My doctor told me I should lose 7-8 pounds

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really don’t understand what is annoying about this. The issue may not be just the current 7-8 pounds at issue but the overall trend that your doctor is seeing in your weight. Perhaps you have been gaining a few pounds (or more?) every year, and your doctor thinks it would be a good idea to change your eating habits before it gets to the point where you have 20 pounds or more to lose. Why not give it a shot and see how you look and feel? Most people who succeed in losing weight don’t regret doing so.

Then that's what he should have said. Saying that she needs to lose weight now is not the same as saying that she should check her diet and exercise to avoid additional weight gain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is your BP, cholesterol, and/ir glucose borderline or high? If so, losing 7-8 lbs would still be within a heathy weight and may help you avoid meds. I doubt he told you to lose 8 lbs for vanity sake

This! You can have a “healthy” weight, but still not be healthy if you have any of the above.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I almost don’t believe this story. I just can’t imagine a doctor saying this to a normal weight woman.

I gained 15 pounds due to SSRIs (went from thin to average BMI for my height), and every time I expressed concerns, the doctors would point out that my BMI was in the healthy range. They were like, you might prefer to be at a lower weight, but you are still at a healthy weight. (I lost the extra weight so I didn’t have to buy a new wardrobe, but from a health standpoint, a doctor should be focusing on actual health factors not whether you look a certain way.)

Like others have said, the doctor should have at a minimum explained why he wanted you to lose this weight.

10 years sgo, I was 5'7 and 142 and a male doctor casually said, during a physical, "You could lose 10-15 pounds!". I was stunned and actually gained 10 pounds in 2 months after that. Some male doctors are a holes and I think ops doctor is one of them.

I actually had a similar experience. I needed a physical for something work-related and it wasn't my regular Dr. I was within a healthy BMI range but he made a similar "you could lose 10lbs" comment. Didn't give any medical reason, I honestly felt like he was just saying "you could be hotter". He was an immigrant and English wasn't his first language so I kind of wrote it off at the time as cultural/language mismatch. But it was very jarring and made me feel gross

Ugh, I am so sorry. Modern medicine is pretty racist and sexist, with an overemphasis on BMI (which we know to be unreliable).

[Anonymous]

It’s weird. Wouldn’t he be more interested in getting you to do cardio and weight training? Losing weight in your case seems like it would have a negligible effect on your health compared to other efforts.

[Anonymous]

If your doctor is so uninformed he's relying on BMI for health advice, it's time to find a new physician. It's the same BMI chart used for 20-year-olds.

If you've maintained a steady weight for years, I'd definitely not rock the boat and get on the lose weight/gain weight treadmill. As soon as you lose weight, your body will start pushing to regain it. If you want to up your exercise or make another small lifestyle modification, that's one thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your doctor is so uninformed he's relying on BMI for health advice, it's time to find a new physician. It's the same BMI chart used for 20-year-olds.

If you've maintained a steady weight for years, I'd definitely not rock the boat and get on the lose weight/gain weight treadmill. As soon as you lose weight, your body will start pushing to regain it. If you want to up your exercise or make another small lifestyle modification, that's one thing.

I don’t think her dr was basing anything on BMI, he was basing his advice on the fact that even small amounts of weight loss such as 7-8 lbs can have profound effects on BP and glucose regulation. In part, that is done by hopefully adapting healthier habits. But in the abscess of losing any weight at all, diet and exercise don’t have as much of an effect on these things if it isn’t also paired with losing some pounds. As long as losing a few pounds isn’t going to make you underweight, I think this is solid advice if medical issues mentioned are creeping up

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thats ridiculous. Im 5'4" and 150 lbs. i would like to get to 142 or so. But thats it. No dr has ever told me to lose weight at my stats.

Doctors rarely tell people to lose weight.

IMO you are fat, unless you are a body builder. Sorry.

and I my opinion you are an uneducated *ss.

[Anonymous]

1 pound = 3500 calories. You can easily lose a pound a week by substituting higher calorie food for lower calorie foods. Stock up on frozen broccoli florets. Eat a serving of those with lunch or dinner. Enjoy green leafy salads with lower calorie/lower fat/lower carb dressings like yogurt-based dressings by Bolthouse Farms.

And drink a lot of water throughout the day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I almost don’t believe this story. I just can’t imagine a doctor saying this to a normal weight woman.

I gained 15 pounds due to SSRIs (went from thin to average BMI for my height), and every time I expressed concerns, the doctors would point out that my BMI was in the healthy range. They were like, you might prefer to be at a lower weight, but you are still at a healthy weight. (I lost the extra weight so I didn’t have to buy a new wardrobe, but from a health standpoint, a doctor should be focusing on actual health factors not whether you look a certain way.)

Like others have said, the doctor should have at a minimum explained why he wanted you to lose this weight.

