Therapist Concern - calories

My therapist is very concerned with my caloric intake.  She wasn't so concerned prior -- she did think 800 was low, but understands the surgery and has been with me since before I even considered the surgery.   

I hadn't seen her for a month, and she was shocked (almost horrified) about how much I had changed.  She thinks that I am starving my body.  I do work out a lot and let her know that recently I have been feeling a bit weaker / dizzy during workouts.  I do still want to lose about 30 lbs.  

She pushed me to commit to eating 900- 950 calories per day - which I have met the past 2 days.  Although, she really wants me to get closer to 1200 / day.

My nutritionist has not / will not give me a calorie goal (although she pushed me to up my carbs).  I just reached out to her to get her perspective on this.  

I know many people on this board are hard core about keeping calories below 800 / day in weight loss.  But how do you incorporate different needs for someone who is 5' vs 6' or workouts w/ walking daily vs. heavy lifting & HIIT?  I'd love to hear different perspectives -- especially from hard exercisers & taller people.

Thanks!

My therapist isn't crazy about being under 1200 calories either.  I have been seeing her for a Binge Eating Disorder for about 6 months now.   My nutritionist never gave a calorie goal either.   So, like you, I base it mostly on this forum, thinking I should be at 600-800.  However, when I go that low, I am very tired, and I dont' feel like doing my walks.   I am currently between 1000-1200 each day, and I feel great!  I'm not a hard exerciser, but I do walk an hour a day, and I have plenty of energy to do it.  I will say my weight loss seems a little slow to me, but I think that has more to do with the fact that I have PCOS and the effects that my Binge Eating Disorder had on my body.   I think that caloric intake is highly individualized.   Best wishes to you!

I think having the same number for everybody makes no sense. I know I lost weight at the SAME rate when my capacity increased and I was able to get in more food. 

but my first few months it was only around 400 or so, very low. I felt OK thought.

My therapist I think is slightly concerned I am geading down a road of anorexia.  I too started seeibg her bxc of my overeating disordered eating.  I appreciate her concern,  ut I do feel like I need an opinion from my pcp and surgeon's office.  

We'll see.

Tall girl here! 5'10", to be exact :)

Having dealt with hypoglycemia for years now, I physically can't keep my calories that low. When I did, I would get tunnel vision and black spots in my vision whenever I stood up after sitting/lying for more than just a few minutes. Now, I'm typically around 900-1000 calories a day. The weight loss is DEFINITELY slower, but the scale is still moving down and not up! At 800, I just felt like I was running on fumes every day.

Are you drinking during workouts? You might consider something like G2 or Powerade Zero (both calorie/carb friendly) just to keep your electrolytes and hydration up. And, as you know, protein is your friend!  ;)

Best of luck on those last 30 pounds! You'll be there before you know it!!

These are exactly the symptoms I am / was having.  I will talk to my pcp about this during my next visit.  

I think my therapist wpuld be thrilled for my weight loss to slow.  Im not 100% on boad with that, but down is down, and ill take it.  

"down is down, and I'll take it."

Girl, I wrote about this same sort of thing just a few days ago!

Wow - I can really relate to your post.  I posted about a week ago about my battle w/ depression and how much better I am feeling.  You are completely right about the positive cycle vs the negative cycle.  My depression is still lurking, but most days I don't feel it anymore :)

Congrats on getting so close to goal.  174 is a magical number for me.  I never thought it was a real possibility, but now I'm pretty sure that I will get there.

I'm hoping my depression will ease more too! Although my mood can't be too good, I don't want the mania part of my bipolar to get out of control. As long as I'm productive, actually get things done and am getting decent sleep I'll be ok.  Being able to be more active and eating healthier also helps control the depression. I hope losing weight will help my overall energy level, in general I'm a low energy person.

All I can do is share my perspective and my doctor's program with you.  That's all I've got.  You have to decide what will work best for you.   My doctor does not increase the calories for people that work out UNLESS they are working out like true athletes do, as in multiple hours a day.  For those few, he does work individually with each person to figure out the protein and calorie needs that best fit the individual.  I know that for some people that work out three hours a day, he has increased protein needs pretty drastically and increased calories to fit the exercise regime.  The people were also closer to goal weight where there needs were changing.  For most of us that work out a regular one hour a day or so, he still feels that 600-800 calories a day is enough as long as you are hitting your protein goals (which might be closer to 100-120 grams of protein if you work out with weights).  He is really hard core, but I have seen a great deal of success on his program and trust him completely.  So there it is; my perspective.  Only you get to decide what is best for you.