Ask Ashley Koff RD This weeks question was from Pam. I cant lose weight. Ive tried hitting the gym every day. Ive tried changing my workout routines. Ive tried walking, running, swimming, water aerobics and crunches. Ive tried Weight Watchers. Im taking a prescription weight loss medication. Im on a thyroid medication. I have not lost one ounce. I travel between 174 and 177. I never go below, never go over. Ever. I am 39 years old. Up until age 25 I was never, ever heavier than 125. I was always the skinny girl in my group of friends. At age 27 I started taking Paxil and gained 90 pounds. At my heaviest I went from 142 to 232 in 8 months. I got down to my current weight 9 years ago and havent budged. Ashleys Answer Dear Pam I hear your frustration and it frustrates me! You are doing so many things right, including seeking medical help. To that end, I provide the following suggestions as additional tips for you and all my readers, but I always suggest that you discuss your personal situation and these recommendations with your doctor(s) who can factor in your whole medical history. 1) Assess Stress: I know this can feel like a slap in the face - what you are going through is stressful and now she tells me to stress less?! - so I want to be clear that I am just noting assess stress as I have had patients whos frustration led to too much or too intense workouts as well as too little sleep (they were up all night googling for solutions to help their weight loss) and it ultimately impacted their bodys ability to lose weight. Additionally, food, medications, stress can also impact inappropriate inflammation - levels of chronic inflammation, that can prevent fat loss too. Have your doctor check your sed rate and your CRP to assess this as well. TIP: your doctor can check your cortisol levels; you may consider a magnesium citrate supplement; you can look at your sleep habits and make sure you are getting enough quality sleep; workouts are awesome but make sure you have recovery going on too; dietary choices direct healthy inflammation response as well as can contribute to an unhealthy, ongoing one. See The Qualitarian Nutrition plan (ashleykoffapproved/nutritionplan/) to assess the quality of your choices which will impact inflammation. 2) Assess Digestion: you are what you eat is not really true, you actually are what you digest and absorb and if thats not happening optimally then the body wont be getting the nutrients it needs and likely isnt eliminating what it doesnt need either. Medications definitely impact your digestive system including the lining of the digestive tract so pay attention to that piece too. TIP: assess with the AKA Digestive Tune-Up here (ashleykoffapproved/2014/aka-digestive-tune/) 3) Assess Your Weight: many have memories of a favorite weight and I am not going to say that you cant or dont belong there but its important to assess whats right for you today. At this point, while we can look at your BMI (body mass index nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm ) thats only giving us a range that doesnt factor in your body composition (fat mass versus lean body mass). You could have a DEXA scan (can be costly) to assess and identify body fat goals as well as use your clothes, for example pants (jeans and stretch pants dont work as well as they stretch with wear so much) or a fitted dress, to see how your workouts and eating are affecting results. Also, ask your doctor to look at your levels of inflammation TIP: chasing a favorite weight can lead to frustration and stress, instead focus on healthfully reducing body fat and inappropriate inflammation (see Tip 1), as well as monitoring the scale for significant (>3 pound) changes. 4) Some Extra Support: recently I was asked if there are any weight loss supplements that work - heres my take but remember especially since you are on a medication(s) you should discuss with your doctor first (ashleykoffapproved/2014/supplements-optimize-weight-loss-body-composition/) Please keep me posted! Best Ashley Have a question on a products health value or looking for some nutrition health advice? Send us your Ask Ashley Koff RD to answer - we pick one weekly: aka@ashleykoffapproved
Posted on: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 17:00:01 +0000
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