10 years sgo, I was 5'7 and 142 and a male doctor casually said, during a physical, "You could lose 10-15 pounds!". I was stunned and actually gained 10 pounds in 2 months after that. Some male doctors are a holes and I think ops doctor is one of them.

It's his fault you gained 10 pounds in 2 months?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your doctor is so uninformed he's relying on BMI for health advice, it's time to find a new physician. It's the same BMI chart used for 20-year-olds.

If you've maintained a steady weight for years, I'd definitely not rock the boat and get on the lose weight/gain weight treadmill. As soon as you lose weight, your body will start pushing to regain it. If you want to up your exercise or make another small lifestyle modification, that's one thing.

I don’t think her dr was basing anything on BMI, he was basing his advice on the fact that even small amounts of weight loss such as 7-8 lbs can have profound effects on BP and glucose regulation. In part, that is done by hopefully adapting healthier habits. But in the abscess of losing any weight at all, diet and exercise don’t have as much of an effect on these things if it isn’t also paired with losing some pounds. As long as losing a few pounds isn’t going to make you underweight, I think this is solid advice if medical issues mentioned are creeping up

Then he needs to say this -- that the actual issue is BP and glucose regulation and diet and exercise improvements should ideally paired with weight loss for the best effects -- rather than just saying, "lose a few pounds" which just sounds really silly without context.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I almost don’t believe this story. I just can’t imagine a doctor saying this to a normal weight woman.

I gained 15 pounds due to SSRIs (went from thin to average BMI for my height), and every time I expressed concerns, the doctors would point out that my BMI was in the healthy range. They were like, you might prefer to be at a lower weight, but you are still at a healthy weight. (I lost the extra weight so I didn’t have to buy a new wardrobe, but from a health standpoint, a doctor should be focusing on actual health factors not whether you look a certain way.)

Like others have said, the doctor should have at a minimum explained why he wanted you to lose this weight.

10 years sgo, I was 5'7 and 142 and a male doctor casually said, during a physical, "You could lose 10-15 pounds!". I was stunned and actually gained 10 pounds in 2 months after that. Some male doctors are a holes and I think ops doctor is one of them.

It's his fault you gained 10 pounds in 2 months?

It's not his fault, per se, but his comment was just another negative experience during a bad period of my life. I was depressed, had already gained 12 lbs over the previous 6 months and got the physical to rule out medical issues. At 142, I was a healthy weight, but his comment hit me hard. On the way home, I picked up fast food and stuffed my face. 10 years later, I have been in a good place for quite a while. Guess my weight? 140.

[Anonymous]

Weird if he didn't give a reason for it. There could be reasons, but with no context, it is weird.

For most 50s women, better blanket advice would be to do strength training to maintain or increase muscle mass. That would also allow you to eat more if you wanted (or lose weight if you wanted, but not sure you need to).

[Anonymous]

Here is my 2 cents. I don't think you are fat but I do think that here in the US we are used to seeing people that are larger. But in Europe, folks are much thinner and your stats would be considered overweight there. There is a growing body of evidence of the downsides to having too many fat cells, especially as we age. The thinner a person can get (without being malnourished obviously) the better. All this body positivity is great but it has also had some downsides in that people tend to discount that there are some sound medical reasons why we should not be carrying extra weight. In terms of it being "easy", it is in a sense but it takes discipline. You do have to restrict intake. But again, here in the US people are used to eating a lot more than they should and the quality of food is not great. So I am with your doc, though it would have been helpful if he could have articulated the rationale behind his recommendation.

You are of course free to ignore his advice.

[Anonymous]

Wow really op that's crazy I'm not a Dr but think your height and weight is fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here is my 2 cents. I don't think you are fat but I do think that here in the US we are used to seeing people that are larger. But in Europe, folks are much thinner and your stats would be considered overweight there. There is a growing body of evidence of the downsides to having too many fat cells, especially as we age. The thinner a person can get (without being malnourished obviously) the better. All this body positivity is great but it has also had some downsides in that people tend to discount that there are some sound medical reasons why we should not be carrying extra weight. In terms of it being "easy", it is in a sense but it takes discipline. You do have to restrict intake. But again, here in the US people are used to eating a lot more than they should and the quality of food is not great. So I am with your doc, though it would have been helpful if he could have articulated the rationale behind his recommendation.

You are of course free to ignore his advice.

OP's BMI is 23.2. The average BMI of a woman in Switzerland is still 23.8, and that is the best in europe. She'd be perfectly average, or slightly thinner, in most countries in europe. The average in the US is 28.8, overweight and approaching obesity, so yes, people are a lot fatter here on average.

source is wikipedia... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_by_body_mass_index

Telling people to lift weights / exercise and eat more vegetables is great advice. Discussing with a patient that they have gained weight and they should fight that also seems reasonable. Telling someone to lose 7-8 pounds without explaining to them what is prompting you to do that is really weird.