Has anyone been to their doctor for help

glitterandsparkle8
glitterandsparkle8 Posts: 34 Member
in Getting Started
Hi
Has anyone been to their doctor to help them lose weight?
If so what do they recommend?
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Replies

  • Unknown
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  • dsboohead
    dsboohead Posts: 1,899 Member
    Getting a referral to a dietician from a doctor would be a good first step. Doctors are sooo short staffed they have no time for weight loss counseling.
  • musicfan68
    musicfan68 Posts: 1,143 Member
    Mine recommended pushing away from the table - move more, eat less.
  • mandy220750
    mandy220750 Posts: 65 Member
    Advised to go to a gym and join a slimming group. Not much help.
  • Liftslikeagoddess
    Liftslikeagoddess Posts: 44 Member
    Doctors learn nothing about nutrition so I would never ever go to mine for help regarding diet. You are better off seeing a nutritionist honestly, I was lucky and found a therapist (This was for depression/anxiety rather than weightloss) who was also a nutritionist and she helped more than any Dr/bottle of pills!!
  • bigjonb4116
    bigjonb4116 Posts: 155 Member
    I found that the younger doctors at the surgery had a better understanding on weight loss, but google and you tube are a mine of information.I did ask the doctors if they would pay for a gym membership for me, haha but not suprisingly they declined....having lost 185lb they now ask me what i have done!!
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,092 Member
    My doctor always advised going to Weight Watchers, which I knew wasn't for me. Then a health adviser that worked for my health insurance company recommended MFP, which fits my personality better (I would only be irritated by a system based on public weigh-ins and cheerleading other people and inexact point systems; a system that lets me track actual calorie intake with reasonable accuracy suits my comfort with data, logic, and science). I kept checking in with the health adviser about once a month for about six months, and by the end she said that she was using me (without my name, obviously) for her "poster-child" example of how well MFP and calorie-tracking can work.
  • Evamutt
    Evamutt Posts: 2,743 Member
    My Dr has medical weight loss posters all over her office, as she lost wt thru them. I never looked into it(it was some sort of minimal invasive surgery) but she was always after me to lose wt, so when I did, she was so glad
  • SeriousChick7
    SeriousChick7 Posts: 14 Member
    Yes. I had lost 17 pounds and then stalled. I asked my Dr., and he told me to read Forks Over Knives. He was about 80 pounds overweight and told me he was thinking about doing what that book said. I don’t know why I asked him.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    Several friends have asked their doctors for advice on losing and are usually given solid yet common sense advice like getting more exercise, drinking more water and cutting back soda/coffee/alcohol. None of them have been given any Earth-shattering tips from their doctors but a lot of them are told about various weight loss procedures, even when they're just 15-20 lb overweight with no medical problems. That kind of freaks me out, honestly.

    My current doctor thinks I am a good weight for my height & build even though I am still technically still a little overweight.

    When I was morbidly obese, my previous doctor told me that I needed to lose about 30 lb (I lost 130 lb), and he didn't believe my migraines were associated with my obesity at all since I didn't have high blood pressure. I think he was wrong, since I totally quit having terrible migraines once I got to a certain weight. However, I think different approaches work with different patients, and I 100% think his "30 lb" recommendation was PERFECT for me because if he said "130" I would have just felt depressed & wouldn't have even tried...

    Anyway, all this anecdotal stuff...I agree that dietitians and nutritionists are the real experts on losing weight and eating healthy.

  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    for those saying a nutritionist. a registered dietitian is a better bet. since now adays anyone can become a nutritionist and many states you dont even need a license or degree to practice. with a RD you do have to have a degree and a license to practice(in most if not all states) and are backed by the AMA,
  • Vetticus_3
    Vetticus_3 Posts: 78 Member
    I had a BMI of 26 which would not budge.

    I went to the doctor for help. She told me that she has no problem maintaining her weight and that I was too small to get any assistance. And then I got a creepy smile.

    Don't know why I bothered.
  • sschauer513
    sschauer513 Posts: 313 Member
    I did over the years always get told by various doctors to lose weight but none ever told me how but 1 nurse actually said you should lose weight and go to medical weight loss center and listen to them. That changed my life. It's a sad state most doctors and health care system in general only treats the problem but never helps solve the real issue of how the problem started.
  • 30kgin2017
    30kgin2017 Posts: 228 Member
    My experience with drs and weight is limited. Very rarely has my weight even been raised, actually only when preg. I raised it at a Pap smear appt since that’s the only time I go without being sick. Got told to eat less and move more despite saying I ran and had issues with lack of full feeling hormone. Even the dr who prescribed me Duromine last week didn’t give me any advice, granted she knew I had previously lost 10kg so I obviously knew what needed to be done. She told me to stay away from alcohol.

