The Role of Doctors in Weight Loss
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I like my Family Practitioner overall. If I ask for a referral, she'll happily write one and explain why it's to that person and if I need something different, come back and we'll try something else.
As for weight loss, pretty much all we've talked about is that I should lose some. The 1st part of 2015 was just miserable for me (I started crying in her office in April or so) so she didn't push it at that appointment.0 -
After my GP retired last year I found a new doctor on the younger side. When I woke up one morning last December and discovered someone had replaced me with a nearly obese person I made an appt because clearly there was something terribly wrong with me (hahaha). He sat me down and told me he would run all the blood work, but most likely I was overeating by as little as75 to 100 calories a day based on the10 pounds I had gained since my last appointment the previous year. Yep, he was pretty much bang on. Then he encouraged me to come back on MFP, computed my calories for me and recommended protein and fat limits with carbs falling where they may. He also helped me choose a goal weight in the middle of the healthy BMI range, and encouraged me to start doing some form of exercise especially due to my age and losing muscle mass as it was. I also have developed a huge sensitivity to sodium, despite good BP, so he ran some kidney function tests to make sure I wasn't developing another type of issue responsible for the weight gain and water retention issues.
When he had me come back in 3 months to check in, I had lost nearly20 of my30 pounds. He went over my food diary, adjusted my calorie plan and was thrilled with my progress. In another 3 months I had reached my goal weight and have been maintaining that for 2 months now. I was thrilled with his knowledge and caring, and have seen his advice mirrored here many times over. Who knows, maybe this is where he learned it LOL.
When my oldest son was in high school, his pediatrician broached the subject of weight loss and had us start counting calories the old fashioned way looking everything up in a little book and keeping a notebook. (apps and weight loss websites were just a science fiction novelty way back then)
My youngest son has down syndrome and thyroid issues both of which lead to weight issues. His endocrinologist is one of his biggest champions, and is always supportive and offering suggestions and advice to keep his weight in line and activity level up.
Maybe our health plan just focuses on weight loss and fitness more than others. They have all kinds of seminars, webinars, classes and online information for us to access if we need to. I haven't found any of the doctors I deal with to be clueless, but if I had one that was(not just on weight loss but anything I had going on) I would do my best to find someone new I felt I could trust.0 -
BradandLibby wrote: »I know I need to lose weight, a lot of weight. I balked going to the doctor because I didn't want to be lectured and I didn't want to be weighed (the ostrich mentality.). When I finally went, I told the doctor I hated getting weighed and he said I could just decline. I didn't know I could do that! It was a fabulous realization.
And just this past week, after losing 20 pounds using MFP, my doctor walked into the room and immediately said "You've lost weight!" Then he looked at the chart to confirm (unfortunately the chart has a lower weight loss because I stopped weighing for awhile.) And this is the reason I love my doctor: he knew not to lecture me about my weight but he was also very appreciative when I did lose some.
I got weighed for years with my back turned to the scale and told them that I didn't want to know.
Weight's sort of an important thing for the doctor to know, even if you don't want to. My doctor always respected my wishes.
It was only when my medical situation worsened that the issue of my weight finally came up.
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What one of my friends did when she went to the Dr and didn't want to get weighed was have the Dr weigh her and log it so they know it but not tell her what it was. Even if you don't want to know what it is your Dr should know it if even just for helping decide dosages of meds.
My doctor's office always weight us first thing. For years I declined because I knew I was gaining weight and just didn't want to face it. Now, it's okay--I immediately step on the scale and it is what it is.0 -
This is also why the GP population is dwindling. No glory, no money, all grief. You don't need a GP for this other than to confirm you are healthy enough to start an exercise program.
There is simply too much information for one person to know - the purpose of a generalist is to point you in the right direction and assemble the data for a proper comprehensive diagnosis.0 -
Lol, my previous doctor asked me how to lose weight.
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Now that obesity is listed as a chronic health condition, I predict that family doctors are going to get more education on it.0
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kshama2001 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »My parents moved and found new doctors quite easily too. My mother's was a referral due to specific health issues, but my dad just found a GP with the same practice.
Then your parents were lucky too.
There really are places where GP shortages exist (like where I live, or some rural areas).
Ya, I'm with the VA and we didn't have a GYN for three counties in Florida for a few years and when we did get one, he sucked. (The people who filled in before he arrived were quite good, however.) I'm in Massachusetts now and the GYN I have now is marginally better. I'm not sure if I have a choice in primary, but if I was able to see someone else, I'd have to go up to Boston. My primary is ok, however.
That's a huge problem with the VA - they tend to forget they need to take care of women, too. When I had my son while my husband was in the Navy we had to go to the civilian hospital because the VA didn't have an OB/GYN on staff, or even maternity facilities.0 -
. She said, "losing weight isn't about not having the burrito, it's about having half and saving the rest for another day."
This actually pretty much sums it up. Portion control and volume control. Isn't that what CICOZ is all about? (But I don't blame u for wanting a little more guidance from doc.
