Doc put me on 800 calories a day

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tabi_berry
tabi_berry Posts: 2 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Okay. I know I really need to lose weight so that I can have back surgery. But, does 800 calories a day seem healthy? I need to loose about 150lbs. I pretty much have a sedentary life due to deteriorating disk and bulging disk in my back.
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  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,089 Member
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    Wow that seems very very low . sadly many doctors aren't very knowledgeable about these things . I don't know your current stats but I personally wouldn't go below 1200.( for me personally I would be concerned about losing muscle mass )
    I would definitely have another conversation with your doc a bout this if you feel its also too low. Maybe he could refer you to a dietician or nutritionist who could give you better advice.
  • DerekVTX
    DerekVTX Posts: 287 Member
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    Yeah like he said, 800 seems really low. Depending on your height though maybe 1000-1200 might even be better. Key though is accurate logging. (Weigh and measure your food). I have heard of these diets where you are put on 800 calories a day and given needle shots......But I am more of an advocate of controlled weight loss of no more than 2lbs per week. That means you need to mentally prepare for a long term committment. My original commitment was to give an honest effort for at least a year and I can honestly tell you now that I know without any doubt i will never be fat again.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
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    thorsmom01 wrote: »
    Wow that seems very very low . sadly many doctors aren't very knowledgeable about these things . I don't know your current stats but I personally wouldn't go below 1200.( for me personally I would be concerned about losing muscle mass )
    I would definitely have another conversation with your doc a bout this if you feel its also too low. Maybe he could refer you to a dietician or nutritionist who could give you better advice.

    This^^

    Doctors are very cure-oriented. They want to cure what ails us as quickly as possible. If obesity is ailing us, they just toss out a number that will allow us to lose weight as fast as possible in order to be "cured." I'd buy a food scale and log as accurately as possible and shoot for around 1200 while eating all of my exercise calories.

    A lot of times, I think doctors try to low-ball the numbers because they understand that most people will not log accurately. Buying a digital food scale will solve that little problem, and you won't have the mental burden of thinking that you're eating a lot less food.
  • drotzmaj
    drotzmaj Posts: 30 Member
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    I am a nurse, and would have to agree that 800 seems way too low. That said, I am NOT a diet expert!! I agree with Derek that losing too much to fast is not good for your body and actually, starving your body causes your body to go in to fat storage mode! I would suggest getting a second opinion from a second physician and consult with a dietitian. Good luck!!
  • dakotababy
    dakotababy Posts: 2,406 Member
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    It is hard to say, considering there is a medical situation. Typically, of course 800 calories is waaaaay too low. It is also unrealistic to expect someone to sustain long-term weight loss with that sort of intake. That is more "we need your weight down immediately to get this surgery done immediately" type of calorie goal.

    Maybe you could work out, whether it be leg lifts/using resistant bands for your arms so you can eat more.

    That is a tough one, though if you can - it wouldn't hurt to maybe get a second opinion or ask for a referral to a nutritionist to work collaboratively with you and your doctor.

  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    Not to be rude, by your doctor may have thrown that out there to account for a margin of error. Trying to eat 800 calories and actually doing it are two different things. If you don't use a food scale, log properly, forget about condiments/drinks/oils, etc-800 can become 1200+ really easily. Regardless, I would mention that to your doctor and see if he really thinks you should be eating 800. Seems low.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    I know someone who had weight loss surgery. She was put on 800 calories a day for a certain number of weeks and told to get lots of protein.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
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    drotzmaj wrote: »
    I agree with Derek that losing too much to fast is not good for your body and actually, starving your body causes your body to go in to fat storage mode!

    This is actually not true: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1077746/starvation-mode-adaptive-thermogenesis-and-weight-loss/p1
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
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    There's no storage mode!
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    I spent a few weeks on a liquid VLCD diet, medically supervised. I had to make sure to get enough protein. At this many calories meals and portions are very restrictive. I was weak and dizzy throughout. These are some of the side effects.

    On the plus side the weight loss helped me regain my mobility in the long run.

