How did your doctor tell you you're fat??
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'I went to my family doctor and complained that I had been steadily gaining weight over a few years, in spite of being active and going to the gym. I was 5'0 and 165 pounds.
This is exactly what happened to me too. My doctor told me to get the book 'Eat to Live' or Live to Eat or some sheet. She'd mentioned to me that my fasting blood sugar was a little on the high side, see ya next year.
And that was it. Turned off by the vegan/vegetarian/hippy diet book she tried to push off on me, rather than talk to me, I never returned.
Fast forward 10 yrs later, went to the doctor for a random belly pain after I started MFP. That's when they told me I was diabetic. After some research & well over a year of a ketogenic diet, my blood sugars are of non-diabetic levels.
My doctors had next to *nothing* to do with me getting healthy.
*hair flip* :bigsmile:0 -
Mine didn't really tell me I needed to lose weight, he just mentioned that he was going to switch my anti-depressants because he thought the one I was on was making me gain weight. He did congratulate me on losing 25+ lbs last time I was in.0
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Mine have never said one word about my being obese, ever. They really care around here...0
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OMG really every one is mad because their MD did or did not say something to them. MAYBE its not the doctors nurses or PA's.
im sorry do you guys have any idea what its like to have a patient that you honestly love and care for die because of some thing so simple ! some times you need to get some ones attention and it may be rude, or frank but im sorry if your MD cares they will be honest and sometimes mean/scary . think what its like for your doctor to see you decline at the age of 20 or 30 or 40 because of a life style choice. this is a choice! your choice ! and then to have 95% or all the people you see have the same problem !if its that obvious why hasn't it been brought up before. every day I see my doctor he weights me right off (even if I go to eat at his house with his wife) calls me chunky monkey and tells me no matter what I weigh he's disappointed because I could be better for me and my son. and i don't cry about it ! because he's right ! now that I have worked in surgery its kills me to see 16 year olds getting total knee replacements. And im sorry I tell every one you need to take care of yourself . but please stop blaming your health care. DONT SHOOT THE MESSENGER0 -
This was after I had lost about 130 lbs and was ready to begin training for my first full marathon last year.
I went in because my foot was bothering me and I wanted to make sure that the extra training wasn't going to cause me any problems...she (a rather pudgy lady) looked at me and said, "Marathon!?! Well, you're none too thin!" (I was wearing a size 4 at the time and she was probably no where close to a 4.) Then, she said, "I could do a Marathon. Not too sure about you though."
I said, "Uh-huh." and left.
My foot held up just fine and my race went great!
Do you still go to her? You should see her again after your ultra this weekend!!!0 -
I went in for a sinus infection and somehow it turned into you need to lose weight. But that's ok I was so embarrassed I actually started taking care of it after that0
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Haha!
I never went back to her. I should have gone back to show off my medal from the race or something juvenile like that but to be honest, she wasn't worth the effort.0 -
In November 2013, I weighed 384 pounds at the doctor's office. My doctor sat down across from me and told me I needed to lose some weight, the same talk we had had 6 months earlier. She told me I should work on not gainning anymore by our next appointment, that in itself would be an accomplishment.
In May 2014 when I returned to the doctor I had gained 16 pounds, 400 pounds. I know she saw in my eyes the hurt and humiliation I felt.
She sat down across from me, took my hands in hers, and asked how could she help me. I cried and we talked for awhile.
She told me about this awesome website called MyFitnessPal.com. I've logged on everyday since, good days, bad days all days. I'm so glad she did. I'm eatting healthier and I've lost some weight. I know this journey will be long and sometimes difficult, but I will succeed.
Just watch me :-)
That was sweet
I had one doctor tell me "you're obese, do you want to die?" of course I was 14.... so I cried.
Usually they don't mention it, they just put "morbidly obese" on my chart. Now that I've lost weight it's usually brought up by the nurse, congratulating me which is nice. Honestly no matter what is said in the end it's up to the patient to do something, doctors can only do so much.0 -
It was a total shock (shouldn't have been...but I digress). I was ~150lbs, 5'9" and size 10 my whole life up until college and the weight slowly crept up. I didn't ever weight myself. When I walked into his office and he brought up that I was 230 and 80 pounds overweight, I was honestly shocked. I was in TOTAL denial. I hadn't even noticed that somehow magically I was a size 18.
My doctor was nice about it, but made his point. He told me it was a problem and I was pre-diabetic. I've had sugar and iron issues all my life and to almost be diagnosed diabetic because I was obese was just scary. He recommended Weight Watchers and just regular calorie counting. No diet pills or quick fixes, he warned against them. He wanted the weight to come off at a good pace so I'd have a shot of keeping it off.
