Morbidly Obese doctors

ellehcimyelhsa

I do think that regardless of their lifestyle, doctors need to hold themselves to a higher standard when it comes to health. When my daughter was in the hospital it always made me nuts to look out the window and see the number of doctors and nurses standing just off the property to smoke.

"Do as I say, not as I do" should not apply.

^This. I had a doctor at the hospital after I had my daughter tell me I gained too much weight with my pregnancy (which was true!), but he was at least twice my size...at 40 weeks pregnant. It doesn't make them incompetent or stupid by any means, but it does make them a hypocrite. How can you educate about health when you are unhealthy yourself? I say the same to my friends who are nurses and tell their patients about the dangers of tobacco and then chain smoke on their lunch breaks.

Chapter3point6

No. It doesn't bother me. Just because a doctor knows the right thing to do, doesn't mean he/she follows his/her own advice. I once worked for a divorce attorney. He told every client and person he knew, "never get married without a prenup". He got married without one.

She probably had more money than him!!! :laugh:

Ha ha! She didn't. Everyone told him he was being dumb.

My point was, you may know exactly what needs to be done, but it's often easier to give advice than to follow it.

Yeah, I was just being funny. I knew what your point was and I do agree with it. Although I can empathize that they have similar struggles as I do, it would still bother me if my doctor was morbidly obese.

EnchantedEvening

Whoa. Slow your role. NO ONE is judging you. I personally have a morbidly obese doc. I've been going to for years. Its my personal observation. I'm also sure she struggles as we all do. You seem a bit on edge about yourself. Calm down. This is NO reflection on you. Stop making it one.

You said it yourself that you find it disturbing your doctor is overweight. Now you're saying, "Oh, I'm sure she struggles..." Pick a side.

I'm not making it about me. My point is that nobody truly knows anyone else, and I was addressing all of the judgmental people in this thread who assume their doctor is just some gross cow who doesn't apply their medical knowledge. "Would you go to an obese doctor" opened a huge can of worms. You knew what you were doing when you started the thread, so don't play innocent and pass this off as "the poor, sensitive fatty is taking this personally". You're damn right I am. You have ten pounds to lose. Do you have any idea what it's like to be over 300 pounds? If not, shut your trap, because you have NO idea how to walk in those shoes.

half_moon

My doc is a bit overweight, but I don't like skinny or ridiculously muscly men. I think he looks great. Pretty handsome, if I do say so myself.

FlaxMilk

I do think that regardless of their lifestyle, doctors need to hold themselves to a higher standard when it comes to health. When my daughter was in the hospital it always made me nuts to look out the window and see the number of doctors and nurses standing just off the property to smoke.

"Do as I say, not as I do" should not apply.

^This. I had a doctor at the hospital after I had my daughter tell me I gained too much weight with my pregnancy (which was true!), but he was at least twice my size...at 40 weeks pregnant. It doesn't make them incompetent or stupid by any means, but it does make them a hypocrite. How can you educate about health when you are unhealthy yourself? I say the same to my friends who are nurses and tell their patients about the dangers of tobacco and then chain smoke on their lunch breaks.

It sounds like you heard it as judgment rather than medical advice. When a doctor tells me what to do, I don't first need to know if she does it too. All I need to know is, is that good advice? I also don't care about what my doctor's "expect." They aren't my employers. They can tell me what I should do, that's what I pay them for. What I actually do is up to me. If I decide not to listen because of my opinion that my doctors are hypocrites, that comes down to my problem and me being the one who gets hurt, not them.

Gr8ChangesAhead

I had a Dr. once who sat at his desk directly across from the reception area and wanted to examine you there he was extremely morbidly obese... Needless to say I found a new Dr.

crimsoncat

I'm going to be a veterinarian in three years.

Getting into med. school is a lifestyle change that just rips your fitness dreams to shreds.

I am taking no less than 26 credit hours every semester, often more. I sit in class from 8am until at least 3pm everyday (often until 6pm)y and have 5 hours of studying to do a night to get a C. I used to have a 3.78 in undergrad and that is just a memory. I use exercise as a tool to work out my stress. Even so, I end up crying a lot, and breaking out in hives around finals. I go from 10 hours of sleep a night when off school to right around 6 hours a night because of studying and insomnia. I make time to work out, but it was painfully easy to pack on ten pounds last winter. People bring in donuts, giant pizzas, burritos and other crappy food to bribe us into listening to them talk about new medical supplies. There are dinner lectures at least weekly, often with buffets. There is a bake sale at least once every 2 weeks.