    Keep in touch with your doctor and report any unusual symptoms.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
    edited September 2015
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    I did about 800 for a while. It's not hard to stay full on 800 if you eat your fruits, veggies and lean, white meats. It is hard to cram all your vitamins and minerals in. That's one reason they take blood when they set you up on this kind of thing.

    Since you're confused, call the office and ask for a referral to a dietitian to help you. They'll be able to answer all your questions about food and your diet.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
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    tabi_berry wrote: »
    Okay. I know I really need to lose weight so that I can have back surgery. But, does 800 calories a day seem healthy? I need to loose about 150lbs. I pretty much have a sedentary life due to deteriorating disk and bulging disk in my back.

    That does seem low. How much are you trying to lose? Why so low?
  • Qskim
    Qskim Posts: 1,145 Member
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    tabi_berry wrote: »
    Okay. I know I really need to lose weight so that I can have back surgery. But, does 800 calories a day seem healthy? I need to loose about 150lbs. I pretty much have a sedentary life due to deteriorating disk and bulging disk in my back.

    When's the surgery?
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    If it is medically supervised, I would take any questions back to the dr. It would be too low for the average person trying to lose weight alone, but this is not your case. Talk to your dr.
  • OsricTheKnight
    OsricTheKnight Posts: 340 Member
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    tabi_berry wrote: »
    Okay. I know I really need to lose weight so that I can have back surgery. But, does 800 calories a day seem healthy? I need to loose about 150lbs. I pretty much have a sedentary life due to deteriorating disk and bulging disk in my back.

    Talk to your doctor or get a second opinion. Nobody here has any idea what you'll do to your back or your ability to walk if you fail to follow the medical advice you are getting.

    Osric
  • elizabethclaire1990
    elizabethclaire1990 Posts: 5 Member
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    I'm sorry to hear about your disks. I'm not a doctor, but I think you can be healthy on 800 calories a day, because you won't be expending many calories with exercise. However, that is going to make you lose weight SUPER quickly, and it won't be very fun and you'll probably be constantly hungry. I would recommend calculating your BMR bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ to see how many calories you will expend by just existing, then make sure you eat a deficit. As long as you're eating at a calorie deficit, you will lose weight. Good luck :)
  • thintribe2014
    thintribe2014 Posts: 36 Member
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    L4 and L5... Mine was due to a misspent childhood and I get sciatica and all sorts of issues... I digress. General consensus from the medical profession if surgery is required on someone who is overweight is to then lose weight quickly to allow them to have the surgery required. But... Your brain alone consumes 350-400 calories per day.. If you have the heart as well your reach 800. Anybody recommends 800 cal a day is foolish (Dr or not) definitely get a 2nd opinion. The Papworth heart Hospital as a clinical diet for overweight people that need surgery fast... Maybe look at that
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    RodaRose wrote: »
    I know someone who had weight loss surgery. She was put on 800 calories a day for a certain number of weeks and told to get lots of protein.

    I know someone who had to have heart surgery. He was put on a 800 calorie diet as well but only for 2 months. Needless to say, he gained it all back plus more after.
  • ManiacalLaugh
    ManiacalLaugh Posts: 1,048 Member
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    Did the doc give a time limit? If I were going into surgery next month, for instance, and my doctor just wanted me to lose as much as possible for that short waiting period, it would seem more reasonable to me.

    If he put me on such a restrictive diet and then said "...and we'll see where you are in six months or so," I would likely seek a second opinion. (Personally speaking, I'd probably just drop a handful of cals from my limit right now and work out a little more.)
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    arditarose wrote: »
    Not to be rude, by your doctor may have thrown that out there to account for a margin of error. Trying to eat 800 calories and actually doing it are two different things. If you don't use a food scale, log properly, forget about condiments/drinks/oils, etc-800 can become 1200+ really easily. Regardless, I would mention that to your doctor and see if he really thinks you should be eating 800. Seems low.

    ^This. Tell your doctor that you'll be accurately tracking your intake and see if he was allowing for a margin of error.

    Further thoughts:

    Is your doctor supervising you during this loss, or did he just tell you to eat at that level and send you on your way?

    Some people are put on 800 calories under close medical supervision. If that's not the case, do discuss the issue further with your doctor.

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