Doc put me on 800 calories a day

tabi_berry

Okay. I know I really need to lose weight so that I can have back surgery. But, does 800 calories a day seem healthy? I need to loose about 150lbs. I pretty much have a sedentary life due to deteriorating disk and bulging disk in my back.

zoeysasha37

Wow that seems very very low . sadly many doctors aren't very knowledgeable about these things . I don't know your current stats but I personally wouldn't go below 1200.( for me personally I would be concerned about losing muscle mass )
I would definitely have another conversation with your doc a bout this if you feel its also too low. Maybe he could refer you to a dietician or nutritionist who could give you better advice.

DerekVTX

Yeah like he said, 800 seems really low. Depending on your height though maybe 1000-1200 might even be better. Key though is accurate logging. (Weigh and measure your food). I have heard of these diets where you are put on 800 calories a day and given needle shots......But I am more of an advocate of controlled weight loss of no more than 2lbs per week. That means you need to mentally prepare for a long term committment. My original commitment was to give an honest effort for at least a year and I can honestly tell you now that I know without any doubt i will never be fat again.

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt

thorsmom01 wrote: »

Wow that seems very very low . sadly many doctors aren't very knowledgeable about these things . I don't know your current stats but I personally wouldn't go below 1200.( for me personally I would be concerned about losing muscle mass )
I would definitely have another conversation with your doc a bout this if you feel its also too low. Maybe he could refer you to a dietician or nutritionist who could give you better advice.

This^^

Doctors are very cure-oriented. They want to cure what ails us as quickly as possible. If obesity is ailing us, they just toss out a number that will allow us to lose weight as fast as possible in order to be "cured." I'd buy a food scale and log as accurately as possible and shoot for around 1200 while eating all of my exercise calories.

A lot of times, I think doctors try to low-ball the numbers because they understand that most people will not log accurately. Buying a digital food scale will solve that little problem, and you won't have the mental burden of thinking that you're eating a lot less food.

drotzmaj

I am a nurse, and would have to agree that 800 seems way too low. That said, I am NOT a diet expert!! I agree with Derek that losing too much to fast is not good for your body and actually, starving your body causes your body to go in to fat storage mode! I would suggest getting a second opinion from a second physician and consult with a dietitian. Good luck!!

dakotababy

It is hard to say, considering there is a medical situation. Typically, of course 800 calories is waaaaay too low. It is also unrealistic to expect someone to sustain long-term weight loss with that sort of intake. That is more "we need your weight down immediately to get this surgery done immediately" type of calorie goal.

Maybe you could work out, whether it be leg lifts/using resistant bands for your arms so you can eat more.

That is a tough one, though if you can - it wouldn't hurt to maybe get a second opinion or ask for a referral to a nutritionist to work collaboratively with you and your doctor.

arditarose

Not to be rude, by your doctor may have thrown that out there to account for a margin of error. Trying to eat 800 calories and actually doing it are two different things. If you don't use a food scale, log properly, forget about condiments/drinks/oils, etc-800 can become 1200+ really easily. Regardless, I would mention that to your doctor and see if he really thinks you should be eating 800. Seems low.

RodaRose

I know someone who had weight loss surgery. She was put on 800 calories a day for a certain number of weeks and told to get lots of protein.

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt

drotzmaj wrote: »

I agree with Derek that losing too much to fast is not good for your body and actually, starving your body causes your body to go in to fat storage mode!

This is actually not true: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1077746/starvation-mode-adaptive-thermogenesis-and-weight-loss/p1

SherryTeach

There's no storage mode!

jgnatca

I spent a few weeks on a liquid VLCD diet, medically supervised. I had to make sure to get enough protein. At this many calories meals and portions are very restrictive. I was weak and dizzy throughout. These are some of the side effects.

On the plus side the weight loss helped me regain my mobility in the long run.

Keep in touch with your doctor and report any unusual symptoms.

Kalikel

I did about 800 for a while. It's not hard to stay full on 800 if you eat your fruits, veggies and lean, white meats. It is hard to cram all your vitamins and minerals in. That's one reason they take blood when they set you up on this kind of thing.

Since you're confused, call the office and ask for a referral to a dietitian to help you. They'll be able to answer all your questions about food and your diet.

SLLRunner

tabi_berry wrote: »

Okay. I know I really need to lose weight so that I can have back surgery. But, does 800 calories a day seem healthy? I need to loose about 150lbs. I pretty much have a sedentary life due to deteriorating disk and bulging disk in my back.

That does seem low. How much are you trying to lose? Why so low?

