Inability to lose weight may not be due to diet and exercise

DEAR DR. GOTT: I am a 63-year-old woman who is trying to lose 20 pounds. I’m 5 feet 7 inches and weigh 155 pounds. I feel I am at least 25 pounds overweight. I exercise daily and eat healthy fruits and vegetables, but no flour or sugar. I consume 1,200 calories each day and cannot lose a pound.

DEAR READER: It sounds as though you are doing all the right things. I recommend you visit your physician for some routine lab work and a review of your medical history to determine whether a thyroid condition, prescription medication or other medical disorder might be to blame. It might not be your fault at all, just an undiscovered anomaly.

Despite strict diet and exercise, weight gain still a problem

DEAR DR. GOTT: I’m beginning to think I’m crazy. I’m five-feet-nine, 41 years old, about to tip to 200 pounds, and am unable to lose weight. Everyone talks about challenges in weight loss, but I have seriously made giant efforts and do not see any results. I’m beyond frustrated.

I swam competitively in high school with up to four hours per day of heavy training, ate as little as possible, and still gained. I continued to swim in college and met with doctors, trainers and nutritionists who claimed I had a healthful and appropriate diet and got plenty of exercise despite my ever increasing weight.
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