my dietician view on exercise cals. agree or disagree?

Matttdvg

I'm no professional, but what I have been told is that a deficit in calories will never be bad for weight loss. Starvation mode will try to hoard calories, but never more than you would have lost anyway. For example, If you have a deficit of 3500 calories a week, you'll lose about 1lb. If you have a calorie deficit of 7000 calories, it'll be about 2lb. Therefore, if you have a calorie deficit of 10500 you should lose 3lb a week, right? No, starvation mode starts to kick in and it'll hold onto some of those extra pounds and you might lose somewhere around 2.5lb a week. And then if you have a 14000 calorie deficit you might lose somewhere around 2.75-3lb. The trend continues, the greater the calorie deficit, the fewer extra calories you'll burn, but it'll never go backwards. You'll never get to a point where having a larger calorie deficit will mean you're losing less weight than if you had a smaller calorie deficit.

Now, there are plenty of reasons why such large calorie deficits aren't healthy. If you're doing it via diet then the chances are you're not getting the nutrients your body needs and stuff like that. But if your dietician says you're doing it right, I'd go along with him/her. They're professionals and know what is best for you. Random people on forums aren't professionals and don't know all the details of your health and don't know what is best for you.

sewedo1

Follow the advice of your dieticians as they have more information about you as an individual.

_Sally_

The thing about the advice here is that it's going to be heavily influenced by the advice giver's personal experiences and their body type. A certified dietician should have training on how to deal with all body types.

Things are different when you're REALLY big - like when you have 75 lbs or more to lose. The ten-pounds-over crowd is struggling and fighting and finessing to lose that last bit, but we big folks almost can't help but to lose, and quickly. Starting at 290 lbs, I lost 3-4 per week all through August even though I was set at a 2 lb/wk deficit and I was eating back my exercise. There's no reason to think you wouldn't do that, too.

Listen to the professional.

I agree that the majority of MFP posters are not professionals, but it is never a good idea to blindly follow the advice of folks who are making money from their interactions with you. There is especially a very disturbing trend on a lot of people hanging a shingle out and presenting themselves as experts on weight loss and related services and procedures because there is a lot of money to be made (this includes folks already in the medical profession)

Not all professionals are created "equal". The above poster mentioned, "A certified dietician should have training on how to deal with all body types." An empowered consumer would research what "certifications" and educational degrees (from accredited schools) are the best ones in the dietician field and check the credentials and the years of experience, etc. of the people that you see. Also, it would be a good thing to ask for references. See if you can talk with people that they have helped lose a similar amount of weight and see if they were able to maintain that weight loss a year later.

The only thing I would suggest is to balance short-term and long-term goals for your health and weight loss. Ask a lot of questions and ask these dieticians what their advice would be to maintain your weight loss once achieved. You should have a comprehensive plan defined, not just one for short-term loss.

I think everyone understands that when you have a lot of weight to lose, the lbs lost per week are going to be higher that for folks that have less to lose.

I don't think the focus is on the lbs per week necessarily, but I think the real question here is at what calorie level you want to train your body at to survive or to thrive. The calories you consume can be a gas pedal or a brake to your metabolism.

XXXMinnieXXX

I'm no professional, but what I have been told is that a deficit in calories will never be bad for weight loss. Starvation mode will try to hoard calories, but never more than you would have lost anyway. For example, If you have a deficit of 3500 calories a week, you'll lose about 1lb. If you have a calorie deficit of 7000 calories, it'll be about 2lb. Therefore, if you have a calorie deficit of 10500 you should lose 3lb a week, right? No, starvation mode starts to kick in and it'll hold onto some of those extra pounds and you might lose somewhere around 2.5lb a week. And then if you have a 14000 calorie deficit you might lose somewhere around 2.75-3lb. The trend continues, the greater the calorie deficit, the fewer extra calories you'll burn, but it'll never go backwards. You'll never get to a point where having a larger calorie deficit will mean you're losing less weight than if you had a smaller calorie deficit.

Now, there are plenty of reasons why such large calorie deficits aren't healthy. If you're doing it via diet then the chances are you're not getting the nutrients your body needs and stuff like that. But if your dietician says you're doing it right, I'd go along with him/her. They're professionals and know what is best for you. Random people on forums aren't professionals and don't know all the details of your health and don't know what is best for you.

