Posted on 11/02/2022 6:57:22 PM PDT by simpson96
As a specialist GP working in Melbourne, I read Claire Murphy’s article about being fat shamed last week and instantly felt sad, but not surprised.
I read her words slowly – twice over in fact - and listened to her tell her story on the podcast. Then I took a deep breath and walked away from my laptop to collect my thoughts, and acknowledge the emotions swirling in my head and my heart.
“I know medical professionals need to talk about weight.”
Those are Claire’s words – and they were ringing in my ears.
But as a GP who has had the privilege to care for patients of all shapes, and sizes, and as an individual in a larger body myself who has been fat-shamed by colleagues - I do not agree.
Medical professionals do NOT need to talk about your weight.
Medical professionals need to talk about ways to improve your overall health and wellbeing.
Your health and wellbeing are NOT THE SAME THING as your weight.
Weight-loss is not necessary to improve physical health.
Weight-loss is not necessary to improve emotional and psychological wellbeing.
(Excerpt) Read more at mamamia.com.au ...
smh
Gluttony leads to sloth. Both are deadly sins.
That's a fact. They might live into their 80's but it's rare to see them living into their 90's.
I can't verify this but I think one pound of fat has about a mile of blood vessels in it which is just that much more for the heart to pump 24/7. Then there's the medical issues that can develop over time from being 'obese'. More than just fat.
I was out for a bicycle ride the other day and this guy who had to be in his late 80's to early 90's passed me on his bicycle like I was sitting still. He was quite lean. Appeared to be all muscle and bone with little to no fat so he had the muscle tone and the light weight to power on by me easily.
No, but you can improve it more by maintaining a healthy weight.
I’ll give her that being a decent weight is no guarantee of being healthy.
The person who can eat with impunity and not put on weight isn’t necessarily eating well, nor exercising enough.
However, being overweight comes with its own innate health issues, with a high propensity towards diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc.
It’s irresponsible to not advise someone to lose weight. And it can be done without guilt tripping them. The causes for the weight gain need to be addressed for the weight loss to be successful.
My health insurance goes up cause of the obese..and then there’s all the disability claims my taxes pay for
fat people...cry me a river
5 years from now: “Obese MD who said being fat is just fine dies of cardiac arrest”
My endocrinologist is angry that young women’s health is being neglected as they gain lots of weight and no one tries to help them lose it and regain their health. There is much she can do to help, but they need to come get it, and not listen to those who say it doesn’t matter. Obesity matters.
There should be no fat “shaming”, but being obese causes many health problems, and those it doesn’t cause it makes worse. To deny this is to deny reality itself. Does she really want to argue someone having terrible back pain or knee pain, for example, caused by excess weight would not have a higher quality of life by losing said weight? Headaches from blood pressure being too high? Lowering risk of heart attacks and strokes? Not having to prick your fingers regularly to check blood sugar? Taking less pills each day and spending less money on healthcare overall? The list goes on and on the things that can go away or never materialize to begin with by not being obese.
For years, I’ve been told that a person’s proper weight needed to be known in order to prescribe the correct amount of medication. For years, I’ve been told that obesity and a person’s BMI value was an indicator as to future health problems such as diabetes, heart problems, poor circulation, and Cholesterol levels. I remember a few short years ago when schools were weighing children and sending home concerning notes as to them being two pounds overweight. Remember those?
Now, I’m being told that your weight has nothing to do with your overall health and your physician has no need of that information? Well, knock me over with a feather (Oh wait. You can’t because I’m 10 pounds over my preferred weight—you will have to use Pelosi’s magic hammer to take me out).
Tomorrow, those snicker bars and large ice cream tubs are returning to their most favored place in my kitchen freezer! They have been dearly missed!
By all means…let’s not talk about the thing that could virtually eliminate most health problems. That might hurt someone’s feelings.
Trust me, as a fat guy for a lot of my life…I was aware I was fat. What was missing was a practical description of what needed to be done to get fit. Sure…stop eating. But it’s a bit more involved—although not more complicated.
People don’t want to stop eating their food. I guarantee you, you could be just as satisfied with eating what you want…just half the portions.
Future doctor who will lose weight AFTER her stroke or heart attack.
Had a good doctor acquaintance who was obese, he said “ya gotta’ enjoy your life” when I mentioned that his 3 bacon ,2 egg, hash brown breakfast seemed a bit large...when he developed prostate cancer, he lost lots of weight like a champ. Al Sharpton comes to mind. Doctor survived the cancer.
It’s the serotonin boost that you get from eating carbs that makes it so difficult to give up some food.
I’m one of those females who doesn’t like to cook and basically forgets to eat. Can only eat twice a day and weigh 116.
My daughter inherited the cooking gene from, I think, my dad who had many restaurants and loved to cook. She weighs twice what I weigh though 2 inches shorter. Healthy as can be, but I do wish she’d lose that weight.
I love the idea of losing a pound a month. Will tell her about it when I see her Sunday.
One thing you can do is pre-cook. If you cook 9 suppers, one day per week, and freeze them, you’ll have an extra supper on your next cooking day.
Do another 9 meals, and you will have 2 extra suppers on your next cooking day. Eventually, if you do this, you can a different supper every night and only have to cook once per week.
If it’s a lifestyle, nobody needs to be in a hurry to lose weight. You just have to be consistent on what you are doing. :)
I’m obese and gaining fast since I injured myself and haven’t exercised in over a year. Some white crosses under the supervision of my doctor would be a groove, but doctors can’t do that since the war on some drugs ramped up fifty years ago.
You mean there is nothing wrong with my 350 lb diabetes Dr. telling me to eat carbs with every meal? When is the fat peoples marathon. I think I can compete in that!
Ex bodybuilder here. You don’t know what you’re talking about. Nothing “delicious” about a bodybuilder’s diet. Plus, it demands almost masochistic devotion.
I’ve had the bodybuilder diet and I didn’t mind it a bit myself. My regular diet is pretty plain, so it’s a small adjustment for me.
However, somebody who is trying to lose weight doesn’t need the same level of devotion as a bodybuilder. They only need to cut their calories, mostly on the carbs and keep the protein and fat up until they start to lose weight.
That’s really all I said there.
If you read my later post, I also said that bodybuilders themselves are pretty miserable when they are trying to get cut because they can’t eat what they want and they can’t eat as much as they want.
I did say that.
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