Doctors Say "Lose Weight." But It’s Not That Simple.*

Doctor: You need to lose weight.
Me: I’m trying!

Sound familiar? For me, this has been the routine for the past 15 years. Every visit to the doctor starts with a lecture about my weight. No acknowledgment of my efforts. No real guidance. Just criticism, followed by those two words. “Lose weight.”

The emotional toll is real. It’s frustrating, exhausting, and honestly, it’s hard to keep trying when no one takes the time to understand what you’re actually going through.

A Mystery No One Took Seriously

Last year, I started having issues with my digestion. I’ll spare the details, but let’s just say something was definitely off. Nausea after eating, weird pain in my upper abdomen, and my body was not doing what it should. At first, I thought it was related to scar tissue from a previous surgery. But a quick Google search suggested gallbladder issues.

I went to my doctor hoping for help. Instead, I got the usual, “You need to lose weight.” That was it.

Eventually, I pushed for a referral to a specialist. I saw a gastroenterologist, went through every test they wanted. Nothing clear came back. After six months of appointments, I ended up right where I started. “Lose weight.”

Then came the kicker. The specialist told me to cut out beef and pork. Which, hello, I'm allergic to both. It’s literally in my file. After I pointed that out, they casually suggested I try seeing a dietitian. No urgency. Just a “maybe give this a shot” kind of thing.

Finally, Someone Who Listened

A few days later, the dietitian called. I figured, why not. I had nothing to lose.

She actually asked questions. Real questions. About my medical history, my allergies, the foods I eat often, my habits, even my favorite meals. Basic stuff, but it made me stop and think about what I was really eating. And what I wasn’t.

She noticed patterns. I saw them too. She suggested I keep a food journal for a week and come back. I did. Because, for the first time, someone made me feel like they were actually trying to help.

At the next appointment, she had done serious homework. She looked into my medical conditions and how my food allergies could be affecting my choices. She even admitted that my case was one of the most complex she’d worked with. But she was ready to figure it out with me.

The Truth About “Healthy” Food

Some suggestions were obvious. Eat more whole foods. Cut back on processed stuff. But one really surprised me. She told me to avoid fruit.

Turns out, the pectin in fruit can act like other allergens in my body. I had no idea.

She also introduced me to a food allergy app that scans product ingredients. I gave it a try, scanned my usual groceries, and was shocked. A bunch of foods I thought were safe were flagged for beef and pork byproducts. Even something as basic as enriched flour. I never knew that companies sometimes use animal byproducts to add iron and vitamins to flour.

Even worse, my multivitamin, labeled “vegan,” wasn’t actually vegan. After I contacted the company and pushed for answers, I ended up reporting them. The FDA made them pull it off the shelves and they were fined for false labeling.

That whole situation made me go through everything I was eating. I started checking all my foods. And wow, “natural flavoring” is another red flag. That term can mean anything from plants or animals. No real rules behind it.

Once I started cutting out the hidden allergens, my symptoms got better. I didn’t feel sick all the time. My digestion improved. My body started to calm down.

The Real Problem: I Wasn’t Eating Enough

It wasn’t just what I was eating, it was also how much.

I wasn’t eating nearly enough.

Here’s where the biggest lie comes in. Doctors love to say, “Cut calories. Eat 1200 a day.” That’s what we’ve all heard, right?

But that number? It’s wrong for a lot of people.

1200 calories might work for someone who’s already eating 2000 a day and wants to slowly reduce. It might work for someone with a small frame and low muscle mass. But for me, it was basically starvation.

My dietitian showed me that based on my activity, muscle mass, and overall health, I actually needed closer to 2300 calories a day just to maintain my body. I was shocked. I thought I was doing the right thing by eating less, but I was barely hitting 1200 a day.

And my body knew it.

Why Eating Less Was Making Me Gain

Here’s how it works.

Your body runs on energy, and food gives you that energy. If you eat too much, your body stores the extra. If you eat too little, your body slows everything down to conserve energy. And if you keep eating too little? Your body goes into survival mode. It holds on to every calorie it gets, just in case you don’t eat again.

So instead of burning fat, your body stores it. Your metabolism drops. You feel tired. And no matter what you do, the weight just won’t come off.

This isn’t a theory. It’s science. The National Institutes of Health studied people who had done extreme calorie-cutting on shows like The Biggest Loser. Years later, their metabolisms were still slower. Most of them had gained the weight back.

Fixing It Meant Eating More

To get out of survival mode, I had to eat more. But not just junk food. I needed consistent meals with real nutrients.

For me, that meant eating 300 to 400 calories every 4 to 6 hours. Not two meals a day, twelve hours apart. Smaller portions, more often, and with a balance of protein, fat, and carbs.

That part is key too. I have a lot of muscle mass, so I need more protein. I still need carbs, just not the over-the-top levels most diets recommend. And fat? Fat is essential. Without it, your body can’t absorb nutrients or turn food into energy.

What I don’t need is added sugar. Sugar is technically a carb, but added sugar is a processed mess. And fake sugars like sucralose and aspartame? They convert to alcohol in your gut, which turns into—you guessed it—sugar. You’re not avoiding it, just changing the form.

What Happened When I Stopped Starving Myself

I lost 25 pounds in 6 months.

And the wild part? I didn’t even exercise. I couldn’t. The day after I changed my diet, I fell and shattered a bone in my foot. I was off it for three months, then another three before I could walk without a boot.

No gym. No cardio. Just daily life and food that actually worked for me.

At my most recent doctor’s appointment, I got the same old line. “You still need to lose weight.” No mention of my progress. No celebration. Just the same script.

But I know better now. I know what works for my body. I know how to listen to it, and how to feed it what it needs.

The Takeaway

If your doctor says, “Eat less,” ask questions. Don’t take 1200 calories as gospel. That number wasn’t made for you. It’s just a default.

And if you feel like no one’s listening? Find a dietitian. A real one. Someone who sees you and asks questions and doesn’t just throw a number at you.

Because weight loss isn’t just about cutting food. It’s about understanding it.
It’s about eating more, not less.
It’s about healing, not punishing.

And that’s something no scale can ever measure.

*The information provided on this website is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Athena’s Attic LLC does not provide medical, emotional, or psychological advice, nor does it recommend any practices as a substitute for professional care. Neither Athena’s Attic LLC, its affiliates, nor any associated individuals assume responsibility or liability for how this information is interpreted or applied.

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