Support?
I can't stand thin people who don't understand overweight people. If you have been thin your entire life and have not had to work too hard to maintain it, PLEASE don't judge people who have battled weight their entire lives. Not everyone is built the same, and some people are much more prone to weight gain then others. Some people were taught bad habits and find it very difficult to change them later in life. Other people don't have the resources to lose weight. I'm sorry, but if you're poor, you're going to spend $2.00 on a McDonalds extra value meal that will fill you up for the night, versus $8.00 on a salad that will leave you hungry in a few hours. That's the reality.
The reason I am in a tizzy about this is that lately I have been studying the field of weight loss support as it pertains to physicians, and I have been amazed at what I've found out. I think the most shocking thing of all is the study that I read that surveyed a large group of physicians about their attitudes towards overweight patients. Over half of the doctors surveyed attributed the weight problem to "psychological problems". When asked to supply adjectives describing their overweight patients, over half choose descriptions such as awkward, unattractive, ugly, and noncompliant. And these are the people who are SUPPOSED to be helping them and on their side. I can't even imagine what it must be like for patients battling weight problems trying to get medical care - they are probably afraid that their doctor will blame them for their illnesses.
Another thing that has gotten me on this topic is my experience with some students who are involved in helping some patients lose weight. I was excited to be working with them, but lately some things they say make me wonder if they harbor the same negative stereotypes that the surveyed physicians had. When I suggested a grocery shopping trip where we could go shopping with these patients and help them find healthy choices for their groceries, one guy joked, "Yeah, show them where the produce aisle is". I know he was kidding, but this seemed so insensitive - do they really think it is that easy to lose weight? Like all these patients are sitting on the couch doing nothing but eating cupcakes and potato chips, and just need to toss in a few heads of lettuce and all is fixed?
And of course, there is always the risk that I am just as bad. I've never had a serious weight problem - just the occasional vanity weight loss of 5 or 10 pounds here and there. In general, I've been on the smaller side and haven't had to deal with the kind of prejudice and animosity the overweight are subjected to. Can I really say that I understand what an overweight person is going through, or how hard it is for them to make these changes? Can any physician truly help in this situation, or does nagging your patient about weight loss just make them less likely to seek medical care when they are ill?
I'll keep you updated on how the project goes. Wish all of us luck!
The reason I am in a tizzy about this is that lately I have been studying the field of weight loss support as it pertains to physicians, and I have been amazed at what I've found out. I think the most shocking thing of all is the study that I read that surveyed a large group of physicians about their attitudes towards overweight patients. Over half of the doctors surveyed attributed the weight problem to "psychological problems". When asked to supply adjectives describing their overweight patients, over half choose descriptions such as awkward, unattractive, ugly, and noncompliant. And these are the people who are SUPPOSED to be helping them and on their side. I can't even imagine what it must be like for patients battling weight problems trying to get medical care - they are probably afraid that their doctor will blame them for their illnesses.
Another thing that has gotten me on this topic is my experience with some students who are involved in helping some patients lose weight. I was excited to be working with them, but lately some things they say make me wonder if they harbor the same negative stereotypes that the surveyed physicians had. When I suggested a grocery shopping trip where we could go shopping with these patients and help them find healthy choices for their groceries, one guy joked, "Yeah, show them where the produce aisle is". I know he was kidding, but this seemed so insensitive - do they really think it is that easy to lose weight? Like all these patients are sitting on the couch doing nothing but eating cupcakes and potato chips, and just need to toss in a few heads of lettuce and all is fixed?
And of course, there is always the risk that I am just as bad. I've never had a serious weight problem - just the occasional vanity weight loss of 5 or 10 pounds here and there. In general, I've been on the smaller side and haven't had to deal with the kind of prejudice and animosity the overweight are subjected to. Can I really say that I understand what an overweight person is going through, or how hard it is for them to make these changes? Can any physician truly help in this situation, or does nagging your patient about weight loss just make them less likely to seek medical care when they are ill?
I'll keep you updated on how the project goes. Wish all of us luck!
posted by Katie Grouse at 6:53 PM
3 Comments:
Thank you Katie for this blog. Some of us with weight problems do have medical reasons for the problem. Not all of us "fat" people eat McDonalds all day long and do know what produce is. My favorite food is a nice crisp, salad full of veggies and a little vinegar for dressing. I just want to express my "kudos" for your recognition of this "problem".
Sounds like an interesting project to work on. Try to get as much good experience out of it as you can, even if it means learning how not to think about overweight patients as demonstrated by your colleagues, and don't dwell too much on the insensitivities and prejudices of those who style themselves as being there to help. Your next post is about Gallows humor, but in a way that's what this is too - doctors have always poked fun at patients or their conditions in order to cope with a very difficult job, treating sick people and seeing them die everyday.
just the fact that you are noticing this means that you're less likely to run into those same problems... most of those people don't even think twice about what they say/think/do in that situation. I can tell you that not only are overweight people sometimes "probably afraid that their doctor will blame them for their illnesses" but better yet - some of them get really angry that the doctor won't even listen to them because the doctor already has decided it's a weight problem or it's a psychological problem and as a result some doctors leave other medical conditions untreated for years. seriously.
example: my mom went in complainig of back problems. the Dr's answer? lose 20 pounds. later that day, she realized she'd fallen down the stairs. *that* was why her back hurt. no the extra 20 pounds...
another example:
hypothyroidism. I'm sure you've studied that, right? not a willpower problem. not a psychological problem. she could have eaten waaaaaaaay less than any of the rest of us and she would *still* have gained weight. instead the doctor says "quit telling me what's wrong with you. i can't listen to any more symptoms. you just need to lose some weight" yeah. real cool.
grrrrr.....
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