Doc wants me to do 1100 cals a day-I think she's cray cray

FlowersInTheDirt

I'm also 5"7 and when I started I needed to lose 40-50lbs also.
The calories your being advised to eat cannot be right! 1100 would definitely be under your BMR!
I am on 1660 calories a day and the weight is coming off steadily. I try and stay easy from food with high sugar and fat contents and make sure my plate is always full of colour :happy:

likeschocolate

... Since I'm wildly impatient, I've gone to one of those "Physician Assisted Weight Loss" Centers starting about a month ago ...

Well it looks like you got what you asked for -- something that was *fast*, yes? :flowerforyou:

If you want that in a medically controlled setting, i'd go with what an earlier poster said:

I'm going to say something that may come off as a bit cray. The only time low calorie diets are deemed Ok is if someone is under a doctor's care. The OP is under a doctor's care. Either get rid of the doctor's care loophole or admit that a VLCD can be Ok in certain situations. While it's not the way I'd go about it, if I found a doctor I trusted enough to start this process with I'd probably see it thru. Honestly, 1200 isn't a magical number. 100 calories above or below doesn't make it or break it.

babydiego87

yeah listen to the internet, rather than a professional. sounds smart

obviousdscretion

Ahahahahhaha I love the saved by the bell direct quote

graysmom2005

They first of all prescribed diet pills, which I quit after three days (felt like Jessie Spano on Saved by the Bell).

There's never enough time! I don't have time to study, I don't have time to wash my hair!!!
Give them back to me Zack I need them!!!

I'm so excited - I'm so excited - I'm so...so....SCARED!


*ahem* = sorry, moment's over. don't know what came over me. Hope your dr/weight situations get worked out

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA!

Jacwhite22

The doc's office has a magical scale that reads your body composition. So yeah, woohoo I lost five pounds! But oh wait a minute, it's the part you want to keep. Great advice, geesh

That "magical scale" is using BIA which is highly innacurate.......It varies widely based on hydration etc. It is nearly impossible that you lost 5 lbs and it is all muscle. If you are really worried about losing muscle I would start lifting weights (instead of or in addition to Zumba) and making sure you are getting sufficient protein. And yes.....1100 calories is too low.

calibriintx

Truth- I did seek out the help of specialist. However, I am very interested in people who are actually DOING this. I sought professional help initially because I really thought diet pills could be a good aid to get me going. Turns out they're just not for me. If I can get some valuable information and support here for free, then awesome!

I'm 5'7" and 194 lbs. I've dropped 16.5 lbs since January, down from 210.5. I eat about 1800 calories/day, give or take. Check out this link if you feel like what you're doing isn't for you: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/952996-level-obstacles-lose-weight-target-fat-easy

Annerk1

I eat clean, 1000 calories a day until I reach my goal, then I'll up it to 1300 or so. I also work out 2-3 hours a day. I don't count my workout calories against my food--that is just extra fat being burned and muscle being created right now, I will start adding calories to compensate once I hit my weight loss goal. I've been down this road before, and know it works.

By the way, before someone mentions it, the reason for my 35 pound weight gain was a medical problem and associated medications. I was able to loose weight and maintain that weight loss for over 10 years until the medical problem kicked in and took a couple of years to resolve.

Edited to add, I'm 5'6.5", curvy even when my BMI is bordering on underweight.

caterpillardreams

You know your body better than anyone, I feel if your gut tells you don't do it, then do not go there. find a healthy way to lose weight. count calories add some strength training, continue cardio. You will see changes. Drugs and litmiting your food intake will mess with your body

tekwriter

Dr.'s recieve very little training in nutrition. There stock answer most of the time is to hand out a 1200 calorie sheet. I had my Dr. once tell me I couldn't lose any weight at 2000 calories.

toutmonpossible

What makes you think you lost 5 pounds of muscle?

Exactly.

To the OP:

Why go to a specialized center and be seen by a medical doctor who has examined you and presumably taken a medical history and then ask for the input of unqualified strangers on the Internet?

You said you were "impatient," which is why she put you on an 1100 diet, which is not unhealthy as long as you eat a healthy, balanced diet.

toutmonpossible

Diet pills do work for some people. They permit them to get down to a reasonable size while learning new habits. Obviously, they should be taken only under the supervision of a medical professional.

