Primary Care Provider, Physical & Weight Management

I have a PCP that does pretty much everything unless I need a specialist including OBGYN stuff. But she is NOT a specialist in weight management. So, I asked for a referral to a Dietitian, which she happily provided. Also learned later, that the services of the Dietitian are FREE to patients of my PCP.

I have a separate gyno for my annual there. I do all my weight management with the obesity center from the local hospital. My pcp (or network of doctors) I go to for all the other stuff (which is hardly ever).

I have a PCP but go very rarely and never went while in the midst of my big weight loss.

I do see my OB/GYN annually. He never noticed or asked about my weight loss. The first year, I had lost 25 or 30 pounds by the time I saw him and I mentioned it. The second year I had lost 52 pounds total by the time I saw him and he never said anything and I didn't either. Last year I said something about the remaining fat/stretched skin on my stomach and he said that it is common after a large weight loss and I should consider plastic surgery. That's all we've talked about it.

I have a PCP, but only because my insurance requires it. I plan to get a physical this year, but haven't had one in a very long time. I have no chronic health issues that need management. I do get annual gyn exams.

I haven't talked to either one about weight loss. When I've done that in the past, all they say is "eat less." Yes. I know that part. But how to make it stick. That's the mystery (now resolved, thanks to MFP and my own self-experimentation).

I have a PCP. Despite that, I didn't really use my PCP for weight stuff, because that's contrary to my personality (which is not necessarily an ideal approach, but I don't think involving my doctor or an RD would have been helpful for me, as I really am someone who -- for something like this -- needs to figure things out for myself and feel like I am following my own plan based on my own knowledge). Basically, I blew off routine checkups during the period when I was obese (I wasn't obese all that long and I am someone who would go like every other year or so, often longer, even before) because I was embarrassed about it and didn't want to be told how bad it was when I already knew (I am sure I blew up in my mind how embarrassing it would be). I also had in my mind that I knew how to deal with it and would do so myself. I finally went back when I had started to do something about it, and she brought up that I was overweight/obese and I said I knew and explained what I was doing and she thought it sounded reasonable and my tests were all good anyway. Then a year later when she saw me and I was much thinner (well into normal weight) she asked me all these questions to make sure I was taking a healthy approach and then just said "good job." On the OBGYN thing we can choose to have two separate doctors or just use our PCP.

I have a couple of chronic illnesses that weren't caused by weight but are made worse by excess weight (hypothyroidism and asthma), plus I had gestational diabetes twice and have a strong family history of T2 and heart disease. So I see my pcp every year. When I was obese she didn't bring it up much, except the year that my bmi hit 35. She mentioned that my a1c was still normal but creeping up, and that weight loss would help, and she mentioned the mindful eating seminar that the medical group offered, but that was it. My hdl was low, and she recommended eating more oats and salmon without telling me that exercise and weight loss would also raise it.

After I started losing weight she was more interested. She asked what method I've been using, my rate of loss, etc. She's put in a standing order for testing my thyroid levels because for me losing weight has affected my levels. So she wants me to retest every 10 pounds I lose.

Since I just moved, I'm going to a new PCP on Wednesday. I'm hoping she's already gotten my records from my previous doc so I don't have to go over everything again. I plan to talk to her about my weight, my calorie goals, etc. I've never had this insurance before (Aetna) so I'm not sure if my PCP will be my one-stop for everything (gyno, etc) or if I'll have to have multiple providers, but I'll find out more on Wednesday!

I have a PCP and my annual physical when I was 38 is what gave me the shove to change the way I was living. He didn't really help with the weight loss aspect...most GP's really aren't going to be well versed enough with that...but he monitored my blood work regularly, etc and knew I was going about things differently.

My GP has his own small private practice, so I only see him...he's also a cycling enthusiast and triathlete and many of his patients are high end athletes or recreational athletes which is nice because he can look at various injuries I've had a little differently and can make suggestions to correct things that may be causing them.

BuffingButtons wrote: »

I'm curious how many of you have paired weight loss/maintenance/gain with conversations with your Primary Care Provider? How many of you actually have a PCP? And if you have a PCP, it is the same doctor you see every time? Most facilities have a fleet of doctors and they just schedule you with the next available one when you call. If you have a PCP, do you feel your relationship with them has produced favorable results for whatever weight management program you use?

