My doc said only eat 1200 to maintain my weight

kirbyjo3

My endocrinologist told me that to maintain my weight (140lbs, height 5'5, 27 y/o) I should only eat 1200 calories a day. MFP suggests that I eat 1350. My goal is to lose 15 lbs to get back to my base weight from two years ago.

I have been logging my food intake and I normally eat around 1200 a day with out any type of dieting or over eating. I end the day full, there are no issues with hunger. I guess my doctor was assuming that I was eating more than that - So I joined MFP to count and make sure.

I am trying to lose weight and have found that I don't lose any at the rate suggested by MFP (for 2 lbs a week) with 1000 calories. My net has been, on average, at 800-900 calories a day with exercise.

Does anyone else have a similar experience? I see so many posts saying that 1200 or 1000 cals a day is too low, but frankly, I'm full off of that and if I eat more -- then I would gain significantly. I'm eating pretty healthy, with most of my meals being high in protein and vegetables. I also am gluten free and cook all meals myself. Are people who aren't full on 1200 cals just not eating as healthy? or am I just abnormal?

I'm confused! I want to lose but I can't see how eating more (as many suggest on here, and which is against my doc's advice) is better, or going to help shed more lbs.

PrincessNikkiBoo

You are trying to MAINTAIN at 1,200 calories a day?

dinosnopro

I am assuming that being you are seeing an endocrinologist , you have some underlying issues? The eat more to weigh less may not apply. I would ask your Dr. more questions, like why he thinks you maintain at 1200 calories.

HIITMe

Oh boy.....here come all of the barely out of high school experts that know better than your medically trained physician telling you to ignore him and to follow MFP

MaraDiaz

You are under doctor's supervision so why not tell your doctor you want to lose a bit rather than maintain and eat whatever amount of calories your doctor sets? Better yet, get a referral to a nutritionist if you can and ask the nutritionist.

*rereads* Oh wait, endo. They might know even more than the nutritionist what you personally need. So yeah, ask the endo.

dad106

I think your another who confuses deficit with diet.

To lose two pounds a week you need a 1000 calorie DEFICIT per day... Not to eat a thousand calories per day or less.

Like someone else said though, I would ask your doctor. Plus with only 15 pounds to lose, 2 pounds a week is not a healthy goal to have.

dinosnopro

Oh boy.....here come all of the barely out of high school experts that know better than your medically trained physician telling you to ignore him and to follow MFP

Flame bait much?

farway

Oh boy.....here come all of the barely out of high school experts that know better than your medically trained physician telling you to ignore him and to follow MFP

This ^^^^^^

Your doctor knows you and has had years of training, ignore what you find on the internet, if still unsure ask your doctor to clarify

beskimoosh

Listen to your endocrologist, and if you're confused about it, ask them or your doctor. People on here are very quick to point out that it's recommended that you don't eat under 1200, but there are obviously medical issues involved, so I'd speak to specialists.

AngieM76

Tell your endo that you want to lose 15lbs, not maintain your weight and see what he says.

EvgeniZyntx

Oh boy.....here come all of the barely out of high school experts that know better than your medically trained physician telling you to ignore him and to follow MFP

Don't be like that.

Based on your doctor's plan what happens when you follow it - do you lose or do you maintain? You might ave to adjust a little based on that. Once you have a baseline - add 200 a day for 3 weeks, see what happens. Adjust.

The best discussion you can have is with your doctor.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Oh boy.....here come all of the barely out of high school experts that know better than your medically trained physician telling you to ignore him and to follow MFP

Don't be like that.

Based on your doctor's plan what happens when you follow it - do you lose or do you maintain? You might ave to adjust a little based on that. Once you have a baseline - add 200 a day for 3 weeks, see what happens. Adjust.

The best discussion you can have is with your doctor.

This-- try it awhile and see what happens. But make sure you're understanding your endo. Since you're seeing a specialist I'd also assume there's something going on that might alter your caloric needs, so it's hard for us to give you good advice.

psuLemon

It depends on what your medical issue is? If you have something like hypothyroidism, then you will probably be required to eat less calories. Also, you can ask your dr to provide a name of a good dietitian because unless she also has a specialty in nutrition, she might be just going by the antiquated answer of just 1200 calories. Also, how much are you working out? What type of exercise are you doing? And does your Dr know all of this?

FitBeto

DAS IMPOSSIBLE 1200 CALORIES IS WHAT YOU HAVE TO EAT IN ORDER TO BE IN STARVATION MODE. YOU ARE GONNA ESPLODE BETTER GET A WILL

neandermagnon

I am assuming that being you are seeing an endocrinologist , you have some underlying issues? The eat more to weigh less may not apply. I would ask your Dr. more questions, like why he thinks you maintain at 1200 calories.

^^^^ this

and also ask the same doc what you should eat to lose the weight you want to lose. the calorie calculators that are used for TDEE, BMR etc are based on average people with no medical issues. they may not be correct if you have certain medical issues going on.

teresafromtarana

I don't think it's a good idea to drop your calorie intake to 800-900 per day. That's unsustainable in life and your body will go in starvation mode and you will never be able to go back to 1200 calories and maintain your weight. I think sticking at 1200 calories per day but ensuring you add workouts to this is best until you see your dr again and discuss further.

BeachGingerOnTheRocks

I don't think it's a good idea to drop your calorie intake to 800-900 per day. That's unsustainable in life and your body will go in starvation mode and you will never be able to go back to 1200 calories and maintain your weight. I think sticking at 1200 calories per day but ensuring you add workouts to this is best until you see your dr again and discuss further.

