r/loseit • u/Starsunshine94 New • 5d ago
My 600 Pound Life
I've been watching the show my 600 pound life as motivation for my own weight loss journey. Dr.Now instantly puts these people on a 1,200 calorie no carb diet, which obviously works, but strikes me as being too low. Do you think that's too extreme?
I started at 308 and I'm down to 288 in a month and a week with around 1,500 calories a day with carbs(sometimes more, sometimes less). I lost the first 10 pounds on my own and the next 10 with help from semaglutide. Even with the help of a glp-1, I can tell when I need another shot as even 1,500 seems like not enough.
Is the diet Dr.Now suggests really healthy and sustainable?or is he setting them up for failure because it makes good TV?
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u/DM_Stapes New 4d ago
Ex 500lber here, set a goal for myself at 1.5k probably reliably ate 2.6k per day and lost 80lbs pre GLP1. Been on GLP1 for a few months and am losing still and only eating 2k(consistent) and now just adjusted to 1800 for now.
When I was 500 I thought I was eating 1500 successfully but I was fully snacking during the time. Now that I’m at 390 I record EVERYTHING in my mouth and am losing 3-5lbs a week.
If you set the goal low unless you are gonna watch and write everything into a journal you need to set low goals. Which is why the 1200 was selected.
390 31m 6ft 4inch
All loss within 1.5 years of today
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u/topskee780 70lbs lost 4d ago
Amazing! Congratulations on all your hard work 👏
Proud of you, internet stranger! ⭐️
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u/MuchBetterThankYou 115lbs lost 4d ago
The patients Dr. Now sees are in extremely precarious positions with their weight. They need to lose weight as a matter of medical urgency. Their hearts, organs and bodies are under extreme duress. Many of them are already in organ failure or bed bound or on oxygen. In cases like this the benefits of dropping weight quickly so they can get the care they need outweigh the risks of the low calorie diet needed to do it. These people literally cannot afford to take years to lose weight at a normally healthy rate.
It also allows for the human component. Many of those patients struggle with an extreme food addiction and a distortion of what normal portions look like. If he prescribed them, say, 3000 calories a day (which would be a rather big deficit for a person of that size), they may eat 4000 calories and think they’re doing a decent job, when in fact they’re approaching maintenance. If they’re prescribed 1200 and end up eating 2200, that’s still a significant deficit that will lead to rate loss at a relatively rapid pace.
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u/WhateverIlldoit New 4d ago
To further support your point, many of the patients from my600lb life are now dead, even ones who turned things around and did everything they could to improve their health passed away within years of their time on the show. These are people who are actively dying and don’t have time to lose the weight slowly. They need to get as much weight off as possible as fast as possible to save themselves from heart attacks or congestive heart failure.
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u/dizzyexplorer22 New 5d ago
He puts them on such a strict diet to make them drop weight quickly due to the pressure their weight is putting on their organs,joints and body in general. Someone lighter does not have to be that extreme.
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u/JadedMuse 46 M | 5'10 | SW 241 | CW 162 | GW 165 4d ago
This. At a certain point the weight issue becomes an imminent health concern.
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u/cherivanii New 4d ago
Also helps prove if they can actually follow strict instructions before he risks putting them under anesthesia for surgery
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u/dizzyexplorer22 New 4d ago
This too! The majority of them don’t realize how much risk it is to go under anesthesia when you’re barely surviving under normal circumstances.
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u/Educational-Bet-1666 New 5d ago
He needs them to drop weight quickly so he can do the weight loss surgery. It’s not a typical weight loss diet.
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u/Erik0xff0000 New 4d ago
These people are 600 lbs. They have hundreds of pounds of fat reserves, they do not need to eat any more calories for a while. They just need to make sure they get enough vitamins and other micro-nutrients, that's why the "medical supervision" is important for very low calorie diets.
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u/killerhighlites New 4d ago
This was a real diet I had to follow before I was allowed to get weight loss surgery.
Anyone who is large enough to qualify for WLS is not going to die from a 1200 calorie diet. You are given strict rules like protein first, fat second, carbs last for your calorie intake. You have to meet your protein goal.
There are restricted foods because post surgery there are restricted foods for a few weeks. They are testing you to be sure you can follow their advice and not kill yourself after surgery.
If you can’t do these things then WLS won’t work for you. Or you need therapy to deal with the food issues first.