    I’ve only been to a nutritionist once, interesting advice about not exercising too hard coming back from injury as it places too much stress on body and isn’t good for visceral fat. Apparently I didn’t look like I drank too much alcohol so it must be stress causing mine.

    I have never tried ww or Jenny Craig but the feedback has been better from people who have done it.
  • neugebauer52
    neugebauer52 Posts: 1,120 Member
    Seen my doctor for a general blood test. Told him my general daily meal plan and he suggested that my carbs intake is a bit on the high side. I am now reducing carbs, mainly switching over to low carbs meal items with my usual protein / fat intake.
  • jessicapk
    jessicapk Posts: 574 Member
    Overall, I've never found it very beneficial but I did sign up for monthly check in's where I weigh, get my blood pressure checked, and just usually chit chat for a few minutes. I see a nurse practitioner and am normally not there much longer than 5 minutes but that 5 minutes can be truly motivating. Seeing the blood pressure and weight changes, plus no longer fearing doctor visits since I am on the right path, really has helped me.
  • 30kgin2017
    30kgin2017 Posts: 228 Member
    jessicapk wrote: »
    Overall, I've never found it very beneficial but I did sign up for monthly check in's where I weigh, get my blood pressure checked, and just usually chit chat for a few minutes. I see a nurse practitioner and am normally not there much longer than 5 minutes but that 5 minutes can be truly motivating. Seeing the blood pressure and weight changes, plus no longer fearing doctor visits since I am on the right path, really has helped me.

    That’s sounds great, I would love to have an appointment to have to show up to. I guess a personal trainer fills that role for some people but the gym doesn’t fit into my lifestyle atm. It would be a bit of accountability. I was thinking yesterday I would love a weight losss coach who took measurements, was able to have a chat with you about emotions/ accomplishments/struggles who would honestly tell you if they can see a dif in you. But I don’t want a friend to play that role it would have to be an outsider.
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
    As previously stated, doctors aren't nutritionists. They can only advocate eating less and moving more. Which isn't bad advice, really.

    They can also test your thyroid to see if it's underactive.
  • dmegk5
    dmegk5 Posts: 26 Member
    I brought it up to my family doctor a couple of times. He suggested Medifast which was created by doctors. I couldn't afford it so instead got him to sign off on weight watchers since I was a teenager. It worked but I cheated a lot and didn't lose as much as I could. In college, I tried Medifast for a month and it was awful! Will never do that again. MFP has helped me the most but I do best is someone else keeps me accountable. There is a weight loss center in my hometown but my insurance doesn't cover it. I had to ask my family doctor to check my thyroid, he did and it is normal. The only doctor to ever bring up the weight topic first was a doctor's now walk-in clinic doctor. He was really respectful about it and suggested I keep communicating with my general practitioner about what I am trying.
  • glitterandsparkle8
    glitterandsparkle8 Posts: 34 Member
    MostlyWater wrote: »
    As previously stated, doctors aren't nutritionists. They can only advocate eating less and moving more. Which isn't bad advice, really.

    They can also test your thyroid to see if it's underactive.

    Yes I do have under active thyroid :(
  • Momepro
    Momepro Posts: 1,509 Member
    A couple times. Turns out they were on medifast payroll, so basically thier "help" required stupid amounts of money for a "get skinny quick" BS scheme that I refused to pay for.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    edited April 2018
    glitterandsparkle8 wrote: »
    MostlyWater wrote: »
    As previously stated, doctors aren't nutritionists. They can only advocate eating less and moving more. Which isn't bad advice, really.

    They can also test your thyroid to see if it's underactive.

    Yes I do have under active thyroid :(

    then you need to see an endocrinologist if you dont already to get your thyroid where it needs to be(levels wise) first.
  • crabbybrianna
    crabbybrianna Posts: 344 Member
    My doctor told me to join weight watchers, and to never lift weights because it will make me bulky. Total waste of time.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    edited April 2018
    crabbybrianna wrote: »
    My doctor told me to join weight watchers, and to never lift weights because it will make me bulky. Total waste of time.

    yeah some of us wish weight lifting made ya bulky lol

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