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Honored Contributor
Posts: 32,483
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

@sidsmom wrote:

@Alison Wonderland wrote:

@Sooner wrote:

The obvious answer is she needs to see her doctor AND a professional nutritionist recommended by her doctor.  


Came to make the same recommendation.

A plant-based diet isn't automatically healthier just because it's plant-based. It can be very difficult to get the right proteins and healthy fats in a plant-based diet. My sister is a vegetarian who mostly survives on mac and cheese and Soylent and it's going about as well as you'd expect.


@Alison Wonderland 

If one is eating low fat, whole food, plant based diet, they will achieve

the optimum of healthy fats & plenty of protein/carbohydrates.

It's not difficult....unless one wants it to be. 


That is NOT the only way to be healthy.   This sort of bias just adds to the misinformation about nutrition and a good diet and is harmful to a lot of people.

 

There are people who believe in every form of eating, fat diet, food plan and any other food dogma that are extremely healthy and those who are not healthy.  There are smokers who live happily to be 100 and more.  

 

The point is that many people need guidance to work  out a sensible diet for them that they can follow.  There are medical issues that demand a certain diet; drugs people take that don't go well with certain things we eat. 

 

It is dangerous to assume that all of us must eat a certain way to be healthy.  And there are many dietary and medical issues that can cause death if not attended to by a physician.  Period.  

Honored Contributor
Posts: 18,415
Registered: ‎11-25-2011

@Sooner wrote:

@sidsmom wrote:

@Alison Wonderland wrote:

@Sooner wrote:

The obvious answer is she needs to see her doctor AND a professional nutritionist recommended by her doctor.  


Came to make the same recommendation.

A plant-based diet isn't automatically healthier just because it's plant-based. It can be very difficult to get the right proteins and healthy fats in a plant-based diet. My sister is a vegetarian who mostly survives on mac and cheese and Soylent and it's going about as well as you'd expect.


@Alison Wonderland 

If one is eating low fat, whole food, plant based diet, they will achieve

the optimum of healthy fats & plenty of protein/carbohydrates.

It's not difficult....unless one wants it to be. 


That is NOT the only way to be healthy.   This sort of bias just adds to the misinformation about nutrition and a good diet and is harmful to a lot of people.

 

There are people who believe in every form of eating, fat diet, food plan and any other food dogma that are extremely healthy and those who are not healthy.  There are smokers who live happily to be 100 and more.  

 

The point is that many people need guidance to work  out a sensible diet for them that they can follow.  There are medical issues that demand a certain diet; drugs people take that don't go well with certain things we eat. 

 

It is dangerous to assume that all of us must eat a certain way to be healthy.  And there are many dietary and medical issues that can cause death if not attended to by a physician.  Period.  


You can think the current fad diet is the diet of health.

And the 'danger' is between the ears.

 

Plants have been, are, and always will be the huge cornerstone

of optimum health.  I have millions of years & thousands of cultures

from around the world to prove that.  Human 101.

 

Foods which are low in calorie density & high in nutritional value

prevent, maintain & cure so many illnesses/conditions.

And those foods are low fat, whole food, plant based. 
💚🌿💚🌿💚🌿💚🌿


But referring back to OP, it's not a 'plant based' diet the OP clearly

pointed out which is the problem. Out all the issues this friend has,

eating some plants is waaaaay down on the list. 

Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,403
Registered: ‎03-14-2010

@Abrowneyegirl wrote:

I always heard about it but never truly seen it but I think I have now.

My friend who is weight-obsessed made a goal to lose 40 pounds before her 40th B-day so back in Jan 2019 she 'buckled down' went on a plant-based diet and eats no more than 1000 calories a day.  Fasts a few times a month and exercises regularly.

She lost a few pounds at first and has not lost a pound since and now it has been months and she is going crazy.

We traveled together for a conference and I have to admit she eats VERY little.  Drinks water all day but eats very few calories.  She is never hungry.

I started to wonder, 'starvation mode?'

 

She confessed she did start wearing hair extensions because her hair is now so thin.  When I saw her when we met for the convention I was surprised her once beautiful locks are very thin from root to tip (you can see her scalp) and her skin, coloring is poor.  She had her thyroid and hormones checked out.  

 

So after 10 months she still has 35 pounds to lose!!

I can see why she is frustrated.


@Abrowneyegirl 

I'd suggest that she:

1.  Get her thyroid levels rechecked

2.  Start taking vitamins--especially biotin.  Her doctor should recommend a one-a-day vitamin such as Centrum

Honored Contributor
Posts: 13,510
Registered: ‎05-23-2010

Re: Starvation mode

[ Edited ]

1.  Discuss a thryroid recheck with the doctor. There could have been lab error in the previous testing or she could have had inadequate testing. TSH, T4, T3 and thyroid antibody testing. 

