I could use some help.

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Acatlett77
Acatlett77 Posts: 52
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm new to MFP & would like to ask a question.
Ok so I went to see my dr about loosing weight & he gave me several pages of foods I can & can't eat. I'm doing pretty good with following what he said but I'm having a hard time with eating the amount of calories I should. My dr said no more than 2,000 calories a day. I can't even get close to that! I have been logging for a while now & the closest I came one day was in 1,300s. Today I was in the 1,200 range. I eat three meals & 2 to 3 snacks per day! I don't know what else to do!!! I know I'm eating enough food but everything is just low in calories so I just can't get close to 2,000.

This was the restrictions my dr gave me: NO: sugar, bread, pasta or rice. Nothing fried. Don't drink calories.

OK to eat: anything baked, broiled or grilled. Fish, foul, fruit (watch sugars). red meat once a week.
Then he gave me a few things that I could have. I also googled some stuff & found some really good recipes so I will know what to get when I buy groceries again.

My question is will I gain weight by eating too few calories??? Any suggestions are welcomed but please be nice.

Replies

  • sun33082
    sun33082 Posts: 416 Member
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    You probably won't gain by too few calories, but you may have trouble losing. Sounds like you have a good recommendation for foods. He said "no more than" 2000 calories. He didn't say you "had to eat" 2000 calories. Set your goals in MFP and see what it recommends for the amount of weight you want to lose.
  • dancingdeer
    dancingdeer Posts: 379 Member
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    Is there a particular reason he wants you to eat 2000 calories? If you're comfortable eating around 1200 - 1300...then I don't see the problem, UNLESS, you are working out very hard and burning a ton of calories daily. Are you working out? If so, what are you doing? Maybe if you open your food diary, we can see where you could get some extra calories in. :happy:
  • kyrstensmom
    kyrstensmom Posts: 297 Member
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    Did your dr say no more than 2000/day or eat at least 2000/day? You should ask what your daily calorie target should be so that you don't make yourself crazy trying to eat so much. I vary my calories by the day and have a weekly calorie goal so that I can change things up to keep my body guessing. It seems to be working much better than the stagnant daily amount I have been using for the past month.
  • jakejacobsen
    jakejacobsen Posts: 595 Member
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    I would toss the list, a life style change is way better then a diet. If you teach yourself to eat right which you can using your diary and staying under the calorie goals. Exercise and it will go faster!

    To lose weight is simple your body needs to use more calories then you eat.< its that simple

    Best of luck to you

    Jake
  • carrie_eggo
    carrie_eggo Posts: 1,396 Member
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    You will not gain weight by eating too few calories. Unless you have a medical condition where you need a doctor's guidance then I would just concentrate on what MFP sets as your calorie needs in order to lose weight. Probably between 1200 and 1400 calories a day (net).
  • Acatlett77
    Acatlett77 Posts: 52
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    Yes. I do exercise.I try to go 3 days a week. I walk 1/2 mile jogg 1/2 a mile. He just based the 2,000 off what I weigh.
  • eddie8131
    eddie8131 Posts: 600 Member
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    Welcome! First of all it might help to look at other people's food diaries to see what they eat to get some ideas. That is a great feature of this site. Yes, it is possible to eat too few calories, which can result in losing muscle and slowing your metabolism. This will make it harder to lose weight at a given level of calories. I have read in a number of places that 1,200 calories the absolute minimum calories per day recommended for women, I certainly wouldn't go below that. If you are feeling satisfied at 1,200 that's great, but it seems a little low. At 2000, it sounds like your dr. might be trying to ease you into things so it isn't so hard. I wish you good luck. I hope you find this site as motivating as I have.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    Can you clarify whether or not you have a medical condition, or why the doctor requested that you eliminate those food items?
  • Acatlett77
    Acatlett77 Posts: 52
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    I don't have a medical condition. I just want to loose weight. He didn't give me a reason why.
  • penner3821
    penner3821 Posts: 4 Member
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    First, consult your doctor to get more information and perhaps a referral to a register dietician. Second, calculate your Basal Metabolism Rate, which is probably between 1200-1300 calories per day. One possible concern about too few calories is that you may drop below calories needed to sustain your BMR and that may cause your body to lose muscle mass and not just excess fat. Losing muscle mass can reduce your BMR in the long run amd make weight loss and weight management more difficult. To prevent losing muscle mass while losing weight, eat enough protein and exercise. Finally, really make sure that your portion size measurement is accurate and cut back on restaurant foods that you cannot confirm the actual calorie count: posted calories counts on restaurant meals have been found in studies to be off by 100 calories on average. Good luck and take care.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    I don't have a medical condition. I just want to loose weight. He didn't give me a reason why.

