Your overweight dr tells you to lose weight...respond ?

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  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
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    The New York Times did an article or blog post on the reluctance of some overweight doctors to tell their patients to lose weight because they knew it looked hypocritical. (Can't locate it quickly.) Still, if you're at an unhealthy weight, you should take the advice.

    I think you're allowed to say, "And what about you, doctor?" :laugh:
  • Aerohead21
    Aerohead21 Posts: 333 Member
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    Duplicate post
  • doubglass
    doubglass Posts: 314 Member
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    stay with him or her. many doctors have given up telling their overweight patients they need to lose weight.
  • Aerohead21
    Aerohead21 Posts: 333 Member
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    From what I have heard from doctors, nutritionists, and reading, most doctors don't take more than a few credit hours of nutrition classes. I would not criticize an overweight doctor for telling me I need to lose weight. Although I would switch doctors who lacked bedside manner in requesting I lose weight, I wouldn't be taken aback by one who doesn't have the gentle, human touch when making this request. Doctors aren't immune to the same problems. Lastly, a lot of medical professionals are reviewed and scored for licensing, accreditation, quality, and insurance - both as blind surveys and not - to discuss issues that need to be addressed, i. e. weight, smoking, drinking, illicit drug use, and other behavioral things that people have within their control to improve their health. It's getting to be that if a doctor DOESN'T do these things and ask these questions he/she could lose out on many things they need for a successful practice. Could you imagine going to your doctor and them no longer taking your insurance because they failed to tell people smoking can cause cancer and weight can lead to many preventable health problems? I wouldn't. I'd rather take the doctor who feels like a hypocrite each and every time they tell their overweight client to lose weight when they know darn good and well they need to lose weight too. Just my two cents, anyway.
  • ShrinkRapt451
    ShrinkRapt451 Posts: 447 Member
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    I had a doctor once who was about my height and weighed almost as much as me. It was hard to take him seriously when he told me I should lose 10 or 15 pounds (especially since I knew I was about 75 pounds overweight at the time).

    My CURRENT doctor also happens to be about my height, but HE is probably at what I would consider the right weight for me.

    Full disclosure: I'm a doc. Does it embarrass me that I weigh as much or more than patients I'm counseling to lose weight? Why, yes. Yes it does. Am I fully aware of all of the long-term health risks I take by being overweight? Yes. Do I struggle with many of the same personal and life issues that everybody struggles with when it comes to maintaining healthy habits? Why, YES. I work long, unpredictable hours at an extremely stressful job, I have a long commute and two small children, and dammit, high-carb, high-fat foods do have this bad habit of tasting really, really good.

    So what did it finally take for me to get my fat *kitten* moving toward being healthier? I had to approach my health and my eating in the same way I got through medical school and residency: getting the rest of my life working in something that resembled a regular pattern so that I could give my attention and sheer determination to it, and get it DONE. Everybody has their own point when it finally becomes possible for them to devote internal resources to this effort. Not every person who is overweight, physician or not, is in that place. (Related example: one of my anatomy profs had a smoke break at 4 PM daily. He's seen the lungs of dead smokers for 30 years. Doesn't stop him from smoking.)

    As to the above poster that I quoted: the reason your doc tells you to lose 10-15 lbs and not 75 is two-fold:

    1. 10-15 lbs feels like a much less overwhelming task, and one you're more likely to commit to.
    2. A loss of 10-15% of your body weight has substantial health benefits (more than you'd think, really) when it comes to how your body handles cholesterol, glucose, etc.

    So it's not silly advice, really.
  • beautifulblac84
    beautifulblac84 Posts: 193
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    How about this... several years ago, when I felt my weight was starting to get out of control, I did what you're supposed to do... I went to my doctor... told him what my plan was and the little things I had started to change, but wanted his professional advice...

    Me: Hey doc... I'm starting to work out... cut the whole milk and now I'm drinking 2%... cutting down the red meat... what else would you suggest I do to get my weight down...

    Doc: Close your mouth.

    Me: Huh?

    Doc: Don't eat so much.

    Uh... thanks.

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • Tzippy7
    Tzippy7 Posts: 344 Member
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    lol this is assuming that doctors are the ONLY people who know the difference between a healthy lifestyle and an unhealthy one. How many people here gained weight because they thought eating fast food and living a sedentary life was good for them? Doctors deal with high stress every day, that is why there are so many doctors in AA.
  • crazy8ts
    crazy8ts Posts: 360
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    lol this is assuming that doctors are the ONLY people who know the difference between a healthy lifestyle and an unhealthy one. How many people here gained weight because they thought eating fast food and living a sedentary life was good for them? Doctors deal with high stress every day, that is why there are so many doctors in AA.

