Overweight at the interview

[DrHusky]

Is it bad to be too skinny?

Almost as bad as being too good looking. I should know, I fight this problem everyday and so I am considering costume makeup to make me less breathtaking for the interview.

As for Spork, I would recommend wearing lots of baggy clothing and slouching whenever possible.

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[vtucci]

I used to be ridiculously heavy (4 yrs ago - I was 90 lbs heavier). I was able to lose the weight (35 lbs in 3 months) simply by doing the stair master or treadmill for long periods...40 mins minimum up to 1.5 hrs in one session. I'm not an expert, but 30 minutes doesn't seem to be long enough - and if you are still overweight, what activity are you doing for 30 minutes that only burns 200 calories? That sounds like it would be an exceptionally slow walk, but correct me if I'm wrong here. Even at my current weight, I burn 350 calories in 20 mins on the stairmaster (not the manliest workout machine, but it clearly gets the job done).

My trainer and doctor do not want me doing cardio (heart rate above 142) but keeping my heart rate in the weight loss range (128-142 for my age) so that necessitates a slower work-out and it is not stairmaster friendly. I am less than 2 months post surgery so I can't go full out for a while. I have to build up to it. I use a treadmill and yes the walk is usually 2.6 miles per hour on an incline that varies. I don't know if most people would define that as slow but it is not fast. I am working my way up so my heart rate does not go above the 142. I will move to 3.0 miles an hour soon and then 3.5, 4 etc. In addition, running is not suggested until I lose about 60 more pounds because of the pressure on my knees.

I also do weight training to refine muscle groups. The amount of weight training I do varies by day.

Because I cannot eat that much, I get dizzy very easy if I push too hard. Most people who have had the bypass cannot drink water when they are working out and will get sick so that further complicates the cardio/faster pace activities.

Still with only 500 calories or so a day and more than 200 expended on activities, not including other walking or activities, I would have expected it to come off a little quicker. I walk to and from the gym as well but don't include that.

I guess I can't complain. 40 pounds in under 7 weeks. I just want to get down to my target size.

 

[vtucci]

Listen, you're doing yourself a HUGE disservice with the above outlined [so called] fitness/health program. I would recommend hiring a professional. Eating that few calories your making yoru body hold on to every bit of fat you have! You're eating what is approximately 1/3 to 1/4 of most peoples basal metabolic rate, not even accounting for energy expenditure! That's just dangerous.

Please, please, please do yourself a favor and hire someone to work with you. You're literally hurting yourself.

I do a lot of fitness/health counseling for a (part time) living. I personally would not be able to take in someone such as yourself because you're a challenging case, and likewise, you need to be very concious of who you work with. Do your research.

The one thing I can GUARANTEE you is this: you're hurting yourself doing what you're doing.

Thanks for your thoughts. I did hire a professional who has worked with bariatric patients for physical training and have nutritionists as well.

Unfortuntately, I can't eat much more than 500 calories a day post-surgery. We can only consume 4 ounces a meal (or you will vomit everything up) at the stage I am at and you need to get in 60 grams of protein before you do anything else carb related (fats are all but out). So I have my protein drinks between 3-4 a day with 15 grams each. An 8 ounce glass takes me 2 hours to finish. Doing that three times a day takes a minimum of 6 hours and we are supposed to get water in between the meals. It takes at least 10 minutes per ounce of meat to digest so a 4 ounce chicken, turkey etc takes at least 40 minutes. IT does not always sit well. It goes without saying that I take my multi-vitamins, biotin, calcium and get B-12 shots. I am learning what I have a tolerance for and the things I do not. Hopefully, I will be able to increase my intake.

 

[tncekm]

Thanks for your thoughts. I did hire a professional who has worked with bariatric patients for physical training and have nutritionists as well.

Unfortuntately, I can't eat much more than 500 calories a day post-surgery. We can only consume 4 ounces a meal (or you will vomit everything up) at the stage I am at and you need to get in 60 grams of protein before you do anything else carb related (fats are all but out). So I have my protein drinks between 3-4 a day with 15 grams each. An 8 ounce glass takes me 2 hours to finish. Doing that three times a day takes a minimum of 6 hours and we are supposed to get water in between the meals. It takes at least 10 minutes per ounce of meat to digest so a 4 ounce chicken, turkey etc takes at least 40 minutes. IT does not always sit well. It goes without saying that I take my multi-vitamins, biotin, calcium and get B-12 shots. I am learning what I have a tolerance for and the things I do not. Hopefully, I will be able to increase my intake.

