Welcome to Debate Club! Please be aware that this is a space for respectful debate, and that your ideas will be challenged here. Please remember to critique the argument, not the author.
Does your doctor comment on your weight?
Replies
-
Not only that they set the scales to weigh you 5 or 10 pounds heavier.
That's probably just the effect of clothing, stomach and intestine contents, etc if you normally weigh yourself in the AM unclothed.
At my dr's office the scale is in a hallway off the waiting room and you're visible to anyone sitting there so you're weighed (by the receptionist) clothed. Including outerwear and footwear. In winter here that can add a lot. One time the number on the scale was considerably more than I expected and I was puzzled why my clothes weren't fitting differently if I'd gained so much. Then I realized I was still carrying my purse. Put that down and lost 8 lbs instantly.
12 -
Not only that they set the scales to weigh you 5 or 10 pounds heavier.
That's probably just the effect of clothing, stomach and intestine contents, etc if you normally weigh yourself in the AM unclothed.
At my dr's office the scale is in a hallway off the waiting room and you're visible to anyone sitting there so you're weighed (by the receptionist) clothed. Including outerwear and footwear. In winter here that can add a lot. One time the number on the scale was considerably more than I expected and I was puzzled why my clothes weren't fitting differently if I'd gained so much. Then I realized I was still carrying my purse. Put that down and lost 8 lbs instantly.
Haha, yeah. Even in the hallway, I always kick off my shoes and I wear the lightest clothing I can to the doctor’s office. I think the nurse thinks I’m nuts.
5 -
when I am weighing people at work, I do round it down to then nearest kg under, rather than up .
if you take your shoes off, most regular clothing weighs less than a kilogram
it is sometimes funny watching people take everything - keys, wallet, phone - out of their pocket that they think will weigh them down.3 -
paperpudding wrote: »if you take your shoes off, most regular clothing weighs less than a kilogram
it is sometimes funny watching people take everything - keys, wallet, phone - out of their pocket that they think will weigh them down.
On the other end of the spectrum, I've had to go to Urgent Care while on duty (LEO). When the nurse asked me to step on the scale I just kinda looked at her for a second like...seriously? And then she laughed; she'd just been on auto-pilot when she asked, cause I'm wearing >20 pounds of gear (ballistic vest, duty belt), boots, etc...I told her I weighed myself daily and just gave her that day's weight rounded up to account for food/hydration since I'd woken up that morning.
3 -
SuzySunshine99 wrote: »Not only that they set the scales to weigh you 5 or 10 pounds heavier.
That's probably just the effect of clothing, stomach and intestine contents, etc if you normally weigh yourself in the AM unclothed.
At my dr's office the scale is in a hallway off the waiting room and you're visible to anyone sitting there so you're weighed (by the receptionist) clothed. Including outerwear and footwear. In winter here that can add a lot. One time the number on the scale was considerably more than I expected and I was puzzled why my clothes weren't fitting differently if I'd gained so much. Then I realized I was still carrying my purse. Put that down and lost 8 lbs instantly.
Haha, yeah. Even in the hallway, I always kick off my shoes and I wear the lightest clothing I can to the doctor’s office. I think the nurse thinks I’m nuts.
This was a weird setup because the receptionist did your weight on the way to the exam room so you didn't have an opportunity to take off your coat or anything, and there was nowhere to set stuff down in the hallway. In winter my weight was me plus boots, long heavy coat, winter-weight suit, sweater, scarf and gloves because there was no option other than wearing it or putting it on a filthy floor.0 -
My doctor once said ‘you’re fine but try not to put any weight on from here’. I appreciated the comment to be honest. I think it made me draw a line under how much I should weigh. Again I am in a country with free healthcare so there is no worry for the doctor pointing that out.0
-
It does not benefit doctors to have their patience healthy. It is sick care not health care. They get paid more money to prescribe rX, which means the fatter and less healthy you become the more they make. The healthier you become the less your shopping supports big food. The healthier you become the less you support big pharma. The insurance companies pull a 15% profit no matter what (as per federal regulation/law on insurance industry) so they don’t care if you are healthy or sick. The healthier you become, the longer the social security will have to support you…they want you dead. You are the only one who will benefit by your being healthy. The individual must take control of their own being.2
-
brutal.
0 -
oh dear.
I work in health care and I certainly dont get any kickbacks from Big Pharma or Big Shopping or any other such thing
Neither do the doctors. They don't get paid any money to prescribe anything
I must be in wrong country
5 -
paperpudding wrote: »oh dear.
