Is My Nutritionist Wrong?

badwolf4

Short story: I have a restrictive ED. I am currently trying to lose weight in a healthy way. With clearance from this particularly professional. Let's call her Gail. I have lost 50+ lbs in various methods, not all healthy, but I'm really focused on recovery and weight loss right now.

Yesterday I had an appiontment with her and she recommended I should eat no more than 1000 to 1200 calories a day and run/walk 5-6 miles per day to burn ~600 calories off. Specifically she said 500 calories net. She said this is the only way I can lose weight and I SHOULD do it.

I am 18, 5'9, 155lbs (BMI 22.9) with a large bone structure. I exercise regularly and drink plenty of water. I do not eat meat, dairy, or sugar. I don't eat packaged foods or foods that come from bags (chips, commercial popcorn, etc).

My BMR (Mifflin-St. Jeor)
BMR = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (years) – 161
BMR = 10 x 70.3068 + 6.25 x 175.26 - 5 x 18 - 161 = 1547.443

So my TDEE, I'll say moderately active, is BMR x 1.55 = 2398.53665

Minus 1,000 for a two pound weight loss deficit is 1398.53665

I am SO confused right now! Please help, I tried to aid by doing the math. What am I missing? Should I even be deficient this much?

Thanks for your input

galgenstrick

Find a dietitian, not a nutritionist. The one you have should be fired if that is indeed what she said.

JoRocka

Why would you want a 2 pound weight loss?

Why are you trying to lose weight at all honestly?

You're almost 10 pounds lighter than me- and I'm 5'8".

That sounds REALLY REALLY off and wrong.

And to answer your last question- "should I even be at this much of a deficit?" My instant and first rather visceral reaction is ABSOLUTELY NOT.

KHaverstick

It sounds to me like she's way off. You've done the math--even at an aggressive 2 lb/week goal, 1400 NET calories would be a minimum. And depending on how much you have left to lose, you might need a less aggressive goal (= smaller deficit = higher net calorie goal). Did she have a reason for suggesting such a low net?

ahamm002

Your calculations look fine, and that's being aggressive with a goal of two pounds per week of weight loss. Most people would eat even more calories and aim for 1 pound per week.

It's definitely time to find a new nutritionist.

badwolf4

Quotes: "I'm not going to lie to you. If you eat 1200 net you won't lose weight"
So you're recommending I eat 500 net? "If you want to lose weight"

Yeah, I'll be reporting her tomorrow to another member of my team. Thank you guys for the reassurance. That's my other point! Like, okay, when I was obese two lbs was appropriate, but now you're recommending it when I've got like 10lbs left to lose?

levitateme

Based on the numbers you came up with, it seems like you know how much you can eat and still lose weight. I am a long time recovering restrictive eater (600-900 while walking 10 miles daily at my worst) and I can tell you, if I go below 1400 for a few days I'm close to the "danger zone" for my own mental health. You really don't need to pay a nutritionist to figure out what works for you, especially one who tells you 1000 calories a day is a good idea.

shreddedtrooper

Definitely find a new Best of luck, be sure to ask what they anticipate etc so you will have an idea and realize if you are headed in the right direction.

badwolf4

Problem is she's the only one available within the ED program. I'm going to try and transfer to a different center perhaps. It's a longer drive, but it's probably worth it.

ahamm002

badwolf4 wrote: »

Problem is she's the only one available within the ED program. I'm going to try and transfer to a different center perhaps. It's a longer drive, but it's probably worth it.

WTF??? A nutritionist in an ED center is recommending eating that little?? This is bad humor! Are you sure she's not actually a patient pretending to be a nutritionist?

redoakcircus

badwolf4 wrote: »

Problem is she's the only one available within the ED program. I'm going to try and transfer to a different center perhaps. It's a longer drive, but it's probably worth it.

Wow. Please report her for the benefit of all the patients.

esjones12

ahamm002 wrote: »

badwolf4 wrote: »

Problem is she's the only one available within the ED program. I'm going to try and transfer to a different center perhaps. It's a longer drive, but it's probably worth it.

WTF??? A nutritionist in an ED center is recommending eating that little?? This is bad humor! Are you sure she's not actually a patient pretending to be a nutritionist?

I agree.

With your stats you are in the healthy weight range and shouldn't be anywhere close to a -2lb per week rate. Please do report her and find a new dietitian and/or program....that advice seriously is just whack. Props for realizing that

Best of luck on your recovery and goals!!!

4legsRbetterthan2

YESSSS SHE IS WRONGGGGGG!

Also, she should go to jail, she is seriously going to encourage someone to slowly starve themselves to death?

SoDamnHungry

She's an idiot. Go get another one, and I agree with reporting what she said. That's horrible for anyone, and seriously damaging for an ED person.

Need2Exerc1se

If it were me, I'd look into having my BMR checked. If you've been on a very low calorie diet for a while, it's possible, likely even, that generic online calculators will not be correct for you. By finding your correct BMR, you can form a plan that fits your needs.

If that is not practical for you, then I'd simply tell your nutritionist that you aren't comfortable with such a large deficit and you'd like to try eating more at first. If you really aren't losing, then you can adjust.

jenluvsushi

Oh I am sorry OP that you dealt with this moron. To tell ED patients to basically starve yourself is well...asinine! You are not overweight. I would not try to lose weight but concentrate on becoming more fit. You are at a perfectly healthy weight. If you wanted to do a recomp., that would be fine. To recommend an aggressive weight loss plan to someone like you is ridiculous! Two words....registered dietician!

michellemybelll

good god. hell no she's way off and unprofessional and should be fired and fined and sued. get far far away from her, but first report her and make sure she isn't ever allowed to doll out her ridiculous dogma to anyone else.

FatFreeFrolicking

badwolf4 wrote: »

Short story: I have a restrictive ED. I am currently trying to lose weight in a healthy way. With clearance from this particularly professional. Let's call her Gail. I have lost 50+ lbs in various methods, not all healthy, but I'm really focused on recovery and weight loss right now.

Yesterday I had an appiontment with her and she recommended I should eat no more than 1000 to 1200 calories a day and run/walk 5-6 miles per day to burn ~600 calories off. Specifically she said 500 calories net. She said this is the only way I can lose weight and I SHOULD do it.

I am 18, 5'9, 155lbs (BMI 22.9) with a large bone structure. I exercise regularly and drink plenty of water. I do not eat meat, dairy, or sugar. I don't eat packaged foods or foods that come from bags (chips, commercial popcorn, etc).

My BMR (Mifflin-St. Jeor)
BMR = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (years) – 161
BMR = 10 x 70.3068 + 6.25 x 175.26 - 5 x 18 - 161 = 1547.443

So my TDEE, I'll say moderately active, is BMR x 1.55 = 2398.53665

Minus 1,000 for a two pound weight loss deficit is 1398.53665

I am SO confused right now! Please help, I tried to aid by doing the math. What am I missing? Should I even be deficient this much?

Thanks for your input

She's an absolute idiot and I would report her to HR.

Individuals with ED's in recovery are advised to eat well over 2000 calories a day... Usually closer to 3000 cals.

At 5'9" and 155 lbs, I don't know any reputable psychologist or psychiatrist who would support you losing weight because you are already at a healthy weight.

If you don't like the way your body looks, look into body recomp. But losing weight is NOT in your best interest.

FYI, NEVER take nutrition advice from anyone but a registered dietitian.

r5d5

This is a sensitive area of course because as you have mentioned, you have a history of disordered eating. I would like to first tell you that you're very brave for sharing that, I know it can be hard to talk about. So thank you for that.
I also appreciate your attitude of wanting to do this healthily. It's very hard to change our thinking once we've been down that dark road of disordered eating, but of course it is possible!
I think you should tell your "professional" Gail to go piss off. She sounds soooo helpful..... A nutritionist is NOT a dietitian. A nutritionist is NOT a professional. Anyone can be a nutritionist.
A dietitian on the other hand IS a professional, as that is someone who has a 4 year degree at an undergraduate university and also holds a Master degree. You should speak with a dietitian. A dietitian will be able to give you much more beneficial and useful advice and meal plans. A dietitian will also be able to give you guidance for managing your eating disorder. An eating disorder is not something you should try to tackle on your own. There are many places to reach out to, and I suggest that you do. You don't have to face recovery alone!

All that said, in the meantime while you schedule appointments for a DIETICIAN and reach out to either a guidance counselor, counseling, therapy, what have you, I would say please, please, IGNORE GAIL!! Do not follow that horrid advice. You're math appears correct to me, but again, I would verify this all with a PROFESSIONAL. I would say eat at 1547 calories. That's a less aggressive goal than 1398, so probably 1 lbs loss a week.
Considering that you do have a disordered eating history, I would suggest that for you, working on sustainable, healthy eating habits and thinking patterns towards food in general will be more helpful than trying to lose 2lbs a week. Slow and steady wins the race It's far better to be in a healthy state of mind than to lose yourself again to disordered thinking!

Dragn77

I completely agree with reporting her. It sounds like you are on an amazing track and have progressed to the point that you are able to see that something is not quite right with her advice, which Im going to say is amazing considering you are in recovery.

Someone who is not as far along as you are could, and will take her advice, which would do nothing more than confirm and propagate their issues. You are within a healthy weight range and have only 10lbs to go, definitely no need to be so aggressive.

BTW, I'm super proud of you that you were able to see that and taking control over your body to work out the math for yourself and see the truth instead of blindly following her recommendation!

r5d5

i apologize for the super long response! I just want you to know that mental health is just as important as physical health and you don't need to be alone to find a balance between the two! Please reach out to health care providers!

Best of luck to you, and I hope you find a balance and reach a healthy mental state!