I’m aware that this is probably beating a dead horse, but I recently saw an article (probably on here) claiming that doctors fat shame patients in Ireland.
I’ve also recently been consuming content made by westerners in Japan and two separate channels showed their health exam results. They get graded in multiple factors as if they’re in school and get given tailored advice on what they need to do to increase their health by their doctors.
Am I wrong in thinking that this is a good idea? I know that people are being told that they need to lose weight and being shown numbers associated with blood pressure etc but my father for example completely brushes this stuff off and says “I already know I need to lose weight”. Maybe people would understand the harm that they’re doing to their bodies if they were given tangible health grades
I’m technically overweight myself at 21 and slowly losing weight but whenever I tell people this they insist that I’m not overweight and don’t need to lose any…
I AM AND I DO! And that’s okay! We need to stop lying to ourselves and each other about this shit and stop normalising unhealthy weight and eating habits.
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Ya fat shaming does absolutely nothing, just an approach taken by ignorant people.
There would be absolute war if that happened here.
So many overweight/obese people in denial about there weight and getting nothing but positive reassurances from social media, friends etc.
Now if this was about underweight people there would be no issues telling them what they are doing wrong.
Most fat people know they are unhealthy, I doubt giving them a score card would provide more of an impetus to lose weight than they already have.
Most of the time “My doctor fat-shamed me” translates from “You need to lose weight because you’re pre-diabetic and at risk for heart failure” but yeah. Continue.
Damn right fatso. Get to steppin’.
I bet we’ll have this thread shut down for “fat phobia”
Little anecdote:
2015 I had 147kg(23.14 Stones), by the time Covid hit I had 87kg(13.70Stones) and holding since then (+/- 1kg). (That is still 7kg more than ideal but I don’t seem to shake it without exercising which I really, really don’t want, as I am lazy, but I digress…. )
I knew for years I was obese there was no need to tell me, however my doctor kept hammering at it.
In 2015 then, he said very casual, I would be 46 soon, over the next few days, I should keep an eye out for how many people I see every day that are 10 years or more older than I with weight similar to mine.
The answer was none.
Cured me…..and I WILL loose at least another 4 kg…….
>I’m technically overweight myself at 21 and slowly losing weight but whenever I tell people this they insist that I’m not overweight and don’t need to lose any…
The issue here is the average person in Ireland is now overweight, so over time you get used to that and think of it as the normal weight even if it’s over it.
As I understand it, being overweight or obese is kind of considered everyone’s business in Japan. They will prod you in the belly if you’re getting tubby, make remarks, and you are expected to bear this with good grace and see about reducing your weight. There’s a more or less explicit social pressure put on it. The medical score cards are just a part of that.
Importing the medical score cards without the cultural attitude and societal expectations to go along with it probably won’t work.
The problem in a lot of places here is that being overweight or fat is considered like it’s a moral failing. “You’re fat because you’re lazy” is the thinking, rather than being overweight as a consequence of overeating from stress, or from all the cheap sugary food that also happens to be some of the cheapest food available.
So telling someone in a medical score card, or in the doctor’s office that they’re overweight is seen as a moral judgment and not as medical advice. And if you feel like you’re being personally attacked, you’re going to get defensive, and ignore the advice.
I was a bit overweight after covid too (10kg) and decided to set bang in the middle of the healthy weight range for my height as my target weight while also going to the gym.
Eventually hit the target and no one would believe me when I told them I was my ideal weight and kept saying I was too skinny. Including my doctor father who just went ‘hmmm’ when I gave him my numbers and he put it into a calculator proving me right. He is very overweight and like everyone else is in denial about what a healthy weight looks like.
The change since the 90s in this country is shocking. Fat is the new normal and obese is just ‘a bit fat’
PCOS ✔️
Hypothyroidism ✔️
Psoriasis (side effect of medication is weight gain) ✔️
The first person who pokes me in the stomach is getting a kick to the balls
I think it’s a good idea, however, I don’t believe that doctors or public health give good advice on this. Low fat, high carb diets make me fat and made my endo etc so much worse. When I went heavily animal based with little carbs and lots of healthy fats I’m doing so much better. Everything’s improving and I feel better energy wise in years and no longer am hungry or can overeat. My husband has had a similar experience
The reality is we can’t tell people who are insulin resistant (nevermind type 2 diabetics) to ditch the carbs and sugar so they can stop spiking their insulin so much, so what hope do we have to really help people. I’d say most people are NOT metabolically flexible anymore. I sure wasn’t and still thought I was eating a healthy diet.
We still use LDL c to judge putting people on statins ffs.
Most people who are a few stone overweight wont make it to 60-70 years of age. When is the last time you saw an obese 80 year old. Get yourself in shape before it’s too late.
Only about 2kg more to get back to my pre baby size. I gained 15kg which is about 2 and a half stone.
Preventative medicine is huge, so much can be done catching stuff early. We should have it, not just for weight but also for other common issues. It saves alot of lives and money