I work in health care and I certainly dont get any kickbacks from Big Pharma or Big Shopping or any other such thing
Neither do the doctors. They don't get paid any money to prescribe anything
I must be in wrong country
Yeah, that and most doctors here (GPs certainly) have such a workload that I'm sure they'd be happy to have fewer/healthier patients.
I'm glad to not be living in the US where healthcare is concerned for a number of reasons, but even I don't think US doctors are conspiring to keep people unhealthy
4 -
That might be the case in some countries but not everywhere. The UK is (theoretically) free at the point of use, even though the health service is creaking nowadays. Our health staff are massively overworked due to poor / wrong investment - and I owe my life to them several times over. Pretty sure it would have been much cheaper for them to kill me off than continue to treat me. And I don’t think it was due to the biscuits I kept on taking in!DebbsSeattle wrote: »It does not benefit doctors to have their patience healthy. It is sick care not health care. They get paid more money to prescribe rX, which means the fatter and less healthy you become the more they make. The healthier you become the less your shopping supports big food. The healthier you become the less you support big pharma. The insurance companies pull a 15% profit no matter what (as per federal regulation/law on insurance industry) so they don’t care if you are healthy or sick. The healthier you become, the longer the social security will have to support you…they want you dead. You are the only one who will benefit by your being healthy. The individual must take control of their own being.
0 -
DebbsSeattle wrote: »It does not benefit doctors to have their patience healthy. It is sick care not health care. They get paid more money to prescribe rX, which means the fatter and less healthy you become the more they make. The healthier you become the less your shopping supports big food. The healthier you become the less you support big pharma. The insurance companies pull a 15% profit no matter what (as per federal regulation/law on insurance industry) so they don’t care if you are healthy or sick. The healthier you become, the longer the social security will have to support you…they want you dead. You are the only one who will benefit by your being healthy. The individual must take control of their own being.
Since I'm seeing those from other countries saying this is not true where they are, but I haven't seen an obvious US person speak up yet:
There are many things wrong with the US health care system, but in my experience it is not the case that doctors or the system at large are universally cynical profiteers who want us to be unhealthy.
Even my for-profit insurer does some stuff that is clearly and reasonably formulated to try to make me healthier and keep me healthier - things that cost them money to do. (Example: They pay for and push home visits to alllllll seniors they insure to improve home safety and medication compliance. That has to cost a bunch. They have reward programs for exercise compliance.)
My doctors, generally, have been delighted when I make changes that improve my health, and often have done things that limit how much they get to bill my insurer (like, cure me of things via quicker, less expensive routes; or send me to other health care sources (unaffiliated with them financially) whom they feel can do a better job for me). I'd observe that in the case of weight loss specifically, my GP (and his med assistant) was utterly gobsmacked - in a good way - when I lost weight. I inferred that that was because it's super rare in real life that someone who says they'll try weight loss to avoid statins actually follows through.
Are there some bad actors here and there in the US system? Sure. But it's not the predominant pattern in my experience, not even close. If someone else has had uniformly bad experiences across the system, that makes me sad for them, of course. But it doesn't entitle those people to assert (unchallenged) that the entire system is corrupt, in the face of others with dramatically different experiences within the same system.
"Big food" exists to give us what we vote with our dollars to say we want to eat, and they compete to make it cheaper, more convenient, and more ubiquitously available. Probably due to long pressures of natural selection, we want things that are high in fat and sugar and salt, not very filling so we can eat MoreMoreMore, and fatty meaty cheesey things. That's what Big Food delivers: The stuff we repeatedly show we want to buy.
Products are formulated with heavy input from focus groups and taste tests. The components of those foods become cheap in part because there's huge competitive pressure to produce them more cheaply, in support of price competition. We get what we collectively ask for, cheaply made and marketed intensely.
Big pharma for sure has some perverse incentives in the US, and it's had its share of bad actors in recent years. I won't try to defend any of that. Yes, they do try to influence doctors, but countervailing forces - including legal strictures - continue to be implemented to limit scope of that influence, and the damage from it. To say otherwise is inaccurate. Further, my observation in my social context - which may not be representative - is that quite a few people just want - actively want - to visit the doc and get another pill for (whatever) rather than make even minimal changes in how they live their lives.
In the quoted post, there's lots of "they" language, not very specific: "They" want us ill, "they" don't want to pay us social security, etc. The implication is that there's a conspiracy of "theys" against the "us-es". Generally, no. IMO, that's denial. (Plus, the bigger the imputed conspiracy, the less likely it's real as an actual collaboration amongst some cabal.) The one thing I agree with the previous post about: We ought to take responsibility.
