Woman offended by doc's obesity advice

[proud2BlibKansan]

Associated Press


ROCHESTER, N.H. - As doctors warn more patients that they should lose weight, the advice has backfired on one doctor with a woman filing a complaint with the state saying he was hurtful, not helpful.

Dr. Terry Bennett says he tells obese patients their weight is bad for their health and their love lives, but the lecture drove one patient to complain to the state.

"I told a fat woman she was obese," Bennett says. "I tried to get her attention. I told her, 'You need to get on a program, join a group of like-minded people and peel off the weight that is going to kill you.' "

He says he wrote a letter of apology to the woman when he found out she was offended.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/breaking_news/12463081.htm

[SteppingRazor]

1. Depends on how the doctor phrased this...

But offhand, my first reaction was "Damn this doctor for doing his job! :sarcasm:"

[China_cat]

30. Telling her she was a 'fat cow'

was doing his job?

[SteppingRazor]

33. Nowhere in the story does it say he said that...

If he just told her that she was obese, that being obese is unhealthy, and that she needed to lose weight -- then yes, he was doing his job.
If he called her a fat cow, then no, he wasn't. Like I said in my original post, it depends how he phrased it.

[China_cat]

89. Both of them were on GMA this morning

She was in tears when she related how he told her that her husband would probably die before her and she'd be left 'a fat cow that nobody else will ever want'.

He never denied it.

[SemperEadem]

134. yeah, probably after she was coached by the producers to embellish

the story beyond what it really was. I doubt seriously that he called her a 'fat cow'---it sounds more like a producer coached her on what to say.

[China_cat]

159. He had the chance to deny it.

He didn't. And HE was the one who also said that he was surprised to find that the woman and her husband were actually having sex considering her size.

[slackmaster]

37. He told her she is obese

That most certainly is his job.

Where did the "fat cow" quote come from?

[Name removed]

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[LisaL]

172. It obviously didn't work. And furthermore, the end doesn't justify the

means. This Dr. sounds like the total asshole.

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[seabeyond]

6. yep yep yep, a perfect example of the offensive attitude

that had this woman offended. but wtf........lets not be responsible for our own action

or dear lady. well aware you know weight affects health. is there anything i can do to help you lose some weight. lets talk.

see the difference. which would be more effective

but then it really isnt about helping this woman, it is about dissing fellow human being in hate and ugliness

hence....the u.s. sickness we seem to sit in. in so many aread. pervasive, that is for sure

[Name removed]

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[Greybnk48]

13. I have this bumper sticker on my car!

As a former medical person, it depends on the delivery. Some Docs are assholes you know. Some are not, just like everyone else.

My daughter has a weight problem (is obese) but has a disease that causes rapid weight gain. She recently saw a Doc for a referel to a clinic that treats her condition exclusively. Before she got out of his office he implied that her problem was over-eating. She said that she could not wait to get out of the door. Some of her weight is from over eating, but the disease causes this as well as it's hormonal. She will very soon be getting proper treatment and then she can work on modifying her diet, so we're very happy. And we no longer have to deal with some asshole who acts like she sits around all day eating cupcakes or whatever.

[Skidmore]

44. I empathize with your daughter for I had a similar experience.

I suddenly started gaining weight in my mid 40s and nothing seemed to take off. I got frustratingly condescending lectures year after year. It wasn't until I discovered on my own a nearly 3 inch tumor in my neck that was interferring with my breathing did a doctor see fit to check my thyroid. It turns out I had TWO tumors and many of the little subclinical symptoms I had experienced over the past 2-3 years started to make sense. The weight gain was part of it. Not once did a physician even screen for possible low thyroid function. It doesn't help that changes in our insurance plans also contributed having our designated physician changed more than once. People are all too willing to make the mistake of assuming that everyone who is overweight is so because they are somehow defective.

[Greybnk48]

57. Yes.

She has polycystic ovarian disease. Thank goodness I have a little medical knowledge and was able to tell her that her symptoms were not "normal" as one Doc said. We found her disease on the internet, printed out all of the data and took it to a female Doc. She confirmed it with blood work and an ultrasound. But as you say, Docs come and go. She recently saw this Doc's replacement, the one mentioned above, for a referral to a POD clinic that deals exclusively with her condition--again, thank goodness. She should soon be getting the treatment she needs which will among other things knock down the weight gain which puts her at risk for diabetes.

[Skidmore]

64. My diagnosis ended up being

thyroid cancer and I just completed the radiation treatment at the beginning of July. Now they tell me I am in remission. It didn't have to go this far and could have been caught much earlier if doctors would pay attention to what patients to what people tell them is going on with their bodies. My oncologist even does some of this type of discounting. I inhabit this body and I should know what feels wrong inside it.

[Greybnk48]

101. I'm sorry to hear that

I hope your treatment goes well. How infuriating!! A good Doc always listens to the patient--there are some out there.

[Serial Mom]

123. Oh my - I am so sorry that happened!

I get so mad at physicians ... you do research, ask questions and they don't even consider what you said before they come back with an answer.