 

2.  Discuss insulin resistance with the doctor. Doctor might want to check for prediabetes.

 

3. Keep a five day food diary, then calculate calories per day. Use this to show the doctor that the number calories of consumed (under 1000 per day) is accurate.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,936
Registered: ‎07-02-2015

Re: Starvation mode

[ Edited ]

@fortune 

 

You said

 

<<I'd suggest that she:
1. Get her thyroid levels rechecked
2. Start taking vitamins--especially biotin. Her doctor should recommend a one-a-day vitamin such as Centrum>>

 

I mentioned earlier that this type of discussion always seems populated by amateur doctors and nutritionists who have no knowledge of the person for whom they are recommending action or treatment.

 

An alternative would be to  suggest that interested people check out the wealth of information on the internet about the bad side effects of biotin, not just the good ones, and the wisdom (not) of taking this type of supplement.

 

I also wouldn't go out on the limb of saying what her doctor "should recommend".  Who gets to say what her doctor "should" do?

 

Please, people, stick to what you know!  Some folks might take your advice a bit too seriously.

 

 

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Posts: 13,510
Registered: ‎05-23-2010

@Abrowneyegirl wrote:

@Mindy D 

I would never suggest a calorie counting app, she is already obsessed and eating WAY too little.  I remember years ago she weighed everything she ate to be certain to control her portions.  (we lived closer at the time) She would actually weigh out her portion of spinach, she would remove the extra leaves until she got to the right gram.


Are you suggesting that you suspect your friend has an eating disorder? Maybe she has a distorted self perception. Perhaps she’s even misperceiving her weight. From your original post I got the impression that you thought she was not losing despite actually doing everything stated by you and that you wanted to understand the mystery of why she was not losing weight. The above response puts a new and different spin on the situation. She could be binge eating when you don’t see her. She could be purging. She could be bulimic or have anorexia nervosa. She could be orthorexic. She could have nutritional deficiencies as a result. Telling her this would not be wise but having her see her doctor about her claims she is not losing weight might help. The doctor might run tests and determine what is going on.  

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Posts: 3,403
Registered: ‎03-14-2010

@novamc1 wrote:

@fortune 

 

You said

 

<<I'd suggest that she:
1. Get her thyroid levels rechecked
2. Start taking vitamins--especially biotin. Her doctor should recommend a one-a-day vitamin such as Centrum>>

 

I mentioned earlier that this type of discussion always seems populated by amateur doctors and nutritionists who have no knowledge of the person for whom they are recommending action or treatment.

 

An alternative would be to  suggest that interested people check out the wealth of information on the internet about the bad side effects of biotin, not just the good ones, and the wisdom (not) of taking this type of supplement.

 

I also wouldn't go out on the limb of saying what her doctor "should recommend".  Who gets to say what her doctor "should" do?

 

Please, people, stick to what you know!  Some folks might take your advice a bit too seriously.

 

 


@novamc1 

I have four years (BS) in premed and went to a nursing school for two years.  Because of this, the two items I recommended were to be done under the auspices of her doctor.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,936
Registered: ‎07-02-2015

Re: Starvation mode

[ Edited ]

@fortune 

 

Then perhaps you should know from your training  to confine your comments and recommendations to people who actually are under your care, IF you are licensed and hired to provide their care..

 

You know who I mean..............the people you actually know something about, and on whose behalf, you presumably are following orders from their physicians.

 

 

If  patients are  prone to seizures and/or taking special drugs for  this or other conditions, biotin  supplements can be harmful.

 

I get warnings every year when I get a total blood-workup during a routine physical that biotin taken within a certain time of the test could alter the results. 

 

Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,537
Registered: ‎03-15-2010

@Mindy D wrote:

@Abrowneyegirl wrote:

@Mindy D 

I would never suggest a calorie counting app, she is already obsessed and eating WAY too little.  I remember years ago she weighed everything she ate to be certain to control her portions.  (we lived closer at the time) She would actually weigh out her portion of spinach, she would remove the extra leaves until she got to the right gram.


Are you suggesting that you suspect your friend has an eating disorder? Maybe she has a distorted self perception. Perhaps she’s even misperceiving her weight. From your original post I got the impression that you thought she was not losing despite actually doing everything stated by you and that you wanted to understand the mystery of why she was not losing weight. The above response puts a new and different spin on the situation. She could be binge eating when you don’t see her. She could be purging. She could be bulimic or have anorexia nervosa. She could be orthorexic. She could have nutritional deficiencies as a result. Telling her this would not be wise but having her see her doctor about her claims she is not losing weight might help. The doctor might run tests and determine what is going on.  


I am in no position to accuse anyone of an eating disorder that is beyond my skill set.

To those of us who know her, this is common to her personality.

She started dating a runner- by Monday she hired a trainer to train for a marathon.  

She joined a young professional club that had a ski group, she bought thousands of dollars of ski equipment.  She even considered buying a vehicle better suited to her ski hobby!

 

Now she is obsessed with her weight, not health- just making a weight number.  

 

My question here was does anyone think that one can eat so few calories that the body can go into starvation mode and conserve energy and not lose weight.

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Posts: 18,415
Registered: ‎11-25-2011

@Abrowneyegirl wrote:

 

My question here was does anyone think that one can eat so few calories that the body can go into starvation mode and conserve energy and not lose weight.


No, the 'starvation mode' theory has been debunked many, many times.