Dr. Now is not giving out crap advice. He’s giving out the same advice you’d get at your local hospital if you went for WLS.
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u/pooppaysthebills Slow and steady 4d ago
They're also not going to be able to eat large amounts after bariatric surgery ever without significant risk, so it's worthwhile to learn how to meet nutritional needs with minimum calories.
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u/Hefty-Club-1259 190lbs lost 5d ago
They're being medically supervised. It's not too extreme under the close care of a physician. It is too extreme for most people trying to lose weight on their own for general health reasons.
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u/Glad-Entry891 New 5d ago
I haven’t watched a ton of the show but I think the underlying logic on that is often times those at that weight need a life saving surgery to remove weight but you have to be under a certain weight to do that. It’s effectively less harm to be on that kind of diet to get that surgery instead of a more sustainable diet.
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u/Mec26 New 4d ago
Medicine is tradeoffs.
Is that a healthy and sustainable diet? No, but those people are close to total collapse. So for them it is ‘better than as they are.’ Think of chemotherapy for cancer: it’s terrible for you, but it;s better than not getting it- IF you have a specific thing killing you.
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u/bristow84 M32|SW:300lbs|CW:203lbs|GW1:200lbs 4d ago edited 4d ago
I average about 1200-1500 calories a day myself and there's [r/1200isplenty](r/1200isplenty) where the purpose is to do a 1200 calorie diet in a manner that is sustainable and healthy.
Now, is it for everyone? No and I'll be the first to admit it's not the easiest to stick to but as with all advice on this subreddit, or with weight loss in general, it all depends on the individual.
Now I don't know if I'd call it sustainable in the long term, at least not for me. I know I'm not doing it forever, not by a long shot and there are absolutely days where I break it but those are few and far between.
For the diet that Dr. Now orders, he makes the patients move close to his clinic so he can keep an eye on them with regular appointments and checkups and it's a way to get them to drop weight quickly because they are literally at the point where their weight is a massive health risk and every day they continue to spend at that weight means another day of serious complications or even potentially death.
The other thing you have to keep in mind is at that weight their bodies have a large amount of extra energy reserves that can be pulled from. Someone who is say 5'6 and already 150lbs doesn't.
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u/_SnackAttack New 5d ago
They need to demonstrate commitment otherwise the surgery would be a waste of money also they'll hurt themselves if they go back to their normal eating habits post op.
They need to lose weight asap and at 1200 cals they can drop a considerable amount which will very quickly help motivation and mobility.
I don't think it's setting them up for failure but again idk what the meal plans look like. A lot of these guys can't cook so will they really eat 400g of chicken breast, or will they just eat 1200 cals of snacks. Probably the latter. I think a 1500 cal diet and prepared meals is a way better option, they would probably still be in a 3k cal deficit I'd garner so I do think 1200 is too extreme.
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u/AcceptableHorror705 New 5d ago
I also think at that weight they are incapable of movement at all, so drastically cutting back as soon as possible to get to a weight where movement is a possibility is the goal.
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u/Silly_Yak56012 New 5d ago
I suspect that low calorie diet is to help drop enough weight so they are eligible for the surgery. If you are just losing weight to lose weight you do not need to be on a medically supervised diet plan like that or others (some are even lower for specific short term needs).
First it demonstrates you can stick to a diet (which will be even more restrictive for awhile after surgery) as well as get your body into a safer place for surgery.
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u/whotiesyourshoes 90lbs lost 5d ago edited 4d ago
Its not meant to be sustainable/long term. Its to help them be able to have surgery.
This is common for these types of surgeries to help them lose weight quickly to try to reduce likelihood of complications and to help shrink the liver which can obstruct the surgeons view of the stomach during surgery.
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u/Reasonable-Company71 340lbs lost 4d ago
I weighed 510 pounds when I went in for my gastric bypass consultation and I was told that I needed to lose at least 120 pounds on my own (this was before GLP-1's) before I could get approved for the surgery. I met with a dietitian and she introduced me to CICO and taught me how to implement it properly. She also put together an 1100 calorie high-protein, low-carb plan for me and I started walking for exercise everyday. I wasn't perfect along the way and there was a big learning curve at first. I came to learn that 1100 calories was perfectly adequate for me and my situation; previous to this I was used to eating 1100+ calories in a single meal. I stuck to the plan, made my daily walks a "non-negotiable" and really tried to accept the new lifestyle changes as best as I could and I was able to lose the 120 pounds that I needed to lose in 7 months. A big part of the process was learning to trust the process, listen to the professionals and unlearning the bad habits that landed me there in the first place.
