The doctor's visit today was not nearly as bad as I feared. While she was not exactly impressed with my weight loss, she did not make me feel bad for not having lost more, which is really what I feared.
First, she did not notice on her own that I had lost weight, but I didn't really give her time. She walked in and said, "What's new?" and I said, "I've lost weight," to which she replied "Well look at you," (she, however, was not actually looking at me but at my chart.) That was about as close as I got to a compliment.
Later she asked me if I was having any issues, at which time I said, "Yes, actually, I've been trying to lose the same 10 pounds since October and I can't seem to do it anymore." She recommended the GI Diet, which involves the glycemic index and is the exact same diet she recommended to me almost four years ago, the last time I went to her. It has to do with your blood sugar levels and eating foods that do not make your blood sugar jump up. I bought the book back in 2008, the last time I saw her, and tried and failed at that diet then. I didn't say that to her today, but she's not really the type of person you argue with. However, I think I will bust out the book and see if can incorporate some of its suggested foods into my current diet, without going fully on the GI diet.
She also brought up the "Eat like a king for breakfast, eat like a queen for lunch and eat like a pauper for dinner" philosophy. I've heard this before, which is basically all about eating your bigger meals earlier in the day and eating less later. I can't imagine ever being able to stick to this, as I've never been a great breakfast eater and dinner is more my style.
I also brought up the fact that I was not sure how much I needed to lose in total. I told her that I'm really striving for 100 pounds, but wanted to know how much further I should go after that. I said, "I've looked at the BMI height/weight charts online and it says I should weigh X, but that would mean having to lose about fifty more pounds than I have, and I can't imagine being able to do that." To which she said, "Well, you really are big-boned. Some people just say they're big boned, but you really are. So let's set your goal weight at X+5." (Seriously?!?) To which I said "It's been so hard to lose weight for almost a year, I just don't think I will ever get to that goal weight. To which she said, "Okay, let's make it X +15." To which I said, "okay."
X+15 is 35 pounds away from where I am right now and will be a total of about 125 pounds lost. It kind of frightens me, because I don't want to be continually pressuring myself to lose weight for the rest of my life and 35 pounds seems forever away at the rate I'm going. She, however, seemed to think that if I would make her simple changes than it would all come off easily. She seems to eat only to fuel her body. I'm guessing she has never had a weight or food issues, so she would not comprehend that such simple changes are not always simple.
In summary, it was not a horrible experience. I will reread the GI Diet book, since I already own it and see if I can pick up anything that will help me stay fuller longer or eat calories that will more efficiently fuel my body.
*Also, everything checked out normal and most of my levels like cholesterol and triglycerides and things like that are better than ever because of all of this healthy eating.
Okay, don't take this the wrong way, but your doc is kind of a jerk. She doesn't seem to have a very good "bedside" manner. No, I don't believe that doctors should caudle us, but really, it seems she could be a bit nicer.
ReplyDeleteWith that being said, losing what you've lost is a major victory already. Losing the rest of it (until you get to 125lbs lost) should be looked at as a way to seal the final score, you know? Like in school when you get an A but can get extra credit questions right for even more good stuff. Losing 100lbs is definitely an A in my book. Losing the rest is the extra credit points you could use to make your grade (or in this case, your body) as good and healthy as it can be.
Oh, and I'd consider looking for a new doc. For reals. If she's not inspiring you, then there are other doctors who will.
i agree with april. find a new doc. you don't need someone that will agree with your every decision, but one that will applaud your successes and inspire you toward new goals.
ReplyDeleteyou can do it!
So you lose 95 pounds and all your doctor can say is "look at you"? Yikes. She sounds ... not very nice. Whatever happened to "great job!" or even the old standard "way to go!"?
ReplyDeleteI agree...not the best doc for your goals. Have you ever talked to a nutritionist or dietician? That's their specialty and there are some good ones in the area. Laura Henderson at RH OBGYN is highly recommended by most people I know. I think we have a nutrition department at WU also, right? Maybe they could help you "seal" the deal, like April said above.
ReplyDelete