Does your doctor talk to you about your weight?

jemhh

When you go in for a check up or even an illness, does your doctor ever mention your weight?

I'm asking because my doctor never does and I think it's odd. Last year when I went in for my annual exam he asked if anything had changed and I said that I had lost 30 pounds. He looked at my chart and said "well I guess you did." I just got out of my annual exam for this year. I've lost 25+ pounds since last year and he never said a word. It surprises me that a doctor wouldn't note this. Why do they weigh me if they aren't doing anything with the data?

DeguelloTex

Mine doesn't.

I asked what he thought I should weigh to try to steer clear of blood pressure meds, etc. and he answered, but he didn't bring it up even when I was gargantuan.

usmcmp

I had one who harped on my weight (I eventually left her because telling someone with visible abs to lose weight is ridiculous), but most never say anything. You can tell them you don't want to be weighed. They actually don't need to know your weight unless you are going to be having surgery because they have to know it for anesthesia purposes.

janejellyroll

My doctors (several over the years) have always mentioned my weight and asked about my exercise habits, both when things are going well and when they aren't. My family history for heart disease, strokes, and other diseases associated with obesity is pretty terrible and I wonder if that has something to do with it.

RodaRose

My doctor and I only started talking about it the last two visits -- because I was losing weight

adamitri

My doctor listed my obesity as a chronic condition so we talk about it a lot.

Alassonde

My doctor never discussed my weight until I lost 20 pounds. I hadn't really been overweight, I was just at the top of the healthy weight range for my height. Once I lost weight, she started talking to me about the need to do strength training because apparently being slender and older at the same time can be bad for your bones if you're not strength training. That was the first time since high school a doctor even mentioned my weight (and in high school and below they were just telling me I was underweight.)

BigLifter10

The one I go to now does (for the past three years). Prior to that, no other doc had ever brought up any of my weight or activities. I am so grateful for the one I have now, we work closely to make sure I have what I need to stay healthy (since I'm so active). She always points me in the right direction (whether I choose to do it or not is another matter). She's very health conscious herself (and active).

jgnatca

I've had great doctors. The doctor that referred me to the bariatric program was an uber-geek and correctly reminded me that my weight was a primary factor in my health conditions. It was true, but hard to hear. Other people in town were deeply offended by his frank approach.

When I moved back to the city, my doctor here has been very pleased with my transformation and told me I looked "perky" now. She asked me a lot of questions about what the experience has been like.

Family doctors are damned if they speak up, and damned if they don't. They don't get a whole lot of training on nutrition. My small town doctor was convinced I was consuming too many sugary drinks. Sorry, doc, my weight gain was not that simple (1/2 glass orange juice daily).

mkakids

nope, never. Well...only when I was pregnant, and I never gained more than 30#, so they just said "weight gain looks good" even though I was fat before I got pregnant, lol.

harpsdesire

My doctors always tell me to lose weight but none ever gave me good guidance on how to go about it. A couple suggested basically fad diets that didn't end up working for me, like Atkins.

One sent me to a nutritionist who had me log my food for a week, told me I needed to lose 40lbs, and gave the advice that I wasn't eating enough calories and whole grains. She didn't address the fact that logic dictates that I was either a freak of nature, or my logging was woefully bad... It was my logging, obviously, and I needed to eat LESS calories.

Vcorz

When you go from chronically underweight to obese in 2 years, you bet they mention it!

gothchiq

All the time. Honestly, I think she's kind of obsessive about weight and body fat.

cwolfman13

My doctor only started talking to me about it a few years ago when he wanted to put me on a statin for my cholesterol and a few other drugs and I told him I wanted to try to fix things with diet and exercise first. He never talked to me about it before I started talking about it. I wasn't hugely overweight...just on the line of overweight and obsese and I'm assuming that's why he never really brought it up or weighed me.

segacs

Mine takes my weight and notes it, but she doesn't really say anything other than that. Which is a good thing in my case, because I tend to be quite defensive and if she urged me to lose weight I probably would've done the exact opposite, and resented her on top of that.

honey_bee_keysha

My doctor talks about my weight all the time. I am in my final year of nursing school and gained 15 pounds due to stress and poor eating habits. This doctor is the one who seems to be monitoring my weight so closely.

onematch

Mine does but only because she has seen my weight go up so much over the years. She frames it in a way that's not offending, but more like, if you don't stop gaining weight you're going to have these health problems. I'm also pre-diabetic. I think if you're otherwise healthy, they don't need to discuss it, but when you start having issues due to being over or under weight, they have a responsibility to bring it up.

cathipa

I don't know many who do. I have discussed it with my doctors over the years and one put me on Phentermine (in the 1990's) when I was already at a low weight, but I thought (in my teenage head) I was gaining. Then a few years ago when I had my last child I was in for a well check and she mentioned with my family hx (high blood pressure, diabetes) that I should lose weight and eat 1200 calories and do a "South Beach style diet". Truth is most doctors are not trained in weight/nutritional counseling and only go on what they know has worked for them and other patients. I'm in the medical field and have considered getting a certification for mine and my patients knowledge, but not sure which method to go with (ISSM, NASM, etc.).

