Everything is because I’m fat.

[Fbshe]

I went to the doctors today, I keep feeling really faint and going dizzy. My doctor suggested it is because of being overweight (she had taken my weight and height while there). This has really upset me because I don’t believe this is the cause, I’m 5 foot 1 and weigh 10 stone (fluctuate to slightly under sometimes but this is what the scale showed today). I genuinely think it’s my build and can’t be helped, I’m a 30HH bra and naturally have a big bum, when I was 14 I was 7 and a half stone and still had a massive bum while the rest of me was bones.

I cannot lose weight, I ran a marathon 2 weeks ago, I weight train twice a week, I run 3 times a week and I walk the dog for 1-2hours a day, longer on weekends. I have reasonable meals and no snacks, I had 2 slices of toast for breakfast with a small amount of butter, some frittata for lunch with a couple of cherry tomatoes and a 320calorie ready meal for my tea. I’ve had 3 glasses of sugar free squash and will have another before bed.

I asked the doctor for help with weight loss if she thought this was the cause but she suggested smaller meals and increasing activity levels. I don’t know what to do.

I feel like complaining to the surgery because I’m no closer to knowing why I always feel so lightheaded and I’ve been made to feel really self conscious with no real support. Am I being sensitive or is this reasonable?

Did they take your bloods? Anaemia is a common cause of lightheadedness like what you described.
fatigue can also be caused by lack of vitamin d.
if I were eating as little as you are I would be lightheaded due to hunger!

It could be many things, are you having blood tests?
Thyroid issue - especially with the metabolism issue
Menopause - ditto
Deficiency like iron, B12, D

POTS - did GP do sitting & standing Blood pressure?
Vertigo - which could be viral
Ear infection
Chronic fatigue
Poor circulation

Tbf despite not being perfect, BMI isn't an entirely bad tool for the average person. Less so for high level athletes.

It’s infuriating when everything is attribute to one possible cause and every other option is ignored because of the focus on it being to do with that.

I’d ask for a second opinion. It is possible your symptoms are related to your weight, but equally possible they’re caused by something else. At the moment lots of my friends symptoms are put down to long covid. They might be. But at the age we are and the symptoms some are experiencing they could easily be related to heart or inflammatory conditions that are being missed. Good luck . I hope you find out what’s causing your faintness and dizziness. It sounds very unpleasant.

I would definitely want checking for POTS with those symptoms. You can do a 10 minute standing heart rate test yourself to get an idea of whether it's worth pursuing a referral to cardiology. Just Google for more details. Be warned that there's usually a long wait on the NHS so I wouldn't delay. I was referred in July last year and my first consultant appointment on the NHS is in December (I've been seeing the consultant privately since last August).

My DH had this problem earlier in the year, he's a healthy BMI so they couldn't automatically jump on that, but they did say it was dehydration, we thought it was a bit of a cop out, but his tests came back normal, although his blood pressure was dropping when he stood up, but that was all.

He eats and drinks normally but sometimes he suffers from IBS type symptoms and I think that's what may bring it on, the last time he had to have a few days off work the dizziness was so bad.

I'd definitely adjust your food/fluid and see if it improves.

Adding another voice saying look into POTS. You may need to up your salt intake a bit, given the amount you exercise.

That's pretty much the definition of POTS, did they not diagnose him with it?

Have they ever checked your heart? I had ECG and ECHO. and 24 hr monitor.
Have you had a talk with Physio at the practice. Worth a chat.
I have a BP machine at home and check if feeling unwell. £40 I think.

Another one saying it doesn’t sound like you’re eating enough. I get dizzy and lightheaded if I don’t keep my blood sugar stable or when I try cut out carbs. I’d be surprised if your daily intake is close to 2000 calories.

BMI is flawed but not as flawed as most people on MN think and most HCPs are more conscious of its limitations these days. However, if you have 30 HH bra size then a relatively large portion of your BMI is probably breast tissue and that’s not so easy to factor in/target for weight loss and it is a scenario in which BMI isn’t that helpful.

Either way, if that’s a standard day’s nutrition whilst doing marathon training I bet you’re relatively malnourished and iron deficient. If you’ve got the cash you can buy OTC fingerprick tests for ferritin - might be worth splashing out - if that comes back as being low (suggesting iron deficiency) it may be a useful starting point to explore other tests with the GP? Also may be worth checking your BP if you’ve not already - could do it at rest and then after standing for a while and see if it drops.

