The shame, the stigma, the hypocrisy.
βIt doesnβt matter what I eat or how I exercise, nothing ever changes!β
βNo matter what I do, I just canβt lose the weight”
βI know I need to lose weight, but I canβtβ
My heart break…
This is a common theme for many of my patients. We know women want to more than to talk about their weight, they want solutions to this issue. Itβs not like having weight management issues is not visible and you arenβt reminded of it everyday.
People who are overweight are discriminated against in the medical field as well as in society. I have heard crass statements depicting patients as βslobsβ, βlazyβ, or βgrossβ. I typically chart notes mandating a patient to βlose weightβ rather than a true plan of care. Or worse, diagnosis codes βObesity due to excess calories.β Even though we know weight loss is a chronic, lifelong disease we do not treat it the same way we treat other chronic health issue (like diabetes or hypertension). Itβs no wonder that by the time I see a patient they feel defeated and hopeless.
Unfortunately, many people who have a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 25 (medically this is considered overweight) internalize these stigmas. I hate using the word βobesityβ because they conjure images of those who do not match the societal βideal body typeβ. It ostracizes our patients into a space that is lonely and often uncared for. To them, it feels like no one else understands what they are going throughβ¦and they are right, most people donβt.
But I do. Itβs different in medical weight loss . We know no patient wakes up in the morning and decides to be overweight. We understand weight management is not just calories in β calories out = weight loss. Every patientβs weight loss journey is individual, personalized, and a powerful transformation. This includes mine.
Hereβs my call to action:
Itβs time to stop trying yo-yo and fad dietsβ¦
Itβs time to try something based in scienceβ¦
Itβs time to transform your lifeβ¦
Let me help you.