My doctor vs MyFitnessPal and calories

Phaedra2014

If I ate that little I'd feel so sick plus it is an unrealistic amount of calories to maintain for the rest of your life. Eat much more but make it home cooked food, nutritious food and energy sustaining food.

grim_traveller

The 1200 number is a mere invention of the CYA (cover your *kitten*) variety. It has no basis in medical fact, and cannot cover the enormous range in individuals, their sizes and activities.

All of my weight loss has been under medical supervision. I have weighed and logged every bit of food for over nine months. I am 6'3" tall, and currently weigh 203 pounds, only three pounds over a normal BMI. My highest weight was 475. For eight months, I averaged 1,040 calories per day. According to my activity log and fitbit, for more than half of that time I exercised considerable more, and so my daily net was below zero. This was what my doctors told me to do, and everyone should listen to their own physician. I never ate back any exercise calories. According to many on this thread, I couldn't possibly be alive from eating negative calories. So why am I? Because I was fat, and fat is energy. Anyone who is obese can do so, as long as a qualified doctor says it is ok.

I can show you charts and graphs. I never went into starvation mode, stalled, held onto fat, or any of that foolishness. My weight loss graph is a perfect, smooth, curve, utterly predictable, because I weigh all my food, honestly and precisely, and work out religiously. The past month or so I have, under doctor's recommendation, slowly increased calories to about 1600 per day, still less than most 6'3" men, and am still losing a little. I will gradually get to a normal daily intake, and weight, and fitness.

I have far more energy and activity than I have in years, in spite of eating less than those more than a foot shorter than me. How? Because I spent years eating far more than I should. You store energy so it can be used later. It's an ingenius creation, really. And if you are 70 or 100 pounds overweight, you can do what your doctor suggests, and eat less, without eating back your exercise calories. In that regard, your doctor knows what they are talking about.

smalls9686

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I'd be careful, I started my weight loss with one of these physician supervised programs. It completely messed me up for the future - it's took me about a year to relearn about healthy nutrition because the people running the clinic had me so scared of carbs (even from veggies) or eating over 800 calories. Two co-workers did the same program and they've pretty much gained back all the weight when they went back to eating normal amounts.

I know you want to lose quickly (we all do!) but that's not always the best way. Slow, steady, and healthy.
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I hear ya, and have been to several of those this is the first place I have been to that doesn't really restrict you. They let you decide what you want...based on how much stucture you feel you need. So some people are on WW, South Beach, Low carb, whatever. I am not on any specific eating plan, I eat what I want...therea re no "forbidden foods" just better and good ones =-) so I think they are actually teaching me more about how to eat more "normally" than I ever have. I went to the movies I had popcorn with butter I just slpit a small with my bf instead f getting a large one. I don't drink every night just weekends and it's normally wine instead of my high gravity beers which are 3-400 calories for one! Now if I want a beer I will have one or two but I won't do that every day. So I am learning more about portion control and not shaming certain foods. I think developing a heathier relationship with food in general is an important part that many people "just dieting" miss and that is why when off the diet t they fail. IMHO

DeeDiddyGee

If you have 75+ pounds to lose and are considered morbidly obese (which 75+ extra pounds puts one in that category -- I am there and hate that term), doctors will usually put you on an 800 cal diet for 3-4 months because the benefit (NEED) to lose the weight outweighs the risk. However, this requires WEEKLY supervision at the very least. That being said, they usually have you take extra B vitamins and a vitamin supplement.

If you are not in the morbidly obese category, you need to decide WHICH plan you are going to use (your doctors vs. MFP) and stick with ONE to follow. Some clinicians recommend patients use MFP as a free tracking tool just to make them aware of what they are eating and what the macros are.

That being said, when on an 800 cal diet, doctors usually advise clients to take it easy on the exercise and focus on taking a 30 minute daily walk.

****I AM NOT A DOCTOR, DON'T PRETEND TO BE IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM.**** One has to consider medical circumstances, how many pounds they need to lose, etc. If you are female, are you menopausal? Pregnant? Breastfeeding? It's not as simple as just counting calories in certain situations.

Ely82010

Smart answer!!

You are paying your doctor, so if you don’t like his recommendation and prefer a bunch of opinions from strangers that don't know your true situation, then go for it. I wouldn’t.

