Q: My daughter has been overweight for 20 of her 28 years, and always a little fluffy. She has gone on many diets and lost down to 190-200. Then she plateaus. In May she had a gastric bypass and has done well until now. She works out 7 days a week with cardiac exercises at the gym for 1-3 hours. She drinks 2-3 liters of water a day and yet she is stuck at 200 lbs. She eats low carbs and high protein. Are we missing something unusual?
A: An undiagnosed medical condition, such as hypothyroidism, could be the cause of your daughter’s weight gain. Does she experience fatigue, weakness and difficulty concentrating? It may be beneficial to visit a doctor and have this checked out. A simple physical examination and blood test will be able to determine if this is the cause or rule it out. Genetics may also be at play. Some people are predisposed to a large body size and have a difficult time losing weight. You mentioned that your daughter is on a low-carb, high protein diet. Does she still consume a lot of fatty foods? While it is important to removed refined carbs (white breads, pastries, white rice and pasta) from the diet, it is important to consume some complex carbs. These are found in whole grains and vegetables.