HI to you all, I have been reading for awhile and l2 weeks ago had gone to my doctor as i have "tried " many diets and so far not much luck (maybe 5 pounds) I went to her to ask about prescription diet pills, she was not really for this. We discussed counting calories as she is also heavy and has been doing this since dec and has lost 12 pounds She pointed out to me if there was a magic pill she would not be in the position she was in. Although she did say if i still wanted them she would give them to me. Anyways , deep down i knew she was right so last mon hubby and i started counting calories , she said for me to aim at 1200 , i am 5'10 and weigh 212(lost 3 pounds last week I will add excercise but was curious about others calorie totals/meals plans etc ? Is 1200 a good place to start? Any help is so appreciated!

I have to say that for your height and weight it sounds low to me. I'd've thought somewhere in the 1400-1600 range to start with - at least until you see how you get on for a couple of weeks. Others should be along with their opinions soon. Welcome anyway

1200 calories per day does seem low given your weight... I weigh 145 and I try to eat 1200 although realistically it gets to be 1400-1500. However, I am not contesting what an actual doctor has told you. Best of luck! You're using the right method - calorie counting is the only logical, natural way to go.

Welcome!

I was also thinking it might be a tad low to begin with. I would probably start out at 1400 and if I were successfully losing and not hungry I would remain there for a bit and bring it down to 1200 later on.

The only way to know what works for YOU is to experiment. No calculators, web sites, Dr.s or people can now for sure. It is definitely a case of trial and error.

The great people on this site have me hooked on fitday.com to enter my calories, which I've been doing for a few days now. I haven't settled on how many I'm comfortable with yet, but this is really helping. Just tracking the first day showed that I ate close to 4,000 a day before I started to eat better and now I've gone between 1400 and 1500 since I started eating better. Maybe it would help you to just track a few days and see where you are at that makes you the most comfortable, because if you feel like you are eating too few, you will have a hard time sticking to it.

I'm probably going to get hit for saying this, but doctors aren't necessarily experts on weight loss and nutrition. I would definately say that is too low. If you read everything you can get your hands on about this subject, you will find the general consensus is that it takes a woman approx 1200 calories just to maintain body and brain functions. Also, if you've been living on say 2500 calories a day to maintain your current weight, you only need to decrease your daily count by 500 to lose a pound a week. This does not include adding exercise, which should have you losing even more.

I thought 1200 sounded low too after reading a few things but didnt want to question a dr. I started on the 12 of feb, lost 5 pounds last week then was up 2 this morning( i knew the weekend was a little bad) i have been drinking around 2 litres of water but not doing much for excercise ( and i sit down at work all day)

Interesting story, about the 1200 calories, I have hypothyroidism and asked my endocrinologist about a calorie range and he said 1200. I am also 5'9 maybe 5.10 and 216 I thought it sounded a little low and I think it is. There is a sight called calorie king. com you can plug in your information height, gender, weight, activity level and it will give a calorie level to shoot for just so you know mine is a little over 1700. If you excercise you probably need to find out how many calories you burned off and take that into consideration. If you go on the web site and click on the join our club link and scroll all the way to the bottom there is a link in small print that says something like discover how many calories a day you need to loose weight if you click on it and plug in your info, it should give a number. I used this site to determine calorie intake. I am wondering if doctors just automatically say 1200 because like some one said before, that is the amount of calories we need to maintain body and brain fucntion.

This reminds me of the old saying:

Question: "What do you call a med school student who graduates at the very bottom of their class?"

Answer: "Doctor."

All kidding aside, there are good doctors and bad doctors. If your doctor is fat, I'd say, take that into consideration. I don't seek stock market advice from homeless people, and I don't seek expert nutrition advice from the obese. Now, don't everyone take that personally, because I don't mean all the wonderful information and support we all share with each other here. What's nice about 3FC is you have thousands of women with experience in the trials and errors of weight loss, as well as some great success stories. 99% of the people here simply share their story and advice based on experience and don't pretend to be experts. The other 1%... well, I ignore them.

I would ask to be referred to a dietitian or nutritionist who's probably a little more up to date on their specific field than a general practitioner would be.

Or smile and nod, go home and eat your 1500 or 1750. When you go back 'if' they ask just tell them. "1200 was pretty low for my size but I'm losing aren't you happy?"
1200 is kinda the bottom rung for therapeutic diets in my world. But dieticians decide all that. The docs will admit that they have minimal training in that area.
I told my Doc and the others at work who asked, that I was counting calories ... but never how many.

I wouldn't trust a heavy doctor's opinion on weight loss more than a thin one (unless I knew he/she had been successful at losing weight, rather than just someone who has always been thin). The heavy doctor is more likely to have learned about weight loss through self-education and experience.

With weight loss, theory and practice are two very different things. I have a master's degree in psychology, and have a very good understanding of nutrition, health, and physiology, but with weight loss, theory and practice are two very different things.

Prescription appetite suppressants do not have a high success rate. As for starting at 1200 calories, every doctor who has ever given me a calorie recommendation (regardless of their weight) recommended 1200 calories (at least recently - 25 years ago, when I was 15, I actually had a doctor, an older, very thin male doctor, put me on an 800 calorie a day diet, yikes) My primary care physician when I lived in Illinois gave me a diet handout with a 1200 calorie meal plan and sample menus. My husband's doctor here in Wisconsin gave him diabetic handouts which all listed 1200 calorie plans for women, and 1800 calories for men. It seems to be the "standard" advice.

Since doctors get very little training in nutrition (and most younger doctors are willing to admit it) a dietitian is actually a better resource for what and how much you should be eating. Even with a specific recommendation from any specialist, you still have to work within your own personal needs. You have to balance the need to be satisfied and comfortable with the need to get the weight off. Basically the lowest calorie plan that you can tolerate comfortably enough to stay motivated. Even some super obese people are able to tolerate and comply with a 1200 calorie plan, without side effects. Other people with far less to lose would feel ill without more food. Calorie needs really is, to a large degree, trial and error.

I actually meant I WOULD trust a heavier doctor more than a thin one.

No one or nothing can predict what is the exact right calories for someone to consume. You must give yourself enough of them to provide you with proper nutrition and energy (never less then 1200, I believe). The rest is simply trial and error. The right combo of your being satisfied and seeing a weight loss. And it doesn't always have to be the same number day in and day out.

Thanks for all the advice, i really am determined to make this work i am tires of buying new diet books (and bigger clothes) This just seems to make the most sense. Nothing is forbidden but you need to decide if its worth the calories right? Of course you want to keep it as healthy as possible but its nice to know if i am going to have my glass of wine that night i just need to figure it in . I think i will try to keep my calorie intake maybe at 1400? or should i start around 1500. This site is so great!

I have an OB/GYN that I like - for that part of my life. However, she thinks I need to lose some more weight. Now, she is a tall, thin woman, never been heavy (though interestingly her DH is HUGE). So to lose weight she says, "you know, just cut out a piece of bread or two every day." Um, if that worked, we'd all be skinny! But, as I say, I don't go to her for weight loss advice.