How far post surgery are you? I'm glad you're working with someone. I would have never guessed that even months post surgery you'd be only taking in 500kcal/day, especially since your digestion will be impaired from the gastric bypass. But, I'm not an expert in that area, so I'll leave that to the pros I just know that many,many people try to lose weight on crash diets and its probably the worst thing they could ever do.

It sounds like you're going to have one heck of a time normalizing your metabolism again after this. I wish you the best of luck!

 

[vtucci]

I am at 7 weeks. My metabolism sucked before this which is why I want to be on a good track and maximize weight loss-- they say you lose the most in the first six months.

It would not be satisfactory to only lose like 60 pounds and be this restricted for life. I have dropped more than that before on my own. I am shooting to end up around 175 before plastic surgery, which will be necessary to remove excess skin (that might drop me to 150) and avoid the yo-yo effect. I am 5'7". at that weight, I will probably be a size 14 or a 12. I was a 16 bordering on 14 when I was 200 pounds. I will never be thin but I will take healthy and shapely.

The most I will probably be able to consume is 8 ounces at a time in another 6 months or so. The thought of eating a sandwich-- wow. I just can;t wait until I can eat salads and hard fruits (apples etc) -- that is day 90. Sept for me.

 

[tncekm]

Bummer...did you get the opportunity to work with a professional before your surgery?

You'll be able to drop massive amounts of weight. Every person I've ever seen who had the surgery did so, BUT they didn't maintain a lifestyle change afterward and still put quite a bit back on.

Luckily, you're a bit brighter than the average person and quite a bit more involved (as silly as it sounds, most people just do w/e they hell they want thinking the surgery and the doc will take care of everything.) So, I forsee that you understand the necessity to make a complete lifestyle change permenantly.

 

[MossPoh]

vtucci...You seem like you are doing fine. I hear that feeling is fairly common with post-op....people kind of subconciously expect that the weight just falls off. Just keep up those ridiculous amount of vitamins and what not they give you and be patient. Normally to lose 5-10 lbs a month (without the surgery) is about the rate you want to go......anything more than that and the weight will jump back on pretty quick since you aren't usually doing it by a balanced diet as much as a starvation diet...so as soon as you lose the weight you kind of slowly start eating more. To lose weight is easy...to keep it off more than a year is the hard part! Of course I am on the oppossite end and trying to get heavier...I'm not a mega skinny guy but I'd like to get back up to my 245 to 250 lbs lifting weight. I am 230 now and feel like a runt. (Part of the problem with being a bigger guy your entire life.....it feels weird to be about the same size as a bunch of other guys )

 

[mam4993]

Anyone who is trying to lose weight should try Dr. Funke's 100% Natural Good-Time Family-Band Solution. I'm pretty sure weight loss is a side effect. Dr. Funke?

 

[Dr.TobiasFünke]

from dancing all night long

 

[Dancing Doctor]

I think that it's important to note that if you are losing weight simply for the interview chances are you will not succeed and feel even more uncomfortable during the interview. That being said, I think it's vitally important to be confident in who you are at any weight. Find an outfit that makes you look great and fits well. Have it altered or tailored if need be (and that's NOT advice only for people who are heavy). I don't think that being overweight will hurt your chances at medical school if you are confident in your abilities, look presentable and are (as another poster said) articulate about your goals.

I also think it's important to remember to chack with your doctor before going on a diet/workout routine. People on SDN tend to hand out their advice without recollection that they are not yet physicians. What works for one person may not work for another, and may actually end up harming them in the end. Checking with your PCP can also help you determine a healthy goal weight and they can check for things like high blood pressure, diabetes, etc. that may need special dietary guidelines and could be adding to your weight problem.

 

[jackieMD2007]

I'm working on losing 10 pounds before interview season. Couldn't hurt.
That way my 8's will fit me just perfect instead of being a little tight.

Tell you what? My diet plan is the "Stop sitting on my ass all day at work and eating out for lunch everyday" plan. I'm pretty sure my doctor would be good with that.

These cubicle jobs really pack the pounds on, kids. If you're going straight to medschool consider yourself LUCKY!

 

[Dancing Doctor]

Tell you what? My diet plan is the "Stop sitting on my ass all day at work and eating out for lunch everyday" plan. I'm pretty sure my doctor would be good with that.

These cubicle jobs really pack the pounds on, kids. If you're going straight to medschool consider yourself LUCKY!

I have spent my summer in a cube as an intern and I have learned that I do not want this to be my job.

 

[jackieMD2007]

I have spent my summer in a cube as an intern and I have learned that I do not want this to be my job.

SERIOUSLY! People freaking put donuts and cookies on my desk and I am like: DUDE! I'm ALLERGIC to GLUTEN! Are you trying to KILL ME? WTF!

