Doctor recommended

My doctor advised me at my visit last week, that she would like me to follow a 1200 calorie/day diet. She said she would like me to divide it into 5-6 small meals with my daily goal being 1200 calories, 10 grams of protein, and 25g carb. How do you even begin to research creating such a diet plan? You don't think she meant 10g protein & 25g carb at each of the 5-6 meals do you? Is a daily total of 10g protein & 25g carbs/day even possible?
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Replies

  • laratacita
    laratacita Posts: 53 Member
    Forgive me for the intrusion, but why is your doctor recommending such a diet?
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,064 Member
    No, that wouldn't be a daily total.
  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 Member
    10g of protein and 25g of carbs per meal, perhaps. Even then that's quite low protein by general MFP membership standards. Asking for lean body mass loss.

    Unless you are going on a diet consisting almost solely of bacon (and don't get me wrong, that sounds awesome) I don't see how you'll do it. I certainly don't see how you are getting sufficient fruits and veg.

    Play around with the MFP food log. Log a few sample days. You'll soon find that 10g of protein and 25g of carbs a day is rather silly.
  • osorio0203
    osorio0203 Posts: 24 Member
    1200 Calories is insane. You cannot and should not live healthy on that. Use this program and let it tell you what you need. I have been using it for a while and it works great. I am 46 and had been big for a long time. Someone suggested this to me and it has been a blessing. Be honest with the questions it asks and stay true to the program and you will loose weight. If you need support.....add me as a friend and lets do this. :D
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    My doctor advised me at my visit last week, that she would like me to follow a 1200 calorie/day diet. She said she would like me to divide it into 5-6 small meals with my daily goal being 1200 calories, 10 grams of protein, and 25g carb. How do you even begin to research creating such a diet plan? You don't think she meant 10g protein & 25g carb at each of the 5-6 meals do you? Is a daily total of 10g protein & 25g carbs/day even possible?

    Maybe you should call her and get her to verify? At the same time, though, why is she having you at a 1200 calorie deficit and for how long? Will she be supervising this? What are your current stats? (height/weight).
  • dont_tap_my_aces
    dont_tap_my_aces Posts: 125 Member
    1200 Calories is insane. You cannot and should not live healthy on that. Use this program and let it tell you what you need. I have been using it for a while and it works great. I am 46 and had been big for a long time. Someone suggested this to me and it has been a blessing. Be honest with the questions it asks and stay true to the program and you will loose weight. If you need support.....add me as a friend and lets do this. :D

    your advice is to go against what OP's doctor said? that it cannot possibly be healthy.... dispite the fact OP's doctor recommends this.

    lol. maybe OP's doc knows a bit more about OP's specific situation than anyone on the internet does? I'd stick with your doctor's recommendation and if anything, go seek a second opinion from another doctor and not people on the internet (myself included)
  • Cheekies_
    Cheekies_ Posts: 319 Member
    Sounds like the Insulin Resistance Diet. I did it before I had kiddos to help my PCOS. It was really great and I still follow it. Basically it is "no more than 30 carbs in a two hour period and if you have carbs, match at least 1/2 as much protein with the meal. ie, If you eat 30 carbs make sure you have a minimum of 15 protein. It worked great for my blood sugar issues. The book is probably on Amazon. Hope this helps.
  • Rainydaygirl1
    Rainydaygirl1 Posts: 117 Member
    My doctor advised me at my visit last week, that she would like me to follow a 1200 calorie/day diet. She said she would like me to divide it into 5-6 small meals with my daily goal being 1200 calories, 10 grams of protein, and 25g carb. How do you even begin to research creating such a diet plan? You don't think she meant 10g protein & 25g carb at each of the 5-6 meals do you? Is a daily total of 10g protein & 25g carbs/day even possible?

    Maybe you should call her and get her to verify? At the same time, though, why is she having you at a 1200 calorie deficit and for how long? Will she be supervising this? What are your current stats? (height/weight).
    Is 1200 a day unreasonable somehow? MyFitnessPal has me at that and some days I don't end up at more than 1000, plus I don't eat back exercise calories
  • Cheekies_
    Cheekies_ Posts: 319 Member
    Sounds like the Insulin Resistance Diet. I did it before I had kiddos to help my PCOS. It was really great and I still follow it. Basically it is "no more than 30 carbs in a two hour period and if you have carbs, match at least 1/2 as much protein with the meal. ie, If you eat 30 carbs make sure you have a minimum of 15 protein. It worked great for my blood sugar issues. The book is probably on Amazon. Hope this helps.

