Just the irritating double-take most doctors and health professionals have given me when they find out I'm diabetic and control my diabetes with diet alone. I think being morbidly obese really shocks them. They think you have to lose weight, exercise, and be on meds to control it. The same dietitians that design the hospital's menu want to have me attend their diabetes education class. I'm tossing out their invitations all the time.

It sounds like you guys (ladies) need a new doctor. Seriously when my doctor told me about controlling my T2, he said not to worry about whether or not I lost weight until I got my diabetes under control. Do we, and should we lose weight? Yes. I'm sure it is important, but some doctors are just bullies. My psych told me I should consider gastric bypass.. I seriously told him he should be the one in my chair.

I've finally learned to be very upfront with doctors (I see a lot of them because I have AOSD, a rare chronic disease). My weight is the elephant in the room, so I use the words" morbidly obese" first and make sure they know I am in treatment for an eating disorder. Best decision I ever made was to stop going to diet programs like TOPS and Weight Watchers. Most people who are morbidly obese do have eating disorers--or at least practice disordered eating behaviors--and treatment and recovery can be an essential part of losing the weight and keeping it off.

I've fought the bariatric surgery impulse for many years, but sitting in my therapis t's office a couple of months ago, reviewing my progress and barriers and challenges, it became very clear that I am fighting my own biology: stretched out stomach from binge eating, lowered metabolism from menopause, age, and hypothyroidism, and a suitcase full of meds that cause weight gain. In therapy, I've learned not to binge, and I've learned what my triggers are for food addict behaviors. I'm still terribly obese, so to look at me you wouldn't see progress, but the reality is that after gaining 240 pounds over six years of being sick, I've managed to maintain for the past three.

Another part of my openness with doctors is to let them know that my struggles with obesity are linked to childhood trauma/sexual molestation that I kept a shameful secret until I started eating disorder treatment. There's a HUGE correlation between molestation and eating disorders.

I'm not looking for a pity party. We all have struggles and burdens. I am, however, looking for my docs to see me as a person who is trying and who has barriers rather than a. "Lazy, fat slob" who sits on the couch and eats chocolate all day.

Incidentally, I also let them know how much I exercise (and sometimes whip out my phone b to show video of me doing laps in the pool--I'm an amazing swimmer).