Before you jump in and scream NOOOO hear me out lol.
I've recently started a medically-monitored weight loss program called Nexslim. I weigh in once a week and get lipotropic injections and an appetite suppressant. I was also given several different vitamins to compensate for the decrease in calories. I have to admit, when I was told the calorie limitations per day I was kind of shocked. I was expecting around 1200-1300 at least. However, I've been doing it for almost 2 weeks now and, with the help of the appetite suppressant, have found it relatively easy to stick to.
I keep seeing people on the forums posting how 1000 calories is unhealthy and will damage your body. It's kind of got me a little worried, but I DO trust the doctors/nurses at the clinic.
So my question is...given all that info and the fact that I do have a lot of weight to lose...is this ok for me to do? Another thing I should add is that they told me the 900-1000 thing is only for the first 8 weeks or so. I would eat more calories after that. So anybody have any thoughts?
It does sound super low - BUT I would think that short term, and prescribed by a doctor, would be ok. Obviously (at least I would hope) the doctor(s) know their stuff. I would think it is to jump start everything, and mentally too you will be motivated knowing you have lost, and maybe also feel so much more satisfied once the calories are raised. I am sure that your doctor would not have you do something that was dangerous.
Please dont take any offense ..While I agree that if a doctor is monitoring this and it is temporary you will probably be fine, my concern for you would be long term with a program like this. I dont think you could get shots the rest of your life (maybe you can? i dunno) to suppress your appetite, and also, the lipotropic med will kick start your fat burning/metabolism. I imagine you will no doubt lose weight FAST on a program with so little calories, even after they are increased, and the added burning of fat will help that too. However, what will you do once you no longer have an appetite suppressant? What will you do once this program is complete? Unless this program 'graduates' you into learning a new lifestyle of eating on your own without someone handing you the tools the entire way(suppressant, portioned food, lipotropic) the likely result will be to gain it back. My advice to you is that if you are willing to learn how to manage life at a lower weight without the program there to watch you, then go for it. I don't think this short term low calories consumption will hurt you.
Last edited by Phoenix301; 07-20-2010 at 09:15 PM.
Please dont take any offense ..While I agree that if a doctor is monitoring this and it is temporary you will probably be fine, my concern for you would be long term with a program like this. I dont think you could get shots the rest of your life (maybe you can? i dunno) to suppress your appetite, and also, the lipotropic med will kick start your fat burning/metabolism. I imagine you will no doubt lose weight FAST on a program with so little calories, even after they are increased, and the added burning of fat will help that too. However, what will you do once you no longer have an appetite suppressant? What will you do once this program is complete? Unless this program 'graduates' you into learning a new lifestyle of eating on your own without someone handing you the tools the entire way(suppressant, portioned food, lipotropic) the likely result will be to gain it back. My advice to you is that if you are willing to learn how to manage life at a lower weight without the program there to watch you, then go for it. I don't think this short term low calories consumption will hurt you.
I have to echo all of this. What happens when you stop the appetite supressants, injections, etc...? Is a long term plan addressed with this program?
There are risks to very low calorie diets, just as their are risks to medications.
You have a right to take those risks, but you also have a right to know what those risks are.
A doctor monitoring you does not make those risks go away. The monitoring is there to (hopefully) catch problems early.
You should be discussing the risks with your doctor(s). Did you have to sign any paper work releasing the doctor(s), staff and program from liability (promising not to sue) if you experienced health problems as a result of the diet?
Ask your doctor about the risks and the likelihood of each occurring. A good doctor will be able and willing to answer your questions. If he or she brushes your concerns aside, and doesn't directly answer your questions, that's a bit of a red flag.
I had a doctor try to persuade me into weight loss surgery. He was good, I'll give you that. He was able to (for a short time) convince me that I had nothing to worry about (because he wasn't worried about the risks I had brought up to him). It was only after the appointment and my husband asked me what the doctor had said that changed my mind, I realized that he was a good salesman. He didn't tell me that the risks I was concerned about were not real (and I had the statistics already, so I knew the facts), he just assured me that he was not worried about them. Even telling me that I could find a surgeon willing to do the lap-band surgery on me, even though I have a health condition that the lap-band manufacturer consider a contraindication, because of the risks.
Basically he told me that the risks were unimportant, and he was charismatic enough to almost convince me. But the risks are important to me, so I researched them. So to my satisfaction I know what can happen and the statistical probability of each of them happening. Choosing weight loss surgery would have been a legitimate choice for me (and it may even be at some point), but choosing to take the risks is a lot different than not knowing what those risks are. If you've not been informed of the risks, and you choose not to become informed about those risks, you're essentially deciding that no risk is too great. Is that really the choice you want to make?
I am NOT telling you that you're taking an unacceptable risk - only you can decide that, and really you can only make an informed decision, if you're informed.
If your doctor is not willing to discuss the actual risks and their likelihood, I'd find a new doctor/program, because that is a doctor telling you that their are no risks (a lie) or refusing to inform you of those risks (unethical).
To answer some questions, yes actually they have several months of maintenance sessions after I've lost all the weight, where they basically teach you how to eat/live without the injections. They also wean you off the injections and appetite suppressants BEFORE the maintenance begins. That was the one reason I was reassured about doing something like this. I too thought of the possibilities of not being able to keep the weight off after completing the program but as I said before, I was reassured by the large amount of attention the program pays to maintaining the weight loss.
To address the money statements...yes it is a lot of money. But to me, it's worth it. I do realize that weight can be lost without spending the money. Plenty of people do it. I have never done it, despite having tried countless times. This is working so I'll stick with it until it stops working. But I appreciate those who actually answered my question
I found follow your own instincts and gut. If you feel its too low and you don't feel right then I would change.
I'm not sure why everybody automatically assumes that if something is given by a doctor that it is safe. Medicine is pretty much a guessing game and how many tiems have doctors been wrong and drugs recalled because they are dangerous.
M y instinct is to scream no, and that appetite suppressants = bad.
What I actually really mean is that I'm sure it can be very effective short turn, but because you don't endure the nitty gritty exercise + careful eating, seeing what really affects your body , the weight is far more likely to return during your adjustment period. I would not have trusted my doctors about this.
Since you are trying it, ti would be really really interesting if you'd blog about the pros/ons, afteraffects, what the injections feel like, what your craving are like, how hungry you get, how fast your results are. Document the process - we could all learn from it!
What attracted you to this program verses weight watchers or other similar healthy lifestyle programs? I'm curious about what their philosophy behind their practice is!
Is 900-1000 calories a day healthy?
