750 calories a day?

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CWynne3
CWynne3 Posts: 116 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I recently went to a medical weight loss center and was floored when they gave me my weight loss plan. They want me to consume just 750 calories a day for 30 days, after which they will up my caloric intake to 900-1000 calories until I reach my goal weight. This is a center staffed with physicians and nurse practitioners - besides weight loss, they specialize in pain management. I feel like I should trust their medical expertise, but I've always been told consuming under 1200 calories a day is dangerous... It's working - in 4 days, I've lost 9lbs (Besides just consuming 750 calories, I had a Lipo B-12 shot and am taking an appetite suppressant). But I feel kind of yuck. Thoughts??
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Replies

  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
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    I would dump them and figure out my caloric intake, set a modest deficit to allow me to lose a pound a week and get my butt moving and live my life but that's just me.... Best of Luck
  • notnikkisixx
    notnikkisixx Posts: 375 Member
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    Well, yeah, you're going to lose weight starving yourself! But a plan like that is in NO WAY sustainable, as soon as you're back to eating regularly you will surely pack on the pounds. This plan does not sound healthy in any possible way....it may be time for you to speak to a doctor or nutritionist that doesn't have an agenda. How much are you paying these people?!
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
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    Okay... the real question is did they at least calculate your BMR before arriving at this arbitrary calorie goal. If the answer is no, then I'm going to say that they aren't really basing this plan on science. Your height and how much you have to lose would determine how successful this plan will be.
  • doubglass
    doubglass Posts: 314 Member
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    Better to lose weight slowly than starve yourself. Fast weight loss is unsustainable. What you need for long term weight loss is a long term sustainable plan with an end plan( i.e.. what are you going to do to maintain once you hit your goal). The only really sustainable weight program is one that changes how you eat for the rest of your life. That means you want a gradual weight loss and a plan that eases you into to permeant life style and diet changes. I don't think 750 calories is that.
  • 75in2013
    75in2013 Posts: 360 Member
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    1200 is just a rule of thumb

    There are calculators that give more precise minimal goals.

    Example: http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/

    Starvation mode is a myth anyway.

    Personally I would never suggest a diet below 1200kcal to anyone. But it is just an relativey arbitrary number.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    The first part (750 is extreme) ..... but under the right conditions it could be OK...... medical supervision, short term, a great deal of weight to lose, etc.

    However, the thing that has me doubting this plan...........up it to 1,000 calories until you reach your goal weight. Unless your BMR is very low, this plan will result in a fair amount of muscle loss. As you get closer to goal your body has less reserves to draw upon. 1,000 seems extremely low ....... even at 1,200 here on MFP you are given MORE calories when you exercise. So really 1,200 is not what active people are expected to eat.
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
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    I recently went to a medical weight loss center and was floored when they gave me my weight loss plan. They want me to consume just 750 calories a day for 30 days, after which they will up my caloric intake to 900-1000 calories until I reach my goal weight. This is a center staffed with physicians and nurse practitioners - besides weight loss, they specialize in pain management. I feel like I should trust their medical expertise, but I've always been told consuming under 1200 calories a day is dangerous... It's working - in 4 days, I've lost 9lbs (Besides just consuming 750 calories, I had a Lipo B-12 shot and am taking an appetite suppressant). But I feel kind of yuck. Thoughts??

    doctors know nothing about nutrition. when will people learn this?

    they don't have a degree in nutrition, and they are required to take only ONE nutrition course in all their years of med school/residency.

    please consult an actual nutritionist or dietician if you want professional advice.
  • bound4beauty
    bound4beauty Posts: 274 Member
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    Of course you're losing weight. You're creating a huge calorie deficit. I'd suggest you read this excellent article.

    http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/

    Just because they are medical doctors and nurses doesn't mean that they aren't in the business to make money. They are going for fast results to keep you happy and to keep you coming back for their worthless shots and whatever else they are selling you. Been there done that and lost a bunch of hair in the process.

    After you read that article, I'd suggest you read this one: http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/how-to-lose-fat/

    Read all of it, follow all the steps and you'll have yourself a sustainable plan that will help you lose weight safely.

    Good luck!
  • mommabenefield
    mommabenefield Posts: 1,329 Member
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    what-no-gif.gif

    i beginning to fall into the group of believers... just because they have a license doesn't mean they know what they are talking about... this is one of those cases i believe... They are trying to sell a "weight loss" product as soon as you get back to a healthy caloric intake your weight will go back up... take the wise advice of many here, use one of the calculators suggested and just eat a nutritional and moderate deficit and exercise. no shortcuts no drastic starving numbers just the right way
  • brooks4320
    brooks4320 Posts: 9
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    750 calories is ridiculous. To me it sounds like they are trying to fast track your weight loss so that you have to turn around and pay a plastic surgion to fix your excess skin problems. 1200 calories is the lowest you should ever drop your caloric intake to. With moderate exercise that should put you around 1 - 2 lbs of weight loss per week. That is heathly weight loss and allows your body to naturally adjust to the changes.

    In my opinion, you should seek the advice of your personal physician and see what they think about their weight loss suggestions. Either way, strongly consider raising your caloric intake. You need more calories than that to sustain healthy nutrition levels and get the vitamins your body needs to survive.

