It raises a lot of questions. Do you feel like your doctor harps on you to lose weight? Does that make you feel uncomfortable? But then again, isn't your doctor obligated to promote weight loss if it will improve your health?
I didn't read your article yet but I will share my experience. Then I'm going to read the article!
My doctor never once said one word about my weight! And at that point I was too stubborn to even get on her scale to see how big I was (but obviously we could both see it). Long story short, I was over 300lbs and diagnosed with a cancer being fueled by estrogen coming from my fat cells!
I saw her last month for the first time since July (and I was down over 100lbs). She asked me how I lost the weight and I said I went to the nutritionist downstairs from your office and got on a low calorie diet (I was referred to that office from a cancer doctor over 50 miles away...). I said to her point blank "I wish you told me last year that I could have went there for help, I'd have 7 more months of weightloss under my new skinny belt...". And I politely said it would be a good resource for her to refer any patients in my condition there...yep, the patient telling the doctor what to do! But I didn't care at that point.
Now, I don't blame her for my large weight number but she's the doctor! And maybe I wouldn't have listened to her anyways. But I dreaded going to see her in case it was ever the day she acknowledged my weight problem. She never did!
And one of my cancer doctors wouldn't take a chance on me with the meds that could help me (a side effect is weight gain, ugh). I could see the sadness in his eyes that I'd never lose any weight and it would be dangerous to gain more. I wish the word would get to him that I'm down 130+/- and I'm not the unmotivated person he thinks I am. (Cancer is a HUGE motivator, no pun intended!)
It's really sad that some of us only need a push in the right direction to be successful.
elvislover, I can only imagine how difficult things have been but I'm SO impressed by what you have accomplished! You're an inspiration!
I hope you won't be offended though when I say that doctors are in a difficult position. They don't want to offend their patients. Their patients know that they have a weight problem. If I was a doctor, I might have only offer suggestions on weight loss centers and diet advice if the patient asks. If the patient doesn't ask, then most of the time, I would imagine that me suggesting weight loss wouldn't be taken to heart.
I went in for some heart issues about 6 months ago and the doctor told me to eat healthy, etc. but I didn't listen to him. I even found out that I was pre-prediabetic and I STILL didn't listen. My addiction to food was just so powerful. After gaining back 50 lbs. just this year, I finally was able to put an end to the binge eating.
Again, I think you have every right to be disappointed with your doctor. Had she built a better rapport with you, she may have been able to gently ask you if you'd be willing to try the weight loss center, but I can see how that would be a very difficult task for her, since (as mentioned in the article) patients don't typically want to hear about weight loss from their doctors.
As far as the article, I think it's a good one. We all need to be treated the same but doctors are human and to me, that just sheds light on how we are treated in society when we're overweight. I get MUCH better treatment when I"m skinny and I honestly can tell you that I"m just as friendly in either shape.
I don't think doctors are given enough information about nutrition and helping people that need to lose weight, which is sad given the huge problem obesity has become in this country. Often, doctors are just as ignorant as a "normal person" who thinks fat people are just lazy or just simply eat too much. I think this mindset is what causes a lot of judgement or differences in treatment between thin and overweight people.
I DO think that doctors should bring up a patient's weight if it is causing, or has a potential to cause, significant health problems. However, it's a double-edged sword. Overweight people tend to get very touchy when their weight it brought up. I can see how doctors would want to avoid the issue to avoid hurting feelings or starting confrontation. Also, how many times have we expressed here on 3fc that, "I had to lose weight when I was ready...I didn't need people telling me I was fat." I know that I, personally, would have gotten very defensive and upset had a doctor told me to lose weight. It's a tricky subject, to be honest. I don't think it's black and white.
I lucked out. I have a really awesome doctor. She has not set me up to have unrealistic expectations - in fact, when I told her I wanted to hit 150lbs she told me I was crazy and to aim at 175. She has seen me at my biggest and always encouraged me to live a healthy, active lifestyle. She's very small herself and in incredible health. I have never felt judged by her. Yesterday (my yearly physical) she told me I have the blood pressure of an athlete and despite what the scale says I am in incredible health.
In general though, yes - I agree. I've had experiences with other specialty doctores (neurologist - migraines and seizures) and he told me if I wasn't so fat none of it would happen - which was just wrong. He was unprofessional and rude to me.
I read the article, and have problems with the structure of the study.
First, doctors should never be nicer to one class of patients over another (perfect world, I know they are just human.)
But high blood pressure was the primary reason these patients were being treated! Directly related to weight. Of course many thin people suffer from high BP, but often for those overweight losing a few pounds can - not always, but can - improve it. So the study had a built-in bias.
Though the transcripts picked up on conversations about other patient problems, the researchers should have picked a condition not so directly related to weight loss if they wanted to compare how the two groups were treated.
Obesity is certainly a health concern, but I think most people who are obese know full well that they are & won't "hear" anyone who tries to tell them what they already know. My cardiologist (who sees me every year for mitral valve prolapse) usually talks about my weight with me, but she does so in a way that doesn't make me want to punch her. She's very supportive & encouraging.
Now my mother gets lectures from doctors fairly often about losing weight to take pressure off of her joints, but it only depresses her when they do. Other than our cardiologist (we see the same lady for the same heart issue), some doctors have been pretty hard on her about losing weight. She knows that she needs to do it, she's just not in a place where she feels ready to make the necessary changes and no lecture is going to change that.