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This is also why the GP population is dwindling. No glory, no money, all grief. You don't need a GP for this other than to confirm you are healthy enough to start an exercise program.
There is simply too much information for one person to know - the purpose of a generalist is to point you in the right direction and assemble the data for a proper comprehensive diagnosis.
Agree, ideally, that's how it would work. They're (ideally) good for that and for common, easily resolved issues.
One problem, as people have said, is that in many places, for many problems, there just isn't anyone a GP can refer a patient to. There's also a shortage of rheumatologists, where I live, for e.g., probably also bc it's low-paying, and bc like general practice, it's a specialism that requires ongoing relationships with patients who do not always get better. Doctors like to be helpful in practical ways, they like to solve problems. There's more money in surgical specialties, none of the aggravation of dealing with actual people (just organs or structures), and things are easily fixed (or not, and then they just move on). So the GPs do their best to step up in the gap. (Being charitable here.)
The most important thing a GP can do is listen to their patients, communicate with them - work towards a good relationship that's as mutual as possible, which also invites patients to be more proactive. That's how they get the data for many of the chronic conditions from which people suffer.
I mean that's completely theoretical for me, I am on the lookout for another doctor, because mine does none of those things - only rarely even tells me what the diagnosis is, why it's there, or what the idea is for fixing it, just shoves a prescription into my hand. Literally, it's like there's the evaluation and then "ok, take this". No time for elaboration on what "this" is. It's also amazing to me that there's this incredible efficiency during my appointment, because I've never waited for less than an hour in the waiting room, two isn't unusual.
But also for weight loss etc., there isn't often the infrastructure for that (e.g. team of dieticians & counsellors), at least not where I am.0 -
This is also why the GP population is dwindling. No glory, no money, all grief. You don't need a GP for this other than to confirm you are healthy enough to start an exercise program.
There is simply too much information for one person to know - the purpose of a generalist is to point you in the right direction and assemble the data for a proper comprehensive diagnosis.
Ahree about need for a GP unless theres a serious reason and then you can put it to them. I think GPs salaries will vary enormously by country. In the UK there are often a lot of female GPs as its a job they cna do part time. Its suprisingly well paid.
Do you people in the US have to pay for every visit/ consultation?0 -
. She said, "losing weight isn't about not having the burrito, it's about having half and saving the rest for another day."
This actually pretty much sums it up. Portion control and volume control. Isn't that what CICOZ is all about? (But I don't blame u for wanting a little more guidance from doc. )
This was a general conversation during a routine visit for something else. Nothing more was said about it after that.
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It's now officially a disease (I think? Unless that's changed back)0 -
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This is also why the GP population is dwindling. No glory, no money, all grief. You don't need a GP for this other than to confirm you are healthy enough to start an exercise program.
There is simply too much information for one person to know - the purpose of a generalist is to point you in the right direction and assemble the data for a proper comprehensive diagnosis.
Ahree about need for a GP unless theres a serious reason and then you can put it to them. I think GPs salaries will vary enormously by country. In the UK there are often a lot of female GPs as its a job they cna do part time. Its suprisingly well paid.
Do you people in the US have to pay for every visit/ consultation?
Technically, yes. But it depends on the insurance provider. Some allow for a free physical exam every year, some do wellness visits for free. Otherwise, most insurance plans have a deductible amount where all medical costs incurred are paid by the patient, then a percentage of all medical costs is covered until an out-of-pocket limit is met, and then the insurance plan covers all costs.
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This is also why the GP population is dwindling. No glory, no money, all grief. You don't need a GP for this other than to confirm you are healthy enough to start an exercise program.
There is simply too much information for one person to know - the purpose of a generalist is to point you in the right direction and assemble the data for a proper comprehensive diagnosis.
Ahree about need for a GP unless theres a serious reason and then you can put it to them. I think GPs salaries will vary enormously by country. In the UK there are often a lot of female GPs as its a job they cna do part time. Its suprisingly well paid.
Do you people in the US have to pay for every visit/ consultation?
Not sure how it is now (haven't lived in US for 14 years), but back then, yes you had to pay for every visit and every prescription. I'm not sure how insurance worked for coverage because I couldn't afford it. I had to chose between buy meds or paying the doctor. The clinic would at least send me a bill each month.0 -
I'm a nurse and know how little education med students get re: nutrition. It's always made me not depend on them for sound advice. I had one doctor in another state, who told me I had a high BMI, told me to lose weight, but not what the numbers meant or how to do it. Somehow I was down a few pounds on the next visit and she was so happy. Of course I gained it back the visit after and she actually yelled at me like she was yelling at a child. I left that practice and found someone else. Where I am now, the practice I use also has one of those low-cal MD supervised diets, the original doctor I saw told me about it and offered it, but I declined. She never pushed the issue. She's gone and I use another doctor in the same practice. He's clueless to the nutrition part, but supportive of the weight I've lost and how I'm sticking with it. That's fine. I know if I need help, I check in with the registered dietician at the wellness center I go to. Most of my success is because I spend lots of time here, I click on links I see in the forums, (remembering to take some of it with a grain of salt), I read the blogs and posts that MFP puts on my Facebook wall and have educated myself to the point where half-a$$ed advice by an MD doesn't mean anything. That's okay, I was morbidly obese and am now 10 lbs away from being "normal weight."0
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I stopped prodding my doc for help losing weight a long time ago. "Don't eat so much fried food" does not constitute weight loss advice, especially when he never bothered to find out how much fried food I was eating. I took his "There's nothing wrong with you except that you're too heavy," found myself on MFP, and have been losing ever since.0
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This is also why the GP population is dwindling. No glory, no money, all grief. You don't need a GP for this other than to confirm you are healthy enough to start an exercise program.
