my doc says don't eat exercise calories??????
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YES!!!! My doctor said the same. Just this week I went to a medical weight loss center to sign up and the physician there said to go down to a 1000 calorie diet - as opposed to the 1200 the MFP gave me - and she said that no matter how much I work out, I should still only take in the 1000 calories a day....this confused me because MFP says that "if you keep your calories this low your body will go into starvation mode" - the important thing she said also is to slightly vary how many calories you take in each day - 950, 1050, 1000, etc - to keep your body guessing. Wow! Now I know why i have hit a plateau......I thought if i burned an extra 400 calories then it meant I could have a little extra that day or a treat :sad: Yikes!! But I am going to follow my doctor's advice since I am under her care specifically for this medical weight loss program.
first, you should never use your own anecdotal situation to advise others (give anecdotes as examples of outcome, not as guidelines for others). Second, you should never advise others to use a program that has been built and relies upon expert supervision, let the expert give that advice. Telling others to go to a 1000 calorie plan just because you are on a medically supervised 1000 calorie diet is not good advice.
third, we have no idea what your situation is, therefore we have no idea why the doctor would have advised this for you. If you're going to advise a 1000 calorie diet, at least give us your complete situation, numbers, activity schedule, the doctor's reasoning. In other words a complete consultation.0 -
May I make a suggestion? I watched an interesting BBC program on weight loss and they showed that on average, people under-report their calories, even when keeping a food journal. In a case study, there was a woman who swore up and down that she ate well between 1100-1200 calories but couldn't lose weight and blamed her lack of progress to a slow metabolism.
Her metabolism tested to be almost on the spot normal, so she was asked to do one week of keeping a video diary where she recalled everything she ate at the end of the day, and the next week, writing down what she ate in a food journal immediately after each meal. Since she said she's always eaten between 1100-1200 cal, she was asked not to change her typical meal plan but continue as usual. Her urine was also tested daily to reveal exactly how many calories she did happen to eat.
Her results? Her urine samples showed that she actually ate over 3000 cal/day. She underreported her calories in the video diary by over 60%, and underreported her calories in the food journal by 43%.
This is not to say that this is what happened in your case, only that the majority of us don't really recall or incorrectly estimate our food intake. Keeping a food journal is still the best thing to do statistically, but before worrying about exercise calories or whatnot - if I were in your situation - I would carefully examine how accurately I am recording my calories. No one is asking for 100% accuracy, but as in the example above, she was eating over twice as many calories as she genuinely thought she was, by not accounting for the little mindless snacks she had, or the quantity of food and portion sizes she was having.
Having a food scale greatly helped me and honestly, surprised the heck out of me at how much food weighs! I bought mine at Ralph's for a reasonable price, and while I don't weigh every single morsel, it has helped in "re-calibrating" my food expectations.0 -
Also, with all due respect, doctors only get about 2 classes worth of nutrition, so they are certainly not the experts in regards to what one should do with exercise calories
uh, and how many nutritional classes have people on MFP taken? /sarcasm
The information that medical school students get is enough for them to give great advice on nutrition.
Personally, I would give it a try what your doctor said. Maybe your setting is also wrong on here ( in regards to how much you want to loose etc). Maybe you are not working out enough, eating the right things, etc. There are so many variables.
There are days where I eat my exercise calories, because I feel my body needs it, on other days I don't eat them. My husband is a marathon runner and doesn't eat (all) his exercise calories. It is more important to give your body the nutrition that it needs than ensuring you eat the exercise calories.....
Good luck.
A recent study from the New England Journal of Medicine found that 80 % of doctors that replied to a survey failed a basic nutrition exam. That good enough?
Doctors receive 1 or sometimes 2 classes in pre-med on nutrition, basic 200 level classes that every biology major receives, I personally wouldn't ask a doctor for general nutrition advice unless I asked and received confirmation that they have attended follow up courses. Some do now, as diet is becoming a huge concern, but the majority of doctors still have little or no specialized nutrition training. And I don't think they need it, what they should be doing is refering people to registered dietitians, or specialists, just like if they found cancer they would refer to an oncologist.
There are now a few Med Schools that offer additional training in nutrition, but it's by no means the norm in medical school.
And yes, my PT certification has an extensive section on nutrition, though I would never ever consider myself a nutritionist, I've done quite a bit of research on it. I still defer to dietitians.0 -
As currently it isn't working for me my doctor has said not to eat my exercise calories, or as few as possible of them. He says it is a simple input/ output equation so if I am not losing weight I must be eating too many calories! Currently I am eating about half of my exercise calories & I have to say I am inclined to agree with him even though so many people lose weight here. I think that we don't all burn calories at the same rate even if we weigh the same so looks as if I burn them very slowly but am thinking yoying calories may work so one week less next week more what do others advise please? I am desperate as have been trying to lose weight for 2 years now & to date have only lost 7lbs total & only 2lbs in last 6 weeks since joining.
I have had to use all three exercise calorie theories (all, some, none) in order to get where I am. My MIL and SIL neither one lose weight by eating their exercise calories. My husband loses weight best by eating almost all of his. You have to experiment and figure out what is going to work best for you. Give the doctor's suggestion a good try (at least a month, if not more!). See where you are then. Evaluate how you feel, and your energy levels, not just the weight loss. If it works for you, stick with it. If it's not working, maybe you need to try something else. The most important thing to remember is that this is a journey, NOT A SPRINT!!! Give each new tweak time to work (a month or two will generally tell you if it's working). Most importantly, ENJOY THE RIDE! If you aren't happy, you are less likely to stick with your new lifestyle after you lose the weight.
Good luck in finding what works for you!:flowerforyou:0 -
May I make a suggestion? I watched an interesting BBC program on weight loss and they showed that on average, people under-report their calories, even when keeping a food journal. In a case study, there was a woman who swore up and down that she ate well between 1100-1200 calories but couldn't lose weight and blamed her lack of progress to a slow metabolism.
Her metabolism tested to be almost on the spot normal, so she was asked to do one week of keeping a video diary where she recalled everything she ate at the end of the day, and the next week, writing down what she ate in a food journal immediately after each meal. Since she said she's always eaten between 1100-1200 cal, she was asked not to change her typical meal plan but continue as usual. Her urine was also tested daily to reveal exactly how many calories she did happen to eat.
Her results? Her urine samples showed that she actually ate over 3000 cal/day. She underreported her calories in the video diary by over 60%, and underreported her calories in the food journal by 43%.
This is not to say that this is what happened in your case, only that the majority of us don't really recall or incorrectly estimate our food intake. Keeping a food journal is still the best thing to do statistically, but before worrying about exercise calories or whatnot - if I were in your situation - I would carefully examine how accurately I am recording my calories. No one is asking for 100% accuracy, but as in the example above, she was eating over twice as many calories as she genuinely thought she was, by not accounting for the little mindless snacks she had, or the quantity of food and portion sizes she was having.
Having a food scale greatly helped me and honestly, surprised the heck out of me at how much food weighs! I bought mine at Ralph's for a reasonable price, and while I don't weigh every single morsel, it has helped in "re-calibrating" my food expectations.
this is probably a better explanation of why we don't lose on reduced calorie than any other one I've seen in a long time. McMadame says this all the time too, and I would tend to agree.0 -
Actually I keep my journal after each meal & weigh my portions so know I do not under estimate my intake.0
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You also need to consider the fact that MFP is trying to teach us a new way to eat FOR LIFE and not just to lose weight. I personally love food to much to ONLY eat 1000 calories a day for the rest of my life. And if I only eat 1000 a day for now then what happens when I lose all the weight then want to go back to a more normal amount of calories? My body wont be able to handle it and I will gain the weight back.0
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Some others have already stated it, but if u are eating under ur calories and exercising and still not losing, u are perhaps under reporting ur calories. I hate to suggest it cause its so expensive, but i would consider investing in a body bug or heart rate monitor and food scale. You also have to remember to add condiments, cream and sugar that u put in ur coffee and all that jazz. those things add up! my sig other is a personal trainer and advises not to eliminate exercise calories, ur body needs these for performance and to keep ur metabolism working. good luck!!0
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My activity style is set to sedentary as cannot walk much due to health issues but I swim at least 5 hours weekly & once in the pool I swim as fast as I can for either an hour or hour & half usually breaststroke but currently aqua jogging due to an injury & usually eat about half my exercise calories but obviously they must be too much for me.0
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Also, with all due respect, doctors only get about 2 classes worth of nutrition, so they are certainly not the experts in regards to what one should do with exercise calories
uh, and how many nutritional classes have people on MFP taken? /sarcasm
The information that medical school students get is enough for them to give great advice on nutrition.
I totally disagree. I have heard this right from the mouth of doctors, that they are not qualified to give any but basic advice on nutrition. They do not get enough training in it to be considered 'experts'.
And i have taken several nutrition classes, which is one of the reasons I can state this with certainty, in addition to having conversations with numerous doctors (who have been in practice for several years).0 -
You also need to consider the fact that MFP is trying to teach us a new way to eat FOR LIFE and not just to lose weight.
Well said! :flowerforyou:0 -
According to the diabetic exchange diet, I should be eating 1600 calories a day. According to this site I should be eating 1800 a day. According to my physical trainer, I should be eating 1800 a day 5 days a week and 2000 2 days a week. Eating more calories every 3 or 4 days keeps your body guessing and it doesnt get into any digestion or matabolism habits. She didnt mention anything about eating my exercise calories. I had plateaued at 1600, and the trainer told me this a week ago, so I will do this for 2 weeks and see how things go. I have been doing more like 1600 five days a week and 1800 twice a week. I guess if I'm still not losing, I will increase it to 1800 and 2000 but I just can't get the mindset of eating that many calories and losing.0
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I know what you mean about condiments which is why I rarely use them but add them & measure them if I do. No sugar or sugar substitutes added to things because I never have liked them. My food scales are permanently in use too & weigh in grams.
May be I should also have said that I did see a dietician when I first started to gain weight, this was soon after a drastic life change due to poor health & she was horrified that I wasn't losing weight on what I was eating. Now strangely I tried a 3 day diet which was only 800 calories & I lost weight but felt ill & due to my stomach problems I am supposed to eat often but guess it is a matter of trial & error so when I find a solution will let you now.0 -
Also, with all due respect, doctors only get about 2 classes worth of nutrition, so they are certainly not the experts in regards to what one should do with exercise calories
uh, and how many nutritional classes have people on MFP taken? /sarcasm
The information that medical school students get is enough for them to give great advice on nutrition.
I totally disagree. I have heard this right from the mouth of doctors, that they are not qualified to give any but basic advice on nutrition. They do not get enough training in it to be considered 'experts'.
And i have taken several nutrition classes, which is one of the reasons I can state this with certainty, in addition to having conversations with numerous doctors (who have been in practice for several years).
I think it really depends on the doctor. Mine has taken several courses on nutrition to the point where he is specializing in it as part of his practice and has been given a specialization designation by the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons [governing body for doctors here in Ontario] because he saw an influx of people in his office with not only weight issues but food related issues like diabetes, cancer, heart disease, etc.... He thought the best way to treat them was to teach them. I wouldn't trust anyone else except him to give me the best advice on nutrition because I know his background.0 -
Also, with all due respect, doctors only get about 2 classes worth of nutrition, so they are certainly not the experts in regards to what one should do with exercise calories
uh, and how many nutritional classes have people on MFP taken? /sarcasm
The information that medical school students get is enough for them to give great advice on nutrition.
I totally disagree. I have heard this right from the mouth of doctors, that they are not qualified to give any but basic advice on nutrition. They do not get enough training in it to be considered 'experts'.
And i have taken several nutrition classes, which is one of the reasons I can state this with certainty, in addition to having conversations with numerous doctors (who have been in practice for several years).
I think it really depends on the doctor. Mine has taken several courses on nutrition to the point where he is specializing in it as part of his practice and has been given a specialization designation by the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons [governing body for doctors here in Ontario] because he saw an influx of people in his office with not only weight issues but food related issues like diabetes, cancer, heart disease, etc.... He thought the best way to treat them was to teach them. I wouldn't trust anyone else except him to give me the best advice on nutrition because I know his background.
That is because your doctor took it upon themselves to take extra classes in nutrition. I would say 95% do not. If you know for a fact that your doctor has extra specialization in this area, then yes of course they are qualified to give detailed nutritional advice. But the classes a doctor takes as part of med school do not make them a nutrition expert.0 -
May I make a suggestion? I watched an interesting BBC program on weight loss and they showed that on average, people under-report their calories, even when keeping a food journal. In a case study, there was a woman who swore up and down that she ate well between 1100-1200 calories but couldn't lose weight and blamed her lack of progress to a slow metabolism.
Her metabolism tested to be almost on the spot normal, so she was asked to do one week of keeping a video diary where she recalled everything she ate at the end of the day, and the next week, writing down what she ate in a food journal immediately after each meal. Since she said she's always eaten between 1100-1200 cal, she was asked not to change her typical meal plan but continue as usual. Her urine was also tested daily to reveal exactly how many calories she did happen to eat.
Her results? Her urine samples showed that she actually ate over 3000 cal/day. She underreported her calories in the video diary by over 60%, and underreported her calories in the food journal by 43%.
This is not to say that this is what happened in your case, only that the majority of us don't really recall or incorrectly estimate our food intake. Keeping a food journal is still the best thing to do statistically, but before worrying about exercise calories or whatnot - if I were in your situation - I would carefully examine how accurately I am recording my calories. No one is asking for 100% accuracy, but as in the example above, she was eating over twice as many calories as she genuinely thought she was, by not accounting for the little mindless snacks she had, or the quantity of food and portion sizes she was having.
Having a food scale greatly helped me and honestly, surprised the heck out of me at how much food weighs! I bought mine at Ralph's for a reasonable price, and while I don't weigh every single morsel, it has helped in "re-calibrating" my food expectations.
I have only recently started weighing food (specifically things like cereals, rice and pasta) and had no idea how big my portion sizes were. I was eating nearly 2 portions of pasta or rice when I thought it was 1. Been an eye-opener!! My portions were HUGE! :noway:0 -
Actually I keep my journal after each meal & weigh my portions so know I do not under estimate my intake.
OK, I just read in your profile that you were "vaguely counting calories" for 2 years and I would hate to tell you to deprive yourself of even more food, so thought I would throw that suggestion out. No worries.
Your profile states that you are taking medication that could cause weight gain, so you could be going against greater forces. Just please be aware that reducing your calories too much for too long a period will eventually cause your body to be acclimated to the little amount of food you are putting in, and will slow down your metabolism accordingly, which will stunt your weight loss even more.
Have you tried adding resistance training to your regimen to build some lean muscle to boost your metabolism instead? You can only reduce your calorie intake by so much, so burning those calories will increase the calorie deficit your doctor is talking about.
Even walking is beneficial because physical activity will increase your afterburn and raise metabolism. I would rather exercise more than eat less to increase my calorie deficit.
EDIT: I just read that you swim so you are incorporating aerobic exercise. I'd still want to add some resistance training to build muscle because that is what will keep burning calories even after you exercise, increasing your afterburn effect. And change up your exercise regimen every 3-4 weeks because once your body gets used to the same routine, it will adjust to become more efficient aka burn as few calories as possible.0 -
ps Wanted to say so many thanks cos just talking about my frustration helps. As my doc said today I have so many medical problems that it makes things difficult especially as nothing can be done any more about any of them. I am fighting to stay out of the wheelchair the docs booked for me 5 years ago & I AM NO QUITTER so will get there but may be not by my target date!0
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I WISH but due to medical problems can only exercise in deep water which I do for minimum of 5 hours per week, even now while injured.0
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Okay, last suggestion, I promise : could your doctor recommend a physical therapist you can speak to about what KINDS of resistance training you can do in your condition so that you are not simply relegated to what you are doing now? Because even if your medical condition doesn't warrant it, your body (as far as weight loss goes) doesn't care and will adjust to burn as few calories with the same routine.
And by changing up your routine, you could still stay in the water and challenge different types of muscles. I think aqua exercise is not limited in that way. I just googled this site: http://www.inch-aweigh.com/waterexercise.html and it has some good suggestions to change things up, and you could adjust accordingly to your medical condition.
Point is: Reducing calorie intake can only work for so long and you will hit a point where you absolutely cannot reduce any more without endangering yourself and creating serious health concerns. On the other hand, exercise (particularly resistance training) and the amount of calories you can burn is unlimited and you can spend the rest of your life changing and modifying that variable to increase your body's fat burning abilities. You mentioned that you lost weight by reducing your calorie intake to 800 but you were miserable. I don't know how much you're eating, but my humble opinion isn't that you are eating too much, but burning too few calories to create a sufficient calorie deficit. If you can't spend more time in the pool, try to gradually increase your daily activity level as much as you are able to - i.e. walk in place while talking on the phone, doing dishes or doing any activity where you normally would be standing or sitting. You can burn as much as 200 calories from making simple changes like this in your daily life which will increase your calorie deficit.0
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