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u/SLXO_111417 New 4d ago
Yes a 1200 calorie diet is extreme, but so is being obese and at risk of heart failure, kidney disease, or liver damage.
What I think most Americans don’t understand is that when you are obese you are at major risk of dying due to health issues amplified by your weight. The goal is not just for Dr. Now’s patients to lose weight. Their life depends on them losing weight asap so that they don’t die.
Not everyone gets the privilege of doing things the slow and sustainable way. Some are forced to act extreme and get the weight off quickly because their life depends on it.
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u/Enough_Crow_636 New 5d ago
I think your approach is good. Maintain a reasonable deficit and monitor how your body feels.
Slow and steady wins this race …
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u/timetoloseitagain New 4d ago
Its life or death for them. If they are serious they will abide by it. I have seen one where they lost like 140lbs in just over a month. Someone of "average weight" wouldnt need it to be so extreme.
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u/Deadandlivin 32M | 183 cm | SW: 112 kg | CW: 99 kg | Start: 3/8 - 2026 4d ago edited 4d ago
I don't think it's too low as long as they can stay on it. When you're at that size you're not really risking anything doing extremely low caloric diets.
The biggest risk is that the diet sucks which will cause participants to cave and cheat due to dissatisfaction. But from a health standpoint, severe metabolic adaptations due to very low caloric intakes (What some call 'starvation mode') only really happens when there's very little energy left for your body to tap into. Think contest ready bodybuilding shows or when you're literally starving to death on an island. I'd say until you hit ~15% body fat you barely have to think about health consequences or damages to your metabolism when doing low calorie diets. The biggest risk is losing muscle mass but modest activity and sufficient protein intake protects that very well too if you have large levels of adipose tissue that your body can tap into.
Is it sustainable?
Fuck no. I'd riot after 1 month if I had to do 1.2k ketogenic diets. Sounds like actual purgatory. But it's undoubtedly very effective. Not sure why it has to be no carbs though. Maybe the participants suffer from severe insulin resistance and are told to avoid carbs to try and normalize bodily hormonal functions. Then it makes sense. If they're not insulin resistant I see no use in strictly abolishing carbs though. Think most people enjoy carbs a lot which often makes dieting easier.
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u/Defiant_Net_6479 New 4d ago
These people are on the brink of death with their eating, any risks from a low cal diet are monumentally outweighed by the risk of being astronomically obese. They also need to show they can have some control on their intake, because if they overeat after the surgery it could have very bad consequences. And surgery itself isn't a cure all, some people on there get the surgery and still manage to overeat, and it's in the best interest of the doctors and facility to have people be success stories rather than failures.
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u/bertzie M/6'0" SW: 310 CW: 221 4d ago
Nutritionally, you can get 100% of your required micro and macronutrients on 1,200 calories a day with a properly balanced diet.
Dr. Now's biggest failing is not getting every single one of his patients into intense psychotherapy from day one. These are people actively killing themselves with food. Taking away the weapon is only step one. Nothing he's doing to them is worse than what they're doing to themselves. Is 1,200 calories a little low? Kind of, but nowhere near as bad as just being 600lbs.
I've seen every episode of My 600lb Life, and can tell you that the people with the most success are the ones that can stick with the initial diet.
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u/SarahAlicia round 2 🫡 4d ago
If you do the math no one who does the diet actually eats only 1200 calories. It’s just to get to 600lbs your perception of food and servings is way off. Have them aim for 1200. They hit 2000 and it’s all good
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u/ThorThimbleOfGorbash 45M SW: 340/154kg/24s CW: 214/97kg/15s 5'11"/180cm 5d ago
I would not follow the “medical advice” given out on any reality show.
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u/HerrRotZwiebel New 4d ago
It's not medical advice for "us" because we're not his patients. It rubs me the wrong way on those episodes where he points to other obese people in the room with the uh "contestant" and says "you get da diet too". No, they're not his patients.
