Doctor advice conflicts with MFP

papa3x

So basically, because your doctor didn't tell you what you wanted to hear, and her advice conflicts with the advice you get on a message board full of mostly people who have very little actual knowledge of metabolic processes, aging, and nutrition science, you think she sucks and you should find a new doctor? Her job isn't to "encourage" you. I'm sorry to disagree with just about everyone, but I think you're writing your doc off a little too quickly. Why not actually try what she advised you to do, and see what happens?

Whether that is true or not, a person needs to be in sync with a doctor that helps them, and not berates them.... and personally, I think the doctor is most likely incorrect.

MelissaAnn1983

So basically, because your doctor didn't tell you what you wanted to hear, and her advice conflicts with the advice you get on a message board full of mostly people who have very little actual knowledge of metabolic processes, aging, and nutrition science, you think she sucks and you should find a new doctor? Her job isn't to "encourage" you. I'm sorry to disagree with just about everyone, but I think you're writing your doc off a little too quickly. Why not actually try what she advised you to do, and see what happens?

I agree. I find that most people on here are new to it an listen to someone else who does not know what they are talking about. You should listen to your doctor. After all she knows your body inside and out right? She is your doctor for a reason. I went to my doctor one time and didn't like what she had to say. I didn't believe I had hives because they didn't look like hives and I was battling them for weeks. But I took her advice anyway and did what she said to do. It worked. My doctor also told me not to worry about vitamins just eat fruits and veggies and I will feel the difference. I do feel the difference. You should take this advice. Do what she says to do. Try it for while and if it truly isn't working (not just because you aren't trying and don't want it to) then you can have another talk with her and tell her. I took your advice and it isn't working. She will give you more advice I am sure. I kept going back for my back and getting new advice until finally something worked and we figured out the true problem. They should but Doctors don't just know right off the bat. They have to rule out things to get to the true problem. Take her advice first. If you start to see results great if you don't go back. Give it time though. Don't give it 2 weeks and throw in your towel.

BetteLovr

Dont can your doctor.. get a nutritionist and pyersonal trainer if you can afford one..

_SusieQ_

So basically, because your doctor didn't tell you what you wanted to hear, and her advice conflicts with the advice you get on a message board full of mostly people who have very little actual knowledge of metabolic processes, aging, and nutrition science, you think she sucks and you should find a new doctor? Her job isn't to "encourage" you. I'm sorry to disagree with just about everyone, but I think you're writing your doc off a little too quickly. Why not actually try what she advised you to do, and see what happens?

^^ i agree with this. maybe go back in and show her your work-out schedule, take your HRM in, show her sample meal plans that you've had, and compare to what you did before. it's hard to get a good picture of you with one single visit since your health changes. i don't think dr's know everything, but they sure as heck better know more than we do on here! LOL (no offense!)

Not necessarily. I worked in a pharmacy for 10 years as a tech. I often would ask my doctor about things that he had to research before he could answer me about it. My point being that just b/c they have an M.D. after their name doesn't make them experts on everything involving the body.

At minimum OP I would try for a second opinion, or find a licensed nutritionist/dietician.

mudar146

I agree...I'd find a new doctor for sure! I ran into a similar issue when I went to see a Dietician... She told me that it doesn't matter how much water I drink just that I get 8 cups of fluid in my system...juice, coffee, tea....etc... and maybe some water. She also didn't offer up any help with nutrition and eating properly. Total waste of time.

Go with what is working for you...in most cases you would listen to your doctor over what is said on the internet...however so many people have succeeded with MFP and there is some great advice and support. This Doc seems nutso!! Good Luck and stay healthy

jkmartinson

So basically, because your doctor didn't tell you what you wanted to hear, and her advice conflicts with the advice you get on a message board full of mostly people who have very little actual knowledge of metabolic processes, aging, and nutrition science, you think she sucks and you should find a new doctor? Her job isn't to "encourage" you. I'm sorry to disagree with just about everyone, but I think you're writing your doc off a little too quickly. Why not actually try what she advised you to do, and see what happens?

didn't tell her what she wanted to hear? I think it was more that nothing she said matched up with anything else she knows.