I do have to have my gall bladder out, and need to get weight off asap until that point, so that the operation can be as safe as possible. Also I have fybromyalgia and the weight puts a lot more strain on my body, so maybe that's why the plans so drastic. Being a bag of skin at the end scares me. To be faor the 48lbs I've now lost has took over 12 months, it is speeding up now I'm on here though! X

XXXMinnieXXX

The thing about the advice here is that it's going to be heavily influenced by the advice giver's personal experiences and their body type. A certified dietician should have training on how to deal with all body types.

Things are different when you're REALLY big - like when you have 75 lbs or more to lose. The ten-pounds-over crowd is struggling and fighting and finessing to lose that last bit, but we big folks almost can't help but to lose, and quickly. Starting at 290 lbs, I lost 3-4 per week all through August even though I was set at a 2 lb/wk deficit and I was eating back my exercise. There's no reason to think you wouldn't do that, too.

Listen to the professional.

I agree that the majority of MFP posters are not professionals, but it is never a good idea to blindly follow the advice of folks who are making money from their interactions with you. There is especially a very disturbing trend on a lot of people hanging a shingle out and presenting themselves as experts on weight loss and related services and procedures because there is a lot of money to be made (this includes folks already in the medical profession)

Not all professionals are created "equal". The above poster mentioned, "A certified dietician should have training on how to deal with all body types." An empowered consumer would research what "certifications" and educational degrees (from accredited schools) are the best ones in the dietician field and check the credentials and the years of experience, etc. of the people that you see. Also, it would be a good thing to ask for references. See if you can talk with people that they have helped lose a similar amount of weight and see if they were able to maintain that weight loss a year later.

The only thing I would suggest is to balance short-term and long-term goals for your health and weight loss. Ask a lot of questions and ask these dieticians what their advice would be to maintain your weight loss once achieved. You should have a comprehensive plan defined, not just one for short-term loss.

I think everyone understands that when you have a lot of weight to lose, the lbs lost per week are going to be higher that for folks that have less to lose.

I don't think the focus is on the lbs per week necessarily, but I think the real question here is at what calorie level you want to train your body at to survive or to thrive. The calories you consume can be a gas pedal or a brake to your metabolism.

I think your right to be asking about a long term plan. The dieticians are from our national health service, not just a random person I've gone to see, so I don't think they just want to make a quick buck, as I'm informed they are poorly paid also. I can't afford to pay for a dietician to get more opinions, so I have to hope between them, and people I talk to on here I will get a good idea of what I need to be doing. Think once my gall bladders out it many be a good idea to slow the loss a little because of loose skint. That worries me a lot, that ill work so hard and look like that. Its a long difficult path, that's all I know! Lol x

_Sally_

[/quote][/quote]
I do have to have my gall bladder out, and need to get weight off asap until that point, so that the operation can be as safe as possible. Also I have fybromyalgia and the weight puts a lot more strain on my body, so maybe that's why the plans so drastic. Being a bag of skin at the end scares me. To be faor the 48lbs I've now lost has took over 12 months, it is speeding up now I'm on here though! X
[/quote][/quote]

Yes - take care of your immediate health issues first, then figure out the long-term plan. We are all rooting for you!

lynn1982

Just to reiterate what others have said on here - listen to your body! If you're constantly hungry and feeling weak, then you're not eating enough and/or not eating the right foods. I'm super short so I usually eat around 1000-1200 calories per day, but I do have at least one or two days a week where I eat much more than that. I lost a lot of weight the first month I was on here without "eating back" exercise calories, but then I felt weak and tired. I upped my caloric intake by about 100-200 calories (I don't have an HRM and I only do about 30 minutes of cardio each day). I kept losing the same amount of weight that I was losing before, but I no longer felt weak...

disclaimer: I'm not a health professional. I am just providing my own personal experience, which is what you are generally (but not always I suppose) going to get from a website like this. I would listen to a health care professional than just any shmo like me off the street. That being said, many nutritionists who have built businesses based on weight loss promises often promote a program where you lose a lot of weight over a short period of time and this is usually unsustainable in the long run...

