Yesterday I saw my gynecologist for my annual checkup. We had an odd, at least for me, discussion afterward. He told me that I had achieved an unusual accomplishment and was to be commended. Then there was the really strange part. He asked me if I would mind taking the time for a discussion with him about my weight loss because he has so many patients with weight problems and he was struggling with how to help them. We had a long discussion where I felt like he was really trying to learn from me. He asked me many questions, not only about how I am losing weight but what motivated me, how I started, how my loss has affected how I feel, etc... He asked about my mobility. He is slender and said that he could not imagine strapping 100 pounds on his body and then being able to move around.
He asked one question that I am still considering and wonder if I gave a good answer. How can he, as a doctor, inspire his morbidly obese patients to lose weight? I told him that I didn't think that he could. IMO, that he should tell them the possible consequences of being morbidly obese without it being a lecture. One reason I stayed with him for 28 years is because he did not lecture me and make me afraid to go see him.
One suggestion I made was that he could encourage them to lose even small amounts. My family practice doctor had promised me that even a 10 or 20 pound loss would help. That 10 or 20 pounds seemed doable, so that encouraged me to start. However, I did not think he could inspire his patients to lose weight. Losing a large amount of weight is an individual's decision. I was like an alcoholic and did not get serious about weight loss until I hit rock bottom.
I told him that I think that
1- the pain of the excess weight has to be greater than the perceived pain of losing the weight
2 - that someone has to believe that it is possible to lose large amounts of weight.
Actually, he appeared to be sad about that. I have always thought that he is a caring doctor and our discussion confirmed that with me.
What do you think? Can a doctor inspire morbidly obese patients to lose weight?