    I should add that it is definitely more than 1200 calories a day though.
  • Docmahi
    Docmahi Posts: 1,603 Member
    pretty sure she meant per meal

    my advice is just call and ask for clarification - but im gonna say she meant per meal :P

    oh and listen to your doctor
  • Icandoityayme
    Icandoityayme Posts: 312 Member
    Just ask your doctor to clarify what she meant so you get the answer from her since she is the one putting you on the diet. I do think she meant per meal though.
  • 1200 Calories is insane. You cannot and should not live healthy on that. Use this program and let it tell you what you need. I have been using it for a while and it works great. I am 46 and had been big for a long time. Someone suggested this to me and it has been a blessing. Be honest with the questions it asks and stay true to the program and you will loose weight. If you need support.....add me as a friend and lets do this. :D

    your advice is to go against what OP's doctor said? that it cannot possibly be healthy.... dispite the fact OP's doctor recommends this.

    lol. maybe OP's doc knows a bit more about OP's specific situation than anyone on the internet does? I'd stick with your doctor's recommendation and if anything, go seek a second opinion from another doctor and not people on the internet (myself included)

    I agree. The doctor's advice should be followed... Just ask for clarification on whether or not the doctor meant the gram breakdown by meal. MFP is great but not a substitute for doctor's advice.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    My doctor advised me at my visit last week, that she would like me to follow a 1200 calorie/day diet. She said she would like me to divide it into 5-6 small meals with my daily goal being 1200 calories, 10 grams of protein, and 25g carb. How do you even begin to research creating such a diet plan? You don't think she meant 10g protein & 25g carb at each of the 5-6 meals do you? Is a daily total of 10g protein & 25g carbs/day even possible?

    Maybe you should call her and get her to verify? At the same time, though, why is she having you at a 1200 calorie deficit and for how long? Will she be supervising this? What are your current stats? (height/weight).
    Is 1200 a day unreasonable somehow? MyFitnessPal has me at that and some days I don't end up at more than 1000, plus I don't eat back exercise calories

    Ummm...why are you at 1000 cals? Have you or do you plan on doing that for a long time? If so, your maintenance is going to suck, not to mention a big loss of muscle mass.
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
    lrr01, how tall are you? i do 1200 net calories per day broken into 6 small meals, although i do a little more protein than that most days. that being said, i'm just over 5' 3" and it's a stretch, but is working for me.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    1200 Calories is insane. You cannot and should not live healthy on that. Use this program and let it tell you what you need. I have been using it for a while and it works great. I am 46 and had been big for a long time. Someone suggested this to me and it has been a blessing. Be honest with the questions it asks and stay true to the program and you will loose weight. If you need support.....add me as a friend and lets do this. :D

    your advice is to go against what OP's doctor said? that it cannot possibly be healthy.... dispite the fact OP's doctor recommends this.

    lol. maybe OP's doc knows a bit more about OP's specific situation than anyone on the internet does? I'd stick with your doctor's recommendation and if anything, go seek a second opinion from another doctor and not people on the internet (myself included)

    I agree. The doctor's advice should be followed... Just ask for clarification on whether or not the doctor meant the gram breakdown by meal. MFP is great but not a substitute for doctor's advice.

    Except doctors tend to be deficient in regards to nutrition. A lot of them just tend to go with fads, like a lot of gen pop. If anything, people should be researching/leaning towards State Registered Dietitians.
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
    agreed. i have yet to meet a doctor who had a clue about nutrition - although there could be one out there somewhere.
    Except doctors tend to be deficient in regards to nutrition. A lot of them just tend to go with fads, like a lot of gen pop. If anything, people should be researching/leaning towards State Registered Dietitians.
  • Rainydaygirl1
    Rainydaygirl1 Posts: 117 Member
    I only stay at about 1000 when I don't exercise and I just forget to add in some extra calories because I don't get hungry
  • Rainydaygirl1
    Rainydaygirl1 Posts: 117 Member
    My doctor advised me at my visit last week, that she would like me to follow a 1200 calorie/day diet. She said she would like me to divide it into 5-6 small meals with my daily goal being 1200 calories, 10 grams of protein, and 25g carb. How do you even begin to research creating such a diet plan? You don't think she meant 10g protein & 25g carb at each of the 5-6 meals do you? Is a daily total of 10g protein & 25g carbs/day even possible?