Cartoonist Walt Kelly's Pogo made the main point best: "We have met the enemy, and he is us.":format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63698749/pogo-met-the-enemy.0.1505425927.0.jpg)
5 -
I am in the US and believe that the health care system is broken and has many aspects that need change. That said, much of it is good. I, family, or friends have been able to get referrals to specialists, ultrasounds, X-Rays, MRI's, CT scans, joint replacements, and other surgeries, just to name a few, within weeks of need. I have moved a bit in my life (so I have had different doctors) and my doctors have, for the most part, listen to my concerns. I think my husband and I each had one who did not and it was nothing to change doctors.2
-
My GPs seem to quit the facility after having a single visit with me, so I feel like their opinions don't matter. Now my GYN, I have seen her for years and we have an agreement. If you see that I have a problem and you have a suggestion/solution, by all means, tell me and let's get it fixed. If you see a problem and just mention the problem with making no attempt to assist, frick off. The healthcare software her clinic uses always has 2 or 3 pages on how fat I am and why this is bad for me, but no attempt at solutions. It goes straight in the shredder. I'm vividly aware of my weight. I own a mirror and pants that don't button. Give me a referral to a dietician, weight loss meds, weight loss surgery, an exercise plan. Don't just say "you're fat".1
-
DebbsSeattle wrote: »It does not benefit doctors to have their patience healthy. It is sick care not health care. They get paid more money to prescribe rX, which means the fatter and less healthy you become the more they make. The healthier you become the less your shopping supports big food. The healthier you become the less you support big pharma. The insurance companies pull a 15% profit no matter what (as per federal regulation/law on insurance industry) so they don’t care if you are healthy or sick. The healthier you become, the longer the social security will have to support you…they want you dead. You are the only one who will benefit by your being healthy. The individual must take control of their own being.
what a whackadoodle thing to say. please provide the source for you information and don't say its "Q".3 -
Lol jesus1
-
I'm puzzled. I always thought the premise was that it was more expensive to eat healthy which makes it more difficult for lower income people to improve their diet. So wouldn't healthier eating be a win for Big Food? * scratches head*2
-
Where does all this redirection and blame come from? I’ve read page after page of blame directed towards doctors for their obesity, or not telling them how to lose weight. It is your responsibility to get on a scale, learn what weight range is typically healthy for the amount of muscle you have, and make sure your blood work is fine. It is your responsibility to research your TDEE. You’ve been given the foundation for moderation since you started school- you just chose to ignore it. Why does everyone act like they didn’t know they were fat, obese, morbidly obese, and then blame everyone but themselves? I’ve been every size at this point, but I know every decision I made was because of me.
However, I’ve read comments stating they are happy their doctor told them the truth and they did something about it. I think that’s fantastic. Though, I think if you rely on your doctor to tell you that you’re fat, you’re living on autopilot and there’s a lot more wrong than just your weight.
I hate that my tax dollars are responsible for people that don’t take care of themselves when I work hard to not be a burden to myself and others. Health care support should be there for those who are in circumstances that their body or mind can’t control, and not for those who can. You should pay for your personal issues if you created them when you have all the tools to do so.
ETA This does not mean you are not lovable or that you are expendable. It just means you need to take responsibility for yourself and quit expecting others to fix you.8 -
So if you live in the US a lot of what drives the medical industry is the insurance industry. I recently learned that there is no code for nutrition advice for doctors to be reimbursed from insurance companies. Besides the amount of training a general practitioner may receive regarding diet and nutrition is really limited. It may not be all that helpful.
That being said, my doctor never says anything about my weight even though I'm considered clinically obese.
There is so much great information on this sight and others plus books and podcasts that learning ways to take care of our own health is just a few clicks away. Also, when I took off 30lbs between appointments there was no aknoeledgement for that either, so I have to be my own cheerleader as well.4 -
I don't think it matters that doctors are not experts in nutrition.
Obviously one can talk to a patient about the need to lose weight without giving detailed nutrition advice.
And one can do a referral to a dietician ( or whatever process in your country) if the patient would benifit from that.3 -
Only my OB/GYN mentioned my weight once at one of my last pregnancy check-ups because I’d put on more than the recommended weight. I was disappointed and anxious at first because I’ve always been very body conscious and had never had my weight mentioned by a doctor before. I’m actually very open to a discussion about it now, and am surprised that it hasn’t been mentioned more often since because I still carry about 20 pounds from the pregnancy, but I do suspect that my PCM felt I’d seek care when I was ready - which I have, but I had to mention it to her. I too tend to carry my weight well, but I don’t expect that has anything to do with it.0
-
I had a doctor say "Have you been eating a lot of junk food?" right when I was stepping on the scale when I was 16 years old. I was within healthy limits though a little above average (57th percentile), but certainly not anywhere near being overweight. I was very athletic (competing figure skater), didn't drink juice or soda, rarely ate dessert, and mostly just ate rice, vegetables, fruit, and tofu. Because of that offhand comment, I became obsessed with counting calories and thought I must be a terrible eater that had junk food all the time. What if the carbs in the rice were making me fat? What if the sugar in that apple I had was making me fat? Maybe offended isn't the word, but I got much more worried about what I ate and paranoid about weight gain.