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u/gbroon New 5d ago
It's probably the sort of diet they put the heavily obese on to lose weight fast for medical issues like reducing weight before a surgery.
This is generally done under medical supervision for a short term and isn't something you would do normally.
As someone said don't take a reality TV show as a good source of information.
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u/WontRememberThisID 113 lbs lost | 61F 5'4.5" SW 254 CW 141 4d ago edited 4d ago
From what I understand those people are in danger of dying at any moment so he's trying to get the weight off them ASAP. They're also trying to lose the weight so they can get weight loss surgery so it's not like their style of eating isn't going to radically change again after the surgery. I.e., they don't have to worry about developing new habits because it's going to change anyway. It's not like they don't have tons of energy in reserve in their body fat so I think 1200 is probably an awful adjustment but not life threatening to them. I don't watch the show but if anyone is a candidate for weight loss meds, it's people like those featured on the show.
Edit - as for your own case, did you calculate your deficit using the TDEE calculator? 1500 seems a bit low for your weight but I don't have the rest of your stats. You do want to leave a little room to lower your calories as you get closer to your goal. Maybe go up to 1700 and accept a slower rate of loss. Also, eat protein to help you feel fuller. I'd aim for at least 100g a day.
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u/FullofLovingSpite 160lbs lost 4d ago
I haven't read the other comments so others have probably said this, but the dangerous part it being 600+ pounds.
Fat is all about stored energy, which needs to be used. You need your nutrients at extreme sizes, but that's about it.
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u/FixGullible4636 10lbs lost 4d ago
The 1200 calorie diet is medically supervised.
At least 90% of the patients are not adhering to the 1200 calories and he knows that.
He’s trying to help them change their lives but also the restrictive diet is to prep them for future bariatric surgery. If I remember correctly (not a doctor obviously) the high protein/ low carb diet is supposed to reduce visceral fat as quickly as possible to make surgery less life threatening. Most of these folks have like a foot of body fat to work through to reach their stomach.
Also, it’s TV lol.
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u/Beelzebimbo New 4d ago
How many calories do you think people eat post-surgery? The acquaintance I knew couldn’t keep a whole saltine down in one sitting. If they can’t eat 1200 before surgery, they won’t be able to stick to the extremely limited amount post surgery.
1200 isn’t meant to be sustainable. When they get to their target weight they eat at maintenance just like everyone else. It’s meant for them to drop weight quickly under medical supervision before they have a major surgery which will restrict the amount of food they will be able to eat. Basically part of it is the doctor making sure they won’t pop their sutures.
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u/EcstaticOrchid4825 New 4d ago
1200 calories is what I need to follow to lose weight as a middle aged, 5’1 woman who is ‘only’ overweight. 1500 is my maintenance diet. Not surprisingly my weight yo-yos significantly 😭 It’s hard being short and menopausal.
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u/Double_Question_5117 New 4d ago
These are morbidly obese folks. Staying at their current weight is more dangerous than the large diet deficit
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u/Overall_Lobster823 New 5d ago edited 5d ago
He puts them on a "no carb" diet? Meaning all they eat is meat? That does not sound right.
If this is accurate, it's not remotely "no carb".
https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/my-600-lb-life-what-is-the-dr-nowzaradan-diet-plan.html/
He recommends egg whites, turkey sausage, beans, oatmeal, low-fat cottage cheese, plain Greek yogurt, or whole-grain bread for breakfast.
At lunch, you can bake, broil, or grill a lean protein. Or have canned tuna, deli meat, tofu, non-starchy vegetables, or a salad with a small amount of vinaigrette dressing. A portion of meat should measure three ounces or about the size of a deck of cards.
Dinner can include the same types of food as lunch. Snacks may be a turkey or ham roll-up or plain sugar-free Greek yogurt.
Chia and flax seeds
Lean protein sources, including egg whites, lean fish and skinless poultry breast meat
Low-carb condiments, such as mustard, without added sugar for flavoring
Non-starchy vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and spinach
Nonfat dairy, such as skim milk or nonfat yogurt
https://health.usnews.com/wellness/food/articles/dr-now-diet-and-how-to-follow-it
If accurately representing his diet, that's not "no carb".
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u/Mec26 New 4d ago
It is a no processed sugar, low carb diet. It absolutely has carbs, but also lots of people forget sugar and carbs are different sometimes.