Tarawitch2eyes

Agreed, any doctor in their right mind would not advise you to follow such a risky diet, a very catabolic diet! I'm worried for your thyroid!

3laine75

So I'm trying to lose 40-50ish pounds off of my 5'7 frame. I'm currently at 200 even. Since I'm wildly impatient, I've gone to one of those "Physician Assisted Weight Loss" Centers starting about a month ago. They first of all prescribed diet pills, which I quit after three days (felt like Jessie Spano on Saved by the Bell). They also put me on a 1200 calorie diet with 90 grams of protein/ less than a hundred carbs. In the past month, I've dropped 5 pounds (all muscle, so ugh!) and five inches off my waist (Thank you Zumba). I went to the doc today, and she wants me to cut ANOTHER 100 calories. I really want to drop the fat and not my muscle, so this just sounds like bad ju-ju. I am open to any advice and suggestions.

Thanks!!!

i find it hard to believe you lost 5lb of muscle while eating 90g of protein a day but then everyone is different.

i think its cray cray that you would want to ignore the advice of someone i'm assuming you're paying a lot of money to - i say this as i did a doctor supervised, low cal, high protein diet last year (which worked amazingly well btw).

the reason why i'm back doing this is my own stupidity - i went right back to my old eating habits and can't afford to do the diet again.

i'd obviously never advocate doing very low cal unsupervised so i'd suggest if you want to do the sensible eating, slow loss version - i'd say, stop paying good money (if you are) for something you've not got a lot of confidence in and just stick to the very good, very free advice you'll get here (regarding eating above your BMR/below TDEE)

edit: mine did not include the diet pills (just suppliments) i'd steer clear of those.

toutmonpossible

So I'm trying to lose 40-50ish pounds off of my 5'7 frame. I'm currently at 200 even. Since I'm wildly impatient, I've gone to one of those "Physician Assisted Weight Loss" Centers starting about a month ago. They first of all prescribed diet pills, which I quit after three days (felt like Jessie Spano on Saved by the Bell). They also put me on a 1200 calorie diet with 90 grams of protein/ less than a hundred carbs. In the past month, I've dropped 5 pounds (all muscle, so ugh!) and five inches off my waist (Thank you Zumba). I went to the doc today, and she wants me to cut ANOTHER 100 calories. I really want to drop the fat and not my muscle, so this just sounds like bad ju-ju. I am open to any advice and suggestions.

Thanks!!!

i find it hard to believe you lost 5lb of muscle while eating 90g of protein a day but then everyone is different.

i think its cray cray that you would want to ignore the advice of someone i'm assuming you're paying a lot of money to - i say this as i did a doctor supervised, low cal, high protein diet last year (which worked amazingly well btw).

I find it hard to believe that one would lose 5 pounds of muscle in a month. The answer is resistance training to maintain muscle.

1100 calories a day is not a lot of calories, but it's not considered medically to be "low calorie." Low calorie is 800 or less.

WinnerVictorious

So I'm trying to lose 40-50ish pounds off of my 5'7 frame. I'm currently at 200 even. Since I'm wildly impatient, I've gone to one of those "Physician Assisted Weight Loss" Centers starting about a month ago. They first of all prescribed diet pills, which I quit after three days (felt like Jessie Spano on Saved by the Bell). They also put me on a 1200 calorie diet with 90 grams of protein/ less than a hundred carbs. In the past month, I've dropped 5 pounds (all muscle, so ugh!) and five inches off my waist (Thank you Zumba). I went to the doc today, and she wants me to cut ANOTHER 100 calories. I really want to drop the fat and not my muscle, so this just sounds like bad ju-ju. I am open to any advice and suggestions.

Thanks!!!

i find it hard to believe you lost 5lb of muscle while eating 90g of protein a day but then everyone is different.

i think its cray cray that you would want to ignore the advice of someone i'm assuming you're paying a lot of money to - i say this as i did a doctor supervised, low cal, high protein diet last year (which worked amazingly well btw).

I find it hard to believe that one would lose 5 pounds of muscle in a month. The answer is resistance training to maintain muscle.

1100 calories a day is not a lot of calories, but it's not considered medically to be "low calorie." Low calorie is 800 or less.

re-read. i think she is saying 1100 calories GROSS, not NET. with the zumba, she's down in the VLCD area.

michellekicks

Are you kidding? This is a doctor.

