Dr. told me to drop down to 750 calories

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  • chynatowngirl44
    chynatowngirl44 Posts: 94 Member
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    UMMMM HELLO???? SECOND OPINION!! THAT DOC IS F.O.S, GET ANOTHER OPINION BEFORE YOU DO DAMAGE TO YOUR BODY
  • reasnableblonde
    reasnableblonde Posts: 212 Member
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    My ex is a doctor... they are really best qualified to give advice regarding their own area of expertise, because that's pretty much all they study after the first couple of years. I'm assuming you went to a GP? They know the least about the most... I'd go see a specialist.

    The fact that the doctor barked medical advice that she didn't have any scientific evidence to back up makes her a bit scary. I'd fire her for that, not the fact that she doesn't know anything about nutrition.
  • anifani4
    anifani4 Posts: 457 Member
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    I'd say it's time to drop the doctor! Get a new one!

    ^This. The things doctors say and do... makes me wonder how they forged their college degrees, because it doesn't sound like they went to college at all, let alone do even a tiny bit of research.


    Even the doctor who scored the lowest on his boards is still a doctor. Which one do you want? Top of the class or bottom?
  • LucyT4dieting
    LucyT4dieting Posts: 284 Member
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    Doctors are funny like that! My doctor (unsolicited also) told me that I didn't need to lose more weight. I am a 5'2" 59 year old woman who weighed 133 pounds when I went to the doctor for an entirely different reason. My goal is 127 pounds, which, considering everything, doesn't seem to be unreasonable. I have been on 1200 calories daily and although it has been slow, the weight IS coming off, and that's the main thing. If you are losing weight on the program you are already following, I would continue with that. Incidently, my doctor is overweight himself. I'm no expert, but I think I know what's best for me. Trust your instincts, and best of luck!
  • TexasTroy
    TexasTroy Posts: 477 Member
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    if it looks like a duck , quacks like a duck then its prolly a duck and your doctor sounds like a quack!! "...Exercise does nothing ... " really?? thats not what the New England Journal of medicine says along with just about every other health and medicine journal out there says about the correlation between weight control and exercise. Not only that but exercise is very good for helping control diabetes. And her " ..gastric bypass patients have no problem with 750 cal diets.." well no kidding!!! 750 calories is way to low for an average healthy adult. Unfortunately, just because someone has a doctors degree doesnt mean they know squat about diet and exercise....half the hospitals Ive been in have unfit doctors around every corner. Id at least get a second opinion and probably would change doctors. Just like there are good and bad dentists in which you have to weed out the bad ones, so are there good and bad doctors.
  • vvanm
    vvanm Posts: 157
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    I think a topic on "Stupid things doctors say" would take up too many pages. By counting calories and routine exercise, even just walks, reach a balance that takes off 1-2 lbs. a week. I had to go to 1100 cals some weeks because of age and a thyroid condition, but I maintain at 1500 cals. with my metabolism. My doctor, who I consider an egotistical acquaintance, commented that I lost 70 lbs without even trying! I looked at him in disbelief and told him it took me years of sheer perserverance! Idiotic comment. If he thought I was dropping that kind of weight without trying, it might have indicated a need for medical tests, in my uneducated opinion. >:(
  • reedkaus
    reedkaus Posts: 250 Member
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    it's funny that her science overruns every single case study that everyone on here has proved on their own. starting to question the standards of our med schools...
  • Kap10
    Kap10 Posts: 229 Member
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    Stick to 1200 and your exercise routine, keep logging on MFP keep records of your weight loss - print out your daily diary after 6 months take it all to your doctor slap it on their desk and ask them when are they going to get their medical qualification

    Ps take some information on how they can get educated in nutrition.
  • jenihullett
    jenihullett Posts: 241 Member
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    Please, please go see a dietician or a nutritionist. I'm in school now for my BSN in Nursing, and her advice is contrary to all the nutrition info I've ever heard in school. Besides the nutrition information that she gave you, I can't believe that she does not recommend at least SOME exercise. Exercise has SO many benefits for your body that just dieting cannot give you. Regular exercise improves muscle tone and strength, increases bone density, REDUCES your chances of getting osteoporosis, diabetes type 2, hypertension, and so many other things.

    But most importantly, let me tell you this:

    What do you call the person who graduated medical school with the lowest GPA and a crappy attitude?

    ...Doctor.
  • tyrantduck
    tyrantduck Posts: 387 Member
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    your doc is a quack. time to call the medical board about her license!
  • CincinnatiDEIFan
    CincinnatiDEIFan Posts: 188 Member
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    You know what they call the person who finished lowest in their medical class?

    A Doctor.

    Time for a new one. ASAP.
  • Fozzi43
    Fozzi43 Posts: 2,984 Member
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    Let me guess...

    Is your Dr called Dr Oz?:bigsmile:
  • gddrdld
    gddrdld Posts: 464 Member
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    My dad is a doctor and was always hard on me for my weight. Looking back, he would say some of the stupidest things like "there is no such thing as a good fat." I later learned that in med school, most doctors only take one nutrition class IF THAT. So while consulting your doctor about your health as it relates to your weight/diet can be important, many doctors are not capable of giving you solid diet/nutrition advice.