If you left the doctors office with an internal conflict of any sort, I think seeking a second opinion is a great way to see if the information you received was accurate.

Aeriel

Took my time to skim through some of the responses before adding mine.

Yes, HRM's may not be exact, but they are better than a guess with just age and weight. At least they know how hard your heart is working. I have been following what mine has indicated and have lost my weight. Mine does have a chest strap, so it continuously records my HR through the entire workout.

My doctor has been following my progress over the last 22 months. He has nothing but compliments for MFP and has started mentioning the site to his patients who express a desire to get fit and lose weight. He has reviewed it, looked at how it is calculating my calories and is very impressed. In the first year, I dropped 60 pounds by following MFP suggestions for calorie intake and eating back portions of my exercise calories. That may not work for everyone, but it is a good place to start.

Eating less is not always better.....I aimed for 1.5 pounds per week loss for the first 30 pounds, then hit a plateau. Decreased to 1 pound per week (increased food slightly) and lost another 20 pounds. Plateau again. Decreased to 0.5 pounds per week (increased calories slightly again) and lost the other 10. For the last 8 months or so I have been trying to maintain/tone, and have been bouncing around a little as I work on finding numbers that work for me. Many of my friends have had success with slightly increasing calories to break plateaus.

Good luck on finding the support you need and a doctor that will work with you to achieve your goals. A second opinion is always of value, and gives you more information to work with.

Edited to add: I am 37, 5'8' and currently 160 pounds. I exercise about 4 times per week and burn between 400 and 700 calories, depending on the exercise and time duration (60-90 minute workouts).

LOVEsummer

Couldn't help but jump in here. 1200 calories maintenance may be the case... but if the OP is burning 400-900 cals, she needs to eat at least some of those back. Finding a good Dr. is tough business. Good luck with the search and find someone who exercises and is familiar with athletes, because a 400-900 cal standard burn is killer girl!!

valeriebpdx

I'm not saying much that's new, but it is true that doctors receive next to no training in nutrition--just a few weeks' worth of classes. Nurses at least take a whole semester, and obviously nutritionists far more than that. Doctors are NOT a reliable authority on nutrition just because they have an MD. It's like saying lawyers are so educated they should be able to give you a coronary bypass.

Second, people simply do not understand how heart rate monitors work. They ARE just guessing. They are better than nothing, but they do not tell you how many calories your particular body burned during a particular activity. They guess how hard you must be working based on how hard your heart is beating and guess that if you are working that hard, that's what a person of your weight should be burning. (Composition factors in, your resting HR matters, and the activity is a variable.) So if you want to be safe, you might want to not eat back every bite of estimated calories burned, but of course you need to eat most of your exercise calories if you hope to keep exercising and losing weight. (Don't take the advice of anyone who has been doing this for less than a month based on their experience--you get big drops at the very beginning of a new weight loss effort, pretty much no matter what you do. Starving yourself is not going to get it after a couple of weeks.)

Finally, I agree with the people who say that if you don't have faith in your doctor for any reason, that's a good enough reason to go doctor shopping. Some of them are just jerks, and some are delightful but aren't right for some patients.

2hungariangirls

An Internist isn't a Nutritionist. I used to work for 3 internist doctors. They would refer patients out all the time to a nutritionist because they aren't the "experts." That is why they have doctors that "specialize." I wouldn't listen to my internist if I actually needed an orthopaedist. Get a new doctor and make an appointment with a nutrionist.

loobie1805

No offence to what anyone else may be saying on here, but my doc says the same thing, as did my doc in the UK, and also my sister who is a very well recognised PT in Stirling, Scotland.

I have questioned on here the high numbers of cals that people are eating, and the whole notion of adding back the cals you burn during exercise is to me (and I stress it is just my opinion) total tosh....it has long since been recognised that you will only lose weight if you burn off more than you take in - so to add back cals lost during exercise is defeating the object.

This is the ONLY place I have ever been told that I could eat more than 1200 cals and lose weight - usually you get told 1000 cals a day plus exercise to lose...My situation is now a little different because of my thyroid problems eating 1200 cals a day and I put weight on hand over fist..

