My doctor asks me for weight loss advice

wendybird5

Like many of you, I often expected my doctor to give me pointers on how to lose weight. What I got was the usual "eat less, exercise" spiel. One doctor gave me a canister of protein powder with directions to take one scoop a day in water to help me feel fuller longer. Otherwise the doctors I've had didn't help much in that arena. When I finally lost the weight on my own, my doctor immediately began quizzing me on what I had done to lose the weight so that she could share what I had learned with her other overweight patients. I also have a friend who has always been skinnier than me who has been told over and over again by her doctors that she was too fat. She completely stressed herself out over it and all because they only went by BMI and didn't take her body fat percentage into account which showed that she was actually in a healthy range due to a high level of lean body mass.

As I'm now learning, regular general practice doctors aren't actually taught a lot about nutrition, appropriate calorie intake or any of that. That's why they make so much use of the BMI and aren't taking more accurate measurements like your body fat % or RMR. And it makes sense. In the US our medical system is built to be curative and not preventative. Losing weight is a preventative practice and the real money for doctors, hospitals and insurance companies is in curing the damage you've done to yourself, not in helping keep you from those problems.

If you have cancer, your doctor will refer you to someone who has specifically studied cancer. If you have a skin issue, you are referred to a dermatologist. Foot problems get referred to podiatrists. So when it comes to nutrition, they should be referring you to a registered dietitian or nutritionist who has studied food, how it affects the body and what calories levels are appropriate for different individuals. So unless you are undergoing bariatric surgery or a medically supervised weight loss plan and are seeing a doctor who has specifically studied in this area, don't assume your doctor knows all about nutrition levels appropriate for you.

The next time a doctor starts giving you a calorie limit to hit that doesn't seem right, ask questions. How did they determine that calorie limit? What breakdown of carbs, proteins and fats do they expect you to follow? With a level that low, do they have sample diets you can follow to ensure that you'll still get the appropriate nutrients your body needs? And don't be afraid to ask for a referral to a nutritionist or dietitian to get a second opinion or more advice on how to structure your eating properly.