Doctor said not to reach a healthy bmi?
randilyn2013
Posts: 40 Member
I recently got serious about my weightloss and following a 6 week check up for a non weight related issue lost 16lbs at the doctors office. My doctor was happy with my loss but when I mentioned the "healthy" weight range for my height she discouraged losing that much. Saying I should keep a bit of "adult weight" on and she didn't want me to have to be carded anytime I wanted a glass of wine.. I'm 22 and 5'2" for their office I started at 191 and weighed 175 yesterday and her recommended weight was around 150lbs rather than around 135. I don't get why she would recommend me to stay overweight??
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Replies
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strange she would be more worried about you being carded than about your health??48
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Wow. That's an odd comment. I'm 5'6" and like to be around 130.
Did she have another reason for that weight other than looking old enough to drink?
granted, that said, I've had TWO doctors suggest that I NOT lose my recent menopause ten pounds. I'm going to anyway. As I know where I feel best.4 -
The doctor may have suspected that you were on a very low calorie diet. Ex: 1,000 calories a day.14
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She didn't mention any health reasons to not lose the weight and I had asked her if she was okay with the quick loss and she didn't seem to mind. I also had my wisdom teeth taken out in that time frame.
My entire life I have been overweight and reaching a goal of another 40lbs is still really far away. I have been on a low cal diet (1200-1300) but I'm also keto and have been exercising regularly. I literally never go to bed hungry.1 -
Why not get to 160 and reassess with doctor then2
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My doctor tells me she's just fine with my weight (I'm 5'6", 165 lbs), which is about 11 lbs outside of the healthy BMI for my height. Sounded odd to me, too, but I intend to keep losing.
Does she know details about how you are losing weight? No history of EDs or anything?2 -
That's really weird. And I looked much younger with the extra weight, personally, so that comment really doesn't make any sense.5
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Is your doctor slender, fit and active?6
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No offense to doctors, but they often don't give the best weight loss/exercise advice.33
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My doctor also wanted me to stop losing at 180 lb, which would have kept me in the overweight range on the BMI chart. She is a vegetarian Hindu rail-thin occupant of the low end of the healthy BMI, but she wanted me to stay overweight. I had read that there was some good science indicating that people just a few pounds above the healthy BMI were actually healthier. Maybe that's what the doctor was talking about. I prefer to think that she was hoping I'd keep my blood pressure high and need her continued maintenance of a prescription for me.17
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Um, sounded like she was hitting on you
I'm 38, 5ft 6in and current weight is 126lbs/bmi is 20.3. At my last physical in June my new doctor and I spent a lot of time talking about my weight maintenance plan, (his background is in sports medicine and nutrition). He told me to not go any lower than my current maintenance range, 125lbs-130lbs, but again-I'm already at the lower end of the healthy bmi range. Weird that she wants you to stay so high!4 -
I'll hold back, though I'm tempted to tell you to get a new doctor.
Perhaps your doctor is telling you that you 'don't need to' lose any more weight, from a long-term health perspective? You use your doc for his/her objective medical opinion--and you should consider that to be the limit of his/her usefulness. Though in that case, the doctor is also failing to consider the long-term health benefits of a positive self-image, a valuable side-benefit of weight loss.1 -
Doctors are not always right. I could be pushing up daisies if I took their advice.4
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Yeah, I don't get it either, especially at your age. If you were an older woman I might see why she was saying that:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/simin-nikbin-meydani/a-few-extra-pounds-is-beneficial_b_9358608.html0 -
Maybe she was just making a comment to ease some pressure of dieting down. Idk it doesn't make medical sense so maybe she was just letting you know it's a good idea but don't make yourself crazy to get there (I know that's silly, just thinking out loud/speculating)5
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Why not ask your doctor why she wants you higher?14
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I would ask your doctor what she meant. Someone mentioned thinking their doctor wants them at a certain weight so they'll depend on them for blood pressure meds and I would've thought that way too had I not worked at a doctors office (receptionist). Most of the time the doctor hopes they never see you again! Ha.0
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That is a very odd thing for a doctor to say. You have lost quickly which could be driving the concern. I would continue losing until you reach a point that you are comfortable at. My doctor told me I didn't need to go any lower 20 pounds ago. What I find has happened with alot of my friends and acquaintences is that they are used to seeing me so much heavier that they are thrown by the difference. Also I lose in my face first so I look a bit gaunt right now. I know once I am on maintenance that will improve. It is your body and unless you have flirted with eating disorders I would say you are the best judge of what is the most comfortable weight for your age and height. At my age (60) I can see my doctor having some concern that I need to keep a few pounds in case of illness but you are young. Take it one step at a time and congratulaltions on your loss already! You have done really well. Be aware that as you get closer to your goal your rate of loss may slow down. Take your time and enjoy the learning process. You are doing a great job.4
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gamerbabe14 wrote: »Why not ask your doctor why she wants you higher?