According to google 70% of POTS sufferers have a BMI >25 and losing weight can ease symptoms.

Wow, helpful. She's 5'1. She can't shift her belly fat. Lay off.

I have a condition called VasoVagal Syncopy. Basically, for reasons no one actually knows, your vagus nerve (which controls your BP) gets the arse, and you either faint, or feel a bit drunk a lot of the time. It is triggered for lots of people by hot weather or pronged standing. I’ve had it for decades and, IME, GPS know bugger all about it. Ask to see a cardiologist, and have a tilt table test. That is where they strap you to a table and tilt it to 45 degrees. For some reason, for most of us that triggers it and you can get a diagnosis. If it IS VVS there are meds that can help (I take them with no side effects and live a perfectly normal life) you will need to up your salt intake (your cardiologist will advise this, it’s the only condition where they do!) and ensure you stay hydrated - a difficult balance! But, it has absolutely nothing to do with weight.

GP sounds clueless, there is no way that being half a stone overweight would do this. Did she take bloods for analysis and urine samples for infections? I'd change doctors, not just ask for a SO.

All the food you mentioned eating, apart from the tomatoes, is highly processed. It’s not the quantity, it’s the quality. Read the labels .

POTS is characterised by unstable blood pressure. A diagnosis also requires an increase in heart rate over >30 BPM within 10 minutes of standing. It can only be formally diagnosed with a tilt test, though my cardiologist was happy to diagnose and start treating based on symptoms. And he was right, my tilt test was done late afternoon and my HR increase was 60 BPM, it's a lot higher in the mornings!

That's not to say the poster's DH doesn't have it, the gastro issues are also characteristic of POTS so I'd be pushing further if a tilt test wasn't done.

Women aren’t alone in this - I’m a man and it’s all I ever hear when I visit my GP too!
It’s very annoying, especially as I’m a heavy gym user so a lot of my mass is muscle.

I also thought menopause like many on this thread. There is a weird symptom that makes you feel tingly and light headed and feels like a mild electric shock. If menopause/low oestrogen can do this, then it could affect the brain and balance in other ways.

Another vote for Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) from me! You sound like a classic case - walking around is ok but standing is a disaster, worse with heat and when you first stand. The NHS has a page on it you can print out and hand to your GP. Your GP should be familiar as it’s quite a common issue in Long Covid.

The cardiologist Dr Sanjay Gupta has some excellent and accessible videos on it on his YT channel YorkCardiology. If you can get hold of a pulse-oximeter or a BP monitor, you can test yourself. Heart rate, rather than BP, is the important bit (although low BP can also be an issue). Look up the NASA Lean Test - Bateman Horne has an excellent chart you can print, fill out and show to your doctor. Good luck xx

Wow! Definitely ask to see a different GP! Sounds like low blood pressure to me but I'm no expert. What I fo know is that GP needs an attitude adjustment

Well, I'm a similar BMI to you currently, and 5ft 6", and I need to lose around 12 kilos or 2 stone to be a weight that is healthy for me. So it sounds plausible.

But everyone is different, so if you're sure the doctor is wrong, then ask for a second opinion and as many tests as you can wrangle.

I also agree with pp that it might be not enough of the right kind of foods. Exacerbated by perimenopause if you're over 40. I hope you figure it out.

I think it depends on your proportions, muscle mass etc though.

Before I got pregnant I was 5ft1" and 8 stone. Since having a baby I'm 9st 9lb, which isn't far off the OP's weight and the same height as her.

My boobs are now massive though - my waist is 26 inches and I fit in UK size 8 on top, size 6 dresses. I'm not fat to look at. I'm actually surprised I can be this heavy and not look fat - but it makes me think that if the OP has big boobs and lots of muscle, then 10 stone won't actually be that big on her.

Your waist circumference is actually a better indicator of health than just your weight - it measures your body fat percentage better. You can definitely be "skinny fat" or "heavy weight but skinny".

Go back to another GP

I spent 5 years being told by GPs there was nothing wrong and maybe i just needed to exercise more (size 8-10 when I started going size 12-14 by the end of the 5 years)

I had Myasthenia Gravis . I literally now know it's not safe for me to exercise (despite loving it) once I am getting symptoms. Every time I saw the GP I would have had the classic Myasthenic ptosis (eyelid droop) but they ignored it in favour of patronising lifestyle advice (I had been very healthy and a slim size 8 my whole adult life until I got symptoms)

Have they checked blood work? Iron, b12, etc, etc.