|
medpundit |
||
 |
 |
|
Thursday, July 03, 2003A few weeks ago you mentioned several people who had been berated by their doctors for being overweight. I used to have that problem. I had a doctor who was, or at least looked like, a marathon runner. One time I went to see him, and his first comment was "Why haven't you lost weight?". I switched doctors shortly after that. Now, I have found the ultimate solution to the problem of being harassed about my weight by my doctor: my current doctor is fatter than I am. He does mention that I should lose weight, exercise and so on, but he doesn't lecture me. I realize that this is not an ideal solution, and not everyone can use it (for example, does my doctor have a doctor who is heavier than he is? If so, what about that doctor, and so on.) However, I have realized that, at age 55, I will never again be thin, and stressing about it won't help. My doctor does not lecture me about losing weight. He mentions it, and I know that it is a good idea, and he leaves it at that. Even thin and fit doctors can follow this model for counseling. I learned long ago that gentle reminders work much better than harangues for issues like smoking cessation and alocohol abuse. The same goes for obesity and weight loss. You can only help someone when they're ready to be helped. posted by Sydney on 7/03/2003 08:48:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
|
