should I listen to my doctor?

CCers, my doctor told me that I have to stop thinking about losing weight because every time, I lose weight, I lose my period and she said I have hormone imbalance because of the rapid weight loss. she said I lost my period because I have hormone problems and stress and a mild case of PCOS. she said losing weight will add to my stress and I should aim for 1-2 pounds a MONTH??? what ? excuse me? I am putting my life on hold till I lose weight. I feel disgust because of my weight. 

I am sitting here trying to figure out my next step. she said a low carb diet will be good for me. I can do that. I am thinking that I should aim for 8 pounds a month like I used to do. 

I don't feel comfortable in my own skin and being overweight is what makes me stressed out. so I guess the solution is to lose weight not to put the weight loss on hold.

any thoughts ??? also, any ideas to reduce stress will be much appreciated. 

Original Post by safina1:

CCers, my doctor told me that I have to stop thinking about losing weight because every time, I lose weight, I lose my period and she said I have hormone imbalance because of the rapid weight loss. she said I lost my period because I have hormone problems and stress and a mild case of PCOS. she said losing weight will add to my stress and I should aim for 1-2 pounds a MONTH??? what ? excuse me? I am putting my life on hold till I lose weight. I feel disgust because of my weight. 

I am sitting here trying to figure out my next step. she said a low carb diet will be good for me. I can do that. I am thinking that I should aim for 8 pounds a month like I used to do. 

I don't feel comfortable in my own skin and being overweight is what makes me stressed out. so I guess the solution is to lose weight not to put the weight loss on hold.

any thoughts ??? also, any ideas to reduce stress will be much appreciated. 

 

 

uuum..listen to your doctor. if you have a hormone imbalance the  you don't know what negative effects might result from you taking matters into your own hands. you don't weight enough to lose 2 pounds per week, maybe 1 tops, so 4 a month but if your doctor doesn't approve then don't do it. it's unhealthy for you as indicated by your loss of periods each and every time. 

another problem, your weight should not "put your life on hold" that is really quite unfortunate that you have allowed it to immobilize you and stop you from living. i'd say, listen to the doc and aim for the recommended loss!

Chrissy, if I do that, I will be really miserable. Plus, any PCOS sufferer will tell you that losing weight improve their symptoms. I am confused.

so - why do you have a doctor?

pg, I wanted to get my period back that is why I went to a doctor. 

maybe I will go to see another doctor. that one doesn't seem very expert.

If the problem is in some way due to rapid weight loss (something you mention your doctor saying), then losing more will NOT help you right now. I imagine maintaining for a bit to let your body catch up and right itself is a much better option.

And I'm not a doctor, you should most certainly be taking her advice over anyone's on CC.

Having a poor body image is in no way a good excuse to ignore your doctor and continue to lose weight.

Original Post by safina1:

pg, I wanted to get my period back that is why I went to a doctor. 

maybe I will go to see another doctor. that one doesn't seem very expert.

The problem is not that the doctor is not "expert", the problem is that she didn't agree with you.

You went to the doctor to get your period back. She explained to you that you can keep your period by taking weight loss slowly, ie no more than 2lbs per month. Fine.

If you're putting your life on hold, why not get back to living again now? Your problems won't be solved by losing weight. If you start living your life now, you might be less miserable therefore less bothered by the slow weight-loss. Being miserable because you "can't" have a life until you lose weight is self-inflicted.

You say, "I don't feel comfortable in my own skin and being overweight is what makes me stressed out. so I guess the solution is to lose weight not to put the weight loss on hold." Nope - the solution is to work on ways to make your life fuller and more enjoyable now, and learn how to be comfortable in your own skin at any size. Trust me, this won't necessarily come just because you lose weight.

"I am sitting here trying to figure out my next step. she said a low carb diet will be good for me. I can do that. I am thinking that I should aim for 8 pounds a month like I used to do." Yup, you can do that, and that's how you lost your period before. Isn't that why you went to the doctor in the first place? If you do exactly what you were doing before, you will get the same unhealthy results as you did last time.