    Maybe you should call her and get her to verify? At the same time, though, why is she having you at a 1200 calorie deficit and for how long? Will she be supervising this? What are your current stats? (height/weight).
    Is 1200 a day unreasonable somehow? MyFitnessPal has me at that and some days I don't end up at more than 1000, plus I don't eat back exercise calories

    Ummm...why are you at 1000 cals? Have you or do you plan on doing that for a long time? If so, your maintenance is going to suck, not to mention a big loss of muscle mass.

    I only stay at about 1000 when I don't exercise and I just forget to add in some extra calories because I don't get hungry. Most days I do 1200. So far I have only been gaining muscle and tone I don't think I've been losing muscle mass
  • laratacita
    laratacita Posts: 53 Member
    My first question was merely to determine why the doctor put her on such a diet. The doctor may have reasons, and I don't know the original poster's health. It seems extreme to me. I also know that women are more likely to be told to diet even if they do not actually need to do so.

    However, given that I have some computer programming training and some journalistic training -- although I do not us emuch of either -- I am not about to second guess her doctor without more information.
  • tjl2329
    tjl2329 Posts: 169 Member
    Are you diabetic. And yes probably each meal. Easy research it. I do 45 carbs each meal. Sometimes 30. Most cheese and meats don't have carbs. Neither do eggs. So you could eat 2 scrambleda:/eggs with fruit, a piece of toast. Chicken breast with a salad. Yogurt with celery, carrots. A chicken sandwich with berries. Just look things up and plan ahead.
  • kkimpel
    kkimpel Posts: 303 Member
    Maybe your doctor has an example plan. Are you very small? I know that I am only 5"2' and 58.. so I don't really get a LOT of calories to be at my set weight.. like 13800. I am currently on a doctor guided diet. I go once a week, and they have a very scripted plan.. like the lady above mentioned. I match Carbs with Protein 5 to 6 times a day. It is generally less than 1,000 calories, but this is not forever.. this is for losing weight and they check my muscle/fat ratio regularly and have me do blood test once a month. I just had my one month, and I gained muscle mass and loss 17 lbs of fat..
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    1200 Calories is insane. You cannot and should not live healthy on that. Use this program and let it tell you what you need. I have been using it for a while and it works great. I am 46 and had been big for a long time. Someone suggested this to me and it has been a blessing. Be honest with the questions it asks and stay true to the program and you will loose weight. If you need support.....add me as a friend and lets do this. :D
    Without knowing anything about the op, other than she's in her 60s, how can you know it's "insane"?
    Her BMR may well be about 1000 for all we know.
    But then, we don't know.
  • tjl2329
    tjl2329 Posts: 169 Member
    Oh and the more you exercise the more you can eat.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    My doctor advised me at my visit last week, that she would like me to follow a 1200 calorie/day diet. She said she would like me to divide it into 5-6 small meals with my daily goal being 1200 calories, 10 grams of protein, and 25g carb. How do you even begin to research creating such a diet plan? You don't think she meant 10g protein & 25g carb at each of the 5-6 meals do you? Is a daily total of 10g protein & 25g carbs/day even possible?

    Maybe you should call her and get her to verify? At the same time, though, why is she having you at a 1200 calorie deficit and for how long? Will she be supervising this? What are your current stats? (height/weight).
    Is 1200 a day unreasonable somehow? MyFitnessPal has me at that and some days I don't end up at more than 1000, plus I don't eat back exercise calories

    Ummm...why are you at 1000 cals? Have you or do you plan on doing that for a long time? If so, your maintenance is going to suck, not to mention a big loss of muscle mass.

    I only stay at about 1000 when I don't exercise and I just forget to add in some extra calories because I don't get hungry. Most days I do 1200. So far I have only been gaining muscle and tone I don't think I've been losing muscle mass

    No, you aren't gaining muscle at 1000 calorie goal.

