What I Am Doing Right

dgroulx

Back in 2012, I weighed 228 pounds. I'm only 5'2". In September of this year, my weight went up to 258 pounds. This was my personal high weight. I am 57 years old, post menopausal, so my metabolic rate has slowed. I am a pharmacist and understand nutrition and biochemistry, but I continued to lie to myself about why I am fat. So, I made a decision to see a physician who is board certified in bariatrics (not a bariatric surgeon, just a weight loss specialist).

My doctor explained to me everything that I already knew - you put on fat as a response to insulin & insulin is produced when you eat any carbohydrate, whether it be an apple, candy bar, potatoes, carrots, etc. The diet I am on requires that I eat a minimum of 60g protein daily. Proteins boost metabolism. My carbohydrates are limited to 30g per day, but I do not count any carbs that are from vegetables. The exceptions are corn, carrots, potatoes, butternut squash, and a few others. There is no calorie limit, but I try to keep mine down to about 1,000 per day.

Every 2 weeks, I print out my food diary from My Fitness Pal and bring it to my doctor to review. I also get weighed, measured and have my blood pressure taken. Paying to see a doctor keeps me from cheating. My appointment is tomorrow and it will be my 3 month anniversary of starting the diet. I am down 25 pounds. This is with no exercise at all, other than daily activities like walking to the grocery store from my car. I current weight loss is about 1 pound per week.

I guess I just wanted to share this with people who might be struggling to lose weight. If you do count calories, calculate how many you need based on your ideal weight for your height. We are fat because we eat too much. We need to get accustomed to eating the amount we should be eating. My daily needs are less than 1,200 calories. I've had several doctors tell me that I should only eat 800 calories per day. My current doctor doesn't believe in calorie counting, but I do it anyway. If you are hungry, drink water. I use flavored drops in my water. Also, remember if you do not produce big spikes of insulin, you will not feel as hungry. I hope this helps some people. Feel free to friend me. I will probably be on here for the rest of my life.

Stage14

You only eat 1000 calories per day?

cafeaulait7

Your daily needs are not less than 1200 if you are losing a pound a week at 1000. But that's good news, of course! If you exercised it would give you even more to eat, and it's so good/important for your body

I'd be very leery of the doc who said to eat 800 calories. I seriously wouldn't go to him any more, actually!

RoyBeck

Im sorry but how can you claim to understand nutrition if your happy eating so few calories. Your protein seems quite low too.

All my opinion of course and I presume the doctor(s) who recommended 800 cals have been struck off now yes?

Look, I'm all for support but something seems wrong somewhere.

I_Will_End_You

Do these doctors who tell you to eat 800 calories happen to own or work at "weight loss clinics"?

VeggieClaire

Oh dear !!

ell_v131

Hey, congrats on your progress! I was also a bit shocked by the numbers at first, but then I remembered you are post menopausal and petite, so the caloric needs are not as great. 1000 calories though... sounds like it would be hard to get your nutrients in. the protein is very low, and how do you manage to stay within 30g carbs? When i try real hard to not eat carbs I still get like 50g haha

I would say the doctors who recommend 800 are way off though and the other poster who said about 1200 not being your maintenance, I think they are right. If you are eating 1000 and are losing a pound a week, that means you have a daily deficit of 500. I think the exercise would be a great way to shape up, I know it has given me a lot of confidence (and extra calories to eat, yum)!

Of course this is my uneducated opinion, just going by my own online research...

On second thought, is this your GP? If not, maybe worthwhile taking these MFP printouts to your GP as well and see what they think. I know I like to know a few opinions to make sure I'm doing the right thing.

Debbjones

Heaven help you with this post! LOL! The ridicule replies, for consuming less than 1200 calories a day, will come flooding in soon! After all, we know the people who post to these forums on MFP know more than your doctor!

All that said, I am in agreement with you. You chose your medical professional for a reason, you trust and believe their advice. You yourself are a medical professional, you know your own body... you are going in for regular check-ups with blood work... menopause changes our metabolism, do what you and your medical professional think is best for you. After all, being obese reeks more havoc on our body than losing the weight and learning what works best for you.

Best of luck to you!

LINIA

You are small and petite and will not lose unless you create a deficit-- under a Drs care eating less than 1200 calories a day is working for you, eating more is how you reached this point.

So many of us are overweight and in trouble, taking meds and not healthy.

Good Job for taking care of your own body!!!

dgroulx

The 2 docs who said 800 calories were in Florida. One was my primary physician who told me that's what she had to do and that is all she eats now. The other ran a weight loss clinic. My current doc doesn't believe in counting calories. Total carbs, not net carbs, are all I need to worry about. I look at calories just to gauge how little I should be eating for my petite size.

I used to crave carbs, but when I don't eat them the craving goes away. That is due to reduced insulin.

judychicken

So you eat under 1000 cal a day?