As a doctor, many salesmen will bring donuts for you and your staff to listen to their new products. You sit around all day or (if you have a "running" job) are so stressed that you binge on coffee and sweets.

If you have kids, forget it. You'll eat whatever the heck they want so long as they just eat something. Plan on mac and cheese at 8pm at night because that's when you get off of on call duties. I know vets. on "light schedules" who work 9-12 and 4-8 every day.

If you work in Amish country, you'd better like booze because it is VERY rude to turn down home made wine.

It's easy to become unhealthy as a doctor.

Which is why I'm fighting so hard to set an example for my clients.

daffodilsoup

I'm going to be a veterinarian in three years.

Getting into med. school is a lifestyle change that just rips your fitness dreams to shreds.

I am taking no less than 26 credit hours every semester, often more. I sit in class from 8am until at least 3pm everyday (often until 6pm)y and have 5 hours of studying to do a night to get a C. I used to have a 3.78 in undergrad and that is just a memory. I use exercise as a tool to work out my stress. Even so, I end up crying a lot, and breaking out in hives around finals. I go from 10 hours of sleep a night when off school to right around 6 hours a night because of studying and insomnia. I make time to work out, but it was painfully easy to pack on ten pounds last winter. People bring in donuts, giant pizzas, burritos and other crappy food to bribe us into listening to them talk about new medical supplies. There are dinner lectures at least weekly, often with buffets. There is a bake sale at least once every 2 weeks.

As a doctor, many salesmen will bring donuts for you and your staff to listen to their new products. You sit around all day or (if you have a "running" job) are so stressed that you binge on coffee and sweets.

If you have kids, forget it. You'll eat whatever the heck they want so long as they just eat something. Plan on mac and cheese at 8pm at night because that's when you get off of on call duties. I know vets. on "light schedules" who work 9-12 and 4-8 every day.

If you work in Amish country, you'd better like booze because it is VERY rude to turn down home made wine.

It's easy to become unhealthy as a doctor.

Which is why I'm fighting so hard to set an example for my clients.

All I see in this post are excuses - everyone's busy, it's about making the time to at least make healthy meals for yourself, or log your junk food into MFP to stay under your calorie goal.

opuntia

All I see in this post are excuses - everyone's busy, it's about making the time to at least make healthy meals for yourself, or log your junk food into MFP to stay under your calorie goal.

Excuses to whom? She's not answerable to you for her own health. Just explaining how it can happen. Makes sense to me - I have doctor friends, and friends at med school, and it is a lot more intense and stressful than most other courses. When you're juggling long hours of very intense study and work, plus lack of sleep (which makes it a lot harder to lose weight), and you are training to be a doctor, of course your major priority is going to be to complete your assignments, pass your exams, basically stay on the course and not fail and not get kicked out.

Sure, a super-organised, highly-intelligent person with a very quick memory for learning new facts and a very high stamina and stress tolerance could manage to still have 8 hours sleep every night and make healthy meals each day. But realistically, that's unlikely to happen for most. I actually considered med school myself, and decided against it because I knew I wouldn't be able to handle the long hours and intense workload and stay sane! Potential weight gain didn't even factor into my thinking!

daffodilsoup

All I see in this post are excuses - everyone's busy, it's about making the time to at least make healthy meals for yourself, or log your junk food into MFP to stay under your calorie goal.

Excuses to whom? She's not answerable to you for her own health. Just explaining how it can happen. Makes sense to me - I have doctor friends, and friends at med school, and it is a lot more intense and stressful than most other courses. When you're juggling long hours of very intense study and work, plus lack of sleep (which makes it a lot harder to lose weight), and you are training to be a doctor, of course your major priority is going to be to complete your assignments, pass your exams, basically stay on the course and not fail and not get kicked out.