    I didn't eat the junk 'cause I thought it was good for me... I ate it 'cause it was goooooooood! :tongue:
  • delco714
    delco714 Posts: 229
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    2. A loss of 10-15% of your body weight has substantial health benefits (more than you'd think, really) when it comes to how your body handles cholesterol, glucose, etc.

    THIS. and can't wait for JNC8!
  • sagetracey
    sagetracey Posts: 607 Member
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    The only overweight doctor who told me to lose and who I took seriously was the one who shared her personal experience with me and empathised with how difficult it could be. She told me what had worked for her, what hadn't and why it was a constant battle. She made me feel like we were on the same page.
  • Sandytoes71
    Sandytoes71 Posts: 463 Member
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    Why do people post questions like this and then offer no opinions of their own? Seems like baiting to me or trolling...

    What's trolling and baiting? :)
  • StarkLark
    StarkLark Posts: 476 Member
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    Im very particular about my doctors because of this...studying to be a nurse i feel strongly about being healthy and taking care of myself if im going to tell someone they need to do it..


    I dont take the advice seriously even if its true because well...they should help themselves..there are gyms in the hospitals and they are walking all the time. they know what they should do 90% just dont do it...

    Just my personal opinion because I dont want to be an overweight nurse telling someone to lose weight..seems hypocritical
    So you seriously don't take sound medical advice based simply on who delivers it? The truth is the truth, regardless of the messenger.
  • Hernandeak11
    Hernandeak11 Posts: 351 Member
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    If I didn't listen to my overweight doctor, I'd still be over 200lbs.

    Sometimes you just need to swallow your pride.
  • Hernandeak11
    Hernandeak11 Posts: 351 Member
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    1. 10-15 lbs feels like a much less overwhelming task, and one you're more likely to commit to.
    2. A loss of 10-15% of your body weight has substantial health benefits (more than you'd think, really) when it comes to how your body handles cholesterol, glucose, etc.

    So it's not silly advice, really.

    Thanks for sharing!

    I was so confused when my doctor said to lose ten pounds..I've already tripled that and can't wait to see her next!
  • impyimpyaj
    impyimpyaj Posts: 1,073 Member
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    "Your overweight dr tells you to lose weight... respond?"

    I think the appropriate response would be, "Thanks for looking out for my health, Doc! I'll work on it."
  • jackiemonx
    jackiemonx Posts: 343 Member
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    i wouldnt go to a hairdresser with ugly hair, or a mechanic with a falling to bits car so i wouldnt go to a doctor/specialist who wasnt as healthy as they could be...people should practice what they preach!
  • impyimpyaj
    impyimpyaj Posts: 1,073 Member
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    i wouldnt go to a hairdresser with ugly hair, or a mechanic with a falling to bits car so i wouldnt go to a doctor/specialist who wasnt as healthy as they could be...people should practice what they preach!

    Just because someone isn't healthy doesn't mean they don't know HOW to be healthy. An oncologist can still get cancer, a mechanic can still drive a crappy car if he doesn't have the money to replace the parts, a dietician can still be overweight or underweight if they have thyroid or other medical issues...
  • gpstrucker
    gpstrucker Posts: 930 Member
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    Me: Hey doc... I'm starting to work out... cut the whole milk and now I'm drinking 2%... cutting down the red meat... what else would you suggest I do to get my weight down...

    Doc: Close your mouth.

    Me: Huh?

    Doc: Don't eat so much.

    Uh... thanks.

    My kind of doctor. I always prefer my doctor to be direct and to the point.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    A lot of doctors are overweight. It's hard to get to a gym when you work 70-80 hours a week. My dad's a doctor and the only reason he has time for cycling is that he only sleeps about 4 hours a night.

    I know what you mean though. The pot calling the kettle black and all that.

    You don't need exercise to keep you from becoming overweight, you just need to not eat at a caloric surplus.
  • LHudson53
    LHudson53 Posts: 126
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    As someone who is quite a bit older, it reminds me of what I heard as a child: "Do as I say, don't do as I do!" My doctor is moderately overweight, but offers great advice and motivation so it doesn't matter to me. I think I would worry more if my personal trainer was overweight :happy:

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