Basically, I think doctors do more harm than good when they don't know how to address obesity & weight loss in a way that is actually motivating for an individual patient. Some people need to be pushed, others need to come to their own realization. Until they know a patient well enough to know how he/she needs to spoken to about it, they should just leave it alone. Just my two cents.
Confession; I don't go to the doctor very often. And usually when I do I try to remark that I have been working on losing weight, or even tell them how much I have lost (even if that was 6 months ago, ha!) I have never felt looked down on by a doctor because of my weight, but I have also had not huge health concerns that could be attributed to my weight.
What I would really like is a doctor that will sit down and say, "How can I help you? What do you want to accomplish? This might help." So much of that profession is customer service, not to the point of sugar coating things, but to the point of coaxing people to open up and confer with their doctor about their lifestyle. I'm not sure if I will ever find that, thin or not.
I definitely look forward to the day that there isn't even a tense muscle in my body when I step on the scale at the doctor's office though!
It was a doctor's professional but direct concern that pushed me into weight loss this time. It was a urologist, and he spoke to me about my diabetes and cholesterol numbers (out of his speciality, obviously). He was not lecturing me--he treated me with total respect and wanted to be sure I understood that things were different now that I'm 50--I won't recover as quickly from things and the longer the sugars were the high the more risk I was putting myself in.
For me, as a diabetic, eating properly for my diabetes leads to weight loss--the two are intricately linked. (I never say I'm a diabetic--I guess I'm getting more mature)
My family doctor has seen me lose this same 30 lbs several times. I intend to keep them off this time, but I've said that before. I intend to lose quite a bit more, for that matter.
I think a doctor should discuss weight with his/her patients. Politely and, respectfully, but if a medical issue (such as blood sugar, cholesterol, high blood pressure, joint issues) is exacerbated by being overweight, then the doctor should bring it up.
Definitely an interesting article...although not that surprising. I was always very aware that I needed to lose weight but it was not something that I appreciated having pointed out to me. The last time I saw my doctor was about 10 months ago and I had already started my healthy living but I was only a month in and still quite large.
Everyone is different. Some people appreciate that little push from other people and some people recoil from it. I'm in the latter category. I was only going to do something about my weight when I was good and ready and nothing that anyone said would have changed that.
I have heard people complain that when they go to the doctor for any issue, their weight is always brought up and they are resentful of that but I think a doctor would be remiss not to bring it up. Obesity is most definitely a factor that affects our health. I can't say that I've ever been treated badly by a doctor but I have an appointment on Friday so we'll see if there's any difference.
I read the article and I found it interesting. I have worked as a health care professional also for a few doctors, and I think it is important to remember, first and foremost that doctors are human too. So, even though for a long time in society they have been respected and still deserve that respect in my opinion because of all of their hard work and knowledge, every individual is different.
I have had numerous doctors mention my weight to me. Some times I was ready to listen, others not. I think another factor is considering, what is the patient's attitude when the patient goes into see the doctor? I feel that in many relationships, it is a two way street. If I didn't want to see that doctor and was negative and rude, I may present myself with a rude demeanor and then perhaps they would be snippy too. I think that as individuals and many of us are patients in different practices, it is a good idea to advocate for ourself. If that means speaking up about weight or politely saying "I feel ______ when you say ________ about my weight." if the doctor addresses it in a negative way, then perhaps that is a way to address it. Or if we need info, perhaps saying "Do you have any resources or what is what your advice on weight loss?" I have also had such not polite doctors when I have been respectful, in my opinion but I also know some and am related to some wonderful doctors. I have always thought it is a general family medicine doctor or an internist who would mention the weight more than a specialist but I can see some specialists mentioning it too. I think that the delivery of the message is important too.
So, I guess I would just like to leave my thoughts as such, that doctors are human too and I don't think stereotyping is a good idea, not that anyone was doing that here. I try to give someone the benefit of the doubt but I also call it as I see it.
I think that unfortunately in this country, there has been some lacking in care in the health care industry. I hope that improves but I have a fear it will only get worse with the current situation in this country. I know some doctors personally who have their hearts in the right place.
Last edited by seabiscuit; 05-01-2013 at 05:20 PM.
Basically, I think doctors do more harm than good when they don't know how to address obesity & weight loss in a way that is actually motivating for an individual patient. Some people need to be pushed, others need to come to their own realization. Until they know a patient well enough to know how he/she needs to spoken to about it, they should just leave it alone. Just my two cents.
I have to disagree here. I think that leaving it alone is a disservice to a patient. It is irrelevant if the patient can't handle the truth, prefers to live in denial, or is psychologically affected when a doctor addresses their weight issue. You wouldn't say the same thing about a patient with cancer would you? Imagine if a doctor waited until they got to know the patient well enough to know how to address them before they revealed that the patient has cancer. No, a doctor's job is to address the health issue, like it or not. Some doctors have a great demeanor, other doctors are blunt and cold and may not even care. But whatever their delivery is I think they have an obligation to relay as much information about nutrition and weight loss as they can.
I just want to say that I think you have a good point, Wannabeskinny. I think I can see a little about where Keep Moving Forward is coming from because some doctors can be harsh and not personable at all. That said though, I think that doctors are doing their job and duty to inform patients that it is in their best health to lose weight, how they do it is another issue which should be addressed within the health community.
Doctors treat thin patients better than obese patients
hehehehe!