Sure, a super-organised, highly-intelligent person with a very quick memory for learning new facts and a very high stamina and stress tolerance could manage to still have 8 hours sleep every night and make healthy meals each day. But realistically, that's unlikely to happen for most. I actually considered med school myself, and decided against it because I knew I wouldn't be able to handle the long hours and intense workload and stay sane! Potential weight gain didn't even factor into my thinking!

I never said she had to answer to me for her health - whether she's healthy or not is none of my business.

She sets it up as though doctors (or anyone with a demanding job, really) have no choice but to gain weight, to eat the donuts, pizzas or other junk people bring in. No one forces doctors, nurses, lawyers, teachers, anyone with a demanding schedule and constant exposure to food, to eat it.

"If you have kids, forget it...plan on mac and cheese at 8pm at night because that's when you get off on call duties." To me this just sounds like someone accepting obesity as fate. Eventually, you have to figure out how to make it work.

All I'm saying is, people everywhere are busy, juggling school, work, a family, whatever life happens to throw at them. But all I'm saying is, being busy isn't an excuse - not to me, but for their own health.

opuntia

I never said she had to answer to me for her health - whether she's healthy or not is none of my business.

Okay. I guess when people say someone is making excuses, it always sounds to me like they are expecting the person to be answerable to them. For instance, if I am explaining to someone how something has happened, to me it can only be an excuse if I am answerable to that person and expecting them to let me off some punishment or judgement. Otherwise it's just an explanation, to give people greater understanding of the topic in question. It could potentially be an excuse to myself, but then that would be my business, and I wouldn't see myself as answerable to people for excuses I make to myself.

My understanding of the post was that the poster was simply explaining how it's very easy to gain weight while at med school. She said she was fighting hard to set a good example to her clients, so that didn't look to me like someone who had sat back and accepted a fate of eating junk food forever.

ChgingMe

Whoa. Slow your role. NO ONE is judging you. I personally have a morbidly obese doc. I've been going to for years. Its my personal observation. I'm also sure she struggles as we all do. You seem a bit on edge about yourself. Calm down. This is NO reflection on you. Stop making it one.

You said it yourself that you find it disturbing your doctor is overweight. Now you're saying, "Oh, I'm sure she struggles..." Pick a side.

I'm not making it about me. My point is that nobody truly knows anyone else, and I was addressing all of the judgmental people in this thread who assume their doctor is just some gross cow who doesn't apply their medical knowledge. "Would you go to an obese doctor" opened a huge can of worms. You knew what you were doing when you started the thread, so don't play innocent and pass this off as "the poor, sensitive fatty is taking this personally". You're damn right I am. You have ten pounds to lose. Do you have any idea what it's like to be over 300 pounds? If not, shut your trap, because you have NO idea how to walk in those shoes.

Wow defensive much. Get over it. let me clairfy for you. I personally don't agree with an obese doc telling me I need to get in shape. As mine did. I do however understand that hey I guess she does stuggle, like we all do. But that doesnt negate the fact that she is telling me something she cant seem to accomplish on her own. As for the 10 pounds to lose. You have no idea how much I lost prior to joing MFP do you? How do you know I didnt start at over 300 pounds. You have no idea about me. And I started this thread for no other reason than to get feedback from others. Again I say you are way too sensative. If it bothers you so much why did you even comment on this thread??

daffodilsoup

I never said she had to answer to me for her health - whether she's healthy or not is none of my business.

Okay. I guess when people say someone is making excuses, it always sounds to me like they are expecting the person to be answerable to them. For instance, if I am explaining to someone how something has happened, to me it can only be an excuse if I am answerable to that person and expecting them to let me off some punishment or judgement. Otherwise it's just an explanation, to give people greater understanding of the topic in question. It could potentially be an excuse to myself, but then that would be my business, and I wouldn't see myself as answerable to people for excuses I make to myself.

My understanding of the post was that the poster was simply explaining how it's very easy to gain weight while at med school. She said she was fighting hard to set a good example to her clients, so that didn't look to me like someone who had sat back and accepted a fate of eating junk food forever.

I definitely didn't mean to come off as she had to be somehow accountable to me, so my bad if it sounded like that. I don't see excuses as something to be answerable to me, I see excuses as someone's reasoning to "I can't do this because ______".

