensely 5 or more days per week for 3 or more hours per day): BMR x 60 % (.6)

Add your Activity Level number to your BMR = Daily Calorie Expenditure.

I had a Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) test done recently. It accurately measures how many calories your body burns per day. My RMR is 1580, so if I sit on the couch all day and do no activity, I can eat up to 1580 calories. I try my best not to go over 1580 even when I exercise and I'm able to maintain my loss. I also get in a minimum 100 ounces of water daily and my protein ranges between 75 to 100g.

I generally eat between 1,800 and 2,000 calories per day, with at least 120 grams of protein and about the same in carbs.

I work out at least 5 days a week-intensely- and I have more than average amount of muscle tissue.  I live by the 80/20 rule:  80% of the time I make very good food choices, the other 20% I have whatever I want.  I eat 6-7 small meals per day.  I still follow the rules of my surgery-protein first, NEVER drink with meals and try to wait up to an hour after (which makes me have to drink a lot in the window of time I have before the next meal....this is a daily challenge to get the water in).

So far, maintaining for over 2 years now.