Doctor ORDERED me not to lose any more weight

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Replies

  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    And if your doctor didn't tell you why, call and ask. If he won't tell you why, find a new doctor. Pulling orders out their *kitten* without an explanation for it is a fireable offense in my book.

    +1

    Exactly!
  • jfauci
    jfauci Posts: 531 Member
    This is precisely why I never go to the doctor!! You need to gauge how you feel and if you feel like you should lose 10 more pounds, then go for it!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Admittedly, I'm in the camp of people who think "gaining muscle weight" is just a copout.

    Do you even body composition?

    Yeah I am not even sure I know what that means... 'gaining muscle weight is just a copout' ??? Yet you believe in toning?

    With body recomp, you could stay at the same weight and get rid of all the jiggles, looseness or whatever people call it.

    Most people call it toning.
  • sfbaumgarten
    sfbaumgarten Posts: 912 Member
    no medical reason at all

    didn't really feel like asking him "why," perhaps I did not want to make him suggest I'm anoerexic or something.

    :huh:
  • Capt_Inzane
    Capt_Inzane Posts: 733 Member
    Everyone on MFP is certified doctors...

    If your doctor said something and you respect your doctor and typically listen to him then I'd suggest you do that. If you don't understand then ask your doctor. You're a grown up least I hope you are... If you don't understand why come here and ask a bunch of Internet People who are certified in posting cat gifs and the ever famous Would you F me threads?

    Ask the guy that went to school and does this for a living. Maybe he has good reasons, maybe he's jealous of your bod and wants you to get fat to make him feel better, maybe he wants to shag and likes his men to have a lil cushion...These are all valid reasons as to why you shouldn't lose weight but how in the hell are we supposed to know what your doctor said. Just call the doctor up and say "I've been thinking about what we discussed about my weight loss and I would like to lose another 10 lbs and possibly tone up some more. Can you explain to me why you feel I shouldn't drop any weight?" There could potentially be some test you can run and see how your body truly is.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Hmm. I'm assuming your doctor can't take your LEGOs away or make you go to bed early for a week if you lose another 10 pounds so I'd just ignore him.

    182 at 6'1" is not unhealthy. Unless there are extenuating circumstances you aren't telling us, I can't see why he would demand you stop losing.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Admittedly, I'm in the camp of people who think "gaining muscle weight" is just a copout.

    Do you even body composition?

    Yeah I am not even sure I know what that means... 'gaining muscle weight is just a copout' ??? Yet you believe in toning?

    With body recomp, you could stay at the same weight and get rid of all the jiggles, looseness or whatever people call it.

    I agree with OP actually, if you are attempting caloric deficit and you explain away the fact that you haven't lost weight in many months as "muscle gain" that is a total copout. Either you aren't at caloric deficit in which case you can gain muscle but you shouldnt be expecting weightloss because you aren't at deficit OR you are at a caloric deficit in which case you will not build muscle.
  • dlionsmane
    dlionsmane Posts: 674 Member
    Admittedly, I'm in the camp of people who think "gaining muscle weight" is just a copout.

    Do you even body composition?

    Yeah I am not even sure I know what that means... 'gaining muscle weight is just a copout' ??? Yet you believe in toning?

    With body recomp, you could stay at the same weight and get rid of all the jiggles, looseness or whatever people call it.

    I agree with OP actually, if you are attempting caloric deficit and you explain away the fact that you haven't lost weight in many months as "muscle gain" that is a total copout. Either you aren't at caloric deficit in which case you can gain muscle but you shouldnt be expecting weightloss because you aren't at deficit OR you are at a caloric deficit in which case you will not build muscle.

    Ah - I didn't read it that way. for some reason I read it as him saying that it would be a cop out for him to gain muscle weight - i,e. not lose the last 10 pounds... doh....
  • darlilama
    darlilama Posts: 794 Member
    Ask your doctor "WHY?"! If you are not "fit", then maybe he believes there is cause for concern. But, if you are "fit", then wth?
  • Will_Thrust_For_Candy
    Will_Thrust_For_Candy Posts: 6,109 Member
    I'm curious why you would think he would think you are anorexic if you ask why you shouldn't lose more weight.

    This comment suggests to me that there is more to this story.
  • I mostly just lurk. I think you should be careful with taking the advice of people on an internet forum over your doctor. You need to ask your doctor why he feels this way. Were there blood test done? Were to complaining of any issues during your check up. Doctors are far from infallible but you need to know why he feels this way. They have opinions and their opinions can be wrong. That being said, if blood test, urinalysis, or complaints gave him reason to be cautious then you should understand why and THEN judge whether he is full of it or not. Few people here are qualified to tell you anything about your health.

