6 weeks is this where I should be?

heatherandimran · July 2015

Been on very low calorie physician guided weight loss for 8 weeks now. Down 22 pounds which is awesome. Past few weeks weight loss has slowed to 2.5 pounds a week. They said to expect 3 lbs a week. With 72gms of protein, 12 fat and 59 carbs per day at 600 total calories this is obviously not sustainable, nor would they recommend that. After starting to get more educated here, I'm thinking of adding some olive oil or coconut oil daily to up the fat but not carbs. I feel pretty good but not a huge energy rush and I think it's because of the overall Low calorie. I'm hoping adding fat will give me some more fuel. I think if I keep the total calorie addition under 150 a day it really shouldn't impact the weight loss since the overall is still 750 cal per day. Any thoughts?

myheartsabattleground · July 2015

Fire your "doctor."

heatherandimran · July 2015

Thanks for the advice.

Liftng4Lis · July 2015

myheartsabattleground wrote: »

Fire your "doctor."

BOOM! Seriously!

usmcmp · July 2015

If your doctor directed you to follow a very low calorie diet you need to ask them for advice. If my doctor told me to eat 650 calories I'd be finding a new doctor.

heatherandimran · July 2015

Any constructive feedback would be nice. Thank you anyway.

Liftng4Lis · July 2015

heatherandimran wrote: »

Any constructive feedback would be nice. Thank you anyway.

Add about 600 calories a day to what you're eating now and you will still lose weight.
The constructive part WAS to get a new doctor. Why on earth would someone professionally trained promote this?

arditarose · July 2015

Holy low calorie and that fat...ouch.

OP, is there a medical reason you need to get weight off quickly? Regardless...this is not good.

heatherandimran · July 2015

usmcmp wrote: »

If your doctor directed you to follow a very low calorie diet you need to ask them for advice. If my doctor told me to eat 650 calories I'd be finding a new doctor.

This is a mandated program that you have to try before you would qualify for a surgical intervention. I'm trying to make the best of it and gain valuable insight from the knowledge members in this forum. My goal is to make this program work by modifying it. And in the end not have a surgical intervention. But thank you anyway.

usmcmp · July 2015

heatherandimran wrote: »

Any constructive feedback would be nice. Thank you anyway.

Mine is constructive. Very low calorie diets are against the forum rules. Your doctor set you up on it and they are the only person who should give you advice. Very low calorie diets actually set you up for long term failure. Eating at a huge deficit causes you to burn up your lean mass, which means you are going to struggle to keep it off long term. Losing lean mass results in lower metabolism (BMR) and you'll have to lose more weight than you intended. Most people on VLCD find that when they reach their goal their body composition leaves them hating how they look still because their body fat is higher than it should be for how much they weight.

heatherandimran · July 2015

arditarose wrote: »

Holy low calorie and that fat...ouch.

OP, is there a medical reason you need to get weight off quickly? Regardless...this is not good.

It's a medically supervised program before you would have a surgical procedure for weight loss. I'm trying to modify it since I have to do it and eliminate anything else later.

Orphia · July 2015

Low carb is probably causing the lack of energy. Can you up your carbs?

Did they say how long to expect 3 lbs loss a week? You may only be remembering part of the conversation - I do that too.

8 weeks is a long time, and 2.5 lbs a week is still a lot.

Talk to your doctor, and let them know that some knowledgeable MFPers are worried about you.

Could you let us know your stats? Height, weight, age?

That might help people get a better idea of why your doctor put you on a VLCD.

eatgoodeat · July 2015

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eatgoodeat · July 2015

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heatherandimran · July 2015

Orphia wrote: »

Low carb is probably causing the lack of energy. Can you up your carbs?

Did they say how long to expect 3 lbs loss a week? You may only be remembering part of the conversation - I do that too.

8 weeks is a long time, and 2.5 lbs a week is still a lot.

Talk to your doctor, and let them know that some knowledgeable MFPers are worried about you.

Could you let us know your stats? Height, weight, age?

That might help people get a better idea of why your doctor put you on a VLCD.

They said to continue this until I'm down 40 and then I won't need surgery. They said expect 3 pounds a week till I reach the goal of 40 pounds. I'm 5 foot 4. I started at 198 but have diabetes, sleep apnea and hypertension so I qualified for the program due to those medical conditions. I thought adding carbs would be bad that it would raise hunger but I'm open to suggestions. I'm 43 years old

kk_inprogress · July 2015

This thread is going to be really hard. A lot of doctors in the field of surgical weight loss promote VLCDs prior to and right after surgery. It's not my expertise, but honestly OP- my advice is to either (1) talk to your doctor if you trust them or (2) find a doctor you trust and get a second opinion. This forum isn't really set up to give advice or thoughts on medical programs that are set up specifically for an individual and it's against policy here to promote a calorie deficit that low.

heatherandimran · July 2015

usmcmp wrote: »

heatherandimran wrote: »

Any constructive feedback would be nice. Thank you anyway.

