Disheartened after GP consultation re. Weight

[Lavenderbythefrontdoor]

Booked GP consultation due to low mood and weight gain. Blood tests have come back all clear.

GP said this morning that she will refer me to Weight Management Clinic. "Because your BMI is above 40, you can get in right away, so that's good" 🙄

I asked if that effectively means I will be asked to join Slimming World, she said yes, most likely. You need to start there and then if it doesnt work they look at other options such as injections etc (assuming Saxenda) but they dont "skip stages". God knows how long Id be expected to attend Slimming World until they moved a step?

I have explained to my GP numerous times that I pay a bloody nutritionist a large sum each month and follow a calorie deficit food plan. I lift weights 5 times a week and get my 10k steps a day, minimum. I also do some fitness classes, swim and climb hills at the weekend! On paper, I should not be as fat as I am. I am pro-active about my weight gain, Ive been working hard to lose weight for 18+ months. I've got nowhere with it, couple pounds here and there but then I get a bad menstrual period and it all goes back on.
I hold hormonal contraception to blame for the weight gain but just pointed to my ok blood work and told me thats not it.

Feels like a right kick in the face that, when Im at my lowest and finally decide to seek actual medical advice, Im being told to go back to the beginning and prove I dont sit on my arse eating Maltesers all day.

Oh, and my low mood is "probably because of your excess of fatty tissue playing havoc with your estrogen levels".

Righto.

Are you still in the pill?

I got the contraceptive coil removed last week. No idea how long it will take for things to settle down but I'm not expecting that the weight will drop off.

Have you tried saxenda?

I was similiar to you ,run marathons at the height of my fitness, just halves these days. Physical job, gardening hobby, dog to walk. Never sat still and eat well

I have found saxenda has been the kick start I needed

Once the weight started shifting so did my mood!

I suppose I was hoping that by having this consultation, Saxenda might be suggested. But it sounds like I need to jump through the Slimming World hoops (and god knows what else) first.
Its not even just a case of having to try other things first, but I am against the principles of Slimming World and don't agree that these diet clubs are healthy long-term options. So why should I need to attend something that I am against in principle just to access the help I need?

Saxenda is very expensive to buy privately, so I'm not sure its a realistic option. I will need to do some more research, I think.

£60 a pen. I take low dose so it lasts longer. It's very very rare to get on nhs

Slimming world is like a cult and I actually struggled with the amount of crap they want you to eat.....weetabix cheesecake anyone?

What’s your diet like? It sounds like you’re very active.

Ridiculous that they would insist you attend slimming world. But perhaps the clinic would listen to you better than the doc has. Would your nutritionist also be willing to provide confirmation that you have been attending and following her advice?

If you blame your contraception for the weight gain, surely it is worth giving it a few months to see if you lose some weight now?

Op how overweight are you ?
How old are you - could you be peri/ menopausal?
Are you weighing and logging absolutely everything you eat? I only ask as I know a lot of people underestimate calories.

I can't believe gp's refer to swimming world why not just arm people with calorie counting and nutrition info ?

My cousin got saxenda from a Turkish pharmacy. Half the price of UK.

She's done fantastic on it.

I tried it a few years ago. Made me violently ill.

I was in same situation as you. GP referral was like snail slime.
I went to Turkey and got a gastric sleeve. Best thing Ive ever done.

This is my typical diet, which is what I have been doing for 12+ months as provided by my nutritionist.

I do have a glass of wine and the odd treat but nothing elaborate or often!

Breakfast:
Skinny bagel with 3 x chicken sausages
protein shake

Meal 2:
Medium sized salad (lettuce, tomatoes, spring onion) with 75 g chicken. 50g cheese. 1 cal per spray salad dressing, probs use 10 sprays

Meal 3:
Skinny bagel with small amount of jam
<100 cal snack bar or fruit

Meal 4:
1/2 bag of rice, 75g chicken, 50g cheese, tin of peas
~I get an extra skinny bagel with jam alongside this meal, if its a training day

Meal 5
150g protein yoghurt
100g frozen berries
20g dark choc

It really is just calories in and calories out though so if you're that active you must be eating more than you realise. Are you counting everything you eat? Oils you cook in and sauces etc?

You’re eating 100g of cheese a day and three bagels? Is this recommended for weight loss by your nutritionist? They’re a quack.

"Probs about 10"

"Small amount of jam"

Wine and snacks

This is most likely where you're going wrong. It's very very easy to eat double why you think you're having with things like oils and jams etc

Also very easy to eat within calories in the week and fuck it all up at the weekend with "a few snacks and some wine" which in reality can end up being thousands of extra calories.

There’s nowhere near enough protein in your diet, it’s basically all carbs. Honestly, I don’t think much at all of Slimming World, but even they’d give you a better diet plan than your “nutritionist.”

There's nothing wrong with cheese or bagels. Everything is fine in moderation but it really does need to be tracked at least for a while to see how much is being eaten.
Cheese calories add up extremely fast!

That's about 400 calories in cheese alone! The bagels another 350.

How many are in protein shakes?

Honestly, I know this. I can admit to the odd treat here and there a glass of wine but that's within the normal range of living and enjoying life, its not gluttonous.

Calorie deficit is a very real thing, I realise. But I'm not a fantasist who is secretly guzzling wine and eating cake in the dark. I know what I consume and I know what my activity levels are.

Oxen pic is supposed to be better, but cheaper too

I get a private prescription but because I'm not eating half as much I'm not spending much on food so kind of balances out

Cut out sugar and carbs. It’s that simple. You shouldn’t be eating bagels or jam at all. Why tins of peas and bags of rice? Cut out the rice and eat loads of veg instead. Eat frozen peas. Tinned food has sugar in it a lot of the time and very little nutritional content. Your diet does not sound good.

Sorry, its 25g cheese per meal so 50g per day.

I know what the calories are - I work off a nutrition plan fgs. On a training day I'm on around 1800 calories per day.
Around 1600 per day on a rest day.

Perfectly normal range.

Yes, I know there’s nothing wrong with cheese and bagels in moderation - but three bagels and 100g of cheese every or most days is not moderation of either.