Calorie adjustment

Disneyfan05
Disneyfan05 Posts: 38 Member
in Getting Started
My doctor wants me to keep track between 1200-1500 calories preferably 1200. Is there a way for me to adjust my number here? It gives me 1800+daily

Replies

  • Disneyfan05
    Disneyfan05 Posts: 38 Member
    found it
  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
    Unless there is an important medical reason to drop the weight fast, I'd counsel aiming for the upper end of your doc's recommendation for the first month and see how you do - especially if MFP's # was 1800.
  • Slowfaster
    Slowfaster Posts: 186 Member
    Lots of people quit when they don't see satisfying results, so for them a stricter diet with clear weekly results will keep them sticking to the plan longer than a higher calorie diet where they feel like they're working hard but not getting paid.

    I'd trust my doctor and do what he told me to do.
  • bmeadows380
    bmeadows380 Posts: 2,981 Member
    is that 1800+ daily because you are on the taller end and chose 2 lbs/wk? How much weight do you have to lose? What activity level did you chose? All those things are vitally important in choosing the correct number of calories for a sustainable weight loss strategy.

    Also, its not only acceptable but prudent to question your doctor so that you understand why they are recommending the course of treatment they are recommending. Has your doctor studied up on nutrition science and kept up to date, or are they a GP who is just recommending what they've been told to recommend? Is this your GP or is this a bariatric surgeon who is prepping you for surgery, in which case, the low calorie range is in preparation for the new eating style you'll have to sustain afterwards?

    Many people tend to fall into the trap of "my doctor is the expert so I'll just do whatever they say" and blindly just take the medication or the course of treatment without understanding the doctor's reasons behind it, or realize that there could be another approach. I've caught myself doing this as well, so I know its just a human response, but it never hurts to ask questions, especially when it concerns your body and your health.

    Some doctors are really good, keep up with things, know their limitations, and work with you easily; others don't, and I don't know anything about you or your doctor so you may have already discussed all this, but it can't hurt to just double check with them and let them know that MFP gives you a different calorie range (and you'll probably find that other calculators do as well; I've compared MFP to a couple of different ones and find that MFP is pretty well on average with the rest), and then ask them their strategy; just make sure that the recommended calories are truly in line with your personal physical makeup.

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