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Yes, because clearly that was what I was going for. No need to be an *kitten*.
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Sorry that you took my posting that way; but I was not trying to be an "*kitten*,” I went right to the point and sorry that you missed it or misunderstood my posting. Good luck!

fit_librarian

I would get a second opinion, honestly. Your body needs calories just to function properly. And 1200 is the amount of calories recommended for a 7-year old boy to put that in perspective!

smalls9686

No. I'm saying that despite your quasi disclaimer, the entire question was framed in the title and OP as doctor vs MFP. That's why people are talking about it that way.

Ok, if they read the post still doesn't make since why they would be preaching about that when in my post I clearly stated that I am aware of that debate..so they aren't telling me anything I haven't already read. Nor are they answering the one thing I did ask for. But ok, whatever.

smalls9686

No offense but why would a doctor tell you to eat less then 1200 its is NOT healthy to do so. You have a MFP vs your doctor and he or she doesn't want you to use this program.. MY doctor is the one who not only recommended MFP but he is also a client. The first weigh in when I went in for my bloodwork results we even compared our diaries with our devices. It made me feel like he really cared. Obviously people are supposed to listen to their doctors. If MFP is making you feel better look better then by all means go for it. However MFP is not a doctor just a really well planned program for weight loss or maintenance. Many people eat their calories back and others choose not to. I have eaten some back but not all or many . The way I see it is why would I want to eat extra calories other then what was given to me? My goal is to lose the weight not continue to gain with added calories. Kinda defeats the purpose imo

My doctor was the one who told me to come to this site, she just told me not to feel that I HAD to eat all my exercise calories back even if I wasn't hungry (WHICH I AM NEVER 7-800 calories more hungry a day).

smalls9686

First (and I'm not being disrespectful), I would be concerned that any Dr would tell you to eat less than 1200 calories a day! There may be a medical necessity for you to be AT 1200 calories a day, but under is dangerous (that comes from many of my own Drs being frustrated with me not reaching 1200 calories a day and constantly gaining weight).

Second, you should really follow what your body is telling you to do. Only you and your body know what is right for you. If after a workout you are hungry then eat. Pick wisely is my best advice, and make sure you are staying well hydrated during your workout.

Please, please, please talk with another Dr about a healthy calorie intake for you!!!!!

Thanks, no disrespect taken. I eat when I am hungry, and on day I work out I really do try to get at least 1200-1500. But sometimes I don't and if I am not hungry I don't fret over it. I drink 1/2-3/4 a gallon of water a day!

grim_traveller

Oh, one more thing. Many people warn you about eating low calories, because it's not sustainable, that you can't "do it for life." No one expects you to do it forever. It's a means to get rid of extra weight, which will increase activity, health, and fitness, after or during which you will slowly increase calories to a normal, sustainable level, which I'm sure is what your doctor is doing. The problem that people who do VLC diets have, unsupervised, is they starve themselves, and then binge like crazy and gain everything back. Do it right, under medical supervision, increase slowly, weigh everything, keep careful, honest track, and you won't regain. If you can leave emotional eating out of the equation, it's just simple math. That's a lot more easily said than done, but true nonetheless.

smalls9686

To answer your question ... I rarely eat my exercise calories back. I try not to since when I do I don't seem to lose anything. I have lost 74 pounds so far and while I have had a couple of frustrating plateaus I have found that if I just keep at it I tend to average 1.5 - 2 lbs per week lost with eating 1100-1200 calories a day and not eating back the exercise calories.

Good luck!

Freaking Love you! Thanks for answering my question directly! Congrats to you and keep up the good work!

michelle7673

Here is the question -- if exercise is going to make you hungrier (which it will), and you can't eat even part of those calories back to compensate, how often will you exercise?
I went from 3 times a week to 5 or 6 consistently and I credit the MFP system for it.
At your calorie level, you have more than enough deficit to lose 2 pounds a week on average for a long time, even eating back your exercise calories?
At first, I did it ONLY when I was really hungry -- I resisted it.
Then I got more lenient, and now I usually eat most of them.
My rate of weight loss is the same, actually.
I think that long-term adherence to healthier habits is a really important element of this. And I want somewhere to "go" if the weight loss slows, if that makes sense.
And at the rate you're losing, you could reach your goal this year with no surgery

abrodniak

In the end, it is what works best for you. I personally, do not eat back my exercise calories unless I am just really hungry. I have lost weight when eating back the exercise calories, and I have lost some of my weight sticking to the allotted 1200 calories but not exercising. I have just found that not eating back my exercise calories is what works best for me, and I am not in starvation mode by any stretch of the imagination. The only time I struggle is when I eat OVER my allotted 1200 calories in a day and do not get exercise in.

stumblinthrulife

Ok, to directly answer the question at the end of your post :

I always, always eat back my exercise calories, in order to maintain a 500 calorie deficit. If I didn't, my deficit would increase, and I'd be losing weight faster than I want to.

