800 Calorie Diet Recommended by Doctor

bazaar1982

I had the same issue - I had my thyroid tested and the doc knocked down my cals to 800 - 900 a day. He said it could sometimes trigger a lazy thyroid, and if not it would help me until the thyroxin kicked in. It did work for a while the I gave up - turns out it was a issue with my pituitary gland, not the thyroid directly anyway so te final advice from the doc was a helpful 'eat less than you burn' :mad:

j77r68

how is it possible to get the proper nutrition you need at such a low intake. i'm feeling faint just reading your post !! i probably did that low years ago but just out of stupidity. you are right to second guess their plan for you. I think the way you are going about it is great. doing what feels good to you. see what an r.d. says to make your weightloss plan more specific to your needs.

MoreBean13

Having an underactive thyroid can reduce your BMR by roughly 30%. Obviously it depends on the degree of your particular thyroid issues, so 30% is a really rough on-the-order-of estimate, but 800 does not seem unrealistic to me. I would get a second opinion and talk to an endocrinologist, but I would trust a doctor who knows your medical history over MFP which is designed for the general population without medical issues. Doctors aren't always the best source of information on nutrition for weight loss, but you're looking at a diet related to a medical issue, not just weight loss.

csjank

That's rediculous. If your thyroid is low, ask him to put you on thyroid hormone. Starving yourself of nutrients from food will not improve your thyroid function, nor is it sustainable. I went through the same thing with my doctor recently. After a month, my hair was falling out, I was tired, shaky and irritable, and I didn't lose an ounce. Finally, I went to a doctor who specializes in hormone replacement therapy. He put me on a low does of thyroid and told me to stop starving myself. While my weightloss is slow, I feel WAY better and am able to exercise.

Susan923

Drs are knowledgeable, but not in nutrition. You, especially bc of the thyroid issues, should go see a Registered Dietitian. Someone whos actual degree is in Health and nutrition.

this is very very true. doctors have almost no education in nurtrition. BUT I would try it. just not for a long period of time.

I am sorry to disagree but Please do not eat an 800 calorie diet ever!! You may lose weight but as soon as you eat anything over that your body will store it and I am sure you don't want to gain your weight back. Eat more, eat clean and you will suceed forever!

cyclerjenn

Drs are knowledgeable, but not in nutrition. You, especially bc of the thyroid issues, should go see a Registered Dietitian. Someone whos actual degree is in Health and nutrition.

I agree. A dietitian is going to be the most help to you.

I agree. Get copies of your lab results and see a dietitian.

jilliebk

get another opinion.

A_New_Horizon

First of all, I would get a second opinion and second of all, I would see a nutritionist. 800 calories/day sounds extremely low to me. My body can't function on anything lower than 1300 calories/day. I will get weak and shake just like you. Listen to your body but I would speak to a nutritionist. JMO.

mfp_junkie

Let's see..doctor with your specific information and condition in mind, with 12 years of education and training, plus whatever more years of experience since then...or all the strangers on the Internet with their degree in Google.

Yea, I'd ignore my doctor too.

rmrpender

Consult an endocrinologist. If the doctor you are seeing is an endocrinologist, get a second opinion.

roachhaley

Most doctors are trained in nutrition. Get another opinion if you want, but the doctor knows your body a lot better than we do.

twiztid_princess

I recommend seeing a holistic nutritionist. They will know the best. From personal experience and family experience, a mostly raw or vegan diet work well to get the body back working right.

christenwypy

I just thought of one more thing- and again, what do I know, but I think lifting is supposed to boost your metabolism so being that your system is running slow maybe adding lifting can allow you to add some more calories to your diet?

adry20

Seek a holistic nutritionist.

j77r68

I have an underactive thyroid also and the main thing that does is slow down every sysytem in your body, especially your metabolism - more so than "normal" people. I don't think 800 calories is too low and he probably knows what he's talking about because since your thyroid is making your metabolism so slow, you may not burn as many calories a day resting as MFP calculates. So if you are trying to lose weight, that may be what it takes to see a difference.

However, I hope this is just temporary and he prescribed you a thyroid medication. I have been on it for about 5 years now and when I first started, it took a month or so but soon it was amazing how different and energetic I felt. After that medication kicks in and starts regulating your thyroid hormone, you should burn more and not have to be at 800. THAT IS JUST FROM MY EXPERIENCE THOUGH- I AM NOT A DOCTOR!! just to clarify ;-)

thank you for your insight on this. you describe it a bit easier and that it is possible. thankfully i've never had to deal with something like that. hopefully it is only short term for people to be on that kind of diet.
But one question- do you take all your nutrition through supplements? i can't see you getting even close to half the nutrition you actually need with such a low cal intake !
just curious

myfitnessnmhoy

I'm not going to contradict your doctor - especially since you have a medical condition that requires specialization I don't even remotely claim to come close to having.