My doctor in the UK told me that it was better to lose 1lb a month and know it will stay off forever than lose 2lb a week and end up in that vicious circle of yo-yo dieting....and to be honest that is my aim, once my meds get a grip on my thyroid....lol

Exercise is the key to any weight lose - if you eat 1000 cals a day but never move all day, you won't lose weight - it's the combination that makes it all work.

I would stick with your doc, but see if you can get some extra tests done, so you can see what is going on with your metabolism. Often something that seems to be nothing can really BE something.

Sorry if my opinion upsets anyone on here - it is based on a lot of serious discussion with nutritionalists and endocrinologists , and of course my baby sis, who trains some pretty serious people in the UK, one of whom is a world renowned and published nutritionalist...All I know is that if I ate the cals I was told I could here - i would be ballooning out like there is no tomorrow...The site can only cater for generallities not each persons specifics, and as such should not be treated like it is all knowing!

Lou :-)

UpEarly

Assuming the doctor isn't a total quack, she took into account the OP's individual needs.

That's the sad thing... MOST family doctors, general practitoners and internists DON'T takes the individual's needs into account when it comes to weight. They have a one size/fits all plan for what is considered healthy eating and acceptable caloric intake.

My current GP, who I think very highly of, was floored when I told him I lost fifty pounds exercising more and eating around 2000 calories a day. He told me he recommends 1200-1400 calorie a day plans for women 40 and older (like me). If I had asked his advice and followed his plan, I would have experienced an unhealthy level of very rapid weight loss and perhaps a slower basal metabolic rate as a consequence of eating so little.

I've found that most GPs/Internists know very little about nutrition and metabolism. It's just not something they focus a lot of energy on researching and keeping their skills/knowledge up to date.

jojo888va

Find a new doctor!!! I work for an internist and he actually does MFP and loves it and he tells patients to do the website.

CyberEd312

Run don't walked to a New Doctor.... You need to have a good working relationship between you and your physician. From day 1 my Doctor was up front and honest with me and came straight out and said he was not an expert in nutrition and fitness but knew enough to point me in the right direction... I believe his actual statement was "I will take care of your health and we'll let the dietician and nutritionist take care of your weight." I hands down trust my doctor 110% and we work very well together...... As far as the HRM, it is the most accurate piece of equipment we have available to give us to estimate our calories burned... I burn anywhere from 1200-2000 calories a day and eat my BMR plus 85% of my exercise calories (yes based on my Polar FT60 HRM) daily and leave 15% for error.... I have lost some weight doing this so in my opinion you need a second opinion....... Good luck to you on your journey...................

niightwind

Unless your doctor is a nutrition/diet specialist, I'd say to take her advice as just that - ADVICE. You don't have to follow it.
1200 calories is NOT a healthy amount for everyone. Its a guideline of the LOWEST someone should eat in a day. Some people need more than that for their body's to function properly (y'know, to think and such?).

passagestamper

I also ran from a doctor who gave me the same story. I had been seeing a nutritionist for 10 years by that point, who happened to move. I ended up going on a starvation diet and gaining weight and losing muscle. I made sure to get myself a new nutritionist and a doctor who didn't tell be I would be fat my whole life. Now I am excercising and losing weight instead of giving up and settling with being fat. Good luck on the dr hunt

Articeluvsmemphis

your doctor should be sued for malpractice, or maladvice, lol

kateroot

I would definitely suggest getting a second opinion from a nutritionist, as PPs have stated. Just don't write off your doctor based on what a diet website/message board full of random people have to say.

k8blujay2

I don't know if I would find a different doctor per se, especially if they are a good doctor in other areas... however, I would look into seeing a nutrionist and following her advice instead.

Articeluvsmemphis

Unless your doctor is a nutrition/diet specialist, I'd say to take her advice as just that - ADVICE. You don't have to follow it.
1200 calories is NOT a healthy amount for everyone. Its a guideline of the LOWEST someone should eat in a day. Some people need more than that for their body's to function properly (y'know, to think and such?).

thinking is overrated, follow blindly