Perceptions of care for weight loss.

In my office I see a large number of people who are completely frustrated because they cannot lose weight. They have gone to their physicians looking for help only to be told to "push back from the table", "start exercising", "get out and walk", or "just cut back". Or worse yet hand them a diet pill and say, "this will help". This kind of advice leaves people feeling hopeless and helpless. It is not as if they had not thought of these things but that it is not that easy.

Often people come to see me to get help only to be told that they don't need outside help but they can do it on their own. If this worked I would be very pleased but, it does not.

Obesity is not tolerated in the medical community well. It is frequently seen as a weakness. Medical schools have not taught much about nutrition or weight counseling and many physicians are relying on their own personal feelings and intuition. While usually good, the matter of weight management is very different than the care of other illnesses. Appetite suppressants are also looked on harshly because of their past history of using various forms of amphetamines and the inappropriate marketing primarily underground or on the internet.. While I do not believe that by themselves they are helpful to most people and should not be prescribed except where the physician understands the medications and follows the patients, I do think that they may play a role for healthy weight management in some individuals.

Weight loss is, for many, the hardest and longest battle they will deal with through their lives. We all would like an easy fix or to be able to just change what we do. Most of us cannot. We are surrounded by food and the images, scents, and sights of food. We do not get together with other people without being involved in food. And for some the attraction for food is clearly and addictive type behavior.

If we would just use compassion instead of guilt and looking down on those of us who are overweight then soon we could see people improving. So please remember when a physician, counselor, or other professional tells you to, "push back from the table", "start exercising", "get out and walk", or "just cut back" that they are trying to help but they do not realize how to go about it well.

The opinions here are mine and mine alone and are not meant to guide you in your personal care or professional relationships.

John Tennis, MD