"Chrissy, if I do that, I will be really miserable. Plus, any PCOS sufferer will tell you that losing weight improve their symptoms. I am confused." Your doctor did NOT tell you that you couldn't lose weight. She simply said you have to take it more slowly if you don't want to end up without your period. If you are unhappy, find ways to deal with your emotions instead of coping through dieting. Stop thinking of weight-loss as the solution to all your problems.

Original Post by safina1:

pg, I wanted to get my period back that is why I went to a doctor. 

maybe I will go to see another doctor. that one doesn't seem very expert.

 ROFLMAO

listen to your doctor. he just told you how to get your period back. he didn't say stop losing weight, he said slow it down, your hormones can't keep up.

Original Post by safina1:

pg, I wanted to get my period back that is why I went to a doctor. 

did you do what she suggested?  did it work?

i go to doctors because i haven't been to medical school and my knowledge of health, pharmaceuticals, and the human body are extremely limited.  obviously there's nothing wrong with getting a second opinion, but unless you start with the assumption that doctors in general know stuff that you don't, what's the point?

I am not dieting. I am relapsing. simply, my obgyn doesn't know that I have an ED. I overeat and I eat 5000 cals a day. this has give me an excuse to eat. I have gained 14 pounds in two weeks. CC was my way to being discplined. 

if you are not dieting that means you should eat a maintainence diet. she is not giving you an excuse to overeat, she is asking you to stop undereating to the extent you are.

people do either "diet" or "binge".

eat maintainence calories.

What ever you decide to do in regard to weight loss, Do Not put your life on hold!  Live each day as if it were your last.  Your health is important, your weight isn't until it effects you health.

If you want to see another doctor do so but for the sake of your health you need to break the cycle of restricting and binging.  Learn to eat maintenance.

My suggestion (I'm not a medical professional)  would be to determine your maintenance calories at your desired weight and desired activity level and eat that.  It should be a slight deficit and allow you to lose weight slowly while learning to eat appropriately.  Then once you reach your goal you won't need to make any changes.

Live your life now! Or you never will.

Original Post by safina1:

I am not dieting. I am relapsing. simply, my obgyn doesn't know that I have an ED. I overeat and I eat 5000 cals a day. this has give me an excuse to eat. I have gained 14 pounds in two weeks. CC was my way to being discplined. 

you can't expect to get good advice from your doctor ifyou don't tell her the truth.

pg, I am not hiding anything. She barely leaves me a chance to talk. She is super busy and all what I can manage is to ask her a few questions during our short meeting. She is not going to listen to my ED stories.

ok. I tried to eat maintaince during the month of May and I gained weight. I didn't exercise during that time. I posted a question about this a while ago in the fitness forum but couldn't get a definite answer.

why me? why everytime I try to lose weight, I get problems? people start and finish the journey and I have been struggling for a long time.

Trhawley, I don't really know how I will live and ENJOY my life like this. what about my workouts? should I stop?

Well, you need to evaluate your priorities and decide what will realistically make you happy.

But from your other posts it seems like you tend to do things to the extreme.  You are either working out vigorously or not at.  You are dieting to lose the maximum 2 lbs. a week or you are eating 5000 calories a day.  I think you need to try to find a compromise, a middle ground if you will. 

Remember, all things in moderation.

Please listen to your doctor.  

Please take things slowly.  Being a little overweight (I've gone back through your old posts, so I know you're not at critical mass or anything) is not going to ruin your life or your health. But the doctor believes that trying to lose too quickly *is* causing health problems. 

As others have said I think you need to learn how to like the skin you're in.  Maybe it's not 100% perfect -- and maybe it never will be perfect.  But from what you write, I'm worried that even if you reach your goal weight you are always going to be looking for a flaw that you can blame for anything that isn't perfect in your life. 

Original Post by trhawley:

Well, you need to evaluate your priorities and decide what will realistically make you happy.

But from your other posts it seems like you tend to do things to the extreme.  You are either working out vigorously or not at.  You are dieting to lose the maximum 2 lbs. a week or you are eating 5000 calories a day.  I think you need to try to find a compromise, a middle ground if you will. 

Remember, all things in moderation.