The doctors advice will automatically outweigh anything that anyone who has NEVER MET YOU has to say on the topic.

1100 calories is perfectly reasonable for a woman looking to lose weight.

You've got to remember that you are an older lady, Who probably doesnt burn 1000calories a day at work.

(...)

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

She's 32.

OP, you could probably eat more. But the fact that you're on 90g protein is a good sign that your supervising doc knows what they're doing.

I'm 5'7", 37 years old and went from 194lbs to 158lbs in about 8 months (but I deliberately took my time eating at TDEE before races) eating about 1600 net calories... so after exercise was factored in, that was 2100 calories daily.

Those electrical impedence fat analysis machines are not accurate but they are good for comparison and trending if you use the same machine from week to week. Having said that, water levels fall into the lean mass category... you mostly would have lost water and glycogen, which is stored in the muscle. That's a pretty standard 1st week weight loss for most people...

If you follow the low calorie diet as prescribed, ask about bumping up the protein even a little more - to maybe 120g, and be sure to lift weights. If you do that, you should be able to retain as much lean mass as possible.

Or, you could eat more and lose more slowly. Your choice. Losing slowly gives you plenty of time to incorporate the changes you're making for life so you find that by the time you get to your goal, you're just living and no longer dieting.

elyelyse

i just want to chime in (and agree!) that 1100 is too low for most everyone.
I currently weight 204, my calories are set to 1400, plus I eat back my exercise calories. (if you use MFP to estimate those calories though, be careful. I have seen them inflated as much as double what other sources will say). I admit i did stall for about 5 weeks, but i recently broke through that (yay!!!) and it's totally normal. (especially if you stop being diligent about logging!)

i suspect that the "professionals" at weight loss clinics know that their patients are desperate. Of course they have to do something crazy and drastic like suggest a severely restrictive diet... if the patients get impatient bc it's not happening fast enough, they stop paying for help. I hate to say it but, it's in the financial best interests of weight loss centers to provide the kind of help that leads to yo-yo dieting (which is what overly-restrictive diets tend to lead to). Lose it fast, the patient feels successful, thinks the weight loss clinic did it's job. A few years later when all the weight is back on, they will blame themselves, and return for more "treatment." Call me a cynic.

SadKitty27

Are you kidding? This is a doctor.

The doctors advice will automatically outweigh anything that anyone who has NEVER MET YOU has to say on the topic.

1100 calories is perfectly reasonable for a woman looking to lose weight.

You've got to remember that you are an older lady, Who probably doesnt burn 1000calories a day at work.

Of course, you will have to eat a LOT of vegetables and healthy food sources for this to be ok.

I see you're averaging around 1400 a day at the moment, and you're not losing weight.

Obviously if the current total is not low enough for weight loss, you need to go lower.

If you're a chubby person, as you say, you definitely did not 5lbs of muscle. Thats ridiculous.

:drinker: Well said! /end thread


In the words of Albert Einstein “Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them.”

If eating at or above said calorie intake created the problem, and/or stalls you out then it's time for a new approach. If it's under the doctor's supervision, then it's ok. The doctor isn't going to risk a malpractice suit giving you bad info just so you can drop a few pounds.

Keep in mind, this doctor has a MEDICAL DEGREE, which is nothing to turn your nose up at. It takes a lot of hard work and time to obtain one...How many of these people on the forums have anywhere near the same qualifications?

PS: If you eat high carb, and low fat of course you'll be hungry all the time. Keep your protein, and fats high and cut back on the carbs a bit. The meat and healthy fats keep you fuller much longer than a bowl of pasta. You'd be surprised how much you can eat with a 1200 calorie budget and stay full all day.

I routinely eat around 1200 calories (sometimes less, but not intentional) and stay full all the time. It's all about hitting the right numbers.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying carbs are evil, I'm just saying they're not as filling as fat and protein. Take that however you want.

silvergurl518

you're right to think your doc is cray cray. 1100 is NOT enough to fuel your body, especially if you're going to be exercising and possibly lifting (i recommend taking off the "possibly" since lifting is amazing!). you've come to the right place, though. lots of people here who may not be accredited experts (or maybe some are?) but should be because they speak the gospel!!!

good luck xooxoxo.