    In that case, I would recommend that you use MFP and set up your calories and macros, and do your best to hit them along with exercise.

    I wouldn't bother with a food list unless you find that you are having issues due to cravings.
  • Acatlett77
    Acatlett77 Posts: 52
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    I think the basic idea of the diet he put me on is low carb & low sugar. He said I could have cheerios, whole grain tortillas, wheat thins or triscuits. They all contain carbs of around 20g & anywhere from 0 to 4g of sugar. I think if I use that number of carbs as a guideline & only eat stuff with 9g of sugar or less I think I will be ok. I did find some recipes online so when I buy groceries again maybe I will see a change in my calorie intake. Thanks everyone for all your help. This is why I love MFP!!!
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    Good luck :)
  • Acatlett77
    Acatlett77 Posts: 52
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    Thanks!
  • carrie_eggo
    carrie_eggo Posts: 1,396 Member
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    Just one more thought for you....since you don't have a medical condition.

    I am a nurse and have worked for several different doctors (staying at home with my kids currently). Let me tell you that most doctors are not experts on food and nutrition. Just because they have an MD behind their name doesn't mean you can take their opinion as gospel truth--at least for weight loss. They have to give advice because that is their job, but take it with a grain of salt. Unless they have done research or specialize in weight loss then they are no more an expert on weight loss than anyone else.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    Just one more thought for you....since you don't have a medical condition.

    I am a nurse and have worked for several different doctors (staying at home with my kids currently). Let me tell you that most doctors are not experts on food and nutrition. Just because they have an MD behind their name doesn't mean you can take their opinion as gospel truth--at least for weight loss. They have to give advice because that is their job, but take it with a grain of salt. Unless they have done research or specialize in weight loss then they are no more an expert on weight loss than anyone else.

    ^ Should be stickied IMO.
  • carrie_eggo
    carrie_eggo Posts: 1,396 Member
    Options
    Just one more thought for you....since you don't have a medical condition.

    I am a nurse and have worked for several different doctors (staying at home with my kids currently). Let me tell you that most doctors are not experts on food and nutrition. Just because they have an MD behind their name doesn't mean you can take their opinion as gospel truth--at least for weight loss. They have to give advice because that is their job, but take it with a grain of salt. Unless they have done research or specialize in weight loss then they are no more an expert on weight loss than anyone else.

    ^ Should be stickied IMO.

    Yeah...people get some pretty crappy advice and they think it must be right because the doctor said so. Not true, unfortunately.
  • Acatlett77
    Acatlett77 Posts: 52
    Options
    Just one more thought for you....since you don't have a medical condition.

    I am a nurse and have worked for several different doctors (staying at home with my kids currently). Let me tell you that most doctors are not experts on food and nutrition. Just because they have an MD behind their name doesn't mean you can take their opinion as gospel truth--at least for weight loss. They have to give advice because that is their job, but take it with a grain of salt. Unless they have done research or specialize in weight loss then they are no more an expert on weight loss than anyone else.

    ^ Should be stickied IMO.

    Yeah...people get some pretty crappy advice and they think it must be right because the doctor said so. Not true, unfortunately.


    Thank you. He just gave me basics to go by. My mom is a dietician & I talked to her about it too. She said based on what the papers he gave me said he just wants me on a low carb, low sugar diet. I'm kinda following what those papers said but I just think if I'm making smart choices then I will be fine. Instead of NO carbs I'm just going as low as possible. I have always been watching my sugar but I have recently cut out the Yoplait yogurt becase it has 14g-22g of sugar depending on which one I eat. I'm gonna switch to Oikos which has 6g of sugar. Gotta have my yogurt! LOL!

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