My friend and her "doctor".....?????

jcompton3821

I have a friend who is losing weight so fast and I am SO jealous :grumble: so I asked her what she was doing different and this is what she said....she was seeing a doctor :huh: and "Taking tenuate-an appetite suppressant. Drinking a gallon of water a day-exercising 45mins a day and only eating 700 cals. Tried ww but couldn't ever get below a certain weight. I am finally over that hurdle!!!! ""


Does this sound OK??? :noway: Everything on MFP stresses at least 1200 cals a day...some need more...I'm usually still hungry after 1200 cals :sad: and exercise to get more cals!!!!


Just curious.......:ohwell:

simona1972

For me...this wouldnt be the way to go. My question and concern would be...what happens when you stop taking Tenuate? 700 cals per day wouldnt be sustainable for me in the long term so I know once Im off the med I'll go back to eating and gaining weight.

MTGirl

Doesn't sound good to me. At least she's under a doctor's supervision, but I wouldn't recommend this method. What will happen when she stops taking that pill? Probably pile back on the weight just as fast. Or go back to taking the pill. Do you want to be dependent on a pill the rest of your life to maintain your weight loss?? I don't! Slow and steady wins the race - especially healthwise!

mommyhof3

Does not seem right to me. I have been doing this with Weight Watchers (5 years ago) and continuing now with MFP and I have never eaten that little calories. I had a friend lose weight fast by "starving" her body and she has now gained most back bec once she lost it she started eating the way she was before. Don't be jealous of her and continue what you are doing because in the long run you will be the better one for it

kgrutch

there is a doctor in town (he is a real doctor, a cardiologist actually) who also runs a weight loss clinic, he gives various injections weekly, appetite suppressants and pills to increase your metabolism and 500 calories/day. yes people lose weight, anyone with common sense can tell this is not the ideal way to lose weight. each person has to make his/her own decision about what is right for them but they obviously are taking risks with certain programs.

Changes4Life

I have a friend who is losing weight so fast and I am SO jealous :grumble: so I asked her what she was doing different and this is what she said....she was seeing a doctor :huh: and "Taking tenuate-an appetite suppressant. Drinking a gallon of water a day-exercising 45mins a day and only eating 700 cals. Tried ww but couldn't ever get below a certain weight. I am finally over that hurdle!!!! ""


Does this sound OK??? :noway: Everything on MFP stresses at least 1200 cals a day...some need more...I'm usually still hungry after 1200 cals :sad: and exercise to get more cals!!!!


Just curious.......:ohwell:

A - Anything that sounds that easy is too good to be true and can't be good for you.
B - Most people that lose weight this way will gain it all back plus some.
C - That calorie amount is ridiculous and asking for trouble/health problems. That is not a healthy amount. Of course she would be losing.

Stick to what you are doing, stick to your goals! Let her lose it all really quick and you can come in like the tortoise. I am telling you that her loss will sadly be short lived. This is a long term, lifetime commitment and there is noway in H_L_ that eating 700 calories a day for the rest of your life would be a smart or easy way to live. Trust me! I have done just about every weightloss thing out there. This is the real deal! Goodluck to you and keep going...your weight will come off like it should....slow and steady!

Jennifer

aippolito1

Wow, NOT the healthy way to go at all. I eat close to 1600 calories per day or more, depending on how much I exercise and am usually still a tiny bit hungry and I haven't gained weight. I've been maintaining for a couple weeks but stil have not gained. Eating more definitely makes you weigh less. I wouldn't trust this "program".

poustotah

At one point, my personal trainer had me eating 900 calories a day for 3 days and 2100 calories on the 4th day to "confuse" my metabolism. I came on here and several people told me I was crazy (more or less) and to eat more and I did and I started losing more weight! I talked to my mom (who is a nutritionist) and she said that instead of "confusing" the metabolism starving my body was actually destroying it.

So don't be jealous of that kind of weight loss. Slow and steady wins the race - and in this case, makes you live a LOT longer.

MelleyJ

1200 still isn't enough for most people, even the ones on here who are seeing results. Your best bet, especially if you are still hungry after 1200 calories is to check your estimated RMR (resting metabolic rate) or, if you have access to a facility that can check it for you, have your RMR tested. I recently had mine tested and I was eating 1200 calories for a while. By doing that, my estimated RMR was 1500-1600, but the actual result was 1380 because my body had adapted and was concerving everything I was eating, making my weight loss progress slow and lowered my RMR. Just an afterthought, but listen to your body. If you are still hungry, eat a healthy snack to curb your hunger and drink plenty of water. Who cares if you are over your calories. If you are putting healthy food into your body when it tells you that you are hungry, there's nothing wrong with that!