Qskim

tabi_berry wrote: »

Okay. I know I really need to lose weight so that I can have back surgery. But, does 800 calories a day seem healthy? I need to loose about 150lbs. I pretty much have a sedentary life due to deteriorating disk and bulging disk in my back.

When's the surgery?

LKArgh

If it is medically supervised, I would take any questions back to the dr. It would be too low for the average person trying to lose weight alone, but this is not your case. Talk to your dr.

OsricTheKnight

tabi_berry wrote: »

Okay. I know I really need to lose weight so that I can have back surgery. But, does 800 calories a day seem healthy? I need to loose about 150lbs. I pretty much have a sedentary life due to deteriorating disk and bulging disk in my back.

Talk to your doctor or get a second opinion. Nobody here has any idea what you'll do to your back or your ability to walk if you fail to follow the medical advice you are getting.

Osric

elizabethclaire1990

I'm sorry to hear about your disks. I'm not a doctor, but I think you can be healthy on 800 calories a day, because you won't be expending many calories with exercise. However, that is going to make you lose weight SUPER quickly, and it won't be very fun and you'll probably be constantly hungry. I would recommend calculating your BMR bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ to see how many calories you will expend by just existing, then make sure you eat a deficit. As long as you're eating at a calorie deficit, you will lose weight. Good luck

thintribe2014

L4 and L5... Mine was due to a misspent childhood and I get sciatica and all sorts of issues... I digress. General consensus from the medical profession if surgery is required on someone who is overweight is to then lose weight quickly to allow them to have the surgery required. But... Your brain alone consumes 350-400 calories per day.. If you have the heart as well your reach 800. Anybody recommends 800 cal a day is foolish (Dr or not) definitely get a 2nd opinion. The Papworth heart Hospital as a clinical diet for overweight people that need surgery fast... Maybe look at that

Francl27

RodaRose wrote: »

I know someone who had weight loss surgery. She was put on 800 calories a day for a certain number of weeks and told to get lots of protein.

I know someone who had to have heart surgery. He was put on a 800 calorie diet as well but only for 2 months. Needless to say, he gained it all back plus more after.

ManiacalLaugh

Did the doc give a time limit? If I were going into surgery next month, for instance, and my doctor just wanted me to lose as much as possible for that short waiting period, it would seem more reasonable to me.

If he put me on such a restrictive diet and then said "...and we'll see where you are in six months or so," I would likely seek a second opinion. (Personally speaking, I'd probably just drop a handful of cals from my limit right now and work out a little more.)

PeachyCarol

arditarose wrote: »

Not to be rude, by your doctor may have thrown that out there to account for a margin of error. Trying to eat 800 calories and actually doing it are two different things. If you don't use a food scale, log properly, forget about condiments/drinks/oils, etc-800 can become 1200+ really easily. Regardless, I would mention that to your doctor and see if he really thinks you should be eating 800. Seems low.

^This. Tell your doctor that you'll be accurately tracking your intake and see if he was allowing for a margin of error.

Further thoughts:

Is your doctor supervising you during this loss, or did he just tell you to eat at that level and send you on your way?

Some people are put on 800 calories under close medical supervision. If that's not the case, do discuss the issue further with your doctor.

rsclause

Me, I would immediately attempt a balanced 1200 calories diet while I was seeking more information regarding the 800 calorie target. You should start to see significant weight loss and if you get started now you will be ahead of the game. If the loss is going well you may not need to be more restrictive. this is going to be tough on you buts it is important, no cheating. The weight loss will also help ease stress on your back too.

jennylynne77

Like everyone else, 800 sounds low but if you have 150 pounds to lose, then it's probably not unhealthy. However, mentally that seems hard to sustain. Another factor is what is making up those 800 calories. 800 calories of lean protein, healthy fats, and veggies is a lot different than 800 calories of pasta, bread, potatoes even though technically they are both 800 cals.

I came across this last week. Hope it can be of some help.
http://fourhourworkweek.com/2012/07/12/how-to-lose-100-pounds/

Best of luck to you with the weight loss and surgery.

Michael190lbs

If you have to lose 150lbs to do it right your looking at a minimum of 18 months at a 1000 calorie daily deficit. Diet is such a horrible word you need to make a life decision soon a healthy weight or more surgeries and other health issues.. I'm assuming your surgeon told you 800 calories because of your caloric choices to this point in your life. Personally I would never plan to go under 1200 calories and from what I have read its not healthy either..

Funny story My X wife (doctor) had a alcoholic patient and she informed him he needed to slow down on his drinking.. He said you know doc I see a lot of old drunks but not a lot of old doctors.. True story..

yarwell

tabi_berry wrote: »

Okay. I know I really need to lose weight so that I can have back surgery. But, does 800 calories a day seem healthy? I need to loose about 150lbs. I pretty much have a sedentary life due to deteriorating disk and bulging disk in my back.