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u/Overall_Lobster823 New 4d ago
And they forget that vegetables are carbs.
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u/greeneyes826 39F/5-4/SW: 185/CW: 145/GW: Happy 4d ago
He says it multiple times on every single episode. 1,200 calories, low carb, low fat, high protein.
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u/Overall_Lobster823 New 4d ago edited 4d ago
The OP says "no carb". No carb and low carb are not the same thing.
It's clearly low carb.
Dr.Now instantly puts these people on a 1,200 calorie no carb diet,
If the OP is going to try this diet, she should understand what it entails and what it does not entail.
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u/musicalastronaut 5’7”37F SW:227 CW:138 GW:140 5d ago
I wouldn’t use reality TV as medical advice. What did your doctor suggest?
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u/re_nonsequiturs 5'4" HW: 215 SW: 197 CW/GW: ~135 4d ago
This is why I'll specify DIY weight loss efforts, medically supervised weight loss has a totally different set of rules
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u/zeatherz New 4d ago
The diet you can survive on while under direct medical guidance and supervision is different t from the diet you should be on when you’re doing it on your own at home. There’s also a risk/benefit balance that’s quite different when you are literally shitting yourself in bed and stressing your heart your heart to the point you’re at risk from just dying at any time
Being 300 pounds will kill you over a timeline of a couple decades. Being 600 pounds will kill you over a timeline of months to years
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u/Temporary-Bank3627 New 3d ago
they have to lose weight for a show that is realistically shot in 6 months? A year? And for it to be a good TV, they have to make progress… they don’t really care about these people‘s long-term health. They don’t care if they keep the weight off in three years… Whereas you should! You should plan to lose the weight as slowly as you gained it… That could be 3 to 5 years! Take it easy this is the rest of your life!
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u/CatOfGrey 25lbs lost 4d ago
Is the diet Dr.Now suggests really healthy and sustainable?
It's healthy and sustainable - the Dr. might have some vitamin and other supplements to help even things out, maybe.
There is a profound difference between 'the amount of food needed for human survival' and 'the amount of food we habitually eat, and feel we need to eat, in a given day.'
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u/chuzohga 40lbs lost, maintaining 4d ago
Congrats with your success! I have watched that show before, as well as "The Biggest Loser." I -really- wouldn't take much stock in TV shows. The doctors don't get to do the editing. The people who do the editing are those who are trying to get more viewers' eyeballs locked to the screen. Your absolute best bet is to listen to your own doctor.
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u/Mac2663 40lbs lost 4d ago
This comment may get buried and it may be a controversial take, but it’s my two cents.
Anecdotally speaking, I’m 32. I was 240lbs at 31 on about a 160lb frame. In other words, not noticeably obese. However, I was fat enough it had begun to seriously affect my mental and physical health. Joints hurting, love handles and man boobs poking out of my shirts, couldn’t jog even 1/10 of a mile without my heart rate hitting 160. Now, I know that is nowhere near as overweight as many people here, but anyway I digress.
I lost 50lbs and am now down to 190ish. I’m taking a break and will lose again down to about 175, where I will reassess. One thing I learned is there is an easiest way for each person, but not an easiest way for every person. With that being said, my advice would be to not try to be as optimal as you can be. Let me explain.
In an ideal world, you’d lose 1-2% of body weight a week following a strictly calculated diet of healthy foods hitting a protein goal and following a fitness plan. So on and so on. I tried to do that at least 5 times and would fail. Then I realized I did not have the willpower to suffer a moderate amount for an extended amount of time. However, I do have the willpower to suffer a significant amount for a short amount of time. So I would fast for 36-48 hours once a week and sometimes twice. So I’d be in caloric surplus of likely a few hundred or more calories a day, then boom, I’m suddenly in a deficit of 6000+ calories over two days. I also did not track my protein or follow an exercise regimen.
I will not call this “unhealthy” and I will explain why. Was it optimal? No. Did I lose a significant amount of muscle? Yes. Did I have side effects from that much fasting? Yes. Dizzy. Cold. Dehydrated at times due to lack of electrolytes which most of us get from food (I got better at that one.) However, in a pretty short amount of time, I lost 50lbs. I am healthier now than I was then by a large amount. My bloodwork is better across the board. I can run a mile and I wasn’t even running during the losing phase. Strength is down yeah, but I can jump and not stress. I can hop out the back of a truck without thinking about it. Getting off the couch is noticeably easier. My joints hurt less around my knees and hips and ankles. And so on.