Mine is constructive. Very low calorie diets are against the forum rules. Your doctor set you up on it and they are the only person who should give you advice. Very low calorie diets actually set you up for long term failure. Eating at a huge deficit causes you to burn up your lean mass, which means you are going to struggle to keep it off long term. Losing lean mass results in lower metabolism (BMR) and you'll have to lose more weight than you intended. Most people on VLCD find that when they reach their goal their body composition leaves them hating how they look still because their body fat is higher than it should be for how much they weight.

I didn't know low calorie diets were not part of the forum rules. Since this was low carb diet I thought it would be fine. No worries I'll sign off the group then. I don't want to break any rules or offend anyone. I was looking for help with a low carb lifestyle and didn't know it was so rigid here. Thank you for informing me

bmchenry02 · July 2015

kkenseth wrote: »

This thread is going to be really hard. A lot of doctors in the field of surgical weight loss promote VLCDs prior to and right after surgery. It's not my expertise, but honestly OP- my advice is to either (1) talk to your doctor if you trust them or (2) find a doctor you trust and get a second opinion. This forum isn't really set up to give advice or thoughts on medical programs that are set up specifically for an individual and it's against policy here to promote a calorie deficit that low.

Agree. 2nd opinion. I worry you're causing more harm than good for yourself long term.

kk_inprogress · July 2015

heatherandimran wrote: »

usmcmp wrote: »

heatherandimran wrote: »

Any constructive feedback would be nice. Thank you anyway.

Mine is constructive. Very low calorie diets are against the forum rules. Your doctor set you up on it and they are the only person who should give you advice. Very low calorie diets actually set you up for long term failure. Eating at a huge deficit causes you to burn up your lean mass, which means you are going to struggle to keep it off long term. Losing lean mass results in lower metabolism (BMR) and you'll have to lose more weight than you intended. Most people on VLCD find that when they reach their goal their body composition leaves them hating how they look still because their body fat is higher than it should be for how much they weight.

I didn't know low calorie diets were not part of the forum rules. Since this was low carb diet I thought it would be fine. No worries I'll sign off the group then. I don't want to break any rules or offend anyone. I was looking for help with a low carb lifestyle and didn't know it was so rigid here. Thank you for informing me

No! That's not what I meant. What you're asking isn't wrong at all. It would be wrong for me (or someone else here) to say: "Eating 600 calories a day is exactly what you should do!" Because we aren't physicians and those are only used in very special cases and can be harmful if not under the care of a doctor. I'm saying its a hard one to respond to, that's all! I'm glad you asked the question.

heatherandimran · July 2015

kkenseth wrote: »

heatherandimran wrote: »

usmcmp wrote: »

heatherandimran wrote: »

Any constructive feedback would be nice. Thank you anyway.

Mine is constructive. Very low calorie diets are against the forum rules. Your doctor set you up on it and they are the only person who should give you advice. Very low calorie diets actually set you up for long term failure. Eating at a huge deficit causes you to burn up your lean mass, which means you are going to struggle to keep it off long term. Losing lean mass results in lower metabolism (BMR) and you'll have to lose more weight than you intended. Most people on VLCD find that when they reach their goal their body composition leaves them hating how they look still because their body fat is higher than it should be for how much they weight.

I didn't know low calorie diets were not part of the forum rules. Since this was low carb diet I thought it would be fine. No worries I'll sign off the group then. I don't want to break any rules or offend anyone. I was looking for help with a low carb lifestyle and didn't know it was so rigid here. Thank you for informing me

No! That's not what I meant. What you're asking isn't wrong at all. It would be wrong for me (or someone else here) to say: "Eating 600 calories a day is exactly what you should do!" Because we aren't physicians and those are only used in very special cases and can be harmful if not under the care of a doctor. I'm saying its a hard one to respond to, that's all! I'm glad you asked the question.

No worries. Thank you for the advice

emeliasmith · July 2015

Go up to at minimum 1200 calories so your body will not use your muscles as fuel only your fat and add in the olive and coconut oils. Being on that low calorie of a diet can actually trash your metabolism and eventually you will go into starvation mode and stop losing. Doctor's are not actually taught healthy nutrition anymore so I would say do your homework on your own. Most important I would say eat CLEAN. No artificial anything, if it has over 5 ingredients put it back. Eat a (natural!) rainbow of colors, natural or better yet organic/grass fed meats. What many people don't know is that while some "food" is low calorie it is not healthy and the chemicals they are adding in to make it taste "good" are killing brain cells (excitotoxins like aspartame in diet soda) and making you crave more food (MSG!). Eat real food. From plants and animals not factories. If you already do, then yay you!

