Confusion.. Getting mixed messages about calories

joyfulsoul06 wrote: »

I also tried the 800-1200 that my current doctor suggested. I did lose, and fast.. 26 pounds in 45 days. But I found that I couldn't stick to such low numbers, and again.. went back to old habits.

This is why MFP advocates a slower weight loss for you. both doctors can be "right", I would argue the first doctor was closer to a program that would have been sustainable for you though. Your current doctor is looking at it as a binary lose weight function. Not is it something sustainable by a human with cravings, hunger, energy levels and other factors to consider.

you want to find a sustainable long term solution for yourself. if that is .5lbs a week or 2lbs a week or somewhere in between, you need to find what works for YOU. Additionally having a massive low calorie diet is not teaching you how to properly eat long term. Even if you lose the weight, as you found out you gain it right back because you didnt learn anything. All you did was torture yourself to your goal.

If you have entered your information correctly into MFP and its giving you 1600 to work with for 2lbs a week, Try this and see if you can make it work long term. if you are too hungry on a daily basis, add in a 100ish calorie snack and see how that goes for a bit.

When I started on MFP, I was 5'6" and 241 lbs. I was able to lose 2 lbs a week on around 1700 calories (at that time). You could definitely stand to eat more than 800 calories and lose, especially knowing it's too low for you to stick with. From personal experience, I have learned not to take nutrition advice from a doctor. Plenty of them are clueless about how weight loss works.

Hi - I know you are getting a lot of different numbers and a lot of advice. You might even ignore this post but I want to tell you I am in you corner. I am 5'5" and weigh 200 lbs. I am in the obese bmi. I have been on this journey on and off so much. I have felt powerless and restrained. I restricted and then binged. None of that is helpful but you know what is. Your mindset. First off congratulations man for wanting to lose weight. If you start your journey being frustrated then you will go no where. Try and get into a positive mindset. I know that is easier said than done. I for instance every morning or at least every other day write a journal entry stating how I am feeling, what I have to accomplish etc. Then after doing this for a bit I was like hey you know what I want to figure out my limits. Can I stick to an x amount of calories for 7 days and go to the gym for hour everyday? I wanted to challenge myself. I still am. I am on the 7th day today. I have had ups and downs and a HUGE temptation day but having a short enough time line meant I didn't lose too much focus. I always talk to myself figure out how I am feeling and Google some solutions to my problems. One was having too many expectations but thinking I didn't have any. I have to remind myself to accept my hard work and accept what the scale says but remember to stick to my goal. I know the therapist is an option but not everyone can afford it. I don't know what you eat currently but try to switch to nutrient dense foods. After the 7 days if you want post your results and feelings on this community and just share how you are doing with others. Do a post analysis what worked and what didn't and go from there. (BTW tnrw for Father's day I might eat a piece of cake if not then I will have 2 pancakes in the morning - I will treat myself for my hardwork but moderatly). You got this. Pick one goal and see what results you get. If 1600 calories is losing you the weight you want to stick with that. If it's not change the after 7 days. Trial and error with reflection is the way to go. Good luck bud. I really hope this helps.

I'd ignore the doctors. Unless they're specially trained in bariatrics, they don't really have any training on weight loss or nutrition or fitness so asking them is no more likely to be accurate than asking a random stranger on the street. Start with somewhere around 1600-1900 calories each day, as MFP has recommended for you. If you exercise, eat some more calories. If, after a month or two, you aren't losing any weight, lower the number a little. Get a scale and weigh out your food portions so you know you're being as accurate as possible.

I tend to be all or nothing, too. I've gained and lost more times than I can count. I can write out a 1200 calorie menu in my sleep. This is the first time I've tried losing weight with higher calories (for me, 1500-1800 depending on exercise; I'm 163 lbs). It's working and I'm not feeling miserable, weak, faint, hungry and deprived.

joyfulsoul06 wrote: »

I've been on here for a long time, off and on. I've also lost and regained more times than I care to think about. I am so unhappy with where I am.. I am over 300 pounds, and obviously have a LOT to lose. I just don't know what information to trust, or where to start..

Doctor #1 - Told me 1200-1500 calories

Doctor #2 - Told me 800-1200 calories

MFP - Based on my weight and activity level, has me at roughly 1600 to lose 2 lbs per week, or 1890 for 1.5 per week.

I am so confused about what guidelines to go by..

I want to lose the weight in a healthy way, and finally be able to keep it off. I just don't know where to start. My current doctor (doctor #2) says to use MFP for tracking but to NOT go by the calories it sets for me, because as she says.. I'll "gain weight cause it's too high".

In the past, the most I've lost was 86 pounds in about 8-9 months, but I gained it all back plus more. I had made extreme changes with my eating, and went about 8 months without anything even remotely unhealthy, then I got sick of being so strict, went back to old habits.. and gained it all back. During that time I was following the 1200-1500 and stayed closer to 1200 most days

I also tried the 800-1200 that my current doctor suggested. I did lose, and fast.. 26 pounds in 45 days. But I found that I couldn't stick to such low numbers, and again.. went back to old habits.