That's the best idea I've heard so far! I'm 5 ft. 2in and my optimal weight is 141lbs. I personally think that's too low. I think all of the suggested weights are really too low! But that's just my opinion, and as my husband says, "Everybody's got one!"3 -
My Dr. and I set a goal weight of 160 for now. For my height that is still in the overweight range. He is not a fan of the BMI chart and explained that at 160 we would see how I felt and what my blood work/vitals looked like.2
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BMI is a bunch of woo.
Your doctor may not have good reasons, or didn't articulate them, but basing your healthy weight only on BMI range is a bad idea.28 -
Last fall my doctor was happy to hear that I'd lost 60lbs. We talked about activities I want to start participating in, and when I brought up my goal weight (169 or less), he said not to worry about it, just try to reach 200. I can think of a number of reasons why he would feel this way, family history and sustainability being my greatest suspicions (imo fair, and given how this past spring went, correct). Obviously these may not apply to you, but there are other health-related factors that could be at play. Do you have muscle mass? Is there a personal or family history of eating disorders? Given her silly answer, it could simply be she is concerned about a potential problem but doesn't want to address it unless it actually becomes an issue (my doctor does this and it works well with most of my family, but his nurse usually has to explain things to me so my imagination doesn't run wild).0
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rparkerslim wrote: »gamerbabe14 wrote: »Why not ask your doctor why she wants you higher?
That's the best idea I've heard so far! I'm 5 ft. 2in and my optimal weight is 141lbs. I personally think that's too low. I think all of the suggested weights are really too low! But that's just my opinion, and as my husband says, "Everybody's got one!"
Most doctors want their patients within the healthy range, (which is a pretty wide range), so that's what's so odd about OP's doctor suggestion. Being overweight is not healthy, so it doesn't make sense why a doctor would recommend the weight she did to the op.
edit clarity6 -
Whoa. That sounds bananas. Unless you are a bodybuilder, I disagree with that doctor.3
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Sounds like your doctor is allowing her own biases to influence her advice to you. Perhaps she thinks bmi is not a good measurement (many people may think this), or perhaps she just thinks a healthy weight is "too skinny" because she is conditioned to like lots of people we are on these forums.
Who knows what studies she has been reading or where her leanings/opinions are. She probably should have given you more information if she was going to recommend something to you that's outside of the norm.
I would give her a call or message her (if your facility allows this) and ask for clarification if it bothers you. Personally I would just ignore it, and assume she has her own reasons for believing this (medical or otherwise), and these reasons do not line up with mine.1 -
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BMI is not always a good indicator of health. She probably is more concerned with your vital health information than comparing your weight to a chart made for insurance purposes.3
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Neither myself or any family have ever had any eating disorders, or at least the kind where you are thin. Obesity, heart disease and diabetes do though. I just finished my degree in human biology so I know that crash dieting is neither sustainable nor healthy. I'm really looking long term for my health, which is why I've aiming for the normal range of the bmi chart.
This shouldn't matter but we do live in Indiana. There's a CDC report for Indiana that has 30% of adults obese and 66% overweight. I'm thinking it's more that even her "thin" patients aren't even at normal weights. I do have another follow up after an X-ray this week for my wrist and I can be more specific with my questions then.
*as someone had asked, my doctor is not thin and fit which could also be influencing her recommendation.11 -
randilyn2013 wrote: »I don't get why she would recommend me to stay overweight??
The doctor sounds ignorant.
I just had a similar experience. I'm 5'4" and weigh 140. I've lost 40 pounds overall and maintained since last November. My doctor told me, "You're still losing weight. Don't lose any more."
I told him I'm not still losing, my weight depends on what clothes I'm wearing, if I've eaten or gone to the bathroom -- plus I'm only 5 pounds from being overweight. That must have shut him up because he didn't answer.6
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