Scoobies87

Do what works for YOU, not what everyone else on here says. 4lbs in a week is awesome! Listen to the professionals

elmsallmissile

Stick with the pro's advice sweetheart, this site has some spurious figures!

ryoungers

I would listen to your dietitian's advice. Think about the weight loss shows on TV like The Biggest Loser, Heavy, and the like. When people have such a large amount of excess fat on their bodies, it can come off much more quickly without endangering their health. As long as you are eating enough calories to get your daily value of essential nutrients (and at 1400 you are, if you eat healthy food), then you can have a large calorie deficit from lots of exercise.

tawnabunnygirl

While I agree that I do not trust professionals entirely. They do have some good things to say. If there are things you doubt, I would encourage you to ask these professionals if they could provide you with research that supports their medical advise. I would then do research of my own to see if there is information that opposes the medical advise. Then you can make an informed decision. I too do not want to look like a bag of loose skin at the end of the process. I just started and really need to revise a lot of what I am doing. I will continue to read everyone's opinion. I get a lot out of everyones responses. Thanks everyone.

martinh78

Why are people jumping to the conclusion that these dieticians are setting her up to fail? They may decide to slow her rate of loss as time goes on, they may up her exercise levels and change their diet plan when she has lost some more weight.

If you are loosing 4lbs a week under the supervision of professionals then stick with it.

Do you feel good when you have your weigh-in? Would you feel better if you had lost 1lb instead of 4? I know which is the greater motivator and maybe that's what the dieticians are thinking.

Personally I don't have much weight to loose in comparison to others, but if I had to loose 8 stone instead of 2 I know I would really struggle to maintain the effort required if I was only seeing 1lb a week coming off. If you loose the first few stones quickly but sensibly, and understand this will slow as you progress, then there is no problem with that. I'm sure the dieticians know that also.

If you are not going to trust or listen to your dietician (or the second opinion) then please don't save the NHS some money and free up a space for someone who wants to follow their advice. If you can do it for free by using this website the let someone else have your place with the dietician.

elmsallmissile

It sounds fine to me.

To be honest, I would be more inclined to trust professionals than people on here - you don't know us and we could be anybody.

I'm not anybody! I'm nobody!

SallieBeige

Honestly, I think you should listen to your dietician and go back there for queries if things feel wrong.

There are sooooooooooooo many people on this site who are considerably overweight to start with who report major losses in the beginning. It sounds completely normal to me.

I suspect (some have indicated in this thread), that the recommendation will change, in the future, as you weight does.

Enjoy the fast track while you can!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(I am envious)

XXXMinnieXXX

Just to reiterate what others have said on here - listen to your body! If you're constantly hungry and feeling weak, then you're not eating enough and/or not eating the right foods. I'm super short so I usually eat around 1000-1200 calories per day, but I do have at least one or two days a week where I eat much more than that. I lost a lot of weight the first month I was on here without "eating back" exercise calories, but then I felt weak and tired. I upped my caloric intake by about 100-200 calories (I don't have an HRM and I only do about 30 minutes of cardio each day). I kept losing the same amount of weight that I was losing before, but I no longer felt weak...

disclaimer: I'm not a health professional. I am just providing my own personal experience, which is what you are generally (but not always I suppose) going to get from a website like this. I would listen to a health care professional than just any shmo like me off the street. That being said, many nutritionists who have built businesses based on weight loss promises often promote a program where you lose a lot of weight over a short period of time and this is usually unsustainable in the long run...

Not to worry I do eat more if I feel weak or hungry. Always atlease 1400 and 1700, sometimes even more x

XXXMinnieXXX

I would listen to your dietitian's advice. Think about the weight loss shows on TV like The Biggest Loser, Heavy, and the like. When people have such a large amount of excess fat on their bodies, it can come off much more quickly without endangering their health. As long as you are eating enough calories to get your daily value of essential nutrients (and at 1400 you are, if you eat healthy food), then you can have a large calorie deficit from lots of exercise.

I am eating very good nutritional food. Only 1 meal off since starting. Cook everything from fresh. X

XXXMinnieXXX

Why are people jumping to the conclusion that these dieticians are setting her up to fail? They may decide to slow her rate of loss as time goes on, they may up her exercise levels and change their diet plan when she has lost some more weight.

If you are loosing 4lbs a week under the supervision of professionals then stick with it.