 I agree.   I understand being an "all or nothing" kind of person.  I'm like that too.  I've just had to focus on making little changes.  Not necessarily even to the tune of 2lbs a week, either.  Just little things.  Do your workouts, eat healthy, but use the tools here and make sure you aren't under-eating.  For someone prone to binges, trying to eat too little is the worst thing a person can do.

Original Post by safina1:

why me? why everytime I try to lose weight, I get problems? people start and finish the journey and I have been struggling for a long time.

Trhawley, I don't really know how I will live and ENJOY my life like this.

 Why you???? Really??? Doyou honestly think that you are the only person this happens to?  Yes, people start a journey (and it is never finished until you die) and everyone struggles at times.  When people are more successful than others its usually because they stay positive, ask for help and support, and don't make dieting and weight issues consume them.

I have suffered from an eating disorder.  When my outlook changed, my life changed.  I can honestly say that I haven't had the urge to return to my old ways.  I'm happy now.  And there is no one on earth that can tell you how be happy or to be comfortable in your own skin (trust i begged for an answer from anyone who would listen).  You need to figure it out on your own.

Edit: I just want to add that I totally went from starving myself to binging all the time.  It was so frustrating because I had never binged in my life before and began doing it almost daily.  It took about a month, but eventually my body righted itself and I was eating normally and my weight went down a few pounds just naturally on its own.  You'll get there, but you really do need to try to break the cycle.

Original Post by safina1:

ok. I tried to eat maintaince during the month of May and I gained weight. I didn't exercise during that time.

why me? why everytime I try to lose weight, I get problems? people start and finish the journey and I have been struggling for a long time.

 

 If you are going from starving yourself to eating maintenance, isn't it normal that you gain a bit? I'm sure it will take time -- maybe a long time -- for your body to get itself righted if you've been on a binge/starve type of thing for a while. I don't know if you have but that's what it sounds like. Give it some time... eat maintenance for a few months. Not one.

Agree that you can't expect much help from any doctor that doesn't know the facts about your health. That's a waste of your time, and your doctor's time.

Sounds like you're looking for some rationale to restrict your calories. Regardless of what your doc and other folks say about it.

If it makes you feel any better I was told to lose slowly too. And even though I TRIED at first to lose fast, I still lost slow and will continue to lose slowly. Though I was told to lose weight to GET my period on my own and reduce PCOS symptoms. Everyone is different.

A second opinion is always worth having.

And you're STILL LOSING WEIGHT! Hey it didn't take 1 year to gain all the weight you gained, did it? Of course not! So don't expect it to happen that quickly too.

Original Post by sugarshocked:

Original Post by safina1:

why me? why everytime I try to lose weight, I get problems? people start and finish the journey and I have been struggling for a long time.

Trhawley, I don't really know how I will live and ENJOY my life like this.

 Why you???? Really??? Doyou honestly think that you are the only person this happens to?  Yes, people start a journey (and it is never finished until you die) and everyone struggles at times.  When people are more successful than others its usually because they stay positive, ask for help and support, and don't make dieting and weight issues consume them.

I have suffered from an eating disorder.  When my outlook changed, my life changed.  I can honestly say that I haven't had the urge to return to my old ways.  I'm happy now.  And there is no one on earth that can tell you how be happy or to be comfortable in your own skin (trust i begged for an answer from anyone who would listen).  You need to figure it out on your own.

Sugarshocked, I can relate to every word you wrote here. I suffered from anorexia; recovered physically but was still so uncomfortable in my own skin I became bulimic. I recovered again, but in the process put on a little more weight than I would have liked. But being truly recovered - not just weight-restored - was such an empowering experience; I felt healthy, I felt strong, I felt happy. Only once I sorted my life out and became comfortable as I was did the weight begin to melt off.

Safina, that may apply to you too. Until you can relax about your weight, food will always be a big issue for you. Once you take a step back, you can learn to enjoy food for what it is, without giving it more importance in your life than it deserves. You are definitely not the only one who has struggled with their weight, or who is still struggling. If you don't know how you will enjoy your life, isn't now the time to look into that?