Pedalpush

My doc knows it's important to me so we always talk about it and she always praises my for my losses.

Deena_Bean

My doc doesn't regularly mention it - said "I look good, no worries" even though I feel like I should lose another 10 at least...I'd be happy to lose 15-20 more to be honest. We'll see though. If I bring the topic up, she humors me with her opinion. I can promise you I've spent way more of my time researching nutrition than she has. So I don't put much on it. She's happy with my stats so whatever.

dalem48

I had lost 120# in the years time and that's all the doctor and her nurse talked about. Best yearly checkup ever!!

kristen6350

My endocrinologist does, only because he's aware where I want to keep my weight and we are on high thyroid watch. If I don't want I can easily find 20lbs like that...

Diana_GettingFit

I went to my doctor in December and my A1C was 7.2. I'm a type two diabetic. I'm already on Metformin. He prescribed another drug, this one stronger and I was supposed to take one every morning with food. He didn't even mention losing weight. I haven't touched this new drug. I started watching what I eat and exercising more. Now my fasting sugar is down from 120 to averaging in the upper 70's and lower 80's. I've lost several pounds since that time. I can't wait to go back in June. I sometimes think doctors are too quick to prescribe drugs when getting in shape can be more effective.

MireyGal76

My doctor did the opposite. I went in with some stomach issues and she essentially gave me crap. She said that on average, people can be an athelete, or a parent with a full time job, but that most can't be both. She told me that I had to decide what was more important and that perhaps my desire to run and weight train was conflicting with my ability to parent and enjoy life. (Which it isn't, but that's not something she can tell by looking at my weight and height)

Essentially, she made me feel bad for being in shape. She's never commented positively on my health. And my mother (who also sees her), who is almost 100 pounds overweight, doesn't get any grief from her - even though she's having issues with joint and back pain.

euronorris

When I registered at my new doctor I saw the nurse who took all the measurements etc, and she mentioned to me that I was in the overweight bracket, and my BMI should be a few points lower etc and advised that I could do with losing a few lbs (in a nice way). Nothing I didn't already know, but at least she had the courage to say something about it. I get the impression that most doctors are too afraid to mention it for fear of negative reactions.

MacMomma2013

Mine didn't bat an eyelash when I lost 30 lbs. in 2 years. He just asked me if I was feeling okay and if I had any concerns that he should look into.

runner475

Mine does. Always talks about how far I have come and looks up at old #s and shows them to me.

But I have been going to her for over 15 years - maybe close to 20 years.

How long have you been going to your doc?

shannonbun

My childhood (basically until ~19) doctor always brought it up. It became one of those things where if I was sick, and had to see her, I'd just have to suck it up that she'd give me the "you're fat" spiel, as if I wasn't aware. My current doctor brought it up when I first visited her, and once I told her I was losing weight she just let it go. Bothers me when I'm at the doctor for strep or mono or something and they just want to talk about my weight, not... oh, I dunno, strep or mono.

KNoceros

I very rarely see the doctor, but I see the practice nurse regularly. I'm 73kg and BMI 27. She always "tells me off" (that's how it feels) about being overweight.


The ironic thing is that she's probably got a BMI in the mid-thirties...

zyxst

In the U.S. every time I went to a doctor for anything, my weight got taken and mentioned (killing my joints, causing me pain, might hurt my baby, etc.), but none of them ever thought to advise me on what to do and prescribe "lose weight". In Canada with my current GP, she doesn't say a thing. I've never been weighed at her office, so she takes my word when she wants to know what I weigh. I started weight loss in 2012 and have lost a lot, so the last 2 times she's asked my weight and I tell her, she gives me a sharp look that vibes me she thinks I have an ED. She also gives the annual prescription of "lose weight". I guess doctor school has "weight loss" as the #1 method to cure any disease.

jessicapk

I've been lucky on this one. My doctor talks to me about it in a positive way and when I tell her things I'm doing to improve it, she's given me very useful information. She was the reason I learned about how important my cholesterol readings were and how to improve them. She doesn't look down on me for being the weight I am and pushes me to do better. She has talked about how she struggles with her own weight and looks to be in good shape, too, so it gives me a bit more confidence in what she says. If you are over or under weight, I think your doctor has a responsibility to talk to you about it in an open and honest way. It's been proven time and time again that weight affects many aspects of our overall health and it should be addressed as part of a routine physical.