I'm a GP. Medical professionals do NOT need to talk about your weight. [Says, "Weight-loss is not necessary to improve physical health."]

MamaMia ^ | 10/10/2022 | Dr Lynda-Rose Chapeyama

[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.

[DannyTN]

[LouAvul]

My regular diet is pretty plain, so it’s a small adjustment for me

You've just contradicted yourself. A "plain" diet is not "delicious." (Your original contention.)

And a bodybuilder's lifestyle is not sustainable. It destroys one's health and physical well being. The human body was not designed to endure that level of punishment.

And, if you were a true bodybuilder (which, I doubt) you would have consumed professional level steroids. And those are positively toxic.

[mewzilla]

Weight loss is not automatically required for good health.

Not short term, perhaps.

But it is long term. And the longer you keep it on, the harder it is to take off.

[Jonty30]

I write one thought at a time. I don’t write reams of information that will cover every possible response in a single post.

I haven’t contradicted myself at all. I simply filled out my thoughts in later posts.

Is it normal for you to stop conversations, run home, read every book on a topic, read all of Wikipedia, get a four year degree and then come back and continue the conversation where you left because you can finally say everything at once?

I can live on a bodybuilding diet of chicken, rice and vegetables. I know this, because that is a normal diet for me.

It’s all about the calories. I simply shared what bodybuilders do in general and that is doable by everybody. Bodybuilders may take it to extremes, but their method of burning is a doable option because it is all about the calories

Cut the carbs, keep your protein up and equal calories in fat. I said that.

Do you need me be as anal as you are to prove my point?

[Jonty30]

For the record, the only thing I do different is that I have jam on bread.

[Disambiguator]

You mean Stacey “M1” Abrams?

[Hojczyk]

There is a difference in being five pounds over weight and twenty five…

It is not hard to lose weight…eat right and exercise….

If your over weight get a job at Walmart collecting carts…you will get paid for losing weight…

[Disambiguator]

I worked for FedEx in a previous lifetime. Ate like a horse but weighed 165 pounds (at 6’ 3”).