FabiolaEnvy♥

she taking a short cut.
meaning once she is done taking the shortcut.
she will be happy with her weight and get off of her shortcut meds.
maybe within a month she will gain moooooore than what she lost. and that would be soooo sad. cause. it happens to people who doing it for more progress for a short amount of time.
i say stick with this one and you will have a better result than her.
cause your body will get use to eating a certain amount.
so just stay commented to this. dont try doing what she is doing.


oh and if you are still hungry after 1200 just eat a health choice of food such as snack
fruits or vegi is the best and if you dont want that. get a bar you think is more filling for you. of course look at the calories.
just keep what you doing. ok

lynnie30

you need more than 700 calories to keep your body alive if you just lay in a bed all day. No, that is not good

StarryEyedGirl

she may be able to survive 700 calories while on this med. but lets face it she will not be on the med forever (hopefully) You can't live on 700 calories a day without starvation mode... she is setting herself up for failure! at least with MFP you can live like this for ever!!!

Good luck to her. when she is done dieting she can come over here to MFP and make a life style change!

Don't be tempted to try her route you are doing fine right here

good luck

Mellie13

Since I used to be a Pharmacy Tech I looked up this drug and it does not look like a good thing to be taking! Check this out!

Tenuate is a sympathomimetic amine, which is similar to an amphetamine. It is also known as an "anorectic" or an "anorexigenic" drug. Tenuate stimulates the central nervous system (nerves and brain), which increases your heart rate and blood pressure and decreases your appetite.

CasperO

How much weight has your friend got to lose?

If you are 45% bodyfat and you have enough fat calories on you that it would take you 6 months to starve to death, then ya', maybe, for a little while. Under the care of a Doctor, with careful monitoring, and good vitamin/mineral supplementation.

However, If you're not carrying so much it's a good way to get really really sick.

Bad news for your friend is that she will not learn good healthy eating & lifestyle habits, and will be in danger of yoyoing right back to where she was once the "diet" is over.

FitbitConnor

For what its worth heres my two bobs worth...

Ok firstly, I would take the advice of a qualified medical practitioner over any advice i found on the internet without hesitation. Secondly her doctor is most likely privy to information we are not so its not really helpful to criticize from a point of ignorance.
There is not one single healthy weightloss method that will work for everyone im sure that if the doctor is a good one hes also talking through nutrition with her and the steps she needs to take once she has shed the initial fat.

Being overweight carries many side effects and dangers that rapid weightloss may have been the lesser of two evils and more beneficial to her overall health picture.

I wish your friend continued success! :0)

whyflysouth

Since I used to be a Pharmacy Tech I looked up this drug and it does not look like a good thing to be taking! Check this out!

Tenuate is a sympathomimetic amine, which is similar to an amphetamine. It is also known as an "anorectic" or an "anorexigenic" drug. Tenuate stimulates the central nervous system (nerves and brain), which increases your heart rate and blood pressure and decreases your appetite.

I hear crystal meth does wonders for weight loss but that's not route you want to take. If the doctor is a real doctor he's probably got some kind of plan to wean her off and dramatically change her eating habits in the future, or maybe he's in the pocket of the pharmaceutical industry. Don't focus on losing the weight quickly, if that happens then take it like a gift, but the truth is, truly fit people are fit for years, not for 3-6 months to transform themselves into skinny people. Good luck!

jcompton3821

For what its worth heres my two bobs worth...

Ok firstly, I would take the advice of a qualified medical practitioner over any advice i found on the internet without hesitation. Secondly her doctor is most likely privy to information we are not so its not really helpful to criticize from a point of ignorance.
There is not one single healthy weightloss method that will work for everyone im sure that if the doctor is a good one hes also talking through nutrition with her and the steps she needs to take once she has shed the initial fat.

Being overweight carries many side effects and dangers that rapid weightloss may have been the lesser of two evils and more beneficial to her overall health picture.
\
I wish your friend continued success! :0)



Oh, please don't think I am trying to "sabotage" her weight loss...I am VERY happy for her...she did have a "significant" amount to lose and I wish her all the best....I am afraid of any kind of drug...scared of all the "side effects" of just about anything so I wouldn't take anything anyway...I was just curious about the 700 cals because like I said I'm still hungry most days after eating 1200....

karlowe

shes playing russian roulette with her health and that is kinda why we are here. to learn better. heck I can puck and take laxatives and get skinny minny but I want to do good for my heart not put it under stress which is what diet aids and not getting 1200 cal does. Your doing awesome! just focus on what you have done and not on what you still have to do!

haileyco

I concur with all the above responses. In addition, many of these weight loss meds that "speed up your metabolism" do so my increasing your heartrate, putting an increased strain on your heart and potentially causing heart problems and high blood pressure. bad news. it is like spped or amphetamines. no bueno. keep it up the natural way.