I came back as an adult considerably lighter and got referred to nutrition and got surprised comments about how I was noticeably underweight now. It seems that no matter if I'm heavier or lighter, the doctor isn't happy with my weight.
So now I've figured that as long as my weight isn't causing me health problems, I don't think I want to worry about the doctor's comments.4 -
Yes, my doctor tells me it would be beneficial to my health to lose weight.0
-
I had a doctor say "Have you been eating a lot of junk food?" right when I was stepping on the scale when I was 16 years old. I was within healthy limits though a little above average (57th percentile), but certainly not anywhere near being overweight. I was very athletic (competing figure skater), didn't drink juice or soda, rarely ate dessert, and mostly just ate rice, vegetables, fruit, and tofu.
Certainly bad timing for that question. However, the question in its self seems quite appropriate for a teen age physical. Although you were eating healthy, a lot of average-weight teens are not. It can catch up to them later. Teens are usually just starting to branch out from what their parents are feeding them. An excellent time for a doctor to focus on healthy eating rather than on weight.
1 -
I had a doctor say "Have you been eating a lot of junk food?" right when I was stepping on the scale when I was 16 years old. I was within healthy limits though a little above average (57th percentile), but certainly not anywhere near being overweight. I was very athletic (competing figure skater), didn't drink juice or soda, rarely ate dessert, and mostly just ate rice, vegetables, fruit, and tofu.
Certainly bad timing for that question. However, the question in its self seems quite appropriate for a teen age physical. Although you were eating healthy, a lot of average-weight teens are not. It can catch up to them later. Teens are usually just starting to branch out from what their parents are feeding them. An excellent time for a doctor to focus on healthy eating rather than on weight.
I think the wording was bad... the Dr should have asked "what does your diet look like/what do you typically eat?". It's more open ended, which allows for an actual answer.6 -
I've never had a doctor comment on my weight, not even when I lost weight which kind of surprised me as I have thyroid issues so you think they would ask if it was intentional. Although I was once asked by a nurse practitioner if I was eating "a lot of burgers and pizza" back when I was borderline obese.0
-
Had my yeary physical check up today. I weighed in at 188lbs. By BMI standards I'm basically obese. But my doc stated that I look fantastic at 188lbs and my muscular body exceeds many 30 year old men she's seen. And I'll be 60 in 4 months.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
8 -
Had my yeary physical check up today. I weighed in at 188lbs. By BMI standards I'm basically obese. But my doc stated that I look fantastic at 188lbs and my muscular body exceeds many 30 year old men she's seen. And I'll be 60 in 4 months.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Hope this isn’t a weird question but what’s your BF% ? That seems to be more important than BMI for athletes typically, right? I think this is an important detail for most of us regular people lol. Congrats on the great checkup! The more “mature” I get the more I realize this means a whole lot.0 -
right now about 23%.Had my yeary physical check up today. I weighed in at 188lbs. By BMI standards I'm basically obese. But my doc stated that I look fantastic at 188lbs and my muscular body exceeds many 30 year old men she's seen. And I'll be 60 in 4 months.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Hope this isn’t a weird question but what’s your BF% ? That seems to be more important than BMI for athletes typically right? Congrats on the mostly great checkup.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
2 -
right now about 23%.Had my yeary physical check up today. I weighed in at 188lbs. By BMI standards I'm basically obese. But my doc stated that I look fantastic at 188lbs and my muscular body exceeds many 30 year old men she's seen. And I'll be 60 in 4 months.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Hope this isn’t a weird question but what’s your BF% ? That seems to be more important than BMI for athletes typically right? Congrats on the mostly great checkup.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
At nearly 60 with your amount of muscle mass I can see why the doctor thinks you
look great. Quick Google search says 41-60 yrs old: Underfat: under 11 percent, Healthy: 11-22 percent, Overweight: 22-27 percent, Obese: over 27 percent.
Do you agree with the idea that your muscle mass contributed to your higher BMI count but putting you in the barely overweight category instead of the obese category? Or do you feel it still doesn’t represent you?0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 431 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions