Please Advise!!! Help!

[BabyDreamer]

Ok, I need some good advice to keep my DH on the plan with me. He went to the back doctor today (bad disks--2 hiernated, 1 bulging) and the doctor told him he is not losing weight fast enough. He lost 12 pounds in a month.

The doctor wants him to lose more faster. OK, so here is the up part. My DH weighs 288 right now and the doctor wants him at 210 ASAP or he wants to do back surgery. The trick is he told Josh he has to limit his caloric intake to 1,200 calories a day. Hello! 1,200 is what the regular old doctor will tell a woman who needs to lose a few...not a man who needs to lose that much. How can I even keep him on Atkins at 1,200. Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated.

He is doing ok with this diet. Any other diet he quits. He loves his carbs, but he really has given them up to succeed. Now he is doubting himself and the WOE because eating 1,200 is seems impossible. I mean, 1,200 is nothing if you eat any beef, sausage, cream cheese or anything.

What should we do? He already does physical therapy three days a week and cannot do more because of his back. I have asked the doctor and he says it is too hard on the back right now to do more and without the therapist it is dangerous.

Please give me some ideas. If I can't feed Josh (I know, he is grown and should do this himself, but I cook the food) and keep him under 1,200 the doctor is going to tell him to do low-fat and high carbs...I just know it.

Please share advice on this one...

Deb

[iyamamaschke]

Re: Please Advise!!! Help!

OH, My word that's Just Craziness. I know that you can cut down the fat a Bit and eat Low carb then you can eat more with 1200 calories. 12 pounds in a month is fantastic if it's not one thing its anoth isn't it. I think that this doctor is being somewhat rediculous expecting him to lose so increadibly fast sure. It can be done But, I can imagine your Hubby will be miserable.

I don't have a whole ton of advice but, I just wanted to let you know that I am here for you and will pray that everything turns out great. I am sure some more experienced Atkineers will chime in here with the low calorie. I have never done low calorie so I don't know much for ideas.

SORRY!!

Sarah

[nobodyknowsme]

Re: Please Advise!!! Help!

When in doubt...ALWAYS get a second opinion, especially with doctors and especially when you are suspicious of his recommendations. 1200 calories for a 280 pound male is basically starvation. He will lose weight, but probably feel light-headed, dizzy, and just plain irritable. Also, with calories that low he will be burning ALOT of muscle...which will make his back problems even worse.

Doctors should know by now that low calorie diets are not effective. A normal sized man should never even think of going below 1500 calories a day...and for a man the size of your DH, thats probably still way too low.

[SugarFreeSheila]

Re: Please Advise!!! Help!

You said it, NobodyKnowsMe. Deb, please get a second opinion. A doctor wouldn't even dream of telling me to drop my calories to 1,200 - and I wouldn't dream of doing it.

[slimndown]

Re: Please Advise!!! Help!

Deb - I'm with the second opinion. Let me throw some ideas your way though.....when I was in modeling school, our instructor, a very healthy and skinny model, said that the best way to lose wieght fast is to stick with salad, salad, salad. Everything you eat put on a bed of greens. Lettuce is low carb (romaine and spinach especially) - low enough to even have more than 3c per day if you wish, put some cheese on it, favorite dressing, favorite meat, etc. You eat less calories on this and wish to have less food as the stomach will shrink on a salad diet. After about 3-4 days - he won't want very much to eat but still be in line with induction and recommended percentages.

[BabyDreamer]

Re: Please Advise!!! Help!

Thanks to all of you for your wonderful advice. I will talk to him about a second opinion because I thought 12 pounds was pretty good for a man on disability. Good grief! I cannot starve him to death.

I will be the one counting the calories and the carbs, but I flat out refuse to count fat. He can have his bacon and eggs still and I will just switch to leaner beef and add in more chicken and salad.

I will do it and therefore he will too. He has come too far to turn back into the Mountain Dew, potato chip addicted fanatic he was. I mean he has lost a total of about 25 so I thought he was doing good.

Thanks for the help.

Deb

[allierw26]

Re: Please Advise!!! Help!

12 lbs in a month is excellent! I agree with the others--your dr. needs his/her head examined! 1200 cals is way too few and even though it would get the weight off, it would be crash dieting. Seems like your Dr. would approve of the gradual lifestyle change instead. I have known several people that have had back surgeries and it is certainly not something to be taken lightly. I hope you have the option of getting a 2nd opinion.