Do you feel good when you have your weigh-in? Would you feel better if you had lost 1lb instead of 4? I know which is the greater motivator and maybe that's what the dieticians are thinking.

Personally I don't have much weight to loose in comparison to others, but if I had to loose 8 stone instead of 2 I know I would really struggle to maintain the effort required if I was only seeing 1lb a week coming off. If you loose the first few stones quickly but sensibly, and understand this will slow as you progress, then there is no problem with that. I'm sure the dieticians know that also.

If you are not going to trust or listen to your dietician (or the second opinion) then please don't save the NHS some money and free up a space for someone who wants to follow their advice. If you can do it for free by using this website the let someone else have your place with the dietician.

I must admit 1lb per week for the work I'm doing would definately make it feel less worth while. I feel amazing when I see a bigger loss. I will listen to my dietician and I worked very hard to get under them. They just seemed a little unsure but they finally gave the answer of eat 1400, more if your hungry. I've been at this for a while, I've lost 47lbs in total now, and I've been told many things, so its easy to become doubtful of the advice you've been given. In the past I've been fobbed off by doctors a lot tellin me I was lazy, when actually I've got fybromyalgia, that's why I can be hesitant. That and every one you see has a different opinion. I am following my dieticians advise fully. Just wanted to know other opinions on it, and I have picked up a lot of useful information through this thread. I am a worthy cause on the nhs, and I'm not wasting their time, I've worked very hard to get here. Hard when your dieticians appointments are 3months apart, and your lifestyle Is changing rapidly. Its hard to get up to date advise. As I increase excercise etc I start to worry that I'm not eating enough even though I'm not hungry. In the past I didn't eat hardly at all, and I'm scared of falling back into the trap. Just need some reassurance sometimes. Thanks for your time zara

XXXMinnieXXX

I think listen to your body is one of the best pieces of advise I've been given, and I'm really learning to. Finally learning at the age of 25 lol. Its working out well for me. X

Azdak

They were dietician from a specialist weight management service run by the national health service. I doubted the first opinion, so asked for a second, same answer... Still doubting. This is a lifestyle change for me and I still have a long way to go and don't want to look like a bag of skin by the end. You've lost a lot of weight, and look great so I will take your opinions on board! Zara

I don't have time to scroll through all the answers, but, short version, what the dietitians are telling is consistent with the professional advice given by RDs. At your point on this journey, it is the appropriate approach to take. I do think it is also important that you include regular resistance training in your exercise routine.

Azdak

I'm under weight management through my doctor. I've seen 2 dieticians in the last week. My goal calories is 1400 to loose 2lb a week, without exercise. I'm burning anywhere around 500 to 1000 cals a day in exercise. I weigh 18st 4lb. The 2 dieticians have said because I'm so large I can run bigger deficits and because I'm exercising quite a lot my body won't go into starvation mode. They told me to eat 1400 and only eat extra if I feel hulengry or weak. So that's what I've been doing. I find on a 1000 cal burn day I want a couple hundred extra, but that's all I've had. I lost 4lb this week. It goes against what so many people say on here, but they are professionals so I'm confused. Any views for your experiences. They say when my weight is more like a normal person I will have to eat more, but I don't have to now because of my weight. Feeling confused right now. Can't help thinking this may come back to bite me! Zara
P.S please bump me so that ill go to the top of the posts and get as many opinions as possible. Thanks

Just my opinion....but unless there are health risks that your doctor is advising fast weight loss for, this plan that these dieticians are recommending may be setting you up for short-term success (which they profit from by another "success" story of a client), but you may struggle down the road in maintaining. Also, I have heard that it is better for skin elasticity to lose the weight slowly to give your skin ample time to respond and tighten up.

You may want to check out the info and free calculators on www.fat2fitradio.com (I have no affiliation with them, just came across them recently and like their approach) for another perspective to help inform your decision. The guys that do these podcasts recommend that you calculate the maintenance calories of your target weight (and there may need to be some interim weight targets) and then eat at that level, so you would be eating like the thinner person you want to be and there would be no big switch to maintenance levels once you achieved your target, which many people struggle with. They recommend against too large of a deficit because you would be losing too much muscle and would be left with a much slower metabolism in he end, and unable to eat as much as you should be able to.

