Shownotes
Have you ever wondered if eating just 1200 calories a day could be the key to success after bariatric surgery?
In this episode, we dive into this burning question with our guest, Kayla Girgen, a Registered Dietitian and Certified Personal Trainer. Join us as we explore the truth behind obesity management and calorie-restricted diets. Kayla tackles whether 1,200 calories a day is sustainable for bariatric patients, and we break down the science of calories, energy, and resting metabolic rate, revealing how your body uses fuel. She also uncovers the hidden dangers of diets that are too calorie-restricted, from mental strain to metabolic slowdowns. Finally, we discuss whether the marketing of packaged foods misleads us into thinking we’re eating healthy. With the support of our BariNation Community, this episode debunks calorie myths, empowers you with personalized nutrition strategies, and highlights the mental and physical impacts of low-calorie diets.
IN THIS EPISODE:
- (00:00) Opening and introduction
- (01:13) Kayla answers the big question: Can I just eat 1,200 calories a day for the rest of my life and be successful?
- (03:38) Discussion of calories, energy and resting metabolic rate
- (06:39) Kayla talks about the dangers of a diet that is too calorie-restricted
- (08:54) Does marketing of packaged foods mislead the consumer to believe they are eating healthy in their journey of obesity management
- (09:59) Kayla advises where to start to determine the correct amount of calories for you
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- A 1,200-calorie restricted diet approach often fails. Kayla offers insights into how the body’s metabolism and the disease of obesity complicate calorie management, making it a must-listen for anyone navigating post-surgery nutrition.
- There are practical ways to manage obesity, like focusing on protein to curb hunger and using tools like resting metabolic rate testing to understand and meet unique caloric needs. The episode provides actionable steps to combat the disease of obesity effectively.
- Extreme calorie restriction has hidden dangers, from mental stress and grazing habits to metabolic slowdowns that can stall weight loss. This episode offers a balanced perspective on achieving sustainable health.
RESOURCES:
- BariNation Website
- Join the BariNation Membership community meetups to support you on your journey with obesity treatment. https://barination.com/pages/join-our-community
- Want to see bonus content? Head over to https://www.patreon.com/BariNationPodcast to get more and support the podcast for as low as $5 per month!
GUEST RESOURCES:
Ep. 225 - Slider Foods and Blood Sugar: Managing the Roller Coaster Effect with Kayla Girgen
BIOGRAPHY:
Kayla Girgen is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Personal Trainer determined to help women stop dieting, ditch all-or-nothing thinking, and develop healthy habits for life. With technology like CGM, Kayla shows women how to balance their blood sugar and maximize their tool for sustainable success after bariatric surgery.
ABOUT:
If the BariNation podcast helps power your bariatric journey, become a monthly podcast supporter and help us produce the show! Visit www.barinationpodcast.com and help us support people treating the disease of obesity with humor, humility, and honesty.
We need your help to keep the BariNation Podcast in production. Your one-time or recurring donations help us ensure this free support remains open to everyone. Click Drive To Thrive - Donation to learn more and give. THANK YOU for your support!
Transcripts
Jason Smith: [00:00:00] Hi. Welcome to BariNation, where we support the bariatric community with humor, humility, and honesty.
safe place that powers your [:Natalie Tierney: Our goal is you leave us today feeling hopeful, inspired, and ready to live your best bariatric life.
April Williams: Hi friends. [:And I know that you kind of address this in one of the many meetups that you lead in our community, but we just felt this [00:01:00] conversation was important for, for every bariatric patient to hear. The question was, can I just eat 1200 calories for the rest of my life and be successful? We wanna know the answer to that.
Can we or can we not?
, I might like split this up [:Like that's kind of has that same element to it where you're just like counting points, counting calories. But I will say kind of thinking about post-op, so anybody who's maybe in those, like that pre-op stage or early [00:01:45] post-op. That's part of the point of surgery is like calorie restriction. You've got your volume reduced pretty significantly.
he long-term scope of things,:April Williams: Yes. And, and when you're talking about that, Kayla, and, and when you [00:02:15] say macros, just to make sure that we're all speaking the same language, right? A calorie is made up with these different elements, these different macro and micronutrients, and when they come together, it gives us this caloric value, this energy value for the thing that we're eating.
