Ever gotten a bad weight loss recomendation?

When I was first enlisting in the Air Force in 2004, my recruiter wanted me to lose 15 pounds. He gave me specific instructions on what I could eat and it turned out to be about 900 calories a day total. Not good for my 5'7" frame. Of course I dropped the weight in one month, but I felt like I was starving all the time and as soon as I was safe I started eating like I normaly would and gained back some of the weight. My instant success set me up for future yo yo dieting failures. Thank goodness I have started doing this. I plan to make this a lifestyle change. Have any of you gotten bad or crazy weight loss advise? Please share your story.

I haven't personally received any bad weight loss recommendations.  But, since I have dropped about 65 pounds over the last year, people have noticed.  I have had them come up and tell me about the tomato and cabbage diet, the 500 calorie a day diet, etc.  Well I just asked how it was working for them.  And of course, it wasn't.

Whenever anyone asked how I managed to lose the weight, my standard response is to eat a little less and move a little more.  That's it!

When my dad had to make weight (when he was in the military) he would only eat dinner and nothing else.

When my doctor recommended this for a diet:

5-7 servings of vegetables (1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw per serving)
2 fruits a day (one fruit is a half a banana or half an apple) and no juice
2-3 servings of milk a day
3-4 ounces of protein (One egg or 1/2 a chicken breast per serving)
3-4 servings of bread a day (1 slice of bread, 1/2 bagel, 1/2 potato per serving)

The amount of vegetables, milk and bread didn't bother me so much....it's so low on protein and fruit though! And only about 1,100 calories per day if I ate a lot. I chucked that diet out the window and I've lost 33 pounds since not taking her advice :P

Original Post by elfkittie22:

When my doctor recommended this for a diet:

5-7 servings of vegetables (1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw per serving)
2 fruits a day (one fruit is a half a banana or half an apple) and no juice
2-3 servings of milk a day
3-4 ounces of protein (One egg or 1/2 a chicken breast per serving)
3-4 servings of bread a day (1 slice of bread, 1/2 bagel, 1/2 potato per serving)

The amount of vegetables, milk and bread didn't bother me so much....it's so low on protein and fruit though! And only about 1,100 calories per day if I ate a lot. I chucked that diet out the window and I've lost 33 pounds since not taking her advice :P

Is that a typo or did she really mean 3-4 ounces of protein?  Because 3-4 servings is a big difference from 3-4 ounces.

Since she noticed I've lost weight, my friend's mother has twice felt compelled to tell me how much weight her nephew lost on the "cookie diet."  As if this is something I might want to try because he lost 4 pounds in a week.  Apparently, you eat 2 of these special (and I'm sure expensive) cookies for breakfast, 2 for lunch, and then eat a reasonable dinner.  Basically, slim fast, but with cookies instead of shakes.  I was like, "Thanks, I'm good.  I prefer to eat real food."

When I was a teen, I started skipping meals and such, and exercising like crazy.  I lost weight to the point that I felt lightheaded most of the time and I couldn't keep up in gym class.  At my lowest weight (101 lbs at 5'5") I felt like crap, but a lot of adults were telling me how great I looked.  My mom, 2 teachers, my friends, etc.  My mom and a woman I babysat for commended me for losing weight one day, and my mom said 'but it wouldn't hurt you to lose a few more pounds.'  That was the worst diet advice I've ever gotten!  Lucky for me I was pretty contrary at that age, and anything my mom suggested I was sure to do the opposite, so I started eating normally and gained 10 lbs and felt much better.

there is a reason why im overweight ..my whole family is overweight!!!

I used to do the '3 day diet' every month ...lose 6 pounds gain it back ...over and over . my mom and I used to think this was genius!

My dad only eats one meal a day to lose weight ... and thinks if you exercise you can eat WHATEVER you want

honestly if it wasnt for CC ..I definately would not be here today

Original Post by milehighwalker:

Original Post by elfkittie22:

When my doctor recommended this for a diet:

5-7 servings of vegetables (1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw per serving)
2 fruits a day (one fruit is a half a banana or half an apple) and no juice
2-3 servings of milk a day
3-4 ounces of protein (One egg or 1/2 a chicken breast per serving)
3-4 servings of bread a day (1 slice of bread, 1/2 bagel, 1/2 potato per serving)

The amount of vegetables, milk and bread didn't bother me so much....it's so low on protein and fruit though! And only about 1,100 calories per day if I ate a lot. I chucked that diet out the window and I've lost 33 pounds since not taking her advice :P

Is that a typo or did she really mean 3-4 ounces of protein?  Because 3-4 servings is a big difference from 3-4 ounces.

Unfortunately no. She meant 3-4 ounces. I asked. >_<

elfkittie22
If you change the 3 ounces of protein to 3 servings of protein (about 9-12 ounces), and follow the rest of it, that is basically the weight watchers diet.

When I was a teenager, my doctor (male) put me on a 600 calorie per day diet (I needed to lose about 10 pounds total).  It was insane, I was starving, light-headed, and extremely cranky for the few weeks I lasted on it.  Fortunately, my mother (who is a nurse) intervened, and I went back to eating  normally.  I have been exceedingly cautious about listening to general practiioners' advice about dieting ever since.

My doctor once told me that it good to eat whatever you want as long as a excercised. I did listen to him, it really got me nowhere. I realised that was not the case whatsoever. I use to drink large amounts (maybe 1.5lt a day) of fizzy drink (eww), pure sugar straight to the stomach. Im just eating well and making sure i dont eat much or any junk food often. Its horrible.

I was told by a doctor when I was in middle school that in order to lose weight I HAD to run. He said walking wouldn't burn calories, even if it was power-walking. My response was that I guess I wasn't going to lose weight because I hated running (and still do).