The absolute minimum they recommend anyone eat is BMR * 1.20. I believe your 1400 calories may be below that, even without excercise calories. (and yes - you should eat back your exercise calories!)

Just because someone is a "professional" doesn't mean you shouldn't be your own advocate and do your own research. It is YOUR body. Don't give your power away to anyone.

Remember, you can pick a plan and then re-assess in a month or so and see if it still feels right for you. Most of us learn more about health and about our bodies along this journey to better health and fitness and need to tweak our plans along the way.

Best of luck to you! Congratulations on making the decision and commitment to make your health a priority. You can do it!!

There is no reason why, with the appropriate exercise program and macronutrient intake that you should lose any more lean mass than you would have otherwise.

Many people don't understand that if a 250lb body reduces in size to a 150lb body, there MUST be a loss of muscle mass, regardless of what plan you are on. It doesn't mean that your resting metabolism at that weight will be any different than a comparable 150lb person.

Different strategies are appropriate for different stages of weight loss and body composition. Rather than being "set up to fail" it could be argued she is being set up to succeed by receiving simple and clear guidelines that are more likely to lead to noticeable loss in the beginning which can be a powerful motivator.

emmab0902

you are the best expert on your own body

we are all different and sometimes the numbers re deficits and loss dont work!!

Bankman1989

I hate to immediately be so cynical, but I honestly wonder where your dietician got their professional credentials from, and how reputable an institution it is. Everything I have read since I started this process a couple of years ago indicates that, yes, you can run a bigger deficit than someone closer to their ideal lean body weight, but 400 net calories a day isn't healthy for anyone. Perhaps your dietician doesn't quite realize how many calories you are burning (btw, I wonder what it is you are doing to generate so much calorie burn). In my opinion, you may see really impressive short-term results but I would almost guarantee with a net cal rate like that you will crash hard...and soon.

Edit: it's also possible that, unless you are using a HRM, you are overestimating your exercise calories. Honestly, I just looked at your exercise log, and I'd guess that is likely the case. I'm going to guess your Wii Fit exercise staple is step? It's a solid burn if done at a 2 beat/sec rate, but that's faster than the fastest pace the Wii sets. Are you using the calorie burn amounts that the Wii gives you? If so, I can tell you from experience that they are rarely accurate at all. And the little "cleaning, light effort" entries I'd recommend simply leaving out entirely. That's the kind of thing that's just a part of your daily activity. If your dog walks are leisurely strolls with the pooch, ditto those.

THIS IS INCORRECT.

Here's the deal. I NEVER eat back my exercise calories unless I go out. There are times during the week that I burn more calories than I consume.

I am also going to go out on a limb that her "dietician" wait for it..knows what they are talking about.

I am not a dietician but I have been working out consistently for over 30 years and a trainer first starting in college.

if you ever have seen the biggest loser they lose 10-20 punds sometimes a week. The larger you are the easier it is going to be to lose more weight. The more body fat you have the easier its going to be to lose more weight also.

Listen to your dietician.

garlic7girl

I'm under weight management through my doctor. I've seen 2 dieticians in the last week. My goal calories is 1400 to loose 2lb a week, without exercise. I'm burning anywhere around 500 to 1000 cals a day in exercise. I weigh 18st 4lb. The 2 dieticians have said because I'm so large I can run bigger deficits and because I'm exercising quite a lot my body won't go into starvation mode. They told me to eat 1400 and only eat extra if I feel hulengry or weak. So that's what I've been doing. I find on a 1000 cal burn day I want a couple hundred extra, but that's all I've had. I lost 4lb this week. It goes against what so many people say on here, but they are professionals so I'm confused. Any views for your experiences. They say when my weight is more like a normal person I will have to eat more, but I don't have to now because of my weight. Feeling confused right now. Can't help thinking this may come back to bite me! Zara
P.S please bump me so that ill go to the top of the posts and get as many opinions as possible. Thanks

Seriouly, as a health professional I always always tell my clients if you do not understand something or if you disagree please say something!!! It is apart of you Patient Bill of Rights and how will you suceed or build on our relationship through this if you are not totally honest. Say something to them becasue they have to answer to you and make you understand in words you understand so you can progress safely and without confusion. Take control. They need to make it clear until you understand and I am very serious!!!