Diabetes and Weight

[Sash0523]

My husband is a very big 66 year old man, but very overweight, and NOTHING he does makes him loose weight.  He is diabetic as well.  He consumes less food than I do a day, and I am not overweight.  I believe this could be metabolism somehow, but, doctors have checked thyroid.  ANY suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  No one can seem to be able to help him.  If weight was gone, I believe so would his diabetes

[Anita Ramsetty, MD]

Hi,
It is possible that your husband has a slower metabolism and thus continues to aintain his weight even though he is eating less. That said, has he done a calorie count to see what he is actually eating and drinking daily? You may be surprised because we all tend to underestimate what we eat.
Has he tried structured weight loss programs? There are many good ones including weight watchers. Meeting with a nutritionist to devise a weight loss plan is also quite helpful overall. Increasing physical activity is a good ideal.
Overall, most people WILL lose weight if they restrict their food enough, so if he is not losing weight then he needs to eat even less. But this does not mean the weight will stay off or even continue to drop. He may need some medication help as well.
Talk to your husband about the nutritionist etc, as well as speaking with his doctor about medications that can help(Orlistat and Meridia are both approved for this). You can also start discussing surgical options like gastric bypass if your husband is an appropriate candidate and is interested.
Good luck and take care.

[LindaLou60]

Why do doctors always throw in the quick fix of "gastric bypass" that has its own set of complications? hmm... It always comes up with every doctor. It saddens me. Just my humble opinion.