Doc put me on 800 calories a day

If you have to lose 150lbs to do it right your looking at a minimum of 18 months at a 1000 calorie daily deficit. Diet is such a horrible word you need to make a life decision soon a healthy weight or more surgeries and other health issues.. I'm assuming your surgeon told you 800 calories because of your caloric choices to this point in your life. Personally I would never plan to go under 1200 calories and from what I have read its not healthy either..

Funny story My X wife (doctor) had a alcoholic patient and she informed him he needed to slow down on his drinking.. He said you know doc I see a lot of old drunks but not a lot of old doctors.. True story..

800 calories is very low and not as healthy as 1200 calories, which is not as healthy as 1500 or 1800 etc.. The thing is that sometimes doctors need to make a less healthy choice to get out of a more dangerous situation as soon as possible. In your case, treating your back may be the priority. Just make sure to consume as many calories from nutrient dense food as possible and ask your doctor if you need to supplement with a multivitamin or some other supplement. Since you have quite a bit to lose, chances are you will be able to handle a very low calorie diet with less complications and side effects than a regular weight person, but keep watch regardless and have regular checkups.

This is also a situation where you may be on a certain schedule for the operation. I don't know the specifics of your condition, but I believe talking to your doctor about it asking them if it's really urgent to lose the weight fast or if it's okay to take your time is a wiser thing to do than to listen to random people on the internet, me included, after that you could make your own choice.

I was put on a 800 calorie diet at first. The goal was get out of the "super obese" BMI range as soon as possible because I was very close to being diagnosed a diabetic. It was very hard and it lasted 10 weeks, but you do adapt after a while. Thankfully it had no ill effects on me and I was able to comfortably increase my intake by as much as I wanted as soon as I was out of the danger zone.

Those that under go the band to shrink their stomach probably eat about this amount in a day. If morbidly obese, 800 is commonly prescribed for a quick and fast weight loss. It's not sustainable but that's because it doesn't have to be. Surgery through layers of fat lengthens the procedure. Also figuring out anesthetics is more complicated. If your chances of a successful surgery go up significantly for a difference of every 20lbs I think it would be a simple answer. Just do it. It will suck but its short term and surgery is a scary thing. You don't want to go into think you could die. You can worry about a slower and easier to maintain "diet" once the healing is over.

Stick to lots of green veggies and good luck.

My goal is to lose 150 lbs also but not for surgery. Thinking that you may also be close to 300lbs, your body is using up about 2000 calories just for existing. Having restricted myself to 1000 calories at one time, yes I lost some weight fast but in return I was always hungry, and miserable. Needless to say I fell off the horse and gained the weight back and then some. I now consume about 1600-1700 calories/day (my daily goal is 1900) and hike in the woods at least 3 times a week (gyms and machines are not my thing, too monotonous). I can feel the weight coming off slowly but surely and I am happier. As a Registered Nurse I can tell you that anyone who tells you to eat 800 calories a day is insane so I am hoping that he really meant 1800 calories, if not, you are setting yourself for failure. To lose that much weight do it safely and enjoy exploring new healthier food options and activities that you might enjoy.

For that much weight loss in a short time, yes, 800 about right. Be sure to take vitamins!!!

I agree with the recommendation that you start on 1200 (high in lean protein and vegetables) plus a good basic multivitamin while you consult further with your doctor. The difference between 800 and 1200 is less than a pound a week and that's with 100% tight logging compliance at the 800 level. You'll be losing several pounds a week either way. And if you adjust to 800 after consulting with the doc great -- it won't be as much of an adjustment from there. Good luck! The people on this site are a great source of info and support, so I would encourage you to use this as a resource.

Francl27 wrote: »

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.

Not "needless to say". He made choices that put all the weight back on.

There is, quite frankly, a difference between healthy dieting to lose weight for good, versus losing weight really fast because you are either impatient (most people) OR because of a medical emergency.

Doctors are generally NOT particularly knowledgeable about healthy, sustainable weight loss. They are not required to receive much training on weightloss or nutrition for their degree or to maintain their medical credentials. However, the what little training on the subject they are actually required to have is usually on the subject of fast very low calorie diet (VLCD) "emergency" plans to prepare patients for surgery. While 800 calories per day is way too low for healthy, normal, permanent weightloss, your doctor may have chosen this plan specifically in order to prepare you quickly for surgery. (On the other hand, the doctor may have recommended this diet out of ignorance. It happens. Given that it's the only kind of weight loss many doctors are trained on, it's understandably "prescribed" in far too many situations.)

Always be prepared to ask your doctor lots of questions about why they give you the recommendations they do, and what your alternatives are. Be clear about the timeline. Does the surgery need to happen soon for medical reasons? Do you have so much weight to lose before surgery is safe that the doctor thinks that you will give up and not achieve the goal (and thus, NEVER qualify for the surgery) unless weight loss proceeds at a really unhealthy fast speed? Ask for a referral to a qualified nutritionist or dietician to achieve the goals that you both agree on in a timeframe that you both agree on.