kgrutch

i am whole heartedly against the use of "pills" for weight loss but i agree with one statement above regarding weight loss. i work in the open heart intensive care unit (after heart bypass surgery). most of these people are over weight and have been trying to lose weight for many years. maybe if some of them had done a program like above they could have lost 100 lbs 20 years ago and not be in the situation they are in. yes amphetamines raise your heart rate and cause a lot of side effects BUT so does being obese. obesity is an epidemic and heart disease is one of the scariest parts of the obesity. so i guess if people cannot lose weight naturally, other options should be explored.

stormieweather

I have a friend here at work who is under a doctor's care, getting weekly shots @ $60 ea. She never eats (that I see, not sure her actual calorie count), but she's lost 30 pounds very rapidly. She said she did this before and as soon as she stopped the shots, she gained all the weight back plus an extra 20 pounds. Now she's to her goal weight but again, but is petrified to stop the $60 a week shots (or to quit smoking!).

No thanks...

courtney_love2001

I'm not a fan of prescribing weight loss medication as a physician. I don't think it will work long term for most people. It is a quick fix--instead of counseling patients on living a healthy lifestyle, it is much easier to give a medication and let the patient deal with their own issues by themselves. And what will happen when the patient goes off the medication? They have learned nothing about healthy eating. For all we know, that woman could be eating 700 calories of twinkies, and when she goes off the meds, that will not help her at all. When I become a physician, if I go into primary care, I will strive to lead patients to websites like this, because I believe this is a much better option.

veggieheadie

My sister is currently taking the HCG injections. She has lost SO much weight, but she can only eat 500 calories a day. At times I feel jealous and think how unfair it is that I'm struggling to lose a pound a week at best and she can drop 10 in a matter of days. However, when we talk, I realize that she is not going to be able to sustain this kind of diet the rest of her life. I LOVE to work out and she hates working out. I am learning how to eat healthy, control my portions and live a healthier life style in general. She isn't learning anything. She isn't developing good life habits and eventually I believe she will gain it all back. Losing weight is about CHANGE not just dropping the pounds.

FitbitConnor

Hey, sorry I didnt mean to come across that way either I just wanted to suggest that maybe although not ideal losing weight quickly may have been preferential to other methods because of her over-all health picture and the doctor should have been going through good nutrition at the same time to help her keep the weight off. The lighter life diet is actually prescribed here for people with more than 42lbs to lose and that starts only around 600-700 calories per day if i recall? Although the only way to KEEP healthy is to eat right and exercise, I think its unhelpful if too many people start to believe that there is one 'right way ' to lose weight because each person is different and has a different relationship to their weightloss. Its all means to an end and maybe losing weight slowly is the better way, its not the only way. As for the drugs i agree with you, they aren't ideal I've tried some and nearly all i couldnt take for long and there are too many dubious ones out there but if one comes recommended by a doctor aafter other methods have been tried first then i dont have too much of a problem but i would recommend that some internet research is done alongside any prescribed medication.

Edit - I personally cant stand any caffeine/amphetamine based weightloss pill, the overall effects far outweigh any loss gained from taking them

innerhottie

After horrid teasing in highschool (I was 138 lbs.... I know HUGE, right?) I swiped my mom's Rx for Tenuate.
When I tell you I literally could not LOOK at food I am not kidding. I took them for about 2 weeks and dropped from 138 to 121 lbs.
UNTIL... I passed out in geometry class.

Talk about scared straight. My parents and my doctor hit the roof.
The worst part was that all of the people who had been picking on me told me how great I looked.

sshultz

Just because they have Dr. in front of their name does not make them right about everything or actually that smart. Hell if that were the case, I would have had a heart transplant 3 yrs ago. Turned out the tech that did the test screwed up and the cardiologist had no clue and didn't think to retest. He was ready to do an invasive procedure right away. So no, I can't see a competent physician putting someone on a drug like that and cutting them to 700 calories. That's just insane, regardless of how much weight they have to lose. There are sooooooooooo many ways to lose that weight, including calorie restriction, just not at such an extreme rate. You know the old saying, just because you can doesn't mean you should. I certainly wouldn't go to a Dr. like that. I hope for her sake that he doesn't end up doing more damage.

FitbitConnor

I would go as far as to say that being a Doctor does not make them infallible but i think that saying a doctor isnt smart is ridiculous! you cant use one example of a negative experience to cast aspersions over an entire profession. I had my appendix out last year and had first class treatment from all the staff from the consultant down to the nurse that changed my bed linen and that was free, national health trust care but i wouldnt go as far as to say everyone has that experience.