If you are able, exercise! If you really want to net under 1000 calories a day burn them with activity and don't starve. Without eating enough basic nutrients you will be in worse health than when you were overweight. No matter how thin you are, if your organs shut down you won't be enjoying it for long.

arditarose · July 2015

emeliasmith wrote: »

Go up to at minimum 1200 calories so your body will not use your muscles as fuel only your fat and add in the olive and coconut oils. Being on that low calorie of a diet can actually trash your metabolism and eventually you will go into starvation mode and stop losing. Doctor's are not actually taught healthy nutrition anymore so I would say do your homework on your own. Most important I would say eat CLEAN. No artificial anything, if it has over 5 ingredients put it back. Eat a (natural!) rainbow of colors, natural or better yet organic/grass fed meats. What many people don't know is that while some "food" is low calorie it is not healthy and the chemicals they are adding in to make it taste "good" are killing brain cells (excitotoxins like aspartame in diet soda) and making you crave more food (MSG!). Eat real food. From plants and animals not factories. If you already do, then yay you!

If you are able, exercise! If you really want to net under 1000 calories a day burn them with activity and don't starve. Without eating enough basic nutrients you will be in worse health than when you were overweight. No matter how thin you are, if your organs shut down you won't be enjoying it for long.

This is wildly unhelpful.

kk_inprogress · July 2015

.[/

emeliasmith wrote: »

Go up to at minimum 1200 calories so your body will not use your muscles as fuel only your fat and add in the olive and coconut oils. Being on that low calorie of a diet can actually trash your metabolism and eventually you will go into starvation mode and stop losing. Doctor's are not actually taught healthy nutrition anymore so I would say do your homework on your own. Most important I would say eat CLEAN. No artificial anything, if it has over 5 ingredients put it back. Eat a (natural!) rainbow of colors, natural or better yet organic/grass fed meats. What many people don't know is that while some "food" is low calorie it is not healthy and the chemicals they are adding in to make it taste "good" are killing brain cells (excitotoxins like aspartame in diet soda) and making you crave more food (MSG!). Eat real food. From plants and animals not factories. If you already do, then yay you!

If you are able, exercise! If you really want to net under 1000 calories a day burn them with activity and don't starve. Without eating enough basic nutrients you will be in worse health than when you were overweight. No matter how thin you are, if your organs shut down you won't be enjoying it for long.

So much misinformation here! There is no starvation mode. Please read The Biology of Human Starvation.

allaboutthefood · July 2015

This is confusing me, I am 5'5" and my biggest weight was 295, I am down to 249. I don't have all your health issues, I did have a problem with my blood pressure a while back. My doctor never ever ever suggested surgery. I do know two ladies who have had it, they were much larger than you and with lots of health issues. I know they where on a strict calorie intake, but I don't know by how much. I would like that with losing some of your weight you are starting to feel better and your health should be improving or at least I hope so. Have you seen another doctor? I think I would for a 2nd opinion, I do wish you luck and I wish you best of health.

Sharon_C · July 2015

arditarose wrote: »

emeliasmith wrote: »

Go up to at minimum 1200 calories so your body will not use your muscles as fuel only your fat and add in the olive and coconut oils. Being on that low calorie of a diet can actually trash your metabolism and eventually you will go into starvation mode and stop losing. Doctor's are not actually taught healthy nutrition anymore so I would say do your homework on your own. Most important I would say eat CLEAN. No artificial anything, if it has over 5 ingredients put it back. Eat a (natural!) rainbow of colors, natural or better yet organic/grass fed meats. What many people don't know is that while some "food" is low calorie it is not healthy and the chemicals they are adding in to make it taste "good" are killing brain cells (excitotoxins like aspartame in diet soda) and making you crave more food (MSG!). Eat real food. From plants and animals not factories. If you already do, then yay you!

If you are able, exercise! If you really want to net under 1000 calories a day burn them with activity and don't starve. Without eating enough basic nutrients you will be in worse health than when you were overweight. No matter how thin you are, if your organs shut down you won't be enjoying it for long.

This is wildly unhelpful.

Agreed.

heatherandimran · July 2015

arditarose wrote: »

emeliasmith wrote: »

Go up to at minimum 1200 calories so your body will not use your muscles as fuel only your fat and add in the olive and coconut oils. Being on that low calorie of a diet can actually trash your metabolism and eventually you will go into starvation mode and stop losing. Doctor's are not actually taught healthy nutrition anymore so I would say do your homework on your own. Most important I would say eat CLEAN. No artificial anything, if it has over 5 ingredients put it back. Eat a (natural!) rainbow of colors, natural or better yet organic/grass fed meats. What many people don't know is that while some "food" is low calorie it is not healthy and the chemicals they are adding in to make it taste "good" are killing brain cells (excitotoxins like aspartame in diet soda) and making you crave more food (MSG!). Eat real food. From plants and animals not factories. If you already do, then yay you!