    BMI is an awful 19th century determinate of body composition and gaining muscle weight is far from a cop out. If you want to ignore educated opinions then you need to grab skin-fold calipers and determine your body fat percentage. The world would have been without an Arnold Schwarzenegger if he thought like you. I'm 100% sure that he was constantly considered obese by BMI standards. Even during periods of calorie deficit, the world isn't so black and white. You could undergo metabolic drops resulting in less calories burnt than you think (even measured by a hrm). I'm not saying you can't/shouldn't lose weight but it sounds like you wanna hear what you wanna hear, and when your doctor didn't tell you what you wanted to hear you come to an internet forum that is full of unqualified commenters ( no offense).
  • Veil5577
    Veil5577 Posts: 868 Member
    I think some (not all) doctors also don't want you to lose weight and get healthy because then you won't have to see them as often..

    Ah, I see you took Cynicism 101 as well, eh? :)

    No, I was born that way. :bigsmile:
  • newyorkmo
    newyorkmo Posts: 32 Member
    Well...a few questions, barring that there is some medical reason for the advice that you're not mentioning...

    1. What region of the country do you live in? And is it rural or urban? In some areas of the country, most of the people are overweight/obese - and there may be different social norms in those places?

    2. Is your doctor overweight himself? Perhaps he has a skewed version of normal in that case?

    I lost 36 pounds, going from overweight BMI to BMI of 19.5 (normal, but on the lower end). I'm in maintenance now and doing fine. Lots of people, especially plump family members and acquaintances warn me to STOP NOW! Don't overdo it, mainly because the visual change in my body is striking, and because typically they themselves are overweight/obese and so at a normal weight, I look "too skinny" to them. Surprised your doctor is falling into that possibly, so you sound think about whether there are other medical reasons you're not sharing with us that might be influencing what he said, or whether your bone structure is very large and so you are actually at a good weight as is.

    Ultimately, it's up to you. Good luck!
  • jdb117308
    jdb117308 Posts: 4
    Went to Dr. today for first time in 3 years for checkup. He was astounded by my loss - (I'm 6'1', 38 yo, I went from 245 on his chart in June of 2011.... weighed in at 192 yesterday at his office).

    Here's the thing... I actually am trying to lose the 10 pounds or so which have creeped up on me over the past year or so. I"m torn on what to do here, as he was adamant.

    Let me also add that I've added a lot of "tone" over the past year from a lifting program, though my BMI still has me as overweight, which bothers me. Admittedly, I'm in the camp of people who think "gaining muscle weight" is just a copout.



    Based on what I know about men. The upper range of the BMI is great especially if you have some muscle. My husband would look scrawny 10 lbs below the upper point of his BMI. He is shorter with a large frame and more muscles and his ideal weight is around 150. That is pretty healthy, IMNSHO.

    Want to add that your BMI is 25.3. That is really healthy for a man.
  • disasterman
    disasterman Posts: 746 Member
    This is precisely why I never go to the doctor!! You need to gauge how you feel and if you feel like you should lose 10 more pounds, then go for it!


    Huh, you never go to the doctor because some random person on the internet had their doctor tell them to stop losing weight without a reason and that person didn't ask why?
  • 212019156
    212019156 Posts: 341 Member
    A general practitioner is one of the last people I would ask for about diet or exercise advice or ideal weight/bodyfat levels. They have very little training in this. The exception would be a doctor who was a former elite level athlete or trained at an elite level.
  • Shropshire1959
    Shropshire1959 Posts: 982 Member
    GPs - what do they know .. pill pushers [/generalisation] :-p
  • csuhar
    csuhar Posts: 779 Member
    Any idea what your body fat percentage is?

    You may not have the fat to lose. Granted, you are a guy and can carry a smaller percentage of body fat than a woman, but 182 for a guy 6'1" could be too thin. If you are carrying a lot of muscle and very little fat already, I would suggest following your doctor's advice.

    My son (young adult) is 6'1" and is quite glad to be at 152lbs (he was a few pounds heavier) but he works out, runs, and quite frankly looks good at this weight. Older son is 6'3" and in the low 160s range-and looks like he could use a few pounds. It really depends on body structure (one son took after my side-the other, my hubby's)...

    I would say go with what you feel good at. When I first started losing (using MFP) my principal told me not to lose more weight-just to give you an idea that people will give their opinions-no matter who they are!