[rybread]

Re: Please Advise!!! Help!

Deb - I remember you mentioning your husband wasn't doing a clean Atkins Induction -- is this still the case? He will likely lose faster if he gives a clean Induction a try.

[BabyDreamer]

Re: Please Advise!!! Help!

Thanks so much everyone. I am going to watch Josh's calories, but I am not going to keep him at 1,200. I am going to look closer to 1,500-1,800 and make him redo with a clean induction. Plus, we are getting a second opinion.

Deb

[soliwit]

Re: Please Advise!!! Help!

The thing that strikes me with this is especially the knowledge that losing weight faster is NOT healthy at all !!! And THAT advise coming from a doctor, strrrraaaaange thing ! I thought doctors are there to get and keep you healthy and to my opinion this should be done by a holistic aproach and not only look at the fact, ok he's fat and that's the biggest problem so we will get rid of that, instead of looking at all the other problems as well, really not very healthy thinking by your doctor.

[cruiser gal]

Re: Please Advise!!! Help!

I totally support the second opinion from another doctor. Losing weight fast is a quick, temporary fix, and doesn't necessarily address the important fact about learning a new way of life, changing habits, &developing good eating patterns. Starving yourself does not help emotionally, nor physically in the long run, and for a man his size to be eating 1,200 calories seems ludicrous. Definately get a second opinion!

[Kent]

Re: Please Advise!!! Help!

Deb, I too think limiting his Caloric intake is crazy too. 2-3 pounds per week is fine for weight loss. Trying to raise it by going into starvation mode is only going to do one of two things. It will either force the body to start consuming itself for the pieces it needs not just the good stuff like fat, but muscles and bones as well. Losing weight by starvation dieting does not lead to long term success or healthy people. The second thing starvation mode dieting encourages is plateaus. The body holds on to every nutrient it can, and starts cooling down the metabolism to meet the current intake.

I know your husband has a disability, but it would be much better to get his percentages in line and do whatever exercise he can often throughout the day than to do this starvation level diet.

[not2late]

Re: Please Advise!!! Help!

Ok, I need some good advice to keep my DH on the plan with me. He went to the back doctor today (bad disks--2 hiernated, 1 bulging) and the doctor told him he is not losing weight fast enough. He lost 12 pounds in a month.

The doctor wants him to lose more faster. OK, so here is the up part. My DH weighs 288 right now and the doctor wants him at 210 ASAP or he wants to do back surgery. The trick is he told Josh he has to limit his caloric intake to 1,200 calories a day. Hello! 1,200 is what the regular old doctor will tell a woman who needs to lose a few...not a man who needs to lose that much. How can I even keep him on Atkins at 1,200. Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated.

He is doing ok with this diet. Any other diet he quits. He loves his carbs, but he really has given them up to succeed. Now he is doubting himself and the WOE because eating 1,200 is seems impossible. I mean, 1,200 is nothing if you eat any beef, sausage, cream cheese or anything.

What should we do? He already does physical therapy three days a week and cannot do more because of his back. I have asked the doctor and he says it is too hard on the back right now to do more and without the therapist it is dangerous.

Please give me some ideas. If I can't feed Josh (I know, he is grown and should do this himself, but I cook the food) and keep him under 1,200 the doctor is going to tell him to do low-fat and high carbs...I just know it.

Please share advice on this one...

Deb

Please get a second opinion.

[higgies]

Re: Please Advise!!! Help!

Absolutely get a second opinion...or just work the plan and don't tell him you haven't drop the cals... I found that I lost weight faster on this WOE with my calories up. I take in about 2,000-2,300/day. Anytime I went below 1,700 I stalled!

[BabyDreamer]

Re: Please Advise!!! Help!

Higgies,

I am cutting and pasting your comment in an email and sending it to DH right now. I think he needs to hear that from a man who has been successful on the plan long term. Thanks so much!

Deb

Absolutely get a second opinion...or just work the plan and don't tell him you haven't drop the cals... I found that I lost weight faster on this WOE with my calories up. I take in about 2,000-2,300/day. Anytime I went below 1,700 I stalled!