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

Cassea7

A 5'3" person may or may not be able to do well on 1100-1200. It depends on how much weight their body is having to support currently.

Eating exercise calories back, total diet is more like 1400 on exercise days. It can be done. You just have got to do great planning, make sure you choose filling foods, lean meats, fruits, cut some things like unnecessary bread or starches, and space meals and lean snacks evenly through the day so that you don't feel "hungry" all day.

Recommended sustainable weight loss is one pound a week.

Set your MFP on "Lightly Active", it will calculate your TDEE, then it subtracts 500 calories a day (recommended to lose a pound a week). This is a healthy and sustainable weight lose.

In my opinion, it is okay to lose some muscle if you have weight to lose. Muscle is built as you are working out. If you've been sedentary, either cardio or lifting will do.

If people have a lot of weight to lose, the first goal is to lose weight. Muscle can be built over time. I wouldn't worry too much about it. It just needs to be nurtured as you go. It's easier on the whole body to move less weight. On knees, for every pound loss, I think I read in Prevention magazine lately it's four times that amount of pressure of your knees.

Now, a 5'3" person lifting heavy probably cannot support their lifting on 1100-1200. Lifting creates a very different situation to plan for. Not sure I've figured it out myself as I transition to some lifting. I do know that it is difficult to build muscle on a deficit, but not impossible. I was gaining in muscle areas and losing in fatty areas over the last four months. Just be intentional, smart, consistent, reasonable, and faithful in your approach and it will all come together.

really agree with everything you said...I am 5'3 eating around 1600 cals average..with intermettent fasting and some 20 lb barbell squats and walking and rebounding(mini trampoline) and i am losing average 1 .5 lbs per week. I weigh 196

less bread and more protein

toutmonpossible

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.

No, the OP is not old, but many people's metabolisms start slowing down in their late 20s and the OP is already 200 pounds. You're right, she can choose to lose more slowly, but SHE was the one who said she was impatient and 1100 is not unhealthy if you eat right. It sounds as if the doctor has responded to her expressed interests and the OP is simply balking at doing what's required. Weight loss is not easy.

Doctors aren't gods, but this is a physician who works at a specialized center and must see hundreds, if not thousands of patients a year. She probably keeps up with the literature on weight loss. If I were the OP I would follow her recommendations.

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.

No, the OP is not old, but many people's metabolisms start slowing down in their late 20s and the OP is already 200 pounds. You're right, she can choose to lose more slowly, but SHE was the one who said she was impatient and 1100 is not unhealthy if you eat right. It sounds as if the doctor has responded to her expressed interests and the OP is simply balking at doing what's required. Weight loss is not easy.

Doctors aren't gods, but this is a physician who works at a specialized center and must see hundreds, if not thousands of patients a year. She probably keeps up with the literature on weight loss. If I were the OP I would follow her recommendations.

Our metabolism doesn't slow down because of age.

Metabolism slows down only as a result of loss of muscle mass as we age and become more sedentary. http://www.livestrong.com/article/501141-what-age-does-your-metabolism-slow-down/

In fact, at 200 lbs her metabolism is probably used to burning lots of fuel... it is probably quite quick, it just can't keep up with her food intake. But because she's hauling around 200 lbs with her everywhere she goes, she's probably got some fairly strong muscle under there. By eating and lifting to retain it, she'll be miles ahead of the average skinny fat person.

WinnerVictorious

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.

Dr. Oz would like to thank you for coming to his defense and remind you to start your day off with green coffee bean extract and raspberry ketones for maximal weight loss.

endoftheside

To me, the only thing those diet doctors give you that you can't get on your own are the diet pills/injections. If those aren't working for you (and IMO good thing you found that out sooner than later), it seems a colossal waste of money to have them tell you to eat less (at least based on how much those programs cost in my area, THAT is cray cray).

I would get on here, figure out your TDEE and do something sustainable. If you keep on being highly impatient, you are going to fall for every fad diet plan out there and be back every year when you can't keep the weight off. Take some time, figure out how to eat sustainably for the rest of your life.

Mr_Excitement

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

Those scales are worthless. If you dropped 5 lbs. in a month at your height/weight, I expect the majority of it was fat. Eleven hundred calories seems low to me, but this is your doctor and her opinion certainly trumps some stranger on the internet.