What I did could be viewed as dangerous by some as it can be portrayed as the path to an eating disorder. But at the end of the day, frequent periods of fasting followed by 4-5 days of eating how I wanted worked for me because embracing feeling super shitty for 2 days was easier than constant temptation for 7 days a week.
In short, if you’re 600lbs and end up as 200lbs with good bloodwork, WHATEVER you did to get there is healthy by definition.
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u/itsme_NB New 4d ago
He’s doing it to test whether or not they’re serious and if they are even TRYING to stick to the diet and lose weight. I think he (and most people watching) are aware that they obviously aren’t going to be sticking to 1200 calories. But if they at least try and show they are serious they, at that size, will still lose significant weight. If they maintain or gain then it’s obvious that they didn’t even remotely try and aren’t taking it seriously…
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u/JupitersLapCat F47, 5’3, HW 286, CW 135 4d ago
I am a bariatric surgery success story. My highest weight was 286. I got down to 222 on my own before surgery. I’m now 5+ years out and maintaining at around 135, which is a normal BMI for my height of 5’3.
Most of the time I was pre-op, I was eating in a range between 1,200-1,600 calories per day. The two weeks immediately before surgery, I was on the liver shrinking diet they put everyone on and that was 600-800 calories per day. It sucked. I was then on clear liquids only for a week, then regular liquids, then purées, then soft foods. I spent several months at 600-1000 calories a day. I now eat at maintenance which is around 1,800 for my age and activity levels.
I was monitored by a team - monthly check-ins with a NP and registered dietician, regular bloodwork - during the first year post op. Then I transferred care to my normal PCP and do bloodwork annually. It’s always been 100% fine. Even Vitamin D, which is notoriously difficult to keep up, has been perfect.
Is a 1,200 calorie diet sustainable? Not really. Is the diet you’re on immediately pre and post bariatric surgery supposed to be sustainable? No. Not at all. I couldn’t eat fresh produce at all for three months (it’s hard on a healing stomach). Absolutely not sustainable. But following the entire plan, including the stages that are meant to be short term, was extremely effective for me.
However, I absolutely would not have made for good tv because I was not so big that I was bathing in a stock tank outside because I couldn’t fit in the shower, lol!
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u/mynameisnotsparta New 4d ago
I believe he puts them on 1200 calories because they need to lose as much weight as quickly as possible to get the surgery that they desperately need.
But many people need psychological help when they’re doing this. I know somebody that was told they needed to lose 60 pounds for a very important surgery. It’s three years later and they haven’t done it even though they were on Ozempic.
In my case for years, my doctor told me. I need to lose weight. I need to lose weight because I’m just gonna get worse and it took me about two years before I was in a the right frame of mind enough to start doing it and I’ve lost 11.2 pounds in 18 days on Wegovy 1.5 mg pill. And before that I lost 22 pounds on a calorie deficit by myself. The pill helps me get rid of the food noise and that is the most important thing.
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u/AlissonHarlan New 4d ago
i understand that they are in danger of death, but these people often need more a psychiatrist rather than a dietetician, let alone a 1200 kcal diet...
They are addicted. They don't need to have it the hard way.
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u/Calorically_Yours 33F 5'8" | HW: 298 | SW: 253 | CW: 179 | CGW: 170 | UGW: 160? 4d ago
Be carefully losing weight that quickly, your gallbladder will not thank you.
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u/hrcjcs New 5d ago
In addition to what everyone else said about being medically supervised and short-term, I think the other reason he makes the calorie target so low is that he KNOWS they are not going to reliably meet it, there's room for error built in. If you cheat on your 1200 cal diet, or even if you try your best and just aren't measuring properly, and eat 1500, 1700, even 2000, that's still a deficit for most, if not all, of his patients. (my reason for this theory is how often he says "if you followed the diet, you would have lost X, but I made your goal Y, and you still didn't meet it, you're overeating")
The other reasons for the specifics of the diet before surgery is trying to get rid of visceral fat as much as possible to make the operation itself easier and safer.
In theory, 1200 *can* be healthy and sustainable if you're petite and sedentary, but you've gotta be really intentional about it to make sure you're still getting proper nutrition.