As a nutritionist I never recommend a client to get blood work other than regular lipid check ups.
However a client I have been working with for about 6 weeks has lost zero bodyweight.
He was quite inactive and I got him to average 10,000 steps per day as well as track his nutrition.
He is 195lbs and eating approximately 10 calories per pound of bodyweight.
This individual has a BMI of around 28 and is 30%+ body fat, aged 32 with no prior health conditions.
I know the obvious thing would be underreporting but I have gotten him to take photos of everything he eats as well as weight everything out.
I am honestly baffled as I feel he should be losing at least a little bit of weight. I wouldn’t be surprised if the labs come back normal, but honestly lost for where the issue may be.
He also says he cannot eat less due to energy levels getting too low.
Hey Adam,
There aren’t really any medical conditions that would cause this with no other symptoms, e.g. swelling and water retention in this case. I don’t think lab testing is likely to be helpful. It’s more likely he is eating more than he is reporting and/or photographing. He would be about 800 to 1000 Cal under maintenance, but it’s pretty clear he isn’t.
-Jordan
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Thank you. Yeah I mean no real symptoms I guess other than being “tired” or no energy but that could be down to poor sleep habits /stress etc. Visaully, it’s also difficult to say there is any difference.
I would honestly be shocked if he was eating 800 calories more, given I have gone ahead and even suggested foods for each meal. Never experienced anything like this (underreporting yes, many times).
I’ve decided to just increase intake for a few weeks to see if metabolic adaptation is just extremely high in this individual and given he had been coming from a place of constantly trying to diet.
What steps would you take in this scenario. I am mindful to keep talking about under reporting with him, as it’s clear he gets the message and is adamant he’s accurate.
Yea, if this was metabolic adaptation, it would need to be written up as a case report as it would be the biggest ever described! I don’t mean to sound dramatic, but rather to impress upon anyone reading this how strongly I feel that the person is underreporting their energy intake by a lot.
Perhaps this isn’t a great time to lose weight, though if he’s maintaining his current weight, I’m not sure much needs to be done to keep that going. I’d likely move away from a tracked intake and focus more on the dietary pattern, using how he feels energy-wise and training performance as guides on management.
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