Did they prescribe a specific diet, or product or just a number ? 800 cal VLCDs are a recognised medical intervention for obesity, typically using products that ensure full nutrition.

amusedmonkey

800 calories is very low and not as healthy as 1200 calories, which is not as healthy as 1500 or 1800 etc.. The thing is that sometimes doctors need to make a less healthy choice to get out of a more dangerous situation as soon as possible. In your case, treating your back may be the priority. Just make sure to consume as many calories from nutrient dense food as possible and ask your doctor if you need to supplement with a multivitamin or some other supplement. Since you have quite a bit to lose, chances are you will be able to handle a very low calorie diet with less complications and side effects than a regular weight person, but keep watch regardless and have regular checkups.

This is also a situation where you may be on a certain schedule for the operation. I don't know the specifics of your condition, but I believe talking to your doctor about it asking them if it's really urgent to lose the weight fast or if it's okay to take your time is a wiser thing to do than to listen to random people on the internet, me included, after that you could make your own choice.

I was put on a 800 calorie diet at first. The goal was get out of the "super obese" BMI range as soon as possible because I was very close to being diagnosed a diabetic. It was very hard and it lasted 10 weeks, but you do adapt after a while. Thankfully it had no ill effects on me and I was able to comfortably increase my intake by as much as I wanted as soon as I was out of the danger zone.

starryphoenix

Unless if you have some sort of special illness that makes it so you have an extremely low metabolism I wouldn't go below 1200. There are people that can eat 600 calories safely, but they have special diseases.

besee_2000

Those that under go the band to shrink their stomach probably eat about this amount in a day. If morbidly obese, 800 is commonly prescribed for a quick and fast weight loss. It's not sustainable but that's because it doesn't have to be. Surgery through layers of fat lengthens the procedure. Also figuring out anesthetics is more complicated. If your chances of a successful surgery go up significantly for a difference of every 20lbs I think it would be a simple answer. Just do it. It will suck but its short term and surgery is a scary thing. You don't want to go into think you could die. You can worry about a slower and easier to maintain "diet" once the healing is over.

Stick to lots of green veggies and good luck.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

Qskim

OsricTheKnight wrote: »

tabi_berry wrote: »

Okay. I know I really need to lose weight so that I can have back surgery. But, does 800 calories a day seem healthy? I need to loose about 150lbs. I pretty much have a sedentary life due to deteriorating disk and bulging disk in my back.

Talk to your doctor or get a second opinion. Nobody here has any idea what you'll do to your back or your ability to walk if you fail to follow the medical advice you are getting.

Osric

Yes, 800 cals suggests an urgency. Rapid weight loss in this instance would be seen as the lesser evil vs complications before, during and after surgery.

besee_2000 wrote: »

Those that under go the band to shrink their stomach probably eat about this amount in a day. If morbidly obese, 800 is commonly prescribed for a quick and fast weight loss. It's not sustainable but that's because it doesn't have to be. Surgery through layers of fat lengthens the procedure. Also figuring out anesthetics is more complicated. If your chances of a successful surgery go up significantly for a difference of every 20lbs I think it would be a simple answer. Just do it. It will suck but its short term and surgery is a scary thing. You don't want to go into think you could die. You can worry about a slower and easier to maintain "diet" once the healing is over.

Right, short term sprint. I doubt the expectation is to lose every single pound.
Also, added to decreasing risks associated with the level of anethesia requires, is positioning of the body during surgery...face down. The larger you are the more pressure you have on internal organs, breathing and other nerves which could create other side issues.

There's also recovery to consider. Physiotherapy etc. Less weight the better for it.

a_1000_teardrops

My goal is to lose 150 lbs also but not for surgery. Thinking that you may also be close to 300lbs, your body is using up about 2000 calories just for existing. Having restricted myself to 1000 calories at one time, yes I lost some weight fast but in return I was always hungry, and miserable. Needless to say I fell off the horse and gained the weight back and then some. I now consume about 1600-1700 calories/day (my daily goal is 1900) and hike in the woods at least 3 times a week (gyms and machines are not my thing, too monotonous). I can feel the weight coming off slowly but surely and I am happier. As a Registered Nurse I can tell you that anyone who tells you to eat 800 calories a day is insane so I am hoping that he really meant 1800 calories, if not, you are setting yourself for failure. To lose that much weight do it safely and enjoy exploring new healthier food options and activities that you might enjoy.