Crazy, Whack thing my doc told me

mehmig
mehmig Posts: 55 Member
edited September 27 in Food and Nutrition
i was in to see my doc and we were talking about me trying to lose weight. She told me that my body just doesnt need as much food as others and I should only eat about 900 calories a day! WHAT?! I think she is nuts.

She said that you don't see skinny football players and that is because they exercise, but still eat too much. She was equating me to a football player. She also mentioned the lady from Canada that got lost in Nevada or Arizona, can't remember, but she lost a ton of weight because she was basically starving eating only berries and such. She made it sound like this was a good idea. But she neglected to mention what happens to the lady after she was rescued, I'm sure she started to eat normal again.

I can't believe this was my doctor's weight loss advice! Crazy. Needless to say I am not doing this. Whack!

Replies

  • lhurtubise
    lhurtubise Posts: 693 Member
    You need a new doctor! ASAP
  • kayemme
    kayemme Posts: 1,782 Member
    I can't believe this was my doctor's weight loss advice! Crazy. Needless to say I am not doing this. Whack!


    i would also make a report to his/her supervisor. (s)he may be suffering from some kind of disorder.
  • spaztastic13
    spaztastic13 Posts: 229
    Agreed.....FIND A NEW DOCTOR!!!!!!!!
  • beckusjane
    beckusjane Posts: 112
    New doctor is in order!
  • ileana84
    ileana84 Posts: 163
    Wtf??? crazy lady!!! RUN from this lady!
  • crazymama2two
    crazymama2two Posts: 867
    i sorta think youre crazy and whack all rolled up into one.
  • slick_fox
    slick_fox Posts: 85 Member
    I agree that you need a new doctor ASAP. 900 calories is to low and then you would quit and gain the weight you lost. Good luck!
  • Setof2Keys
    Setof2Keys Posts: 681 Member
    You need a new doctor! ASAP

    ***AGREED*** The last thing you need is a doctor that is not supporting you in healthy weight loss and is supportive of fad dieting. You obviously know better. It would be amazing to lose your weight the healthy and correct, long term way and then go back to her and show her the truth. If fad dieting worked, they wouldn't keep coming out with new ones. They would just keep repeating the same old one. Do what you know is healthy for your body and you have all of us to support you and we have proven that it works. She should go back to med school...
  • Setof2Keys
    Setof2Keys Posts: 681 Member
    i sorta think youre crazy and whack all rolled up into one.

    what are you talking about?? The doctor? or the poster?...I hope you mean the doctor...
  • C_Bran
    C_Bran Posts: 254
    Soooo....... was this "Doctor" at a Wal-mart? The Doc sounds like she's on some of that good California Hydro or something.
  • mehmig
    mehmig Posts: 55 Member
    Usually she is a very good doctor, but her thoughts on diet and nutrition for people that struggle with weight loss is just just off. My hubby told me the same thing, I need to get a new doc. After this I think I will. I mean 900 calories is extreme. Maybe the wal-mart doc would be better. :)
  • TourThePast
    TourThePast Posts: 1,753 Member
    How much weight do you have to lose, and would a nutritionist be involved?

    A doctor telling someone "eat 900 calories a day" and then just leaving them to it rings alarm bells, but ultra-low calorie diets CAN be safe for some people in some circumstances, but ONLY under strict medical supervision.

    EDITED TO ADD: Thing is, if your doctor is otherwise good, I'd stick with them. You might end up with another doctor who is poor in more serious areas. Doctors are simply not taught a lot about nutrition, if you want diet advice go to a nutritionist.

    Put it this way, asking a doctor about nutrition is like trying to get software advice from an electrician. He will know that it runs on electricity, he can even fix the power supply if smoke starts coming out of the back, but he won't stand a chance of de-bugging a program!
  • blueeyeddragon2115
    blueeyeddragon2115 Posts: 146
    Just an fyi, you can have a BMR of under 1000... my mother has one. Her doctors did a BMR test on her... In order for her to lose weight she has to do 500-800 calories if she eats 1000 calories she remains the same. Now this has to do with her body fat ratio, the more fat you have and less muscle, the lower your BMR. If you have very little muscle what your doctor is saying could be true but i would definately get a second opinion first!!!
  • RazzTjazz
    RazzTjazz Posts: 11 Member
    I agree with the person who said you can get your metabolism rate checked. Could be done by others than your doctors. (nutritionist, some personal trainers, natural path doctors, etc) I have heard of people with a lower metabolism rate but not overly common. (or maybe it's one of those things we don't like to hear)

    Do, get a second opinion.
  • sweetiebelle
    sweetiebelle Posts: 332 Member
    Sounds dangerous!
  • milaxx
    milaxx Posts: 1,122 Member
    Fire that doc. Seriously unless nutrition was her specialty in medical school she is talking nonsense.
  • mehmig
    mehmig Posts: 55 Member
    I understand what you are saying, but I think this was just off the cuff. She did no testing of me, just said I have a low metabolism and don't need as much food. Then she asked if I ever tried WW. I said yes, but because of things like my son's autism, which has effected every aspect of our life and has made me give up almost everything, I didn't feel I was capable of starving myself too. I always felt hungry on WW. Then she suggested diet pills, but I don't believe in using pharmaceuticals unless absolutely necessary. After that she got annoyed and dropped it. As if I was just being difficult.
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
    Get a new Doctor.
  • marie_2454
    marie_2454 Posts: 881 Member
    I just want to say that doctors have bad/off days too and if she's been a good doctor until now then maybe she was just having a bad day. Not saying what she said was right or wrong, but good doctor's are pretty hard to find, IMO, so I would give her at least one more chance. And the analogy about doctors giving nutrition advice being like electricians trying to fix a computer, while funny, is probably pretty true. Maybe you should look into seeing a nutritionist or something?
  • CraigIW
    CraigIW Posts: 176
    To be fair, that's only 25% less than 1200 and not outwith the realms of possibility if you are fairly small in stature and don't have a lot of muscle mass. Like others have said, get a proper BMR measurement before you decide to ditch what could be a good doctor for you afterall.
  • mehmig
    mehmig Posts: 55 Member
    I'm not going to get rid of her but I'm also not taking her weight loss advice. I truly don't know how I could live off of 900 a day. Thanks everyone.
  • Satya_Ayurveda
    Satya_Ayurveda Posts: 91 Member
    Well, it sounds like you might want to clarify this advice with your physician and make sure you heard correctly. Sometimes, things can be lost in translation. We are all human and sometimes things don't always come across like we intend them to. If in fact she did suggest that diet, I would ask more questions. Safety? Reason? Etc...

    I work in health care too with a background in nursing until I finished undergrad and went on to chiropractic. I have had doctors give me some asinine advice... I even had one physician tell me that I would kill myself if I drank Aloe Vera juice because it is a poison. Oh boy...

    I would clarify and if you are unhappy, than switch. There may be a valid reason you were instructed to be on such a low cal diet...it can be used and beneficial in *certain* circumstances, or it may have just been a misunderstanding. Check it out.
  • Jamie_Schwartz
    Jamie_Schwartz Posts: 11
    Agreed, find a new Dr. When I was discussing my weightloss plan with my doctor, she specifically told me that you should eat no less than 1200 calories per day.
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