If u have a Doctor's appointment, do they bring up weight?

Workout4Health

I have to go to the doctor's, so I can get approval from him to get allergy shots and also my mother wanted me to get tested for something bacterial related, even though I don't know if I have symptoms, it's just that she had it and is worried.

So it's not really a physical, but this will be my first time meeting the doctor. I get anxiety about going to any doctor's because in the past they have brought up weight, even though everything else looked good. And even when I reach my goal and get to a great body fat percentage, likely I won't fit the BMI scale. So this type of thing makes me feel very nervous about seeing any doctor, and what I don't understand is most of the doctors I have seen are very very overweight.

Liftng4Lis

They always try to make you get on a scale. When I go to my Drs. and the nurse gets close to the scale, I just look at her and say "plenty" and walk by. I have YET to have one argue with me!

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cwolfman13

My doctor never made me get on a scale when I started with him and he never mentioned anything about my weight until I became hypertensive...at that point he sent me for blood work which all came back pretty ****ty looking and then all hell broke lose in RE to either cleaning up my act and losing some weight and what not or getting put on a ton of meds at the ripe old age of 38.

Two years later I have all of my blood work under control and I've lost 40 Lbs. I'm still hypertensive, but I take a lower dose of medication than I used to. Likely I will always have high blood pressure, which isn't surprising since pretty much everyone in my extended family is hypertensive.

parkscs

Just be honest with them about your progress so far. You might be surprised. I saw an orthopedic surgeon recently to ask about occasional knee pain during certain exercises (turns out my knee is fine and my hip muscles are a bit weak). He told me I could stand to drop maybe 20 more pounds which would take some stress off my knee... and I wanted to high five him, as that's my goal for this year and I was getting sick of people telling me I don't need to lose more weight. He didn't say anything about BMI, said great job so far, cleared my knee and life is good (just gotta work on those hips). Just relax and talk straight with him.

albayin

I think you can say no to the scale if that makes you feel uncomfortable.

michikade

I've never argued about the scale, myself. I'm sure it's not 100% necessary but some medications require body weight for proper dosage so there's that.

AliceDark

You can ask not to be weighed, and depending on the office, they may or may not be okay with that. When it comes down to it, though, your weight is what it is. Not getting weighed doesn't change it, and they can probably tell what you weigh, to a reasonable degree of accuracy, just by looking at you.

tabicatinthehat

I've never been to a doctor and they didn't check my weight. I also wouldn't ask them not to. I'm paying for their analysis. That includes weight-related issues.

Geneh630

So far 100% of my doctors have- and no matter where you are on your weight loss journey they usually talk to you about ways to get healthier (exercise, diet, etc). At least that has been my experience for the last year or so.

spectralmoon

I've asked not to be weighed before, and have been told that it was a requirement. Their "option" was for me to step onto the scale backward so I wouldn't have to see the number. :grumble:

Kalikel

Yes, they'll probably bring up your weight. They should, if you're fat! It's their job to check you out, tell you what is wrong and give advice on options for improvement. Take the opportunity to ask what sort of diet you should be following.

If you don't want them to assess (weigh) you or talk to you, you can tell them you don't want to be weighed or discuss your weight and that should be the end of it. You can say "No" to anything you want. They're still going to enter your weight! Their just going to note that you refused an accurate weight, so it's a guess.

If you're fat, you are. You aren't fooling anyone. Everyone near you knows you are fat. Why talking about it bothers you...that's something to take a good look at, maybe discuss with a trusted friend or therapist. Refusing to face it may do more harm than good.

Never be afraid of discussing ANYTHING with a doctor or nurse. They've heard it before. They usually know where you're going when you start talking and are just waiting for you to get to the end so they can answer that question for the 10,000th time. Talking to fat people about their fatness isn't new at the doctor's office. Fat people refusing to be weighed and discuss their fatness is also not new.

You know what is rare? The person who asks the doctor's advice and follows it. It happens, but not a lot.

Being fat year after year and refusing to do anything about it? That's common.

Lleldiranne

They always try to make you get on a scale. When I go to my Drs. and the nurse gets close to the scale, I just look at her and say "plenty" and walk by. I have YET to have one argue with me!

You say ''plenty?'' If it's the first visit, isn't the scale required?

If there is anything they need to prescribe medication for (especially antibiotics, but other kinds of medications as well) it's important for them to have a fairly accurate current weight. A lot of medications are prescribed based on your weight (i.e. mg per kg body weight).

Other than that, it would be better, IMO, for the doctor to see how your weight is changing if you're going to be returning to this doctor. Look at it this way -- you're already working on losing weight, so why not give the doctor a chance to say "good job" as you succeed. Plus, rapid changes in weight in either direction (when you aren't working on it, especially) can be an indicator of medical issues.

The doc probably won't mention much about your weight, though, if it's not related to why you're going in.

Ready2Rock206

I've always been weighed - it depends on the doctor as to if they discussed it or not. My gynecologist usually does (so you're safe there) but when I've went in for something else to a regular doctor it was never mentioned. I took my son to the doctor twice last week - weighed both times and the only discussion of what the scale actually said was when he brought it up and it was very brief (he was sick and not able to eat - he lost like 5lbs between Tuesday and Friday).

VBnotbitter

Your weight is just one of the metrics used in assessing your health.

As for some doctors being over weight themselves and commenting on patient's weight - it is the job they are paid for. Less hypocritical and more hippocratic.

