Doctor says I should lose 75lbs...!?

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  • skinnyack
    skinnyack Posts: 683
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    The only person you should listen to is the guy/gal who dunks you into the water tank to get your body fat %. Worth every penny. Seriously- go do it. THOSE (and maybe a close second for the measuring tape) are the numbers you HAVE to KNOW before you can make any other type of decisions, and before anyone else can either. :flowerforyou: You can do it!!!
  • LabRat529
    LabRat529 Posts: 1,323 Member
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    The least educated on weight and nutrition are usually doctors!

    The least educated? Really? Seems like 4 years of pre-med + another 4 years of med + whatever you specialize in would make a doctor a lot more educated about human health than say ... an accountant. And since human health includes weight and nutrition... yah, I'd trust my doctor before I trusted any old soul on MFP. Not that there aren't experts in human nutrition running around the forums- there are- and I certainly value their opinion, but your statement is a little extreme.

    Doctors know more than the average person about human nutrition and weight. Dietitians, nutritionists, exercise physiologists, and similar specialists probably DO know more than doctors.

    And OF COURSE there are bad doctors out there.

    But it's rather unfair to lump them all together and say that they are 'least educated'.

    To the OP:

    Your goal weight is probably NOT that important and probably not worth worrying about right now, to be honest. Why don't you start with trying to lose 25lbs and see how you do? Even if you're very muscular and have dense bones, 226 is at least over-weight. Being over-weight increases your risks for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease... and all sorts of other bad stuff!

    Once you've lost 25lbs... you can re-assess and decide if you want to lose more.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,709 Member
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    Doc is probably using BMI. At my height I could go all the way down to 118lbs according to BMI and still be healthy. Lol, my legs probably weigh that alone.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Nopedotjpeg
    Nopedotjpeg Posts: 1,806 Member
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    Your doctor is going off of BMI most likely. Take your measurements and estimate your body fat % through a bf calculator, and take it from there. Play it by ear and be ready to tweak your goals.
  • litatura
    litatura Posts: 569 Member
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    Rule of thumb for woman's weight...medium frame: At 5', weigh about 100 lbs...for every inch over 5', add 5 lbs...so at 5'9", you are looking at 145lbs...

    than +/-- 10lbs for small-large frame...so your range is anywhere from 135-155lbs...

    to find your frame size measure your wrist...6" med frame...more than 6, large frame, smaller than 6 small frame...

    this made me sad cause according to that I should be 95lbs. Damn 33 more lbs to go

    Yikes, according to that, I should get down to 115lbs. Anything below 125lbs is not a good look for me.
  • pat6250
    pat6250 Posts: 90
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    If your doctor didn't have a medical reason (like you are pre diabetic or pre hypertensive) for you to lose all that weight, then if it was me, I'd go by the weight you feel healthy at. Doctors go by charts that in my opinion, do not make sense. They do not take into consideration bone density, percentage of fat, build, or muscle mass. I remember a girl in high school, she weighed 140. No one believed her, because she was tiny. But if you touched her arm, she was solid muscle. I weighed less than she did, but people thought I weighed more, because I was taller and bulkier than her. I think people should go by :how do you look, how do you feel, what are your blood pressure and blood sugar numbers? I agree with your family, not your doctor.
  • pat6250
    pat6250 Posts: 90
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    Wait- that picture was YOU at 170? Go for 170! You were smokin' hot!
  • FrostyBev
    FrostyBev Posts: 119 Member
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    Definitely look at BF% then total weight. When I first started losing weight I had set my goal weight as 205 lbs. I've lost a total of 44 lbs and had a body fat check done. My non fat mass is 200 lbs... Well, unless I want to lose a lot of that muscle I've worked on gaining 205 is not a realistic goal weight for me. I've re-evaluated and set my goal at 15-17% body fat. :) I'm no longer concerned so much about my actual weight. I'll re-evaluate once I hit my goal BF%. Based on that picture you looked pretty amazing at 170.
  • peprwpr
    peprwpr Posts: 56 Member
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    I am 49, 5'6". I started at 229, and my personal goal weight is 165. When I saw my doc, she felt like that was a very resonable, and achievable goal for me. Yes, she would like to see me lose more, but she feels like that would be a healthy weight for me. That was in Jan. I am now down 27lbs. Almost 1/2 way there.
  • MyaPapaya75
    MyaPapaya75 Posts: 3,143 Member
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    dont get stuck on deciding which weight u want to be at ..just do it ...start the journey and then when u get to 170 see how u feel and look....make 170 your first goal and 150 your second IF you decide you want to lose the remaining 20 ..by going to 150 it willl give u an additional 20 pounds to tinker with...which may be a good thing
  • Blessedmommy_2x
    Blessedmommy_2x Posts: 419 Member
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    I am 5 9.5 and my goal weight currently Is 170 as well - although I don't plan on stopping at that point. At THAT point my focus will become lowering my body fat percentage instead of my weight. If I lose more, that is fine.. but 170 puts me at a healthy BMI range so that was what I felt was a obtainable goal.

