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Why Am I Unable to Lose Weight?

Hi, Dr. Adam Goldman here, with the Metropolitan Vein and Aesthetic Center. I’m here to talk to you today about obesity. Unfortunately, obesity is a very common problem in this country. And often people don’t understand why they’re gaining weight or why they can’t lose weight. So, I want to give you a little bit of insight into what is going on.

Calories and Pounds

Basically, you need to eat roughly 15 calories for every pound on your body. So if you get stuck on a desert island, somewhere with no food that you are only taking in a small amount of calories, you will lose weight. There is no other way around it. So basically if you weigh 200 pounds, you’re eating roughly 3,000 calories a day, at the very minimum. Obviously, the more active you are, the more you can eat, the less active, maybe a little less. But that’s basically what you need, about 3,000 calories.

How Many Calories Should You Be Eating?

So if you cut back your calories and you want to lose weight, let’s say you’re 200 pounds and you’re eating 3,000 calories and you start eating 2,000 calories. Well, over time, you’ll only weigh the equivalent of 2,000 calories, which is roughly about 160 pounds. That will take some time. And you say, “How fast do you lose the weight?” Well, the difference between what you’re taking in and what your body needs, is a deficit. So if you’re taking in 2,000 calories and your body requires 3,000 calories, you have a thousand calorie deficit a day. If you have a 3,500 calorie deficit over time, you will lose one pound. Now, you can increase that deficit by exercising and burning up more calories, and that will then make you lose weight faster. And that’s why exercise does help to lose weight. However, the biggest thing that has to happen is, you have to change your eating habits.

And often people say to me, “Oh, I’m not eating that much.” and, “Oh, I’m not taking in that many calories.” But yes, there may be some genetic variation, however, in general, it’s probably close to that amount. And usually, a lot of the mistakes are made in portion size. And what we feel is a normal portion is often too much. And also, there is a bit of stress eating that people are not willing to acknowledge.

And finally, a very bad source of high calories in your diet is either sodas or juices. So people often don’t consider that as part of a diet. And don’t really think about what they’re eating, they’re not thinking about what they’re drinking. But often, you can drink a very large amount of calories in a very short amount of time. So, you really need to be careful about those things.

NYMetro Vein and Aesthetic Center

But if you have any further questions or having some difficulty losing weight, we have some further options and come see us at the Metropolitan Vein and Aesthetic Center. And we’ll discuss other options, medical treatments that you can use to help you lose weight and get you started to a thinner you.

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