Lost almost 60 lbs in a year and totally wowed him when I went back. :happy:
Now I get to do it all over again. But this time, it's for good 0 -
Most doctors skirt the issue of a patients weight, even when its unhealthy, and I wish they wouldn't. Obviously they should not be rude about it, but raising the topic delicately would be something I would expect for any doctor fulfilling their remit. Of course the irony in what I just said, is that doctors have really big blind spot in terms of knowledge when it comes to nutrition, so while they might be well placed to flag/ identify the issue, I certainly would not regard them as the most capable in suggesting specific measures of any use in order to address the issue.
Yes...I guess Doctor's are not gods after all.
Typically, they would refer if the client has a motivation and will to get help. We would not need nutritionists if Doctors knew it all about diet.0 -
Doctors should be brutally honest... Plenty of folks out there will tell you want you want to hear. Your physician should be right to the point and use strong words.0
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Doctors should be brutally honest... Plenty of folks out there will tell you want you want to hear. Your physician should be right to the point and use strong words.
Brutally honest, but tactful. Asking one if they have rocks in their pockets when they step on the scale....not so much :laugh:0 -
In November 2013, I weighed 384 pounds at the doctor's office. My doctor sat down across from me and told me I needed to lose some weight, the same talk we had had 6 months earlier. She told me I should work on not gainning anymore by our next appointment, that in itself would be an accomplishment.
In May 2014 when I returned to the doctor I had gained 16 pounds, 400 pounds. I know she saw in my eyes the hurt and humiliation I felt.
She sat down across from me, took my hands in hers, and asked how could she help me. I cried and we talked for awhile.
She told me about this awesome website called MyFitnessPal.com. I've logged on everyday since, good days, bad days all days. I'm so glad she did. I'm eatting healthier and I've lost some weight. I know this journey will be long and sometimes difficult, but I will succeed.
Just watch me :-)
I am watchin' and wish you continued success. What a very kind doctor to have encouraged you and helped you find this site.0 -
My doctor told me, gently I may add, that I am not going to help you die. Your weight gain is causing you problems and you need to make some changes. He gave advice on how to proceed and offered support along the way.
Unfortunately, he moved away but his support continues to be felt to this day.0 -
Have not read any of the posts on this thread besides the OP. I only wish my doctor(s) would tell me that I'm overweight. I flat-out told my oncologist, "Wrong answer. NO, you are not supposed to tell me that my body wants to be at a specific weight." My take on things is that so many people are so emotionally entitled that they think they have a Constitutional right to NOT be offended by the truth. If your doctor can't level with you, who can? Get over oneself.....0
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He didn't. I worked for him and saw what he wrote in my chart. "Well nourished obese white female". I was mortified. Then my OB/GYN who panicked and tried to talk me into weight loss surgery. No thanks.0
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WTG! You are astounding!0
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Several years ago, I approached my old doctor for advice on losing weight... you know, that's what you're always told right? Talk to your doctor... but I digress... "Hey doc... I've been doing a little working out... went from whole milk to 2%... other minor changes... but want your professional opinion..." My doctor... in his infinite wisdom says... "Close your mouth." Huh? "Yeah... stop eating so much." Thanks doc.
My current doctor told me he doesn't harp on weight... if you're feeling good and getting some exercise in, then we should be on a good track. Only problem... the exit paperwork you get after the visit... always says "OVERWEIGHT" in big, bold letters. Granted, it's not the doc that's doing it, it's the program they use, but still. Passive aggressive much?0 -
One of my old doctors told me that if I didn't change I wouldn't make it to 25 or if I did I would be on all kinds of medications.0
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"Do you want to always be in pain, be unemployable, and die like your mother?"
*proceeds to prescribe things I'll never take*0 -
I had been having pain, ending up in the ER two days in a row. The ER doctors thought there was a gallstone on my gallbladder that was causing the pain. I was told to make an appointment with my regular doctor and get an ultrasound scheduled. I did, went to the Dr's appointment. Got the ultrasound.
When I went back to get my results, she told me my gallbladder had no stones on it at all, and that since my pain had gone at this point, most likely it was me passing a stone I did have.
Then she mentions to me that my liver has fatty tissue on it, and explains that when the body starts running out of places to store fat, it starts to store it on the liver. She then suggested exercising for at least 30 mins a day. (Walking, dancing ect.) Then she suggested reducing the sugar/fast food ect and more fruits and veggies. And then said to look at my life and find one other way were I think I could make a change.
Oh, and she also said "don't drink your calories".
I felt so embrassed and I wanted to smack her, but at the same time I reminded myself that this is her job and I know I need to get healthy. She wasn't rude, she just didn't sugar coat it either.0 -
My doctor was very tactful about it - when I would go in for my physical she would be like "you know your weight is a bit high" or "your weight has gone up again". Last physical she asked if I could try to at least loose 5 pounds. So I was like sure, I can do that. So in April I got a fitbit (my biggest inspiration - I paid for it so I better get results kind of thing) and so far I have lost 34 lbs. So I think she will be happy. She knows I have issues with depression and stress, and that I was very bad about doing take out for dinner and so she gave me some good food suggestions, and she is always nice about it. I think that maybe part of it is my blood pressure is low (like everyone is always shocked I weigh what I do - well did - and had such good blood pressure), and my blood work always looked good, so that is why she didn't push too much, just made helpful suggestions. I am very lucky to have found a good doctor after years of bad ones (well, and one god one who retired).0
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When I was pregnant (and on bedrest mind you) a nurse weighed me and said "Wow you're getting fat. You need to stop drinking milk.". Yeah, that didn't go over well. The OB was a quack too, I switched shortly after.0
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I can't tell you how much I want to share this thread with physicians! I'm about to start my second year of medical school, and I look around the classroom at the people who I spend every day with, and 90% of them have never been more that 3 or 4 pounds over weight in their life. Doctors often don't know how to address overweight and obese patients because they haven't ever been there. I really hope to one day be a success story for my patients - and the fact that I know what a struggle obesity is will be allow me to communicate with greater empathy.
That kind of surprises me...maybe it's just that I live in the Midwest...but honestly out of the doctors, surgeons, and NPs I know I'd say well over half are not just overweight but obese themselves.0 -
My previous doctor met me when I was 155-160 lbs.
Later that summer I dated someone who wasn't very good for me and when I went in again for a checkup, I topped the scaled at 198 lbs. That was 3 months later. He was very surprised and shocked.. he didn't have to say a word...0 -
I can't tell you how much I want to share this thread with physicians! I'm about to start my second year of medical school, and I look around the classroom at the people who I spend every day with, and 90% of them have never been more that 3 or 4 pounds over weight in their life. Doctors often don't know how to address overweight and obese patients because they haven't ever been there. I really hope to one day be a success story for my patients - and the fact that I know what a struggle obesity is will be allow me to communicate with greater empathy.
That kind of surprises me...maybe it's just that I live in the Midwest...but honestly out of the doctors, surgeons, and NPs I know I'd say well over half are not just overweight but obese themselves.
Well, keep in mind that the majority of my classmates are 22 or 23 now! I'm sure at some point in their life their metabolism will catch up with them and then they'll have no idea what to do.0 -
After I had back surgery my back doctor told me I should lose some weight. He said I will see if this other dr takes your insurance and make a referral for you. I have been going there for 6 weeks now. But it is hard to stick to the diet. I do try and stay under the calories I am suppose to. But sometimes. It is hard when you get those cravings. My doctor should be proud of me next week when I go see him. I always have stayed between 295 to 305. Now I am down to 282 Not as much as he wanted me to lose before I seen him. But almost.0
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I obviously knew I was overweight too, by about 50lbs. My doctor was not very kind about it either. I had put on that weight in a span of a year when I started feeling sluggish and fatigued constantly. I kept going to the doctor complaining that I did not feel well, never energized even when getting enough rest, and bad joint pain. He said well maybe you would feel better if you were not overweight. I tried explaining that I put on the weight as a result of not feeling well and being in joint pain 24/7. After he was rude I switched doctors and was tested and found out I have Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease. It was causing all my symptoms. Now on medication I work out and feel better, WAY better joint pain since taking this anti-inflammatory medication. Some doctors are great... Others I wonder why they are doctors. They need to work on bedside manner.0
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Well, it's that over the glasses look that one gets with a hmm, have you gone on vacation recently? Had that happen to me, but one doctor slammed dunked when she stated that she wanted to do a diabetes test, in fact it insulted me, because I was getting close to the high on my BMI.
Her comment worked, at that point I got real serious about my weight and have taken off 20 pounds with 5 more to go.0 -
When I was in my early 20's, I told my doc (who had known me all of my life) that my back was hurting. She told me it was probably because I was overweight. It hurt to hear but she was right. I eventually lost the weight, got fit, and my back never hurts anymore. Even when I lug my 2 heavy kids around.0
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