    Honestly what I would do in your position is push for the goal you have set for yourself. And at that point when you hit that goal you can decide whether that is THE weight for you or not. Also there is other factors to take in...Body fat percentage is a HUGE thing to take into account!!! 170 lbs with a LOW body fat percentage would likely look similar to a person or even better than a person at 150lbs and a high body fat percentage.
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
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    Well, you can always decide if you wanna go lower once you get to 170 :)

    I am planning to decide if I wanna get to 180 when I hit 200 or just maintain at 200
  • saraann4
    saraann4 Posts: 1,312 Member
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    sheesh, I would die to have a body like that at 170lbs although you are taller than me. Seriously though, listen to your body. If 170 looks like that in your case then I'd probably aim for that. Just learn to eat healthier.
  • LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo
    LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo Posts: 3,634 Member
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    Many times what the scale says don't matter, the most important is improving your health & lowering your overall body fat percentage. I know a lot of people who are underweight or normal BMI but their body fat percentages are incredibly high for their weight. However don't underestimate what your body can do. You do it one step at a time, make that 175 pounds your mini-goal & then from there you decide if that is enough. When I was still obese (my BMI 30.2, body fat at whooping 43%) I used to think of scales as the only tool to measure progress & my goal then was 63 kg (about 140 pounds) since that was my lowest weight & I have never been under that weight since I was in college. However when I get to that weight, I realized that I'm just becoming a small version of my old self since despite losing a lot, I still carry a lot of fat & can see my sagging arms, flabby belly & I said to myself that I want a major transformation of my body so I went into heavy weight lifting, pushed myself to the limit & I was surprised that I was still losing weight and those are almost from pure fat. So now I'm at 53 kg (about 116 pounds), my lowest weight ever since I was 12 & a body fat of 19-20%.
  • darkmouzy
    darkmouzy Posts: 227 Member
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    Focus on body fat % and not the BMI :) get down to say 25% see how you feel :) Bmi is terrible to go on!
  • susannahcooks
    susannahcooks Posts: 294 Member
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    lose one pound at a time. When you get to the right size. stop. you'll know when you get there.
  • Bikini_Bound150
    Bikini_Bound150 Posts: 461 Member
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    I'm guessing your 170 was probably very toned so your muscle was bringing your weight up. I don't think the doctor is taking that into account. But it's your body so you should be comfortable with yourself and set your own goals. Not your doctors goals. Good luck.
  • jhartram
    jhartram Posts: 165
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    I think it all depends on your build and how muscular you are. I looked good at the top edge of "normal" range for me... My husband looked like a skeleton 23 pounds above his "normal" range... The pic of you at 170 looked healthy (read gorgeous!!!) and honestly if you're going for that size (ish) and more toned you'll weigh more... but be freaking stunning. Then your doctor can eat his heart out. Go with what you consider to be right...

    P.S.~ I would go with BMI rather than weight... one of the good ones where they have you measure in a lot of places. The one I use is http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/home-body-fat-test-2774-143.html#accurate

    GOOD LUCK!
  • mixedfeelings
    mixedfeelings Posts: 904 Member
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    It's a bit of a weird one, if he is going by bmi then that would be within a healthy range.

    I'm 5'10" and at my lowest I weighed 144lbs which was within a healthy bmi range but I wasn't well and was starving myself to get there, this was over months, years I looked awful, it didn't suit my frame. Eventually I gained all the weight back and then some. I'm trying to aim for 170lbs now in the long run which is within a healthy range.

    I would just get it within a healthy range to appease your doctor but try not to focus on the lbs too much.
  • DarcieC2389
    DarcieC2389 Posts: 146
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    I would go with what you are satisfied being and what you feel like you could maintain. I am 5'10" and my doctor who is very supportive thought 180 would be a good goal for me. You may want to shoot for the middle-160 lbs or so.

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