For what it's worth, I do know where that poster is coming from - I'm balancing a job and going back to school to become a nurse, so I absolutely understand that having a demanding schedule certainly makes it difficult to stick to fitness goals.

I guess the post just rubbed me the wrong way, probably from seeing so many forum posts along the lines of "I don't have time to ____". It's definitely a look into a reason why so many doctors may be overweight, it just doesn't justify it to me, is all.

beckajw

I never said she had to answer to me for her health - whether she's healthy or not is none of my business.

Okay. I guess when people say someone is making excuses, it always sounds to me like they are expecting the person to be answerable to them. For instance, if I am explaining to someone how something has happened, to me it can only be an excuse if I am answerable to that person and expecting them to let me off some punishment or judgement. Otherwise it's just an explanation, to give people greater understanding of the topic in question. It could potentially be an excuse to myself, but then that would be my business, and I wouldn't see myself as answerable to people for excuses I make to myself.

My understanding of the post was that the poster was simply explaining how it's very easy to gain weight while at med school. She said she was fighting hard to set a good example to her clients, so that didn't look to me like someone who had sat back and accepted a fate of eating junk food forever.

I definitely didn't mean to come off as she had to be somehow accountable to me, so my bad if it sounded like that. I don't see excuses as something to be answerable to me, I see excuses as someone's reasoning to "I can't do this because ______".

For what it's worth, I do know where that poster is coming from - I'm balancing a job and going back to school to become a nurse, so I absolutely understand that having a demanding schedule certainly makes it difficult to stick to fitness goals.

I guess the post just rubbed me the wrong way, probably from seeing so many forum posts along the lines of "I don't have time to ____". It's definitely a look into a reason why so many doctors may be overweight, it just doesn't justify it to me, is all.

Med school is a lot of work and a lot of time. It's different than working and going to school. It's different from really anything you can imagine.

daffodilsoup

I never said she had to answer to me for her health - whether she's healthy or not is none of my business.

Okay. I guess when people say someone is making excuses, it always sounds to me like they are expecting the person to be answerable to them. For instance, if I am explaining to someone how something has happened, to me it can only be an excuse if I am answerable to that person and expecting them to let me off some punishment or judgement. Otherwise it's just an explanation, to give people greater understanding of the topic in question. It could potentially be an excuse to myself, but then that would be my business, and I wouldn't see myself as answerable to people for excuses I make to myself.

My understanding of the post was that the poster was simply explaining how it's very easy to gain weight while at med school. She said she was fighting hard to set a good example to her clients, so that didn't look to me like someone who had sat back and accepted a fate of eating junk food forever.

I definitely didn't mean to come off as she had to be somehow accountable to me, so my bad if it sounded like that. I don't see excuses as something to be answerable to me, I see excuses as someone's reasoning to "I can't do this because ______".

For what it's worth, I do know where that poster is coming from - I'm balancing a job and going back to school to become a nurse, so I absolutely understand that having a demanding schedule certainly makes it difficult to stick to fitness goals.

I guess the post just rubbed me the wrong way, probably from seeing so many forum posts along the lines of "I don't have time to ____". It's definitely a look into a reason why so many doctors may be overweight, it just doesn't justify it to me, is all.

Med school is a lot of work and a lot of time. It's different than working and going to school. It's different from really anything you can imagine.

Okay.

marz42

It is kind of like saying cops never get speeding tickets, construction workers have the best homes, lawyers never get sued, all dentists have perfect teeth and a watchmaker never has a broken watch.

Yes this. And we have no idea of the rest of their life and what else they are going through, how long they've been overweight etc (for the most part). I'd rather have a smart, available,kind doctor that was a bit overweight than a slim mean incompetent one.

I don't object to a doctor telling you you need to loose weight, if you do, well it's part of their job. But I've had a number of them be such total a**holes about it. ..to the point of downright cruel, shaming, nastiness. This almost *never* motivates a person, just makes them avoid the doctor.

Now I've got one who is kind of heavy. She's smaller than me, but definitely plus size. She lost a ton of weight a while back, but then had a kid and gained it back. So ..she knows it's not an easy thing. She's also smart and kind and I always get in pretty quickly, and has never once been nasty and belittling as a couple of slim (and male) doctors I had before. So I go in whenever I need to go.