would this be madness to continue with? Weight loss

[daisyblooms]

I recently had to have a hysterectomy, I am only 30 and childless so it was devastating for me. I've still not overcome the emotional side of it and not sure if I ever will.

Anyways, it was six weeks ago and since then i've hardly eaten. Mainly due to lack of appetite but also due to pain as well. I'm managing around 850 calories a day. Previously was on about 2000.

The positive thing is, i've gone from 13st 13 to 12 7 in those six weeks and I'm losing weight quite quickly, 3 pound or so a week. Would it be madness to continue? I'm taking vitamins, having a lot of protein (not many carbs) and I feel alright within myself and not hungry. I drink 3 litres of water a day and have dairy/milk/cheese.

I was guessing i'll plateau at some point or reach starvation mode, but actually that hasn't happened as of yet and my friend who is a nurse has said starvation mode is actually a myth.

You are talking about Metabolic Adaptation which is an entirely different thing.

@HangOnToYourself

But why should we believe your analysis of a qualified and respected scientist? What makes your opinion trump their scientifically proven methods?

Sounds fine to me. I have been on a strict meal replacement diet in the last 18 months and lost 10 stone, am now BMI 19.3.

I find I need to eat around 1,200 calories a day, otherwise the weight all piles on again (thank you Spanish holiday), and I need to go back onto the meal replacement. Maybe that’s the starvation mode thing.

Have discussed my weight loss with numerous health professionals when it has come into the conversation, though it’s never been the reason why I’ve had the appointment in the first place. They’ve all said it’s great, and none of them have suggested I have an eating disorder or anything.

850 calories a day is the edge of an eating disorder (speaking from experience) I would strongly advise you eat at least 1200 a day bare minimum

As far as I was aware the "starvation mode" doesnt mean you stop losing weight, just that the weight loss slows down and your body stops doing things that arent essential (like growing hair etc) to save energy. I'm not an expert however and could well be wrong.

The 800 fast diet i think is aimed at very overweight diabetics

You obviously dont have to take any notice of me whatsoever, I've spent a lot of time reading about these diets and have read many critiques of him and his work from other experts. I personally believe he is a quack based on the research I've carried out and I consider his advice to be dangerous.

Glad someone else said this. His use of the title doctor is a bit misleading.

@HangOnToYourself

Ah, I see. 'I think he's a quack' is very different from 'He's a quack.'

Just to counter your point then, for the balance of the thread, I've also done a lot of reading and research, and his methods ring true to me. Body fat is there for a reason. It provides us with what we need during periods where there is no food. So, that's how to use it: periods of reduced food.

I don't know what people think body fat is for, or what happens to us when we reduce our calorie intake. There's a hell of a lot of misconceptions.

He is a qualified medical doctor though.

Body fat does an awful lot more than that, sorry!

Nobody is disputing that reducing calories will reduce weight, I am saying his methods are dangerous.

He hasnt studied or practiced medicine for decades, what we know about nutrition and weight loss has moved on significantly since then

Michael Mosley and his wife are both medical doctors and therefore calling him a quack is pretty misleading imo.

daisy I think you need to be careful not to slip into maladaptive eating habits esp when you are emotionally vulnerable

Problem is that as soon as you start eating normally again it'll pile back on. Think of upping calories slowly but not as high as you were consuming before and go for slow sustainable losses.

This ^^

We tell patients recovering from c-sections not to restrict their diet as they need the calories to heal and that is a much smaller op, for most.

He hasn't practiced medicine for some time, true, but he has done lots of research and study. His wife is a GP.

Its a bit risky OP. You've had quite an ordeal and a significant life changing disappointment that you're coming to terms with. Its not the best start point to discover something you can control and get results from.
Physically your body also needs to heal and that means the best nutrition you can give it. I think that's very difficult on such low food intake. OK you're having all the groups, but probably not in sufficient quantities.
Personally I'd increase to at least 1500 until your convalescent is over and concentrate on quality foods. You'll probably still lose slowly on that.

I got an infection afterwards, so it's more the pain from that and the soreness. I can do things, just not a lot.

It's not about wanting to punish myself or deliberate restriction even, it's just I have not a lot of appetite, I'm managing and feel okay on this amount of cals.

I think you should speak to your doctor about the amount of pain you are in.
I have also had a hysterectomy I have a massive scar in both directions but I wasn't in so much pain after 6 weeks that it was stopping me eating

I would simply slightly increase your calorie intake to around 1200, so that the weight loss comes up a bit to 1-2lb a week rather than 3 (which is a bit fast IMO). You can do this sensibly by just adding a little bit extra of foods like some natural yoghurt and soft fruit, or a bit of feta or salad dressing or more avocado, olives etc. to salads - so you are slightly increasing your calorie intake but still doing so with good quality fresh food rather than processed food. Your weight loss will be a lot more sustainable and healthy if you don’t overdo it. Good luck Op

Ignoring your actual question for a moment, do you get regular follow-ups for the hysterectomy?

It's not unheard of for menopause to cause loss of appetite and weight loss (although the opposite is more common). Obviously there's a good chance it's not that but I'd want to be sure either way given your age and the hysterectomy.

Meh, I'm going to go against the grain here and say you're probably underestimating the calories you're actually taking in. If you were 13.3st before at 5ft4 that's a BMI of nearly 32 which is classed as obese. Its likely you were taking in more than 2000 calories a day to maintain that, so you could also be overestimating the 850.

However, rather than obsess over numbers I'd just listen to your body. You've been through major surgery and it may just be shock that your body doesn't feel able to cope with huge amounts of food right now. Take it easy, recover and focus on nourishing yourself but I wouldn't force myself to eat more than I felt I could manage especially if you are very overweight to start with

Michael Mosley is a complete quack. Steer well clear of his nonsense

makes me laugh every time people start on about the “science” and his “blood sugar diet”.

no, it’s fucking 800 calories a day. Fuck all to do with blood sugar and the only science is calories in<calories out.

it’s a low calorie diet. Nothing sciency or clever about it.

Michael Mosley and his wife are both medical doctors and therefore calling him a quack is pretty misleading imo

it is perfectly possible to be a medical dr and still be a complete quack.

see also: Andrew Wakefield

Starvation mode doesn't exist and you'll be losing a load of muscle running on that few calories for a sustained period of time.

Why are you counting/estimating your calories when you are recovering from major surgery? Why not just accept that you will eat whatever high quality food you fancy and leave it at that? The need to know how many calories you've eaten does indicate a somewhat unhealthy obsession with food or lack of it