Dr told me to stop logging :-0

Clarecbear82
Clarecbear82 Posts: 369 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Two weeks ago I went to the drs and was diagnosed with sinusitus (sp?) Given antibiotics and told if I don't get any better in two weeks to go back.

Since then I have had a temperature every day and developed a really sore throat and sores in my mouth (gross I know). So today I went back to see him again and he says he thinks I've got a second viral infection and the start of tonsillitus (sp?) He also asked if I've lost weight (think he noticed my notes had about me being obese and I'm not now) and so I told him is been calorie counting and he told me to stop as I seem run down so probably not getting enough vitamins ect!

Anyway I don't think I can stop logging my food so I've switched my goal to maintenance for the moment and I'm going to concentrate on eating healthier as for the last couple of weeks I've been eating what tastes ok (which isn't much).

So my question to all of you is do you really think I could be worse off vitamin and mineral wise than i was when I was obese? It doesn't make any sence.
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Replies

  • caramammal
    caramammal Posts: 147 Member
    You know, I think most GPs get around half a day of nutrition training, just the basics, so unless your doctor is a trained nutrionalist, i'm not sure he/she is qualified to comment, especially if they didnt do a vitamin/mineral analysis. Best bet is to eat some good old fresh fruit and veg :)
  • MrsAgi
    MrsAgi Posts: 338 Member
    well you certainly COULD be - you can stay under your cal goal by eating nothing but a big mac and a mars bar each day, but obviously you would not be getting the correct nutrients ad therefore would have various health issues - while still losing weight steadily.....

    Perhaps you need to take your last month's log to the doc and see if (s)he can give you some pointers as to what you are missing out on (if anything), then adjust your food intake to solve that problem.

    I don't see how logging correctly can be anything but a good thing as at least you will know what you are/aren't eating!
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    If you're eating healthy food, I don't think so. I have barely had a cold in about 10 years whether I'm dieting or not. But I choose healthy foods.

    You can check your log and see if you're getting your necessary nutrients.
  • jenlarz
    jenlarz Posts: 813 Member
    Just make sure you are getting plenty of nutrients through food. Lots of dar green and bright color veggies, protein, fish. I've always had good luck with zinc lozenges when I am getting sick-but those ususally work best if you start taking them right away. anyway, feel better!
  • jenlarz
    jenlarz Posts: 813 Member
    Just make sure you are getting plenty of nutrients through food. Lots of dark green and bright color veggies, protein, fish. I've always had good luck with zinc lozenges when I am getting sick-but those ususally work best if you start taking them right away. anyway, feel better!

    ack. Didn't mean to post twice and I can't erase this one, only edit it
  • garlic7girl
    garlic7girl Posts: 2,236 Member
    I am not sure what he was thinking and maybe ask him specifically when you go back. Only way to really know why he said that. But you have to assess how your diet is...do you eat vegetables and fruits daily??? Do you get some sort of calcium in your diet? Whole grains? That will determine how much vitamins and minerals you get daily.
  • karendsmith
    karendsmith Posts: 167
    He could do a blood test and find out exactly what or if you are defficient in. That would seem like the best solution. You would then know what you are lacking and add it to your daily intake.
  • kathleennf
    kathleennf Posts: 606 Member
    You can have MFP track your vitamin A, vitamin C etc. Do that and show it to him :)
    I eat a lot of fruit and go "over" on vitamins pretty frequently.
  • AskBeans
    AskBeans Posts: 13
    I agree with everyone about nutrients , eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables , try and lay off the canned foods not so good for you. If you can pick up a multivitamin from the health food store that will help as well .
  • serradifalco
    serradifalco Posts: 2
    I brought my log to my doctor when I wasn't losing as quickly as I thought I should be. She reviewed it with me and thought it looked great, so I would say your PCP is being a little overcareful. As long as you're eating healthy foods and checking your log to make sure you're getting your vitamins and nutrients in, how could he say you're not getting them?? If nothing else, maybe take a multivitamin daily, just to make sure. It sounds like you've lost a lot of weight and are much healther, kudos to you!!
  • mynameiscarrie
    mynameiscarrie Posts: 963 Member
    why not just take a multivitamin? then you could keep logging, stay out of the obese range (congrats on that btw!), and get all your vitamins :)
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    Weird, most doctors would say GREAT! Just remember to take a multi so that you're not missing out on your vitamins!
  • skullik
    skullik Posts: 142 Member
    Did your doctor do any blood work , to check if you are low in B vitamins or iron for example? Or check white blood cell count? If not, he should have.... Logging your food makes it much easier for someone that knows something about nutrition to figure out if you are eating properly!
  • Victoria2448
    Victoria2448 Posts: 559 Member
    I took a quick peek at your diary and you are surely not getting enough nutrients and fuel for your body.:smile:
  • Gwenski
    Gwenski Posts: 348 Member
    HI There.. sorry to hear you've been feeling run down. You may want to switch what you are tracking (instead of fats and carbs etc) try tracking some vitamin and nutrients like potassium, vitamin A, Vitamin C and calcium in addition to your calories. I'm pretty sure that would point you to what you may be lacking in your diet. Do hope you feel better soon!
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    It's not just micro-nutrients, your body needs energy to fight off the infection. You're doing a workout just sitting there getting better! A calorific deficit will deprive your body the vital nutrients it needs to repair itself and could make the infection go on longer than it needs to. So continue to eat at maintenance until you're fully recovered. Hope you feel better soon!
  • nixirain
    nixirain Posts: 448 Member
    You know, I think most GPs get around half a day of nutrition training, just the basics, so unless your doctor is a trained nutritionist, I'm not sure he/she is qualified to comment, especially if they didn't do a vitamin/mineral analysis. Best bet is to eat some good old fresh fruit and veg :)