OP, you are not going to go into starvation mode. You're just not.

But I will agree with this post regarding exercise. I don't know what your exercise routine is, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to move more and work calorie deficits in that way if you want to lose.

akaMrsmojo

Not a big fan of doctors, I was misdiagnosed for 10 years and I have celiac. He would never listen to me.

With that being said, I would talk to him/her and tell them what you told us and your goals. Or get a second opinion just to make sure.

kirbyjo3

I do about an hour (4-6 miles) on the elliptical 5 days a week and walk to work and back around 3 days a week (4 miles round trip).

Ge0rgiana

Seek the advice of a nutritionist / dietician. I've gotten REALLY bad diet advice from doctors.

kirbyjo3

I'm just going to make another appointment. Thanks everyone!

psuLemon

On a side note, add in some weight training. It improves insulin response, helps maintain lean body mass and will provide a continuous burn of calorie post workout. And if you are going to eat low calories, the more strength training and protein the better. Last thing you want is to have a slower metabolism and less muscle.

Controversial

Either there's a WHOLE LOT you're leaving out of your story, or you need a second opinion.

jamers3111

I would listen to your doctor... and your body. For those of us with no health issues and who burn 400+ calories a day, 1200 calories may not be enough but for some people it may work. I think if you are full/satisfied eating 1200 with a net of 900, then do that... but if you notice you aren't losing then maybe up it to 1350. Good luck

jamers3111

I do about an hour (4-6 miles) on the elliptical 5 days a week and walk to work and back around 3 days a week (4 miles round trip).

If you have been doing this for some time your body gets "bored" and used to this workout so you probably won't see much of change in your body. I have been a runner for 15+ years and realized a couple years back that my body was so used to my runs that I needed to throw it off by adding other workouts. Try doing some other activies to confuse you body and use muscles you don't usually use on the eliptical.

fbmandy55

DAS IMPOSSIBLE 1200 CALORIES IS WHAT YOU HAVE TO EAT IN ORDER TO BE IN STARVATION MODE. YOU ARE GONNA ESPLODE BETTER GET A WILL

This. Totally this.

skinnyinnotime

Oh boy.....here come all of the barely out of high school experts that know better than your medically trained physician telling you to ignore him and to follow MFP

I LAUGH in the face of some 'trained physicians'. They do not know everything and make mistakes often.

I was told by my consultant that if I went ahead with my planned homebirth that because my baby was SO BIG (he was not) his shoulders would get stuck and both my baby and I would DIE.

He knew sweet FA and was just trying to scare me into a hospital birth....after all he wouldn't have a job if we all chose homebirths.

I had my homebirth and it was wonderful...I also went on to have another one.

skinnyinnotime

Not a big fan of doctors, I was misdiagnosed for 10 years and I have celiac. He would never listen to me.

With that being said, I would talk to him/her and tell them what you told us and your goals. Or get a second opinion just to make sure.

Quite.

Don't rely one any one person, especially a doctor.

DrMAvDPhD

I only see two options.

1. Give it a try for a few months, see what happens.
2. Consult with a second doctor/nutritionist.

Notice, neither option is "ignore the doctor and use MFP".

NLKatherine

I do about an hour (4-6 miles) on the elliptical 5 days a week and walk to work and back around 3 days a week (4 miles round trip).

Make sure your doctor knows what your goals are AND the amount of exercise you're doing. S/He may say 1200 calories a day but if s/he doesn't know that you're doing this much activity then it might be a problem. Your body will go to starvation mode if it feels you're not eating enough.

firstsip

OP, I don't even HAVE a thyroid, I see one of the top ten endos in the *country* (on top of a host of others I've seen in my life), and all of them agree that caloric intake is vastly misunderstood with thyroid issues. If your thyroid is treated correctly, you, as a 5'6" girl at a healthy weight, would eat whatever your TDEE is to maintain. If your thyroid levels are in flux, even then, calorie changes aren't necessary; you still want to eat whatever it is you need to maintain and/or lose (if that's what you're trying to do), though there's science and endos that suggest limiting carbs to under 180g, and watching any goitrogens for possible interactions... but even then, those things are not necessarily the instant solution to any level fluctuations

There's the saying, "Get a second opinion" for a reason. Case in point, my very first endocrinologist underdosed me to the point of adrenal fatigue, near failure. This was a major, internationally known hospital, and obviously became a whole thing... but I'm just saying, doctors are hardly infallible, and like most science and research, the more you acquire information, the better you can make your decisions. Or, as others said, call the office/see the doctor again to get more clarity on the issue... and don't be afraid to speak up and mention things you might have read and/or heard. You'd be surprised that some doctors will suddenly give you much more information once they realize you're looking into things too.

Furthermore, you can join the "Hypothyroid and Hyperthyroid" group and poll around to see other people's experiences. I personally get full very easily; then again, I've dealt with anorexia for roughly half of my life, so either one or the other (or a combination of both) could be why I'm very easily satiated, but I have heard that other hypos find they get by much easier on less food... however, that often can compound the problem of not fueling their body (and even their thyroid), and stalling weight loss.

And to the people saying "here come the barely out of high school experts": 1. Super minimizing 2. Doctors are not perfect; I've already seen the majority of people recommend talking FURTHER to the doctor for clarification and/or see another doctor 3. Lucky you if you've never had a doctor seriously mess up your health because you blindly followed the M.D. after their name.