"Talk with your Doctor first"?

Maybe what, if any, vitamin supplements you need to be taking? Sometimes when you lower calories, you lose out on a lot of nutrients, so you want to be sure you're fueling your body with everything it needs!

Also maybe ask what ratio of carbs/fat/protein would be ideal for your body chemistry so you know exactly what a proper diet for you means, rather than what MFP suggests.

Depending on the type of doctor he/she is, they may just give you a referral to a nutritionist. I know he/she may not have time to talk nutrition to you. As far as any other advice, your physician should know your medical history and know if any current chronic illnesses you may have or conditions you may have will interfere with specific exercises or any special diets you plan on doing. THus it is imperative to tell him/her your plans as far as types of exercise or special diets you may plan on doing (e.g. adkin's, paleo, etc.). Good luck.

You can also ask for a referral to a nutritionist who will have more time to spend with you personally than your doctor regarding ratio of foods to eat.

You can also ask if there are any other concerns, any cardiac risk or diabetes in your family?

This "Talked with my doctor" thing always amuses me. Granted if a doctor is a nutrionist or a dietician then yes it might be a good idea to ask him about calorie intake, etc. But if you are trying to ask a doctor who specializes in internal medicine, brain surgeon, or some other specialty that is not related to nutrition, then there is a good chance you will get some inaccurate information.

A few months ago I went to my doctor because I had a really bad sore throat and wanted a prescription for it. Just as a test I asked him about nutrition and asked him about macronutrients, micronutrients, and calorie intake. He told me not to worry about calorie intake and just eat healthy foods. He also told me not to worry about bodyfat %. He also said that saturated fat is bad for you and leads to CVD and CHD.

I just smiled and walked out of the room. Couldn't believe my ears. Becareful what your "doctor" tells you versus what a nutrionist and/or dietician tells you. You will have completely different information.

I called a nutritionist the other day and they told me to talk to my dr, because they said nutritionists are for ppl with healthy problems and diabetes etc... *shrugs*

Wow. Just wow.

I'd talk to a new nutrionist.

First things first, don't talk to a nutritionist, talk to a registered dietitian, now, that said, sometimes RD's will call themselves nutritionists, which is fine, but RD's have a more rigid certification and upkeep program, and require a 4 year degree, where as it's hit or miss with a nutritionist (some can be excellent, some can be terrible). Granted even having the training doesn't mean they are always great, but it's a heck of a lot harder for someone to skate through a 4 year college program than it is to just go to a weekend course on nutrition and call yourself a nutritionist (I've seen this, it's scary).

Other than that, doctors don't receive a heck of a lot of nutrition training in college or in med school. Usually they get a little at the beginning of college, and a refresher course in med school right at the beginning, but unless they are going into a nutrition heavy field, that's about it. Some doctors do post graduate training and seminars, and that's good, but those are things you need to ask your doctor, I've herd some doctors say some pretty terrible things to people, so don't just blindly trust your GP doctor because they have a medical degree.

What you CAN use your doctor for is blood work, nutrition is closely tied to your blood. Things like cholesterol levels, triglycerides, hemoglobin, white blood cell count, blood sugar, sodium, potassium, O2 saturation, heart rate, thyroid hormone levels...etc. are all potential markers for problems. So make sure you have a full work up done at the minimum every 2 years, better would be every year, and if you are obese, every 6 months. Once you have these numbers, you can talk to your GP about them if you feel comfortable, or you can bring them to a more specialized person who can interpret them with regards to your nutritional levels (like an RD).