Morbidly Obese doctors

_VoV

As an obese doctor I can understand everyone's conflict with someone like myself. My patients are great. They have seen my struggles. I think it makes me better able to talk to my patients. I am human. I understand that trying to lose weight can suck. I was obese way before I decided to become a doctor. I was raised by obese parents and taught to eat like they do. All my siblings are obese. And I am sure I will struggle all my life. Obesity is a weakness that you cannot hide. Some of the non obese physicians I know drink to much, smoke, abuse pain meds. But in the room they look healthy. Hell some of them abuse weight loss meds. I have never taken a pill for weight loss. Not because it doesn't work, but because it is bad medicine. That's all I got. Got to get back to work.

My primary doc is a stern, very fit guy, but last year he came down with Guillain-Barre syndrome. He shared this with me at my annual appointment when I told him he could never retire because I wouldn't let him. I felt like hugging him when he told me the experience gave him great insight into what some of his patients are going through. It stinks being a 'wounded healer' in so many ways, but it adds a level of empathy and understanding that is unsurpassed. If my doctor does ever retire, I hope to find an honest good guy like you to take over my care.

vicyvix

This is one of the reasons I want to lose weight. I'm currently at university studying medicine and once I graduate, I don't want to be one of those hypocritical doctors who is overweight or smokes (not that I ever have) because if you don't or can't live your life healthily, how can you expect your patients to!?

beckajw

Honestly? If a doctor is telling me to lose weight, eat better or whatever it is I need to do in order to be healthy and they are obese themselves why should I take their advice or even take them seriously for that matter? I don't care if your job is sedentary and you "eat bad". You're a flipping DOCTOR. You should be in shape and at least practice what you preach.

I also wouldn't take an aerobics class from an unfit instructor nor would I have a personal trainer who is "fluffy".

But, if you got cancer, would you take advice from a doctor who has never had cancer? A doctor cannot always practice what he/she preaches because they have never had the life experience. It doesn't mean they don't know what they are talking about.

What good is a skinny doctor, who has always been skinny? What if he eats doritos and chocolate bars all day long, you're still going to him because he looks the way you think he should. It doesn't mean he practices what he preaches.

hkevans724

Wouldn't bother me, now one that smoked would. I'd change doctors. My doctor is a vegetarian as I used to be and since I've had him for years he has all the stats for when I was and after I fell off.

I had one once that smoked.. he told me " you know smoking is bad right?" I said yea.. he said ok... He never harped on me for it because he knew it would be wrong. I liked him

So you're ok having a doctor who obviously doesn't care about his health let alone yours? You're going to a doctor for your check ups to make sure everything is fine, that you're doing everything right and that you're healthy. You want the doctor to "harp" on you for certain things, say if your weight is creeping up or you smoke. So would you be ok with a doctor who had high cholesterol and because yours was high but so was his it'd be ok because he didn't "harp on you" about it?

Maybe I'm in the minority here but I wouldn't want an unhealthy doctor. I can't respect someone who's telling me how to live longer, lose weight, quit smoking or whatever it is I'm trying to do and they themselves can't seem to get it right.

High cholesterol is totally different than smoking.. high cholesterol is something I may have no idea is an issue. I knew that smoking was an issue and I was doing it to myself willingly. But i was also a very young adult at the time.. I didn't want anyone harping on me. But I would rather him not be a hypocrite and tell me to quit when he himself did it. I respected his honesty and would have been more willing to listen to him since he wasn't telling me not to smoke when he himself did it. He made sure I knew the risks.

hkevans724

But on that same note, I would have never asked him how to quit smoking either! I would however have asked how to lower my cholesterol or BP or whatever...

jesspi68

They're human and have their own struggles too, including with their weight. Just because a person knows better doesn't necessarily mean that they do better. I'd be more leery of a doctor on a ridiculous fad diet than an overweight one.

This^^^ The first line in particular. They are human. We all know being overweight is bad for our health and bodies, doctor's aren't the only ones who know that, just like we (non-doctors) aren't the only ones who struggle to find time to exercise and try to resist food temptations.

00Melyanna00

I'd like to remind everybody that just because someone is overweight doesn't necessarily mean he or she is unhealthy in his or her eating habits. Some people can try everything possible to live a healthy lifestyle, and while it helps on the inside (ex. heart, blood pressure, cholesterol) it doesn't show on the scale. Genetics also play a huge role.

True!
Also, I wonder if all these posters saying they wouldn't trust an overweight doctor would do the same if the doctor was underweight.
As I wrote before, I believe that judging doctors (or any other profession!) for BOTH reasons is wrong.

What if I disagreed with both of you when you say genetics plays a huge role?

I don't know if genetics plays a huge role or not.
The parts I am agreeing with are:

> "just because someone is overweight doesn't necessarily mean he or she is unhealthy in his or her eating habits. "
> "Some people can try everything possible to live a healthy lifestyle, and while it helps on the inside (ex. heart, blood pressure, cholesterol) it doesn't show on the scale."

I am also against judging a person based on their weight or appearance in general and I know both persons that are underweight, despite their life style (and trying all they can to gain weight) and persons that are bigger than I am, but have an heathier life style.

Last thing I believe is that doctors are free to do whatever they want with their life and body, as long as they do a good job with patients and don't hurt people.

ETA: to be clearer, instead of assuming that they are bad doctors because they are obese, underweight, smokers, whatever, I think that they have made informed decisions that involve their life only and have nothing to do with me, their patients and profession.
This doesn't mean that I trust all doctors and think that they can't be wrong, just that their weight isn't a factor and doesn't increase, nor decrease the probabilty of them being good or bad doctors.

NCchar130

I'm sure doctors get fat just like the rest of this do and they know better too, just like the rest of us. Same for a doctor who smokes or whatever. It doesn't bother me. They aren't giving you their own personal best advice, they are giving you MEDICAL advice based on what is known within the field of medicine about the body, how it works, and what is best to do or not do.

I've had overweight doctors tell me I needed to lose. It didn't bother me in the slightest. It wasn't an insult, it wasn't just their personal opinion, and it has nothing to do with their own weight issues. It was medically sound advice.

opuntia

Realistically, most people do things that are not good for their health, regardless of their size. We all have unhealthy habits as well as healthy ones. It's just unfortunate that in obese people it's obvious, whereas in most other people it isn't, so obese people are more likely to be judged.

Erlkoenig

My doctor isn't *just* fat. He is Snorlax.
No kidding, he's the exact copy.

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.