I would urge you to do one of the following:

1. If you really feel this is unwise, seek a second opinion from another medical professional.

2. Try it for a while. You won't keel over and die from a week at a low-calorie intake. If your doctor has not prescribed you a recommended level of fats, calories, and proteins, use this site as a guideline.


Ain't nothing this site can offer, including the community, that should ever contradict advice a medical professional who has studied your case in person has said. You need another medical professional, or you need to try what they say and see how it works out.

christiandonovan

The most important thing to find out is what type of Thyroid issue you are doing with. Roughly 90% of low thyroid issues are as a result of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and this is an autoimmune issue. There is a large correlation between Hashimoto's and Celiac Sprue or Gluten intolerances. It might be worth it to have this checked out as well. If you have this type of thyroid issue you will definitely need to compose your diet different than you would if it were just low thyroid. As far as 800 calories a day, you could subsist on that for some time. There have been plenty of studies conducted at that level of caloric intake. As for an N=1 trial on myself, I had to put myself on an autoimmune protocol to help regulate my thyroid and lose weight. Grains, dairy, and legume can cause stomach irritation which lead to "leaky gut" and autoimmune disorders. An emphasis should be placed on saturated fat and protein with leafy greens and some other cruciferous type vegetables rounding out your calories. This is a relatively Low Carbohydrate diet and your body will shift for carbohydrate burning to fat burning as it will need to get it's energy for your brain from the protein intake. In reality you don't need carbohydrates to live and there is no such thing as an "essential carbohydrate". Your body can produce carbohydrates (glucose) from protein and fat through the process of gluconeogenesis. You also want to make sure that you stay away from iodine during this time as that can flare thyroid symptoms.

Josie_lifting_cats

Some people don't realize that thyroid issues change the WHOLE ballgame.

I would perhaps talk to a RD, although I had an RD when I had gestational diabetes and her diet plan caused my sugar numbers to go up, and resulted in me gaining a TON of weight super fast (which was unusual, because I lose weight in my pregnancies). After sitting down with my nurse midwife, I found a balance where my sugars stayed low without medication and I wasn't gaining a ton of weight.

Thyroid issues can be pretty intense, so I would definitely seek professional advice more than advice on the forums.

hotrodhoodlum28

800 frickin calories is ridiculous ! you will starve and your body will go into starvation mode . Read Read Read

SusanMcAvoy

If you've ever heard of Medifast the calories only add up to about 800 calories per day and they have been a reputable company for years. Many doctors endorse Medifast. I know of a woman who lost 100 pounds on it and she is very healthy. I'm going to be starting the program on Saturday for 6 weeks because I gained back some of the weight I lost and am not done yet. I need the structure of Medifast. If you feel like you need to see a dietitian that's good too. Good luck on your journey. :flowerforyou:

theartichoke

Holy crap NO! On 800 a day you'd need to be consistently supervised by a doctor. For 30lbs? I'm honestly appalled by this. I'm hypothyroid and net at least 1500 a day, my intake is 1800-2000. I've lost 43lbs. Please get a second opinion or see a dietician who specializes in dealing with Thyroid disorders.

obeserat

I'm a 6 foot tall male weighing 299lb (today I went under 300) the specialist told me to restrict my calories to 1200 and not to eat back exercise calories. I've been doing that for a week and have gone down from 141kg to 135.5kg. I suppose a fair amount of that will be fluid. 1200 calories seemed crazy to me 1000 less than my bmr. Seems to be working at moment so I'm going to stick to it for a while

hoosier_red

If you're feeling shaky and weak, that's telling you right there that 800 cal/day is way too freaking low, and I'm speaking as someone who's had a low-functioning thyroid for 21 years. As many other posters have already mentioned, doctors are not necessarily knowledgeable about nutrition -- hie thee to an accredited nutritionist and talk to them.

One thing that I HAVE noticed about people with low-functioning thyroids -- we tend to do better in weight loss with lower carbs and higher protein percentages in our daily intake. Make sure you tell the nutritionist about your thyroid issues and ask about bumping up your lean protein intake. And good luck!

iplayoutside19

When I decided that I wanted to get healthier I went to my doctor for a physical. I weighed close to 340 lbs. He said I needed to eat around 1600 calories in order to lose weight. (even now my cal goal is 2350, and thats at 1lb per week) I did that for 3 weeks, I lost weight, but I was miserable doing it. During the fourth week I said screw it: If being skinnier means being that miserable than I don't want to be skinny, and went right back to my old lifestyle.