    This^^. That's why most MD's refer their patients to Licensed/Registered Dietitians for nutrition counseling/therapy.
  • lionskitty
    lionskitty Posts: 72 Member
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    o.O WTF, I'm with everyone else, get a new doc! Wow!
  • shalinimunjal
    shalinimunjal Posts: 192 Member
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    Okay, so your doctor is probably giving out bad advice and I think that's been covered. :wink: So I'm going to focus on the PCOS stuff and give you some more unsought advice... :laugh:

    (1) I looked at your profile and I saw you mentioned that you eat a LOT of carbs. That is probably impeding your progress. Everyone I know with PCOS, me included, has seen far greater success with weight loss and all other PCOS symptoms by keeping their carbs that are high on the glycemic index to a minimum. If you are a vegetarian for ethical reasons, this will be a challenge, but not an insurmountable one. Just focus on making sure that the breads and grains you do eat are whole grains. Try to avoid white potatoes (I don't, but, I also eat tons of meat and my taters are not a sacrifice I'm willing to make!) If you are veggie for health reasons... you are probably shooting yourself in the foot. For PCOSers (and really anyone with risk of type 2), having a higher ratio of protein/fat to carbs is pretty important. I know there is plenty of protein you can eat, especially if you are lacto-ovo, but... it's much easier as a carnivore.

    (2) I have been reading a tiny bit about the possibility that women with PCOS actually have BMRs that are 300-400 lower than those of the general population. I find that I lose about .5-1 lb a week whereas my calories in, calories out indicate that I should be losing 2 lbs. I have experimented with eating more calories, and I've just maintained. So I decided I am going to have my BMR tested, just so I know for sure what I am dealing with. It's not a bad idea for anyone who finds that the traditional advice is not working for them.

    (3) If you want to confirm your PCOS, see an endocrinologist. They will do a 3 hour glucose tolerance/insulin resistance test on you and run a bunch of blood work, in part to rule out other similar things. Once you know for sure you have it, you could consider taking Metformin, a diabetes drug used off-label. I only took it when I was TTC my first child, but it did straighten out my cycles. Other people have great weight loss success with it. I lost a little, but for me my biggest loss is when I watch my eating (amount and content) and exercise.

    (4) This is totally not my area of expertise, but I am confirmed to have PCOS and had borderline gestational diabetes once. My doctor only has me test once a year. My *completely uneducated personal opinion to take with a grain of salt* is that you are probably driving yourself nuts if you are testing at home with any regularity. Those numbers you posted are totally fine. Doctors get nutty about blood sugars. Do the official testing and go from there.

    Ugh. So sorry you had to deal with that doctor's barrage of "advice"!

    My carbs are usually between 120-170 and protein between 50-70 on a regular day. I know I need to increase protein and I try! Being vegetarian is hard!! I am considering adding chicken to my ovo-lacto diet.

    That's interesting about PCOS and metabolic link. I will get metabolic testing done for sure. I just need to find out where to do for that!
  • carpetbagger12000
    carpetbagger12000 Posts: 41 Member
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    I promised myself I would not get caught up in the drama that masquerades as forums here, but I can't help it and know I will be shot down immediately. One person before me gave your doctor the benefit of the doubt in that she knows you better than we do, has the medical training that we don't, and will be following you closely, which we can't. While I see nothing wrong with getting a second opinion, I don't think your doctor is necessarily a quack. You are overweight. You are only 5' tall, and you are in danger of developing diabetes, which means you likely have a bad case of insulin resistance coupled with an extremely slow metabolism. You neglected to tell us if your doctor actually gave you a diet plan outlining how to allot those 750 calories, because the foods you eat, not just the calories contained within them, are what trigger certain physical conditions.

    Your doctor was right about one thing: you cannot lose weight by exercise alone; it must be accompanied by consuming fewer calories. Anyone who says otherwise is wrong. If you burn 100 calories taking an hour-long walk, you can eat that back with a half a muffin. If you are 5' tall and your metabolism is slow, you will not lose weight on 1200 calories daily unless you are also doing a lot of aerobic exercise and building up muscle to boost your metabolism. I would listen to your doctor, but I would also ask for clarification. Take her advice, detailed advice, and then ask a nutritionist how best to spend those 750 calories. You may not need to eat that little for very long, just enough time to jump start the weight loss process, to bring down your blood sugar and get you to where you can eat a more normal diet, exercise and lose weight.

    None of us is the same. Asking for advice in a place like this is like the three blind men with the elephant.
  • LeisureRunner
    LeisureRunner Posts: 185
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    Get a new doctor!
  • BenderFitness
    BenderFitness Posts: 349
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    That is frightening. Please follow up with someone else. If she has done some type of metabolism testing to determine that your intake should be that low it is a different story, but jumping to that conclusion without further testing does not seem accurate to me.
  • thoseblueeyes
    thoseblueeyes Posts: 812 Member
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    Are you sure she completed her degree? Wow my brother is in the health field and I showed what you posted and he about died. She ( your doctor) is a nut case and has NO idea what she is talking about. I would find a Dr. that really knows what they are saying. 750 is way low so please do not do it.
  • Humbugsftw
    Humbugsftw Posts: 202 Member
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    Doctors do not know everything. This is a fact. At the end of the day, they are only human.
    Having said that, parading around such incorrect information is absolutely ridiculous. I told both my parents (both excellent doctors) about the advice in the OP, and they could not believe that a legitimate doctor had said those things. My mother being an OBGYN surgeon cannot stress the importance of exercise and good eating habits in order to lose weight with PCOS, alongside things such as metformin etc. They also said that 750 calories is ridiculously low and you would pretty much be hypoglycaemic ALL the time. Pretty much like anorexics.

    Stick to a decent calorie amount each day, don't be afraid to work out, and just use your common sense. Also, change doctors. That one sounds utterly ****.

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