My doc said only eat 1200 to maintain my weight

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.

EvgeniZyntx

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.

Oh, and on this little point: I used to TRAIN doctors-to-be and doctors-in-practice, you should all be VERY scared by that.

Somewhere, if you ever hear of an intern that got slapped with a dissected trochanter (the ball of the femur - I'm sure it left a mark) for clipping fingernails in a clean room - tada, that was little ol' me on the givin' end.

Di3012

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

Don't be ridiculous, why will the OP explode?

Are you telling the OP to ignore their personalised medical advice?

whierd

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

We call this an Appeal to Authority logical fallacy.

whierd

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

Don't be ridiculous, why will the OP explode?

Are you telling the OP to ignore their personalised medical advice?

Whoosh!

firstsip

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

Don't be ridiculous, why will the OP explode?

Are you telling the OP to ignore their personalised medical advice?

Spontaneous combustion is a real worry.

farway

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

Don't be ridiculous, why will the OP explode?

Are you telling the OP to ignore their personalised medical advice?

Spontaneous combustion is a real worry.

Not if the they are taking the p!ss, which I assume they are, or just a complete w@nker loving the CAPS LOCK button

dyousif99

Hi there - I learned over the years that when you eat too little, your body begins to think that you are starving it and will store whatever calories you are giving it as reserves. Make sure that you increase your water intake (I am sure that you heard that a gazillion time!) Water is boring so put some Mio or other flavouring in it to make it more appealing. I use a dessert plate instead of a dinner plate. I fill it and it looks like I am eating lots but am not. Chose your calories wisely: though you will have more carbs in veggies than cheese, they are processed differently by your system. And very important: do not stress about it. The more you want to get to your goal weight, the less you enjoy each day. Eat good food; do not deprive yourself of the occasional treat (I love Ikea frozen yogourt - it is not fancy but it satisfies my sweet tooth). You are young and you are strong - tell yourself "each day and every day I get better and better". Good luck. Let me know if this helps a little ok?
Diane

cspinney

I think that if you've only got 15 lbs to lose, you shouldn't be expecting to lose 2 lbs a week. When you have less weight to lose, it tends to come off slowly.

peckish_pomegranate

I'd get a second opinion.