Ultimately, to follow the MFP plan, you should choose the speed at which you want to lose weight, then figure out the deficit required to do that. Then eat to whatever calorie amount gives you that deficit.

Exercise calories burned aren't magically somehow different from any other calories burned during the day, and shouldn't be considered differently just because you add them into MFP manually.

I've always lost weight at the precise rate predicted by my calorie deficit. When I had a 1000 a day deficit, I lost 2 pounds a week. When I have a 750 deficit, I lost 1.5 pounds a week. Now I'm at a 500 deficit, I lose 1 pound a week.

TAsunder

Here is the question -- if exercise is going to make you hungrier (which it will), and you can't eat even part of those calories back to compensate, how often will you exercise?
I went from 3 times a week to 5 or 6 consistently and I credit the MFP system for it.
At your calorie level, you have more than enough deficit to lose 2 pounds a week on average for a long time, even eating back your exercise calories?
At first, I did it ONLY when I was really hungry -- I resisted it.
Then I got more lenient, and now I usually eat most of them.
My rate of weight loss is the same, actually.
I think that long-term adherence to healthier habits is a really important element of this. And I want somewhere to "go" if the weight loss slows, if that makes sense.
And at the rate you're losing, you could reach your goal this year with no surgery

Exercise is supposed to make me hungrier? It has the opposite effect for me.

Jaemoo34

I don't eat mine back either, granted my calorie intake is higher than the one alotted by your doctor. however just because you are on a low calorie diet does not mean it has to be low nutrition diet. If youre eating a lot of greens and vegetables they fill you up without significantly impacting your calories. I do agree that 1200 seems to be a general guideline thrown out there but if your doctor is specializing in weightloss and nutrition he or she obviously has some training or experience and maybe the goal is to gear you towards nutrient rich foods that arent so calorie dense.
but to answer ur original question, i usually meet my calorie goal which is currently 1450 give or take 50 or so calories over i calculated my basic metabolic rate to determine my caloric needs and i burn between 500-700 calories on my workouts 5-6 days a week. i do not eat back my calories and have been successful thus far

shellgirl144

When I was losing weight (43 pounds lost) I didn't eat any of my exercise calories back. I lost weight very steadily and didn't have any problems. Now that I'm maintaining, I eat my calories back.

jonnythan

FWIW, I do the same as stumblin.

I eat my exercise calories back in order to strictly maintain a certain calorie deficit. If I lost weight faster than that, which I would be doing by deciding not to eat back exercise calories, I would be losing a higher percentage of my weight as lean mass.

Hunger is irrelevant.

got2btru

I do not usually eat back my exercise calories. The key is that you need to consume enough calories to meet your NUTRITIONAL needs. Once those are met, your body will draw it's energy requirements from fat stores if you are not giving it enough calories. The key to avoiding starvation mode is to eat frequent small meals.

If you have lost 4 pounds in the past couple of weeks you have not hit a plateau. Any sensible/reliable source you look at will tell you that 1-2 pounds per week is a healthy rate of loss.

smalls9686

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I think everyone pretty much understood what your question was, but with the added info about eating less than 1200 calories a day and adding the exercise on top of it, people were just being concerned, not rude, etc. I gave my example of doctors not always being 'right' all of the time just because they are 'experts' or have a medical degree. It almost seemed that you only wanted to hear what you wanted to hear, not additional advice, etc. that others may have had from past experiences. Again, good luck to you on your weight loss journey...
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Well, I am not sure if we are on the same page as you said you didn't think there were any post that were rude and I thought several were as others did as I even got a few emails stating that they were offended by what some here said. People telling my that I shouldn't be askins "random internet people advice over my doctor" which wasn't what I was asking for so some people clearly didn't understand what I was asking for or they just wanted to be rude and mean for the sake of being rude and mean. Either way I did get some "extra" advice I didn't ask for such as about lap-bands and things like that which I found VERY helpful and I appreciate each and every person who took the time to give me that.

continue success to you on your journey as well