There is simply too much information for one person to know - the purpose of a generalist is to point you in the right direction and assemble the data for a proper comprehensive diagnosis.
Ahree about need for a GP unless theres a serious reason and then you can put it to them. I think GPs salaries will vary enormously by country. In the UK there are often a lot of female GPs as its a job they cna do part time. Its suprisingly well paid.
Do you people in the US have to pay for every visit/ consultation?
Not sure how it is now (haven't lived in US for 14 years), but back then, yes you had to pay for every visit and every prescription. I'm not sure how insurance worked for coverage because I couldn't afford it. I had to chose between buy meds or paying the doctor. The clinic would at least send me a bill each month.
I live in the U.S. and have a co-pay for every single visit under my health insurance plan through work.0 -
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Obesity is now listed as a disease by the AMA (2013).
http://articles.latimes.com/2013/jun/18/science/la-sci-obesity-disease-201306190 -
This is also why the GP population is dwindling. No glory, no money, all grief. You don't need a GP for this other than to confirm you are healthy enough to start an exercise program.
There is simply too much information for one person to know - the purpose of a generalist is to point you in the right direction and assemble the data for a proper comprehensive diagnosis.
Ahree about need for a GP unless theres a serious reason and then you can put it to them. I think GPs salaries will vary enormously by country. In the UK there are often a lot of female GPs as its a job they cna do part time. Its suprisingly well paid.
Do you people in the US have to pay for every visit/ consultation?
Depends on your insurance, traditionally. I had a small co-pay (good insurance through work). Now with the new health insurance laws routine care is supposed to be 100% covered, so they can't require a co-pay (which I have some issues with, but they are off topic).0 -
This is also why the GP population is dwindling. No glory, no money, all grief. You don't need a GP for this other than to confirm you are healthy enough to start an exercise program.
There is simply too much information for one person to know - the purpose of a generalist is to point you in the right direction and assemble the data for a proper comprehensive diagnosis.
Ahree about need for a GP unless theres a serious reason and then you can put it to them. I think GPs salaries will vary enormously by country. In the UK there are often a lot of female GPs as its a job they cna do part time. Its suprisingly well paid.
Do you people in the US have to pay for every visit/ consultation?
Technically, yes. But it depends on the insurance provider. Some allow for a free physical exam every year, some do wellness visits for free. Otherwise, most insurance plans have a deductible amount where all medical costs incurred are paid by the patient, then a percentage of all medical costs is covered until an out-of-pocket limit is met, and then the insurance plan covers all costs.
By law, all ACA-compliant major medical plans in the USA have to cover wellness checks (including things like immunizations) at 100%. From there, though, things can get crazy fast. I work for a company that does benefit enrollments for nationwide corporations, unions, and municipalities, so I see plans that run the gamut. Living in a society that has a for-profit health system is maddening.0 -
My doctor told me to stop counting calories. He said that with all the exercising I do it I should be fine. I just need to stick to three meals aday.
And that if my husband is happy with my body there's no need to go on a diet?!!
From that I took away the cut down to three meals aday!!0 -
My Dr Is pretty good. He refers me to specialist when he can not handle something himself. When it came to weight loss he set up with a weight loss education program covered by my insurance. The class is very in line with what most people preach on MFP. When I first started losing weight my doctor ran a bunch of blood tests just to make sure I didn't have any diseases since i was loosing at the top end of the safe amount to loose.0
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Every time I go to make an appointment, the triage nurse at my doctor's office argues with me on whether or not I actually need an appointment. For instance, I donated blood and got a really bad rash as the bruise was healing. The rash was only in the spot where the bruise had been, and the bruise was turning yellow and appeared to be healing well. When I called to make an appointment, the response was "I don't know what you want us to do, the rash should go away on it's own" Thanks Captain Obvious, I was kinda hoping you could tell me why it was there in the first place. There's a shortage around here, and since I'm on Medicaid it makes it even harder to switch.0
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cupcakesplz wrote: »My doctor told me to stop counting calories. He said that with all the exercising I do it I should be fine. I just need to stick to three meals aday.
And that if my husband is happy with my body there's no need to go on a diet?!!
From that I took away the cut down to three meals aday!!
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