I have my annual physical this Friday. I haven't had a physical in so long I forgot what entailed. I had to Google it so I can be prepared. I get my well-woman's exam annually, but by an OBGYN for that. How many women out there have separate providers for that? Or, do you do it during the physical with your PCP?

One of the benefits to the physical, I think, is the blood test. I'm curious about my cholesterol results. I think the cholesterol results would have a direct impact on weight loss/management/gain.

Just curious if anyone has paired their weight goals with their PCP.

Yes, my PCP has been involved in every step of my weight loss, but then again my PCP is awesome and we communicate electronically often (a service that the entire practice uses).

Yes I see a separate OBGYN for woman's health and she is fantastic as well. She cheered me on with weight loss.

I have a PCP whom I see at least every 6 months, because the practice requires that I get my levothyroxine (hypothyroid med) prescription via an office visit. He's kind of an unusual guy, smart and rather formal, from a culture other than my own.

Since I have a bulldozer personality , I use my 15 minutes to "ask" him to do things I want (sleep clinic referrals, extra blood tests on top of the routine TSH, specialist referrals, etc.) He also thinks of things he believes I should do, and they're usually good ideas. I like him, and appreciate him.

That said, his only role in my weight loss was indirect: He kept looking unhappy over my blood lipids, and trying to get me to reconsider statins. I figure I lost enough cognitive ability to chemotherapy (breast cancer), and I don't need to lose more to statins, so I kept refusing.

Various changes in what I eat made minimal improvements (some, though), then I went through gallbladder surgery for adenomyomatosis (no stones) and got a really ugly pathology report afterward (yes, I always get copies of all my lab and path reports). Lots of inflammatory/cholesterol-damage kind of stuff in it. Freakin' holes in my gallbladder - yeesh!

That was kind of the last straw for me. I started losing weight. (I'd been athletically active for over a decade, so it was all about eating.) After I'd lost 20-30 pounds or so, we talked about my plans, and he said he was OK as long as I stayed in my BMI range (heh). The next time I went in, I was a few pounds above the bottom of my BMI range (like 118 at 5'5") and he kind of freaked out about how much I'd lost. Go figure!

So, to your other points:

I have an OB/GYN (who periodically inspects my lady parts), an oncologist or three, a bone density specialist doc, a retinologist/ophthalmologist, a cataract-surgeon/ophthalmologist, a D.O. who does magic stuff to my back every 6 weeks or so, an orthopedic guy for my evil knee, and most recently a dermatologist. Most of them are recurring visits. There have also been some surgeons (regular and laparoscopic) and gastroenterologists along the way, plus the sleep-clinic guys (pulmonologists, I think), and I'm probably forgetting some. Aging is a doctor-vacation-fund improvement project. (I'm 61.)

Blood tests: TSH every 6 months because I'm hypothyroid, blood lipids (cholesterol & friends) most of those times, and random other stuff that either I or the doc have whims about (vitamin D, vitamin B12, liver panel on account of the cancer thing, etc.)

Weight loss and cholesterol: Before weight loss, my cholesterol was 230. A year later, at 54 pounds down, it dropped to 176. Some other changes in the same tests: Triglycerides went from 193 to 82 (they'd actually been over 400 on one earlier test). HDL went from 45 to 65, LDL from 146 to 95, VLDL from 39 to 16, and Chol/HDL ratio from 5.1 to 2.7. My blood pressure went from 140/80 (and up) to 110/64.

Now, in weight maintenance, these changes are sticking around, and HDL has improved a little more. Note that this was all from weight loss: I was already very physically active, already eating better quality stuff (just way too much), and wasn't on any cholesterol or BP meds.

i see one doc for everything, short of surgery (never had one) or hospital stays (never been admitted).

the benefits of direct care LOLOLOL i an see her as many times as i want, and it doesnt cost me anything extra. I see her on average maybe 2-3 times a year, and sometimes i happen to see/chat with her when i pick up meds (cheaper through her for most of them than at the pharmacy). if i have a question or concern, i email or text her, and i have a personal response within a couple of hours.