If you are able, exercise! If you really want to net under 1000 calories a day burn them with activity and don't starve. Without eating enough basic nutrients you will be in worse health than when you were overweight. No matter how thin you are, if your organs shut down you won't be enjoying it for long.

This is wildly unhelpful.

Thank you for the advice

PixelPuff · July 2015

I'm quite shocked... I'm 1-2 inches shorter than you, and I started at 200 [now 165]. I do not have the health issues, but I'm shocked that they added such a huge change to needing to diet -that hard-. I would get a second opinion, as others have suggested. If they agree with your doctor, no harm done, right?

heatherandimran · July 2015

allaboutthefood wrote: »

This is confusing me, I am 5'5" and my biggest weight was 295, I am down to 249. I don't have all your health issues, I did have a problem with my blood pressure a while back. My doctor never ever ever suggested surgery. I do know two ladies who have had it, they were much larger than you and with lots of health issues. I know they where on a strict calorie intake, but I don't know by how much. I would like that with losing some of your weight you are starting to feel better and your health should be improving or at least I hope so. Have you seen another doctor? I think I would for a 2nd opinion, I do wish you luck and I wish you best of health.

I am feeling better. Not the greatest amount of energy but not as bad as I thought. They said the ketosis would dampen hunger and it does. The severity of the medical conditions and the family history plays a part in their recommend on surgery or not. My diabetes was not good and my grandmother died early from diabetes complications. My intention is not to do the surgery. My intention is to lose the weight, relearn a healthy relationship with food and then move to a final lower carb higher protein final lifestyle. Dietary consults are part of this program and I will see them in a few weeks. I'm hoping they will also give some guidance. This program is severe yes. But if it works and I don't have surgery it will be worth it.

heatherandimran · July 2015

PixelPuff wrote: »

I'm quite shocked... I'm 1-2 inches shorter than you, and I started at 200 [now 165]. I do not have the health issues, but I'm shocked that they added such a huge change to needing to diet -that hard-. I would get a second opinion, as others have suggested. If they agree with your doctor, no harm done, right?

You are correct no harm to do it. I will. Thanks

Orphia · July 2015

heatherandimran wrote: »

Orphia wrote: »

Low carb is probably causing the lack of energy. Can you up your carbs?

Did they say how long to expect 3 lbs loss a week? You may only be remembering part of the conversation - I do that too.

8 weeks is a long time, and 2.5 lbs a week is still a lot.

Talk to your doctor, and let them know that some knowledgeable MFPers are worried about you.

Could you let us know your stats? Height, weight, age?

That might help people get a better idea of why your doctor put you on a VLCD.

They said to continue this until I'm down 40 and then I won't need surgery. They said expect 3 pounds a week till I reach the goal of 40 pounds. I'm 5 foot 4. I started at 198 but have diabetes, sleep apnea and hypertension so I qualified for the program due to those medical conditions. I thought adding carbs would be bad that it would raise hunger but I'm open to suggestions. I'm 43 years old

Thanks for that.

My sympathies for your health problems. I now have an idea why they wanted you to reduce your weight.

Are your diabetes, sleep apnea and hypertension seriously bad? Is that why they want you to reduce weight so quickly?

Again, I would not worry too much about "only" losing 2.5 lbs instead of 3.

When do you see the doctor next?

Orphia · July 2015

heatherandimran wrote: »

allaboutthefood wrote: »

This is confusing me, I am 5'5" and my biggest weight was 295, I am down to 249. I don't have all your health issues, I did have a problem with my blood pressure a while back. My doctor never ever ever suggested surgery. I do know two ladies who have had it, they were much larger than you and with lots of health issues. I know they where on a strict calorie intake, but I don't know by how much. I would like that with losing some of your weight you are starting to feel better and your health should be improving or at least I hope so. Have you seen another doctor? I think I would for a 2nd opinion, I do wish you luck and I wish you best of health.

I am feeling better. Not the greatest amount of energy but not as bad as I thought. They said the ketosis would dampen hunger and it does. The severity of the medical conditions and the family history plays a part in their recommend on surgery or not. My diabetes was not good and my grandmother died early from diabetes complications. My intention is not to do the surgery. My intention is to lose the weight, relearn a healthy relationship with food and then move to a final lower carb higher protein final lifestyle. Dietary consults are part of this program and I will see them in a few weeks. I'm hoping they will also give some guidance. This program is severe yes. But if it works and I don't have surgery it will be worth it.

Good for you for choosing to lose the weight! I always worry that surgery doesn't teach good habits, and that people will put the weight all back on.

Glad you found MFP. Logging your food is a great habit to get into. Learning to be caloric-aware is knowledge that can keep you at a healthy weight for life.

6 weeks is this where I should be?

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