I tried it at first to see how that would feel & was shaky & weak.

^^^This is all you need to know. If you're comfortable at 1400 calories...and 1400 calories is effective. Roll with it. I'm not going to say weight loss is going to be comfortable all the time, but it shouldn't be miserable to the point of being shaky and weak.

I changed Doctors after I lost my first 30 lbs with MFP 6 months later.

devonette

I recently had a not-so-pleasant experience with a doctor who I saw because I'm having some symptoms that seem thyroid related. Turns out I'm in the low end of normal for thyroid activity - so borderline hypothyroid. I'm 43, short and have gained weight after having 3 children. I probably need to lose about 30 pounds. The doctor told me that I need to be walking for an hour a day and consume no more than 800 calories! I know this was NOT a misunderstanding since he told me verbally and also wrote it down. I knew right when he said it, that seemed like a ridiculously low calorie count and now the more I read, the more it's shocking that a Dr. would recommend it to a patient. Has anyone else ever heard of such a low cal diet? I tried it at first to see how that would feel & was shaky & weak. No surpise. MFP says I should be at 1200 (as seems to be the case for many) but I am usually at 1400 since that's how I feel best, especially when exercising & my BMR is just over that. I'm only at the beginning of this journey & havent seen the scale move yet but would love to have some insight from those who are more experienced with such a lifestyle change. That recommendation from him made me question anything else he's told me.

You said you saw "a doctor" who recommended the 800 calories per day, but did not say "my doctor" which seems to indicate this is a specialist you've just seen for the first or second time who doesn't know your medical history. Is this correct? If so, talk to your primary care/family doctor who knows your health history and see what he says. My family doctor was emphatic that nobody should go under 1200 calories per week when trying to lose weight, especially if exercising.

MissTattoo

If you're not confident in your doctors recommendation then I would get a second opinion.

This!

kristybenner

i have had thyroid issues for the last 10 years. I have to be on a daily medication and watch my levels with blood test every 6 months. I have had raidation treatments and have been on both sides of the scales for the levels. I have never heard of treating the side effects with a 800 caloric diet. that sounds off. I would for sure get a second opinion.

leslisa

Can I throw in my 2 cents (whether I can or not, I will anyway!!!).

About 800 cal diet. I'd do it, at least for a time I would. I'm on 1000 a day diet per doc recommendation. He's been my doc for years, knows me, knows I have battled eating disorders most of my life, is understanding of my low metabolism. He said it will work and it is. Weight is coming off, albeit slowly (19 lbs since mid-Feb) and I'm taking the vitamins he recommended so I haven't had any energy loss.

About the thyroid. Have you checked into seaweed? A friend of mine has a hypothyroid and so did my father before he passed. Both use/used seaweed. What kind of seaweed? I have no friggin' idea (I do remember something about iodine if that helps). All I know is that it worked well for my father (he died of complications from bi-pass surgery, nothing to do with thyroid) and for my friend here at work (she is losing weight now she eats seaweed).

Best of luck to you!

msmed

He is an endocrinologist who loves to put people on the HCG diet. I let him know right off that I was not interested in that. I do know people who have done it - and it starts you off w/ 500 calories a day - they've lost but they have gained the weight right back. I'm not interested in a crash diet. I'm looking for a lifestyle change. He did put me on Armour (supposed to be better for you than Synthroid) and I was sweating and my heart was pounding out of my chest. Obviously, I'm not taking that anymore & I'm not sure they know what to do w/ me. My thyroid is in normal range, just at the low end of normal so many doctors would not consider me a candidate for medication.

I have enough experience with health issues that my children have had that you go to doctors for advice & possibly treatment but ultimately, they are not perfect. We've been given bad advice from doctors in the past for our kids and had to make our own decisions. My instincts have not failed me yet in that regard. Thank you for all your advice. I think seeing a dietician is an excellent idea.

delilah47

Unless a doctor takes "extra classes" their diet education is limited to only a few hours. My doctor also recommended I go on a less-than-1000-calorie-diet. That's primitive and only shows how little interest they ever had in learning how to treat obese people. Before I would take that advice, I would go to a dietician or nutritionist with hopes they are current in dieting and how to do it successfully. Good luck.