I had been told as a teen  by a doctor that I should be 125 max 115 would be perfect and I should eat only 800 calories to get to that weight. I tried it and I was hungry all the time and quite cranky. My mom being a wise women told me no more you need to eat at least 1200 calories a day to lose and she said 125 pounds was way to light for me and I should weigh about 135 pounds to 140 pounds, with my height and frame this was more reasonable. Thank my lucky starts for my mom

I really would like to know where some of these doctors come up with this stuff because it is just craziness.

"When my doctor recommended this for a diet:

5-7 servings of vegetables (1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw per serving)
2 fruits a day (one fruit is a half a banana or half an apple) and no juice
2-3 servings of milk a day
3-4 ounces of protein (One egg or 1/2 a chicken breast per serving)
3-4 servings of bread a day (1 slice of bread, 1/2 bagel, 1/2 potato per serving)

The amount of vegetables, milk and bread didn't bother me so much....it's so low on protein and fruit though! And only about 1,100 calories per day if I ate a lot. I chucked that diet out the window and I've lost 33 pounds since not taking her advice :P"

for some reason I am not seeing the QUOTE highlighter button, but that is obviously a quote from an above post

I think if you take into consideration that 2-3 servings of dairy would be about equal to 2-3 servings of protein ( a serving of protein is about 7g protein and 1 cup milk or yogurt usually has close to that) then it's reasonable. But hey, you gotta do what works for you and it looks like it did :)

The worst advice I got was from a doctor. When I confessed I'd been binging and purging she told me to "just eat some broccoli and carrots, healthy things like that". Needless to say her advice was less than life-changing.

Original Post by sabbitha:

"When my doctor recommended this for a diet:

5-7 servings of vegetables (1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw per serving)
2 fruits a day (one fruit is a half a banana or half an apple) and no juice
2-3 servings of milk a day
3-4 ounces of protein (One egg or 1/2 a chicken breast per serving)
3-4 servings of bread a day (1 slice of bread, 1/2 bagel, 1/2 potato per serving)

The amount of vegetables, milk and bread didn't bother me so much....it's so low on protein and fruit though! And only about 1,100 calories per day if I ate a lot. I chucked that diet out the window and I've lost 33 pounds since not taking her advice :P"

 

for some reason I am not seeing the QUOTE highlighter button, but that is obviously a quote from an above post

I think if you take into consideration that 2-3 servings of dairy would be about equal to 2-3 servings of protein ( a serving of protein is about 7g protein and 1 cup milk or yogurt usually has close to that) then it's reasonable. But hey, you gotta do what works for you and it looks like it did :)

The worst advice I got was from a doctor. When I confessed I'd been binging and purging she told me to "just eat some broccoli and carrots, healthy things like that". Needless to say her advice was less than life-changing.

Mine did the same thing when I told her about my binging and purging. She'd just ask off the cuff "how's the bullemia?" and never made me feel like I could really talk to her about it. So I never did. Luckily it's gotten a lot better, I just really needed her right then, you know?

Original Post by minuseighty:

When I was a teen, I started skipping meals and such, and exercising like crazy.  I lost weight to the point that I felt lightheaded most of the time and I couldn't keep up in gym class.  At my lowest weight (101 lbs at 5'5") I felt like crap, but a lot of adults were telling me how great I looked.  My mom, 2 teachers, my friends, etc.  My mom and a woman I babysat for commended me for losing weight one day, and my mom said 'but it wouldn't hurt you to lose a few more pounds.'  That was the worst diet advice I've ever gotten!  Lucky for me I was pretty contrary at that age, and anything my mom suggested I was sure to do the opposite, so I started eating normally and gained 10 lbs and felt much better.

This is extremely disturbing and borders on abuse. At your lowest weight you met the clinical criterion for anorexia with a BMI of 16.8 and your mother was suggesting you lose more weight. I sincerely hope you just managed to carry that look off *alarmingly* well and that she had no idea how light you really were and/or how you had achieved the loss. Perhaps having struggled with an ED has made me particularly sensitive to this but gosh, I'm just so glad you didn't spiral into a serious disorder. Thank God you gained 10 pounds and subsequently felt so much better. Thank God. I truly am so relieved you didn't fall into devastation *hugs*

My disorder started with my own faulty logic. "I'd like to lose some weight. I suppose that means I stop eating and run around a lot". Fast forward three years and my mother was making funeral preparations (she really was).

While pregnant, my friend's ob/gyn told her she had gained too much weight and should cut out carbs... she's 5'4" and she had gained 25 pounds but still only weighed 135 and she was in her third trimester.

My mom would give me terrible advice. Still does. Things like eat very, very small portions, drink gallons of water, and think thin. She was also a staunch supporter of the Atkins diet and got me to do it along with her when I was about 14. I lost a pound a day and always felt so lightheaded. It always made me a little sad to see her load up her plate full of greasy bacon and red meat then smoke like a chimney (she still does that unfortunately), and be so pleased and happy with herself for having lost a few pounds. I always wanted to see her healthy not just skinny.

And now recently her doctor prescribed her appetite suppressant pills, which I thought seemed wholly unnecessary. And when she took those she barely ate which worried me even more.

But these days it's a little monkey-see-monkey-do, ever since I got started on this site and began losing weight in a healthy way she's kind of come on board.

That is great that she has decided to try and do things the healthy way. Keep encouraging her since it seems to be working. My mom has been an off and on smoker since she was 16. She once was able to quit for a year. I always support her when she tries to quit and it means a lot to me that she tries even if she does not succeed.

Wow maja - good on you for going the healthy road when you had all of that stacked against you - what an inspiration. And now you're helping her out! These reverse role situations always leave me incredulous.