As far as i can tell from the information we have been given about the woman on this weightloss plan, she had a lot of weight to lose and is doing well with no complaints to speak of surely this should be commended as it is working? we really have very little information about the nutritional advice she may or may not be receiving certainly not enough to be so judgmental about it.

As for the pills I personally have tried them and not got on with the ones i tried which i bought from a health store she has been prescribed her tablets based on her medical background which maybe why shes having more success...

sshultz

I would go as far as to say that being a Doctor does not make them infallible but i think that saying a doctor isnt smart is ridiculous! you cant use one example of a negative experience to cast aspersions over an entire profession. I had my appendix out last year and had first class treatment from all the staff from the consultant down to the nurse that changed my bed linen and that was free, national health trust care but i wouldnt go as far as to say everyone has that experience.

As far as i can tell from the information we have been given about the woman on this weightloss plan, she had a lot of weight to lose and is doing well with no complaints to speak of surely this should be commended as it is working? we really have very little information about the nutritional advice she may or may not be receiving certainly not enough to be so judgmental about it.

As for the pills I personally have tried them and not got on with the ones i tried which i bought from a health store she has been prescribed her tablets based on her medical background which maybe why shes having more success...

I wasn't slamming the entire profession. I work with medical professionals every day. Some of them are top notch and I wouldn't hesitate to put my life in their hands. But just like any other profession, not all of them know their *kitten* from a hole in the ground. Don't assume that I was degrading the entire profession based on the comment that "Just because they have Dr. in front of their name does not make them right about everything or actually that smart". Several of the Drs. I work with would say the same. Just because someone is a police officer doesn't mean I would want them backing me up in a fire fight, either. Lucky for you and I both that we did get top-notch treatment. Sadly, I see medical professionals use the medication short-cuts almost daily. They treat the symptoms, not the cause and rarely give an alternative solution.

A massive drop in calories to the point that it's not even what most adults require to function is not right. Of course she's losing weight. She's dropping fat, yes, but at that calorie level, her body is also metabolizing her muscle tissue as well. She needs to be building or at least maintaining muscle tissue during her weight loss. Muscle helps burn fat. She definitely should be on a calorie-restricted plan that is medically supervised but not to that extreme. Sadly, any side-effects or health issues this could cause may not be seen for some time.

Veggieheadie hit it on the... well, head. She won't be able to sustain this so what happens when she starts eating to really feed her body again? What happens when it's time to come off the drugs and work it out for herself? I know many obese people who really don't eat that much. In fact, they usually don't eat enough! It took my wife over a year to believe that in order to lose weight, you have to eat. She was by no means obese. She didn't even have that much to lose but once she started eating more often, she found that she was actually taking in more calories AND began losing weight. She needs someone that will teach her proper nutrition and good eating habits.

And btw, it's been more than one negative experience in my life. It's been many. And maybe that's just my luck. But no, I don't think all doctors are idiots but I also know not all of them are of the highest moral standards, nor are they all the super intelligent beings we would like to think they should be. Some of them are just plain lazy and are only in it for the pretty paychecks. You run into that type in any profession.

lawkat

I am friends with a lot of doctors. However, they tend to have a specialty and asking them anything outside of that isn't very helpful. What I am saying is that, what kind of doctor is he? Most doctors do not know the specifics on what is a healthy diet and should refer her to a nutritionist. My good friend, who is a doctor, buys into some of the diet fads even though there is no real evidence, other than some star losing a ton of weight, to back up the claim.

It sounds like she isn't really learning anything from the crash diet. Once she gets down to her goal weight and off the meds, will she know how to maintain it? That is the biggest problem for most people. If you aren't given the right train of thought as to how to maintain the weight loss, it will come back on with a vengeance. Changing one's lifestyle to lose weight and maintain it, isn't as simple as popping a pill or getting injections. You have to change your mindset and how you approach food. It isn't easy but once you look at food as something to provide you nourishment instead of something to make you feel better or fill an emotional void, food is viewed differently.

Plus when people do up and down doing all sorts of crazy diets, they can eventually mess up their metabolism to the point where it won't know what to do. Any weight they try to lose will be in vain because their metabolism has been up and down for far too long.

I wouldn't be jealous of her. You have the tools to help you lose the weight and keep it off. It certainly isn't in a drink or pill or shot but through proper eating and exercising.

Mellie13

For the most part I respect and admire doctors, but I do agree that they do need to be careful about sticking to their specialty (don't get me started about family practice doctors and psychology). It is also important to remember that they really don't learn a lot about drugs in medical school. Why do you think Pharmacists have to now become doctors of pharmacology?? We need them. So, doctors don't often know much about the drugs some drug company told them to prescribe to make them money regardless of the benefit of the patient! OK, I'm done.

electricgypsy

not even the drug companies always know exactly how a drug works!! they're trialled on a does it work and is it safe(ish basis).