Want to get off of this low calorie diet

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  • BeDawn
    BeDawn Posts: 56 Member
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    About four years ago I needed to lose a lot of weight and went to a doctor to do so; similar to what you described. In addition to vitamin injections I also was prescribed Phentermine which killed my appetite and made it possible for me to stick to a very low calorie diet. I lost a ton of weight – going from 198 to 154. When I did stop taking the Phentermine my appetite came back in full swing and I quickly regained about 10 lbs. Then, I slowly regained, over time, nearly all the weight back.

    You didn’t mention that you are taking an appetite suppressant but I am curious if you are? If not, I can imagine it would be very hard to stick to such a low caloric intake.

    Anyway, after about four or five months when I reached the 150’s I stopped taking the Phentermine b/c I no longer needed to lose any more weight. By then my hair started falling out and I started getting a rash on my scalp. Also, my blood pressure went up and my thyroid stopped working normally. After seeing another doctor (primary care), I learned that the prolonged low calorie diet was to blame.

    I think you are wise to be asking the question - how will this affect your health?

    This time around, I am losing the weight slowly as I hope to have long-lasting results. For me, this means learning to feed myself in a healthy and balanced way; I sought the counsel of a nutritionist who has assisted me. And, of couse, including regular exercise.

    I hope this has helped. Best of luck to you in whatever you decide! :heart: :flowerforyou:
    Thank you for sharing. I appreciate it, and it has helped to hear from someone who has gone down this path already.
  • BeDawn
    BeDawn Posts: 56 Member
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    Read this:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    ^^ This. Check out my pictures in my profile to see results following IPOARM, eating good and doing strength exercises.
    Great post, thanks for the link.
    You are doing so well. 2000 calories a day? Wow.
  • BeDawn
    BeDawn Posts: 56 Member
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    Well shouldn't you be raising the same questions with her? why would you ignore her advice for that of novices on a forum. :ohwell:
    I did raise questions. She sort of gave me a pat on the head and said "Don't worry." If I was seeing her for something life threatening I wouldn't seek a second opinion in a forum, believe me.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    When I went in, I had a 40.8% bodyfat. That qualified me for the obese persons weight loss program. (That isn't actually what they call it) This Dr. has a family practice with two other Doctors and she is known for her comprehensive weight loss program. I specifically went to see her to help me lose the weight.

    You will not be on this for the rest of the life. You've done great so far. It's doctor supervised.

    The hard thing about losing weight is actually keeping it off - especially doctor supervised. You lose fast, you regain fast. You don't want to do that.

    You're not there yet, but ask your doctor next time you see her how she plans on having you maintain. Your maintenance will obviously be much higher than what you're doing with this very rapid weight loss. Then ask her how you will transition from one to the other.

    THEN MFP will be great for you to make sure you keep your calories at a level (and exercise at a level) to maintain.
  • BeDawn
    BeDawn Posts: 56 Member
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    Maybe it's just me, but I'm quite fond of listening to my Dr....you know, the one with all of that medical training and whatnot.

    I agree that there should probably be a 2nd opinon. I assume that the doc isn't her PCP...I would assume that you would go to a specialist for something like this; I would. The only thing I rely on my PCP for is if I have a cold or something. I guess I also assume that someone would have already had a 2nd and even 3rd opion for something like this; again, I would. I guess I shouldn't assume so much. I just have a hard time giving someone advice to someone on a public forum when they're being cared for by a doctor...again, assuming it would be a good one.

    I didn't look at the profile, but really at 161 Lbs I would also think that the doctor should be having the OP increase to something much more reasonable.
    Actually, I thought she was a specialist, turns out she's not. I'm feeling better and better about talking to you all about this. I should have googled before I went to see her. Even if she has a less severe food plan available, I should be able to do this without professional help.
  • jfrankic
    jfrankic Posts: 747 Member
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    Read this:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    ^^ This. Check out my pictures in my profile to see results following IPOARM, eating good and doing strength exercises.
    Great post, thanks for the link.
    You are doing so well. 2000 calories a day? Wow.

    Thank you! Yes, I eat around 2000 a day (sometimes 2600, sometimes 1800 but it averages to 2000-2100). I lift 3x per week following NROLFW (New Rules of Lifting For Women). I am quite a bit taller though.....

    Height - 5'8
    Weight - 166lbs
    BF - 25-26%
    BMR - 1544
    TDEE Light - 2123
    TDEE Moderate - 2393

    These are my numbers based on F2F Radio. I consider myself between light & moderate since I do very little cardio (15 minute HIIT session 1-2x per week after lifting). I'm eating very close to my TDEE and still losing. When I had more to lose, I ate at a 20% deficit. That was still around 2000 a day because I was doing more cardio and burning more calories daily. These are MY numbers. I was 70+ pounds overweight but otherwise "healthy".

    Your numbers will be different, of course. Just do the math and understand the science. BMR is what your body needs to function. Bare minimum. TDEE is what your body burns on average from daily activity and workouts. Anywhere in between should result in a healthy weight loss. I learned most of this from IPOARM (helloitsdan) and was also verified when I ran my numbers against the Insanity diet program. Dan is great and he has a huge group of people learning to eat and lose fat in a way that is sustainable and long term. Look him up, friend him and join us if you want. We like to eat. We like to help people understand that (unless medically necessary) there is another way. :heart:
  • BeDawn
    BeDawn Posts: 56 Member
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    If anyone is curious, here is an update. I have added calories back slowly and my weight loss slowed, but I did not gain any weight. I went from a weekly average of around 700 cals a day to a weekly average of 1150 a day. I plan on staying at 1200 a day for two weeks and then slowly adding more until I am eating at least my BMR. I will also add strength training 3 days a week. I have the Chalene Extreme program, and I got a TRX for Christmas. I plan to eat all exersize calories on workout days. I will do this consistently for a few weeks and see what happens.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    Excellent! Here's to a happier and healthier you!
  • LisaGirlfriend
    LisaGirlfriend Posts: 493 Member
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    That is great news!! Good for you for doing what you instinctively know is right for you and NOT listening to your doctor. That is absolutely awful to have you on such a low calorie diet. It only destroys your metabolism in the long run. If you haven't found this area on MFP - go here for tons of info:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/3834-eat-more-to-weigh-less

    You are roughly the same size as me and I eat anywhere between 1500 - 1700 cals a day. I am still trying to find the right place for me to start losing but I'm not gaining eating this amount of food - sometimes I eat even more.

    Good luck and happy 2013!!!

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