DaughterOfTheMostHighKing

most doctors will have you get on the scale because weight is a good indication most of the time of health. and it will give them a baseline. I always weigh myself before I go so I kinda have a good idea of what will show up. lol!!!

most doctors and nurses know what is good and right for good health, but many times they are tired and over-worked. like us, they know what they should do but for reasons, they don't or won't or can't… usually the first two, cause if you really want to make a change you will. I get up at 4am to do my workout and stretches.. cause I have to.. getting old is not fun. being healthy and fit takes effort and time.

paperpudding

I think it would depend on whether it was relevant.
If you are just seeing a doctor for a one off visit about a throat infection or a pap smear or a travel vaccine - maybe not.

But if it is going to be your ongoing doctor, then, yes, it is relevant to your overall health and in some cases to your medication levels.

By the way OP, I dont know where you live - but I work with many doctors and know many others - I certainly havent found that "most are very very over weight themselves" - quite the opposite, in fact.

zyxst

When I lived in the U.S., doctors always told me to lose weight at every appointment. I was always weighed at each appointment. It didn't bother me too much, but nothing was ever said about actually losing weight or how much.

Up here in Canada, no doctor has ever weighed me. My GP asks my weight and I tell her. She never checks to see if I'm lying.

EDIT: Not "weighted". >.<

Kalikel

I don't care if the doctor weighs 400 pounds, has a cigarette hanging out of one side of his mouth while he's chewing a cheeseburger in the other side and about to swallow some booze!

The fact that he doesn't follow it doesn't mean it isn't good advice.

Plus, you don't know. He could have a medical condition. He could have an eating disorder. Lots of things make people fat. But he might just prefer food to health, too.

Saying, "You say it, but you don't do it!" is both moronic and childish. So the hell what. His fatness cannot be your excuse.

Also, most doctors are not fat. Fwiw.

CorlissaEats

LOL. My current doctor who I have been seeing for nearly 3 years has weighed me once. ONCE! It was during the only "yearly" routine physical I have had there. What people have said about med dosage and weight makes sense though. I just don't get many prescriptions, just requistions for lab work and diagnostic testing though.

A good doctor should talk to you about your weight- especially if it impacts on the reason for your visit. We have talked about my weight though- he is the reason I have lost 45lbs to date. He suggested it as a possible non-drug solution to my health symptoms. I wanted to feel better, therefore I listened and decided it was worth a shot. I'd rather fix the root problem then apply bandaid after bandaid. I was never critically overweight although BMI may disagree.

pleasurelittletreasure

The last time I went to a NEW doctor and they weighed me, I burst into tears. But to be honest, I wish that my REGULAR doctor would have weighed me all the time - helped me before I got to that point. I felt like I was blowing up in front of him and he never went, "Hey, what's going on with you? Can I help?" Perhaps I would have burst into tears in front of him, too, but I could have told him how the pain I was in was making it impossible for me to live and that my weight was just one more evidentiary symptom. Instead, I just kept getting prescriptions for pain meds. Don't be afraid to be weighed. Use the data to your advantage. Say, 'See me, all of me.' I understand the anxiety, but they aren't weighing you just out of curiosity. This information is important.

jdhcm2006

I've never had an issue jumping on the scale. I knew I was overweight. The scale wasn't telling me anything new. And I'm glad because I had been doing the TDEE method for a few months and when I went to the doctor (bc I was sick - not reg check up), it was really nice to see that the number was lower (and that my RHR was lower as well).

Willbenchforcupcakes

My doctor has weighed me for every physical for the last 13 years. As my weight was slowly going up, he'd mention that I was x heavier then last year. He congratulated me when I lost weight, and now warns me how hard it is to maintain weight. I just smile and nod these days

shaynepoole

All of my doctors always weighed me - primary would bring up weight every couple of times, other doctors, well it depends on what I was seeing them for - now most of them are more amazed than anything else.

My primary says she tells a lot of people to exercise more and lose weight and most people don't do anything so it is rare when someone actually listens - I never really had considered that it's got to be tough on their end as well telling people the same thing over and over again and just watching as your health deteriorates.

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Kalikel

All of my doctors always weighed me - primary would bring up weight every couple of times, other doctors, well it depends on what I was seeing them for - now most of them are more amazed than anything else.

My primary says she tells a lot of people to exercise more and lose weight and most people don't do anything so it is rare when someone actually listens - I never really had considered that it's got to be tough on their end as well telling people the same thing over and over again and just watching as your health deteriorates.

It really is rare for people to listen and follow the advice and get better. They're always impressed by it and happy for you, being healthier, because it is so exceedingly rare.

People would much rather get their advice from the girls at work. They'll do 10,000 different crash diets, but never consider switching to healthy food. They'll say they're fine and happy the way they are.

My boyfriend is happy the way he is. I guarantee you that when he has the heart attack...which will be any time now...If he lives, he will be singing a new song. People always decide that maybe they were wrong after they feel the crushing pain and look death in the eye. They switch their dietary habits really fast! But most of them still go back to their old ways less than six months later.

The person who makes actual lifestyle changes is exceedingly rare. It's hard to do!!

Good for you!

DavPul

is there a question?

Mr_Knight

And even when I reach my goal and get to a great body fat percentage, likely I won't fit the BMI scale.

You most likely will. Either that, or you'll discover you need a lower target goal.

Liftng4Lis

They always try to make you get on a scale. When I go to my Drs. and the nurse gets close to the scale, I just look at her and say "plenty" and walk by. I have YET to have one argue with me!

You say ''plenty?'' If it's the first visit, isn't the scale required?

Okay I've had the same Dr for 25 years and maybe this wasn't the best analogy. Still, my point was, it's your choice and I would do it only if you feel comfortable with it.

brower47

It's a number that could be useful. It's pointless to stress about it. Which is more important to you: your delicate feelings or up to date medical records that could be used to help you one day?

kazzsj0urney

Before I lost my weight it was always bought up,,,,,but now its only bought up if I bring it up