Need to know what info is accurate.......?????????

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ready_for_a_change
ready_for_a_change Posts: 29
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok, I switched family doctors, I went to the new doctor today as well and discussed the weight loss plan that MFP has designed for me. He stated that for weight loss he recommends 1200-1500 calories per day PLUS exercise. Also he recommends 2000 calories for maintenance. This is the second general practitioner that I have been to that has been in these numbers. Do general doctors not get educated in nutrition? He also recommended as the other doctor did, NO carbohydrates and very low fat. At least this doctor understood that generic medicines do work. Where does the info that MFP recommends come from? What reliable source. I know for a fact that 1200-1500 Calories a day is starvation, even if you eat lettuce all damn day! When I was fit, several years ago, I used a similar strategy of calorie tracking to stay fit and at 210 lbs I was consuming about 3500 calories a day to maintain that weight. I was also in the gym 2-3 hours a day, that is where I went wrong, I lost time for the gym and continued to eat and then some! Trying now to make a come back, just want to make sure I am following good advice!

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  • gibbsgirl
    gibbsgirl Posts: 72 Member
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    1200-1500 calories a day is not necessarily starvation, but it is very generalized numbers. MFP figures out your BMR and accounts for your activity level, so it is definitely more accurate. And no, doctors are not schooled on nutrition. They take one or two nutrition courses and they are very basic courses. I am in my third year of a dietetics degree and don't consider myself an expert, but most of what a doctor knows about nutrition is the same stuff the lay public knows. So I would stick with what MFP says bc it really does take all factors into consideration.
  • ready_for_a_change
    ready_for_a_change Posts: 29
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    I agree with you. Even WebMD has BMR calculators that take into account your activity level. Thanks for posting!
  • gibbsgirl
    gibbsgirl Posts: 72 Member
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    Oh and as far as 2000 calories a day being enough for to maintain your weight, he probably got that from a nutrition label, lol. The USDA generalizes a 2000 calorie a day diet because that is what a person of about 150 (or maybe less...can't remember exact numbers) pounds would need to maintain their weight without exercise. If you were to see a nutritionist, he/she would do specific calculations for your body.
  • ready_for_a_change
    ready_for_a_change Posts: 29
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    I think I will go to a nutritionist, I think my insurance even encourages it.
  • geocookie
    geocookie Posts: 23 Member
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    I love that MFP has the BMR calculator and you can base your intake on that calculation. Everything I've read says that the BMR is the recommended basis for determining calorie intake level to loose weight without putting your metabolism into starvation mode (slowing it down). An article I read about two weeks ago said that 200-300 calories below what your body actually requires for the day is the best way to keep the weight loss fires burning.. Just enough below what your body requires to allow you to loose weight without sending it into conservation mode. ;-)

    And, I hate it when doctors are a stick and they obviously have no clue how hard it is to loose weight. I'm obese and actually had my doctor tell me I need to start jogging.. HELLO??? With the crunching and grinding in my knees already, jogging is NOT a good idea. Walking yes.. Jogging NO. :-/
  • outersoul
    outersoul Posts: 711
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    No carbs? That should tell you something. Your body needs carbs for fuel. In moderation? I can see that, but none? Heck no!
  • chuckanderson
    chuckanderson Posts: 97
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    Actually... it doesn't. But whatever.

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