With me, it has always been "all or nothing". I have never had a healthy relationship with food. But, I know I need to find a way to lose the weight, in a heathy and realistic way. I just don't know where to start.. or whose advice to go by. Plus, I have a terrible habit of wanting to lose too quickly, which I'm sure is part of why it's been so hard for me to keep it off.

I want to lose in a healthy way, at a healthy pace. I just don't know what that is for me.

Thoughts?

@joyfulsoul06 your story is similar to mine in a lot of ways. Three years ago at the age of 63 I was dying in part to 40 years of yo-yoing weight. I realized no human would tell me the best way for me to eat because we are not all the same. On a hunch I cut out all added sugar and any and all foods that were ever a type of grain. In 30 days my pain level had dropped like a rock and my mind was better able to focus on my health. While I was losing inches for some reason I did not lose the first pound until day 45. As my physical health started to recover then the weight loss seemed to automatically start and maintain at the new lower level. Three years later I better understand how to eat but still have a lot to learn. In my case if I keep my daily carbs just under 50 grams daily and go medium on the protein and make up the rest of my food from fats that I eat and/or burn off of my body my health keeps improving.

Keep in mind what I and others post may or may not be what is best for you to do because like snowflakes we all can be very different. Give it time. In my case my cravings started to fade fast after two weeks with no sugar and grains in my diet and three years later I still do not get cravings for sugar and grains. It was like I was a high carb addict and swore I could not give them up. I finally decided eating in a way that was going to prematurely kill me was not in my own best interest or that of the family in trying to help my failing body.

Best of success and keep asking your body how it wants you to eat and act on that info. Often you will read how others including myself may nature think the Way Of Eating that is fixing our bodies, souls and mind will work for others. In fact our WOE may or may not work for another and might even be dangerous for you. The body want to live and experience good health so listen to it when it speaks to you. Even very small steps in the right direction gets us closer to where we want to be. It was when I took weight loss off the table that my weight loss and maintenance took care of itself for the most part as long as I am mindful to what my body is telling me.

I think your doctor said you'll gain weight on MFP calories because they assume you won't weigh your food carefully and will underestimate your intake thus eating much more.

But you will weigh everything you put into your mouth with a digital scale and log it carefully in grams using the correct entries. So you can safely use MFP to lose like most of us do.

I didn't read all the replies (on a small phone) .. my highest weight was 312, I averaged around 3500 Cal's a day +- , I started doing 2500 then 2000 Cal's a day, right now I am maintaining 260 +- , but that's cause of personal family stress (wrecks, hospital stays etc) .. I still lose weight when eating around 1800-2000 Cal's a day .. I would suggest 1 week simply log all foods you eat, then you can see your average Cal's and adjust from there, that's what I did .. feel free to friend me

OP, I was an all or nothing person too. I had to realize that, that all or nothing mentality was part of the reason I was failing. I also wanted to lose the weight as fast as possible and I just had to accept that losing the weight was going to take time.

My advice? Weigh your solid foods with a food scale and measure your liquids. Log everything you eat honestly. Double check database entries because they aren't always correct. Don't sweat the little stuff (the day you went over your calories, the day you didn't drink enough water, the day you didn't exercise) look at the big picture. If you are consistent, you will lose the weight and keep it off.

Start by making small changes. I started out with a goal of just losing a pound a week. I knew I couldn't do 1.5 lbs a week starting off. It would've been too drastic of a change for me and I wouldn't have stuck to it. Later I did up my goal to 1.5 lbs a week once I got in a good routine.

Eat foods you like. I don't like all vegetables or all fruits, but there are ones I like and those are the ones I focused on including in my diet as much as possible. I also tried a bunch of different fruits and veggies a bunch of different ways to find out what exactly I did like. When you are eating food you like it isn't such a struggle.

Make it as convenient as possible. A lot of us here meal plan and it makes things easier. Usually on Sundays I plan out what I'm going to eat all week and I go to the grocery store and purchase the stuff I need for the upcoming week. If it helps you try meal prepping. Essentially, you prepare your meals for the week in advance so you don't have to worry about time constraints. I don't always meal prep, but I find having veggies and fruit prewashed and cut for snacks helps a lot with mindless snacking.

Foods I know I can't control myself around I don't buy or keep in my house. If I want one of those foods I will be a single serving or eat them elsewhere. For example, I can't control myself around chocolate so when I can fit chocolate in I will buy a single candy bar. Don't have to worry about overeating because I don't have anymore. When I want ice cream and can fit it in I go to the ice cream shop and have a scoop. When it's gone, it's gone and I'm home so I don't have anymore.

I don't tell myself no. If I want a certain food I will allow myself to have it just not always that day. Maybe I already cooked or I can't make it fit into my calories so I'll work in it a few days later or whenever I have some extra calories. It's much easier I've found to tell myself not today versus not ever.

Lastly, weight loss isn't linear. Don't get upset or frustrated when the scale doesn't move or even moves in the wrong direction. Fluctuations are normal and sometimes we all have a bad day, week, or month...just keep going.

You can do this.

"The very simple act of logging all your food makes the magic happen in your head as you mindfully consider food in ways you never had before, and you make choices to change that you are comfortable with."

Well said, @JeromeBarry1