    This! When I was 21 I lost 70 lbs. I went to my doctor for another reason and she told me to stop counting because I was getting to small. I admit I was, but I wasn't trying. I was on maintenance points through weight watchers but I was still losing for some reason. My doctor should have sent me to a dietitian but instead I listened to her and slowly gained and struggled over the last 9 years. I don't see that doctor anymore.

    If you need to logging to keep your self on track then do it! Just make sure you are getting all the macros you need to be healthy. And maybe try to go up to maintenance until you are feeling better!
  • love22step
    love22step Posts: 1,103 Member
    I checked your diary, since you have it open. The bulk of your calories are junk and processed foods, rather than vegetables and fruits. You definitely need help with nutrition. It is definitely possible to be healthy and be a healthy weight. The key is eating healthy foods. Good luck and God bless!
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    Anyway I don't think I can stop logging my food so I've switched my goal to maintenance for the moment and I'm going to concentrate on eating healthier as for the last couple of weeks I've been eating what tastes ok (which isn't much).

    So my question to all of you is do you really think I could be worse off vitamin and mineral wise than i was when I was obese? It doesn't make any sence.

    I would agree about the maintenance and eating healthier. When you've gotten better, then shift back to weight loss, but for now make sure that you are giving your body enough energy and nutrients to make your immune system work. In addition to eating healthier you might want to take a vitamin -- it's not a bad idea for anyone who's dieting.
  • BlueInkDot
    BlueInkDot Posts: 702 Member
    I'm suprised your doctor told you to stop logging. It would make more sense for them to recommend vitamin/mineral supplements of some kind. I would try to get more details from your doctor on what kind of nutrients you might be missing out on and try to adjust your diet or acquire some supplements to address the problem specifically.

    I get in general what the doctor is saying. When you eat a deficit of calories, it more likely that you are also at a deficit of some kind of nutrients or another, just because there isn't as much coming into your system in general. But I think that saying "just stop logging your calories" isn't the best advice to accomodate that. Also your condition seems to be very specific, so some bloodwork and tests and whatnot should be able to identify which nutrient(s) you are lacking specifically that could help alleviate your issue.

    Good luck, and I hope you get better.
  • kiminikimkim
    kiminikimkim Posts: 746 Member
    I would cut out all that bread you're consuming, they're empty calories with no nutritional value. Focus on eating a lot of fruits and vegetables with reasonable protein portions. Right now, being healthy is more important than calorie restriction. your body is suffering and it is letting you know it is.
  • debstanley4
    debstanley4 Posts: 208 Member
    not sure how he could know with out blood tests.
  • rutabagasrgood
    rutabagasrgood Posts: 3
    I took a quick peek at your diary and you are surely not getting enough nutrients and fuel for your body.:smile:

    I agree... veggies and fruit and some meat would boost any vites you need. Not sure what some of that other stuff is, honestly... "food-like substances". Sorry, not trying to be harsh, just honest. And since your diary is open, I peeked to see if you might be actually getting enough vites and minerals.
  • huntindawg1962
    huntindawg1962 Posts: 277 Member
    OP - what the Dr said to you is like saying "the cause of obesity is bathroom scales." What does logging have to do with WHAT you are eating or for that matter, how much one is eating? If you were eating 3500 calories a day of proteins and veggies but logging it all - would that still be an issue? That may have been the short way of saying that he thinks that by logging you are restricting too much but the bigger picture is looking at what you are eating (whether logging or not).
  • juliespears
    juliespears Posts: 25 Member
    Instead of asking the MD to check your bloodwork, it might be more helpful to ask for a referral to a registered dietician/nutritionist. Not only will they understand fully how to analyze your diet, they will offer strategies for improvement, to include supplements or diet modifications that would fit within your lifestyle and recommended diet plan. You won't get that from an MD looking at just the numbers from a lab test.

    Not sure if this is covered by your insurance or not, but with an MD referral, it should help, since the MD's office staff will know how to word the referral appropriately to optimize your coverage.
  • ARDuBaie
    ARDuBaie Posts: 378 Member
    From a different viewpoint:

    As a nurse, I know that doctors often do not want to tell patients the truth. Although you may not be getting all your vitamins, could it possibly be that the antibiotic was not the right one for the bacteria that you had? Additionally, if you had a virus, antibiotics will not work. So could he have misdiagnosed what you actually had and is making excuses? That's possible.

    Most Americans are deficient on one vitamin that is really needed in order to keep the immune system healthy. That vitamin is Vitamin D.

    Now I know that you are thinking, "Why would I be lacking Vitamin D when I spend time outside and drink fortified milk?"

    The answer is that Americans use a lot of sunblock and often wear sunglasses, which prevent the necessary absorption from taking place. Maybe even a hat. We have been scared into doing so, treating the sun like it is an arch enemy. I rarely, if ever, wear sunblock. I have not had a cold in 10 years. I supplement with vitamin D like crazy because I know that, without supplementation, I would be deficient in this vitamin. (I have an absorption issue) Since I have started supplementing I have not been sick. Even my asthma has gotten better. Off the inhalers completely.

    You can have tests run to see if you are actually deficient in vitamins or minerals. I would suggest asking the doctor to run those tests. That way you will not be throwing your money away on supplementing when you don't need to do so.

    You can also get a nutrition consult. Doctors get very little in education when it comes to nutrition. Same for nurses. They get the basics and then are cut loose. If the doctor or nurse doesn't read more about nutrition, they lack the information you will need to understand any nutritional deficiency. So ask for a nutrition consult and take copies of your journal with you.
  • MammaC66
    MammaC66 Posts: 120 Member
    I took a quick look at your diary, and I think your doctor is probably right. It looks like you are eating too little and not the right things. Even if you go on maintenance and keep eating the things you are now you probably wouldn't be getting the nutrition you need. From what I can see, you need more fruits and veggies, as well as more lean protein. Just my 2 cents worth. :)
  • mixedfeelings
    mixedfeelings Posts: 904 Member
    Well the logging won't run you down but you need to eat more. I would have thought if you have reached your goal weight your goal calories would have changed, have you changed the setting or is it still set for a loss?

    I would say that your diet would benefit from more fruit and veg, I always think a good food diary is full of food, not calorie dense food but lot's of variety.
  • Clarecbear82
    Clarecbear82 Posts: 369 Member
    Thanks for all your replies I know I've been eating pretty terribly the last few weeks mainly because my oh has been shopping but also because ive lost interest in food mainly because everything has tasted like mould. I know that's no excuse but I'm making a point of changing back now!
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
    well you certainly COULD be - you can stay under your cal goal by eating nothing but a big mac and a mars bar each day, but obviously you would not be getting the correct nutrients ad therefore would have various health issues - while still losing weight steadily.....

    Perhaps you need to take your last month's log to the doc and see if (s)he can give you some pointers as to what you are missing out on (if anything), then adjust your food intake to solve that problem.

    I don't see how logging correctly can be anything but a good thing as at least you will know what you are/aren't eating!

    That makes way more sense than to just stop logging. As does a multivitamin if you don't already take them. Or ask your doc for a referral to a nutritionist.

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