Hliulai

Well said

DavPul

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.

Would you trust a doctor that said that the 5lb loss she had was all muscle and that reducing calories by 100 would make the next 5lb all fat? Based on a BIA device.

Although, I really hope that was a misunderstanding/miscommunication of what the doctor was actually saying.

It's not that I trust doctors it's that once I finally decide that a problem has gone beyond the limits of my bioscience capabilities and finally see a doc, I'm going to listen to the doc and not Internet randoms. If I seriously question the doc, I'll get the opinion of a second doc.

Add in that the OP could be misunderstanding the doc's statement just like you suggested, or the OP could be withholding important information from us, intentionally or not. So many come back after pages of replies and start revealing health history or previous injuries that would have altered the responses.

calibriintx

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.

babydiego87

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

Those scales are worthless. If you dropped 5 lbs. in a month at your height/weight, I expect the majority of it was fat. Eleven hundred calories seems low to me, but this is your doctor and her opinion certainly trumps some stranger on the internet.

This. If you eat plenty of veg and fruit, the OP can do it. Maybe not long term but at first, certainly.

babydiego87

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.

LMAO queen Mariah bringing the lulz

keem88

i would not bother seeing a doctor. sounds like a waste of time. diet pills are a joke. just eat clean, calculate your bmr/tdee and go from there. work out, drink lots of water, eat awesome tasty filling healthy foods, and it will be a great new lifestyle for you. good luck!

paulcer

I'm sure this has already been said, but 1) if it were me, I would tell the Dr. what you are willing to do calorie wise and 2) the scales that measure body fat are not terribly accurate. If you list 5 inches off your waist, it was probably fat. There's just not that much muscle there, you'd pretty much have to have it surgically removed.

Work out to keep your muscle. And tell the Dr. what would be a reasonable calorie count that you feel you can maintain and see where to go from there. I come from the 1000 calorie a day generation and it never worked for me long term.

algebravoodoo

I'll agree with the 40 lb loss but not at the risk of your health!! 200 lbs at 5'7" is not morbidly obese or even horribly overweight, unless your body fat is so high that you cannot find a single muscle. I see a second opinion in your future!

Mock_Turtle

you said that you lost 5 inches around your waist but that the 5 lbs you lost were all muscle

that statement doesn't make any sense


1100 cals looks too aggressive but not by a lot if you're looking for 2 lbs/wk of loss. 1300-1400 is prob more reasonable

babydiego87

I'll agree with the 40 lb loss but not at the risk of your health!! 200 lbs at 5'7" is not morbidly obese or even horribly overweight, unless your body fat is so high that you cannot find a single muscle. I see a second opinion in your future!

This is why you don't listen to cranks on the internet. 200lbs at 5'7" is obese - according to BMI. Now BMI famously doesn't take into account muscle...But let's be real here, 5'7 and 200lbs should not go together.

Mrsfreedom41

I am also 5'7" and my calorie goal is usually 1200 any more than this and I dont lose any weight. I started at 208 and am down to 164. Eat clean as possible, lots of protein and plenty of veggies and I am full all the time!! Good Luck

I agree with this, and add some exercise every day.:flowerforyou:

ckwaco

If you are doing 90 grams of protein a day you should not be losing muscle. The calorie count is all depending on you and your body and what it needs. I would compare what you were eating before to what you are eating on the diet and see if you have accidentally gone down in your protein, that should be the only way that you would lose muscle.
I have a muscle disease and cannot be as active as the average person, as well as having had stomach surgery 12 years ago, so my calorie count is around 1,000-1,100 a day and I have a hard time getting there without it being because of eating junk food.
But, if it doesn't feel right to you then try something else.

nataliaaverills

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5n0wbal1

I'm not a doctor, and your doctor is. But I still think she's lost her mind. It sounds like she's trying to prescribe temporary, quick success. If you think you can do it, try to eat just a bit more and burn it in exercise. Personally, I couldn't do it, and I certainly couldn't maintain it. Maintaining that weight loss is the ultimate goal, and I don't think the plan she is giving you will be sustainable long term.