    Hope this helps.
  • tonedthighsbubblebutt
    tonedthighsbubblebutt Posts: 40
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    That sounds like a disaster. You will lose weight, but it's not going to be sustainable. You can't survive on that low amount of calories long-term. So what happens when you start to gain weight back? Go back to the center? Yo-yo dieting? To me it sounds like this is a way for them to make money/gain repeat customers. Seconding the suggestion to see an actual nutritionist. At the very least you should calculate your BMR and focus on eating enough.
  • Skrib69
    Skrib69 Posts: 687 Member
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    I would challenge anyone to not feel like crap on a diet like that! Set up MFP to lose 1lb a week and count calories like the rest of us. If you follow the system you will lose in a steady and healthy way. This just sounds bonkers unless there are other facts that you have not mentioned, but even then ut still sounds extreme!
  • CaptainHNNNGGG
    CaptainHNNNGGG Posts: 205 Member
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    750 = destroyed metabolism that takes years to fix
  • judilockwood
    judilockwood Posts: 134 Member
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    Depends how much weight you want to lose.. I did Cambridge meal replacement system for my first 2 weeks and kickstarted my diet- this gave me the incentive to carry on dieting; after this I maintained +/- 1000 calories a day and had a steady weight loss for the next 3 months, only moderating for special occasions so I probs had about 1200 a day on average. I could maintain this because I knew that my goal was about 40 lbs loss and I wouldn't have to go on for ages. I would find this difficult if I had an awful lot f weight to lose. My thought is, find what you can maintain comfortably and go for it - and log everything you eat and all your exercise to get the trend. Good luck xxxx
  • lambchristie
    lambchristie Posts: 552 Member
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    I recently went to a medical weight loss center and was floored when they gave me my weight loss plan. They want me to consume just 750 calories a day for 30 days, after which they will up my caloric intake to 900-1000 calories until I reach my goal weight. This is a center staffed with physicians and nurse practitioners - besides weight loss, they specialize in pain management. I feel like I should trust their medical expertise, but I've always been told consuming under 1200 calories a day is dangerous... It's working - in 4 days, I've lost 9lbs (Besides just consuming 750 calories, I had a Lipo B-12 shot and am taking an appetite suppressant). But I feel kind of yuck. Thoughts??

    You are beautiful!
    You've lost 43 pounds to date .. and I take it, it was before going to said medical weight loss clinic? Your picture certainly doesn't indicate you need to lose massive amount of weight anymore.

    I would run from this place as fast as you can and get back to a normal, healthy eating plan; and no 750 calories is NOT normal or healthy.

    Go to your GP doctor and tell them what this clinic has advised you to do and ask what they think. A second opinion from a health care professional is in order.
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
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    I recently went to a medical weight loss center and was floored when they gave me my weight loss plan. They want me to consume just 750 calories a day for 30 days, after which they will up my caloric intake to 900-1000 calories until I reach my goal weight. This is a center staffed with physicians and nurse practitioners - besides weight loss, they specialize in pain management. I feel like I should trust their medical expertise, but I've always been told consuming under 1200 calories a day is dangerous... It's working - in 4 days, I've lost 9lbs (Besides just consuming 750 calories, I had a Lipo B-12 shot and am taking an appetite suppressant). But I feel kind of yuck. Thoughts??

    doctors know nothing about nutrition. when will people learn this?

    they don't have a degree in nutrition, and they are required to take only ONE nutrition course in all their years of med school/residency.

    please consult an actual nutritionist or dietician if you want professional advice.

    This, this and THIS.

    Doctors are NOT experts on nutrition and give the WORST advice. In fact, they are not in the business of HEALTH at all. They are in the business of treating "sick" with medication and procedures.

    I have had a number of doctors who have been very honest about not being educated in nutrition, but they were still happy to provide bad advice (extreme low calorie eating plans) and weight loss pills.

    PS: even nutritionists are often a product of their limited education and will often recommend very low calorie and low fat diets. Wrong.
  • Morgaath
    Morgaath Posts: 679 Member
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    Math says something is off with this:

    1 lb fat = 3500 cals
    9 lbs of fat = 31,500 cal
    31,500 / 4 days = 7,875 cal/day deficit

    Something tells me you have not been getting a 7,875 cal deficit each day.
    Of course, water weighs about 8 lbs per gallon...
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    I recently went to a medical weight loss center and was floored when they gave me my weight loss plan. They want me to consume just 750 calories a day for 30 days, after which they will up my caloric intake to 900-1000 calories until I reach my goal weight.

    My first thought is that it might be useful to know the name of the place, so we can keep our loved ones from going there.

    My second thought involves litigation.

    And I'm pretty much out of thoughts after that.
  • emAZn
    emAZn Posts: 413 Member
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    Math says something is off with this:

    1 lb fat = 3500 cals
    9 lbs of fat = 31,500 cal
    31,500 / 4 days = 7,875 cal/day deficit

    Something tells me you have not been getting a 7,875 cal deficit each day.
    Of course, water weighs about 8 lbs per gallon...

    ^^Holler^^
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,958 Member
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    "A medical weight loss center"

    1. Did you find it on Dr. Google?
    2. Was it a banner ad on facebook?
    3. Did you hear a commercial or read an ad in a magazine?

    Unless you are morbidly obese, this sounds like a scam to me.

    What kind of doctor is overseeing this? A specialist in Bariatric Medicine (weight loss)? Or a <insert some other PhD in whatever field here>. Find out who is running the center, ask for their qualifications, check with your local Medical Board and the Better Business Bureau.

    Smells fishy.

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