    My brother and I are in a similar situation to your sons. I'm 6'2", he's just under 6'1", so we're similar height-wise. But when it comes to body structure, I've got the broad, large body frame of my mother's Dutch / Scandinavian family while my brother's got the narrower build from my dad's Ukrainian and English family. For him, the target weight zone is about 160 pounds, while doctors who looked at me as I was getting back in shape after cancer estimate that, based on my frame, musculature, and fitness goals, 225 is what I should be looking to stay around.

    But, going back more specifically to the OP's doctor issue, a second opinion is always worthwhile. If they both say the same thing, there may be some truth to it. But if they come to different conclusions, you can start asking them questions based on what the other one said.
  • bostonwolf
    bostonwolf Posts: 3,038 Member
    Went to Dr. today for first time in 3 years for checkup. He was astounded by my loss - (I'm 6'1', 38 yo, I went from 245 on his chart in June of 2011.... weighed in at 192 yesterday at his office).

    Here's the thing... I actually am trying to lose the 10 pounds or so which have creeped up on me over the past year or so. I"m torn on what to do here, as he was adamant.

    Let me also add that I've added a lot of "tone" over the past year from a lifting program, though my BMI still has me as overweight, which bothers me. Admittedly, I'm in the camp of people who think "gaining muscle weight" is just a copout.

    You really don't have a BMI target as a goal do you?

    BMI was designed to measure the obesity of large populations, not individuals.

    I have a friend who is about 5'9 and weights 180lbs of solid muscle and one of his nurse practitioners started on the BMI lecture with him once.
  • TEMMEAlexa
    TEMMEAlexa Posts: 79 Member
    Well, if your doctor was not comfortable with your weight loss then i think you should have asked him the reason, as you feel you are still overweight. it is a matter of concern that he should have such a view on your weight loss.Do try and reason with him and then see if you are comfortable following his advice.You could also go for a second opinion if you cannot find an appropriate answer.
  • DiannaMoorer
    DiannaMoorer Posts: 783 Member
    A general practitioner is one of the last people I would ask for about diet or exercise advice or ideal weight/bodyfat levels. They have very little training in this. The exception would be a doctor who was a former elite level athlete or trained at an elite level.

    I agree! Doctors have very little training in nutrition and fitness.
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    192 isn't even low for 6'1".

    I had a BF who was 180 lbs at 6'2" and he was the image of absolute male perfection.

    I can't imagine you are muscular enough for that to be all buffness from what you describe. It sounds like you're probably still a little "fluffy" and could stand to 1) lose a little more weight and 2) benefit from lifting and muscle building.

    The Dr. may simply be aghast from seeing how fast/dramatic your weight loss has been and is trying to prevent any problems of the eating disorder variety. Successful weight losers are probably few and far between in Dr's offices and the probably are not used to how to react/evaluate sudden successful weight loss.
  • wampahoofus
    wampahoofus Posts: 38 Member
    I do not have doctors telling me not to lose more weight, but family members telling me that from time to time.

    I am 6' 0", 43 yo. I was 234 lbs and dropped to 184lbs. 184 was a BMI of 25! I announced that I would drop 7 more lbs (to a little under 24 BMI) and my family told me I had already lost too much!

    I am now 178lbs and love how I look even though my BMI is still in the higher end of healthy.

    I think BMI is inflated for men and demands we lose more than we need to lose but I think you should be able to get to the low 180's and be very healthy.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    A general practitioner is one of the last people I would ask for about diet or exercise advice or ideal weight/bodyfat levels. They have very little training in this. The exception would be a doctor who was a former elite level athlete or trained at an elite level.

    I agree! Doctors have very little training in nutrition and fitness.

    I would imagine that most doctors have more training in nutrition and fitness than the average MFP member.
  • RekindledRose
    RekindledRose Posts: 523 Member
    Find a new doctor.
  • pope66682
    pope66682 Posts: 249 Member
    If you lose 10 more lbs, maybe you'll be too healthy. After all, doctors don't make money off of healthy people.
  • x
  • Go back and ask why. If he has no good reason. Than do it!
  • nedtoloseme
    nedtoloseme Posts: 98 Member
    I'm 5'3" and lost almost 90 pounds. I'm down to 160 and my doctor told me not to lose anymore weight. I know her reasoning behind it though. I'm 53 years old and sometimes losing alot of weight when you're older makes you look real old. That's what she told me, and honestly others (real friends that is) have said the same thing. I did ask the doctor why she said that though. Ask you're doctor - if he can't give you an answer get another opinion. Best wishes to you!