But the thing that [:But the thing about the disease of obesity is it messes with our body's ability to use those calories in a quote unquote normal [00:03:00] way. Right,
Kayla Girgen: right. And if it were that simple, I feel like your body's just not a closed loop system. We have all of these different like inputs and variables that are, you know, impacting calorie burn or metabolism in a lot of ways.
even looking at like extreme [:Louder than that,
t and done everything right, [:And one of the tools that I've recently onboarded, which we were just talking about, is I had my resting metabolic rate tested because I wanted to know how many calories does my body need to just exist in the day to literally get up and do nothing? [00:04:15] What is actually happening internally, because it's great to kind of have these like blanket.
the background. What is the [:That is an extremely low number based on my lean mass that I have, that [00:04:45] math doesn't math. And where I had the test done, and even with, with my, um, new PCP, they, everybody was like, well, now you actually have the evidence. Now you can really see how the disease is impacting your body. So it's a powerful piece of information.[00:05:00]
But there is a kind of a catch to that too, right? It's. What is my body doing with those calories though? Now that I know how many I need, what is it actually doing with it? And that's, that's almost a different question.
because I think so often we [:So we're looking at, you know, what the elliptical says or what the treadmill says. Like, how many calories did I burn? I can eat. That, and the test that you had done basically shows that your [00:05:30] basal metabolic rate or like resting energy expenditure, sometimes that's used, you know, interchangeably. Mm-hmm.
that goes to just your brain [:But what I see too is that regardless of whether you're working out or not, like your muscles, your bone are [00:06:00] always kind of regenerating and tearing down and building back up and it. Is really up to you or you know, any of the listeners here, you know how that tissue is building back up too. Are you adding in resistance training where you're maybe building more like [00:06:15] muscle mass, for example?
Example? Because regardless, even if you're not working out, all of that's going on, that maintenance is going on in the background.
some of the, the things that [:Kayla Girgen: Yeah, I think there's both like physical repercussions, but then you have the mental, we talked a little bit maybe about that. Maybe I'll start [00:06:45] there because I think just that mindset, like when you have a certain tally of numbers, I feel like, you know, for anyone who's counted points or calories like. If you feel frantic, you're like, oh my gosh, it's breakfast and I've already used up 600 calories.
, look at my coffee creamer. [:So I [00:07:15] see a lot of like grazing because of it's like, okay, I'm gonna have 200 calories here or 200 there, so you're not like really ever feeling like full or you know, maybe like fulfilled after a meal. Yeah. So I think that that mental piece is one on the physical end of things. I [00:07:30] feel like when you're eating in such a calorie restriction for so long, your metabolism again starts to slow down.
t because that input or that [:And sometimes that can help the mental, and I would say the physical [00:08:00] component. And again, focusing on that like quality over quantity, kind of tediously counting. Are you doing, you know, mostly Whole Foods or are you. Opting for something that's in a package and marketed as low calorie that might not, you know, keep you [00:08:15] as full and satisfied.
orie and then it's our like, [:And that's something that can really throw off our game.
ust because something's high [:It's not really like leaving you full and satisfied. Mm-hmm. I think we had a conversation about that. We could probably. And we did
and I'll you guys go to the [:Kayla Girgen: Go to the show notes. It'll be linked there. Yes. So we were talking about, I think potatoes versus potato chips or something. Yes.
gh protein doesn't mean that [:Yes.
cle back to that. This is an [:How can I really com combat the disease with my nutrition? Where do you recommend they start?
Kayla Girgen: [:Yeah. It's like, oh, when I'm eating my protein, I'm not hungry. Mm-hmm. Um, so if that's you, that [00:10:15] might be a good spot to start. And if you feel like you get wrapped up in the numbers. Maybe I would head that, that protein route before getting too kind of fixated on the calorie proportion. Otherwise, if you're looking for a little bit more guidance, like a lot of apps will calculate that for you if you input your [00:10:30] goals.
back until you see maybe the [:Because I feel like. I, I tend to see too big of a calorie deficit where if we can shorten that up a little bit, a lot of times people feel more satisfied and the scale moves, which I feel like is a double bonus. Yes.
: Oh, that is, that, that is [:I. We don't wanna be driven by, by our hunger signals. And we do want to see some reflection of the work in the scale. So, yeah, absolutely. And I'll also say too, I'm working with an individual right [00:11:15] now. I had my RMR tested. I have a new care team I'm working with, with a registered dietician. I. That has been one of the best things that I've been able to do is really work with these individuals, get this data so that, that I know that it's right for me and that it's reflecting [00:11:30] what's actually happening in my body.
have the information, but I [:So if you think that this would be beneficial for you, Kayla works one-on-one wi with bariatric patients just like you. She's there for that. She has her own amazing community for women who wanna focus on on nutrition strength training. [00:12:00] And then of course there's Berry Nation, she leads in Berry Nation as well.
ng the scientist in your own [:That's where I'm gonna start. That's a really safe place to go.
at never gets us to where we [:April Williams: Never, never. All it does is like clog the input and then you just go nowhere. Right? You just go nowhere. Oh yes, Kayla, I know this one by so quickly, but if people want to connect and follow you, where can they do?
So
es, you can find me at Kayla [:April Williams: Awesome, and we'll make sure this is all linked to the show notes. Kayla, thank you so much for joining me [00:13:00] today. Thank you.
ep the conversation going by [:Natalie Tierney: Join us@barination.mn.co.
us produce it by becoming a [:Jason Smith: And just remember at the end of the day, you've got this. We've got you. And we'll see you next time. Bye [00:13:45] everybody.