 

[Schaden Freud]

Looking as good as possible is a good idea for the interview. Medicine seems to me to be one of the more appearance-sensitive professions- I can't picture someone with a jarring disfigurement, visible tattoos, severe acne, or obesity getting accepted, for instance.
Being a bit overweight shouldn't be a problem as long as your clothes fit well and you don't sweat profusely or start panting from the physical exertion of walking on the tour- then you may be treading on the technical standards...

Are people dieting in preparation for interviews? I know this is a stupid question, but I just cut my hair really short, and my appearance is a bit of a disaster! What do you guys think?

 

[CavalierMD]

I'm working on losing 10 pounds before interview season. Couldn't hurt.
That way my 8's will fit me just perfect instead of being a little tight.

Same here! Kaplan should add a "higher pant-size guarantee" is all I'm sayin...

 

[sentrosi]

SERIOUSLY! People freaking put donuts and cookies on my desk and I am like: DUDE! I'm ALLERGIC to GLUTEN! Are you trying to KILL ME? WTF!

Not being able to eat a lot of foods is probably pretty useful for dieting yeah?

 

[Dancing Doctor]

SERIOUSLY! People freaking put donuts and cookies on my desk and I am like: DUDE! I'm ALLERGIC to GLUTEN! Are you trying to KILL ME? WTF!

I know, there is free food in my office continually! They send out emails about it, make announcements about it, etc. Yesterday we had a picnic and today we ate the "leftovers". Glad that tomorrow is my last day; my pants are getting tight!

PS-Allergies to gluten suck. Can't eat much of anything! Like the last poster some people seem to think that it would make weight loss easy, but when you've already got a limited diet it's difficult to reduce it even further.

 

[tenaciousmd]

I definitely want to look hot for my interview. Kind of hoping this will score me some points with my interviewers. Anyway, I can use all the points under the "other" category that I can get. Now, if I can just get back down to a size 8.

 

[Matth52]

Who cares about weight when you go into the interview, you just have look swole. Maybe do a couple clap push-ups before you go into the room.

 

[Lanced]

I was an RA for a physical activity study and doing some of the background literature research I came across a lot of studies examining discrimination against overweight people. Unfortunately, I don't think adcoms will be much different -- even if they don't intend to be.

I also agree that looking "swole" is by far the most important. I plan to start a cycle of Test 2 months out from interviews so I can bring a little "roid enthusiasm" to the interview.

Seriously though, I think it will always hurt your chances a little, and to the degree someone's seriously overweight, hurt one's credibility when giving lifestyle advice.

 

[starflower]

Also, I have a thyroid condition that makes it difficult for me to lose weight, and it makes me tired all the time (hard to study). Should I mention this at the interview (it is one of the reasons I am interested in medicine) or would it sound like I am whining?

 

[jackieMD2007]

I know, there is free food in my office continually! They send out emails about it, make announcements about it, etc. Yesterday we had a picnic and today we ate the "leftovers". Glad that tomorrow is my last day; my pants are getting tight!

PS-Allergies to gluten suck. Can't eat much of anything! Like the last poster some people seem to think that it would make weight loss easy, but when you've already got a limited diet it's difficult to reduce it even further.

My gluten-free diet isn't so bad, considering Whole Foods and Trader joe's have a lot of gluten-free stuff now.

Mainly I focus on eating: Fruits & Veggies, Rice, Beans, Cheeses, Fish, etc.
I almost never eat red meat, I am trying to transition to a more vegan diet but it is tough. They even make gluten-free pasta now, which is really good, but for a while now I have been putting pasta sauce on arborio rice, which is totally fine. You do what you have to.

 

[Dancing Doctor]

My gluten-free diet isn't so bad, considering Whole Foods and Trader joe's have a lot of gluten-free stuff now.

Mainly I focus on eating: Fruits & Veggies, Rice, Beans, Cheeses, Fish, etc.
I almost never eat red meat, I am trying to transition to a more vegan diet but it is tough. They even make gluten-free pasta now, which is really good, but for a while now I have been putting pasta sauce on arborio rice, which is totally fine. You do what you have to.

True that the new gluten-free products are great. My mom was allergic as a child and couldn't really eat much of anything. Though she did outgrow it for the most part she still has to be careful and limit the amounts. I recall the difficulties getting gluten-free foods, especially in rural Ohio.

On the other hand, I could not live on a vegan/vegetarian diet.

 

[MollyMalone]

Same here! Kaplan should add a "higher pant-size guarantee" is all I'm sayin...

I LOL'd.