    Info if you want to read. It's a lot, but worth it in my opinion (in regards to having too large a deficit and about "building" muscle)

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/adding-muscle-while-losing-fat-qa.html

    http://body-improvements.com/2013/09/04/can-you-build-muscle-and-lose-fat-at-the-same-time/

    http://body-improvements.com/2012/08/22/qa-how-can-i-go-about-building-some-muscle/

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/weight-training-for-fat-loss-part-1.html
  • bcanderson123456
    bcanderson123456 Posts: 45 Member
    1200 Calories is insane. You cannot and should not live healthy on that. Use this program and let it tell you what you need. I have been using it for a while and it works great. I am 46 and had been big for a long time. Someone suggested this to me and it has been a blessing. Be honest with the questions it asks and stay true to the program and you will loose weight. If you need support.....add me as a friend and lets do this. :D

    it amazes me that people call this a program. This is not some special program it is a calorie counting tool. For most people I would think they would adjust the Macros, because the "program" as you call it is by default low on protein and high on carbs. Don't get me wrong I think this is a very good calorie counter, but some talk like it is almost a cult and has special insights.
  • laratacita
    laratacita Posts: 53 Member
    My first question was merely to determine why the doctor put her on such a diet. The doctor may have reasons, and I don't know the original poster's health. It seems extreme to me. I also know that women are more likely to be told to diet even if they do not actually need to do so.

    However, given that I have some computer programming training and some journalistic training -- although I do not us emuch of either -- I am not about to second guess her doctor without more information.
  • asciident
    asciident Posts: 166 Member
    Well, first I'd ask your doc to explain their reasoning for such a low-cal diet plan and for how long you're supposed to follow it. But I'd also probably ask for a referral to a registered dietitian unless your doc is a weight loss or nutrition specialist.
  • perseverance14
    perseverance14 Posts: 1,364 Member
    I only stay at about 1000 when I don't exercise and I just forget to add in some extra calories because I don't get hungry. Most days I do 1200. So far I have only been gaining muscle and tone I don't think I've been losing muscle mass
    25 to 30% of weight loss is muscle mass if nothing is done to stop it (high protein, strength training (like the kind with heavy weights), etc.).

    You are doing nothing to stop muscle loss and everything to encourage it. Just because you see more of the muscle you already have as you lose fat off your body, doesn't mean you are not losing muscle.
  • Rainydaygirl1
    Rainydaygirl1 Posts: 117 Member
    My doctor advised me at my visit last week, that she would like me to follow a 1200 calorie/day diet. She said she would like me to divide it into 5-6 small meals with my daily goal being 1200 calories, 10 grams of protein, and 25g carb. How do you even begin to research creating such a diet plan? You don't think she meant 10g protein & 25g carb at each of the 5-6 meals do you? Is a daily total of 10g protein & 25g carbs/day even possible?

    Maybe you should call her and get her to verify? At the same time, though, why is she having you at a 1200 calorie deficit and for how long? Will she be supervising this? What are your current stats? (height/weight).
    Is 1200 a day unreasonable somehow? MyFitnessPal has me at that and some days I don't end up at more than 1000, plus I don't eat back exercise calories

    Ummm...why are you at 1000 cals? Have you or do you plan on doing that for a long time? If so, your maintenance is going to suck, not to mention a big loss of muscle mass.

    I only stay at about 1000 when I don't exercise and I just forget to add in some extra calories because I don't get hungry. Most days I do 1200. So far I have only been gaining muscle and tone I don't think I've been losing muscle mass

    No, you aren't gaining muscle at 1000 calorie goal.

    Info if you want to read. It's a lot, but worth it in my opinion (in regards to having too large a deficit and about "building" muscle)

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/adding-muscle-while-losing-fat-qa.html

    http://body-improvements.com/2013/09/04/can-you-build-muscle-and-lose-fat-at-the-same-time/

    http://body-improvements.com/2012/08/22/qa-how-can-i-go-about-building-some-muscle/

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/weight-training-for-fat-loss-part-1.html

    My goal isn't 1000, my goal is 1200. And I have a higher protein intake then suggested by the app. I go a little lower on carbs and higher on my protein.
  • perseverance14
    perseverance14 Posts: 1,364 Member
    My doctor advised me at my visit last week, that she would like me to follow a 1200 calorie/day diet. She said she would like me to divide it into 5-6 small meals with my daily goal being 1200 calories, 10 grams of protein, and 25g carb. How do you even begin to research creating such a diet plan? You don't think she meant 10g protein & 25g carb at each of the 5-6 meals do you? Is a daily total of 10g protein & 25g carbs/day even possible?
    It is probably per meal, but you should talk to your Doctor. We don't know anything about you except your age. How tall are you, what do you weigh, and do you know why your Doctor put you on that diet, actually ask your Doctor that question.