I put a lots of weight too in my late 40's (smoking cessation, hypothyroid & depression were causes)and when I went to my clinic because I was worried about the gain (my doc was out on maternity leave) the doc who was taking over for her was Asian and tiny, and had the nerve to say to me it was my fault, that "you people in Wisconsin eat too much cheese, butter and milk that is too high in fat" without so much as asking me my eating habits!

[LisaL]

129. Is it your freaking problem?

People drink, smoke, use drugs and do all sorts of things that might shorten their lives. If someone doesn't want to walk or run, it's their right.
If they die younger because of it, so be it.
As for the Dr, being rude and crude and calling someone a "fat cow" is hardly a way medical professional should behave.

[mondo joe]

130. She did GO TO A DOCTOR.

And I'm still not clear that he called her a "fat cow".

[LisaL]

136. What was the reason she went to a Dr?

If this Dr. isn't a sex therapist, what is his reason for lecturing people about their love life? Frankly, he sounds as an extremely rude and crude person.

[mondo joe]

139. If you go to a physician for any reason and have a serious health

risk they're obliged to address it.

If people want to be told their weight is not a problem they should go to a support group.

[LisaL]

173. He was rude, he called her a fat cow, he also talked about her

love life. He also said she was too fat to have a love life. I am amazed how many of you will defend this freak. If he made some racist comments, you would be all over him. But since he insulted a woman based on her weight, that makes it o'key?

[Xithras]

153. If you go to the doctor for a cough and he notices a skin tumor....

...should he not mention it? If he saw it and failed to mention it, wouldn't you hold him partially responsible for her later death? Obesity is no different...it's a serious medical condition that negatively impacts the health of the patient. It't the doctors duty to counsel her on ALL of her apparent health conditions, whether she wants to hear it or not.

Heck, I get it from my doctor about my blood pressure all the time. It's always "Eat less salt. Eat less salt. Exercise more. You're going to drop dead of a heart attack if you don't change your lifestyle." Do I like hearing it? No, but I'd never file a complaint against him because I KNOW HE'S RIGHT!

[Name removed]

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[Beaverhausen]

190. Ah...words of wisdom from someone who obviously never had a weight problem

:eyes:

[Clintmax]

3. Seems to me...

that she didn't want to hear the truth about her being fat and wanted to be told she was just fine! Problems are best solved by sticking ones head in the sand and/or being told all the time that everything is going to be alright and it is OK to continue doing what you're doing that's causing you pain, don't ya know!

I think the doctor is well within his rights to inform a patient they need to lose weight because being obese is bad for your health. That's what he's there for, honey.

[LisaL]

124. Is calling her a "fat cow" something a Dr. should do?

This guy should be fired, he is an embarrassment to his profession.

[kahleefornia]

4. come on

What if he told a smoker they needed to quit?

I understand that there is a different stigma attached to being overweight, and that it's certainly not fun to have someone tell you you should lose weight. But it can be unhealthy, and this doctor was doing his job trying to help.

[sam sarrha]

11. these people locked in a frustrating unresolvable Loop .. see Post #7

[yasmina27]

154. It's all a matter of delivery/diplomacy

I had the agonizing experience of visiting a new gyne. last week.

Yes - I smoke.
Yes - I know it's bad.
Yes - I am planning to quit.
Yes - I knew he would address it if he did his job properly

No - I did not deserve a 10 minute lecture while sitting butt-naked covered with paper while waiting for an exam that I would joyfully replace with a tooth extraction w/o novocaine!

[elehhhhna]

5. He was pretty offensive on thte Today show--

He said he told her her husband was obese and would probably predecease her, then she'd be obese, middle-aged and single, and the odds of finding a man again would be extremely low unless she lost weight. He's an ass. Said he was just "appealing to her vanity".

[charlie]

8. Whoa

I was going to weigh in on the doctor's behalf, just doing his job and all, but that's just assholery. Whatta dick.

[Name removed]

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[oldcoot]

175. His comments were sexist

He assumed that, being typical woman, she is afraid of being alone and would naturally want a man. Not all widows have any desire to remarry.

Shocking people can have the opposite effect as well. They might become so pissed off and decide never to visit a doctor again. However, they might respond better to a doctor who treats them with respect.

[LisaL]

176. She isn't a widow. The Dr. just thought that if she becomes a

widow, nobody would want her cause she is a fat cow. HTF any of you can defend this guy, if that's true?

[oldcoot]

182. I was not defending him

and I know that she is not a widow. However, his assumption that she would naturally want a man to replace the one she lost is offensive. I believe he was operating under the principle that women naturally want marriage. If the roles were reversed and he was talking to her husband, I wonder if he would have told him the same thing.

[LisaL]

184. I agree with that. But considering her husband is very much alive,

it's pretty ridiculous of the Dr. to tell the woman he is going to die, and being a "fat cow", she will never find another man.

[oldcoot]

187. Exactly

If he said this, he should rethink his approach to treating female patients. I have no problem with a doctor explaining the health risks of obesity to his or her patients. However, he should have shown a little class.

[LisaL]

181. And her husband isn't even dead. And the good Dr. already planning

to marry her off. The guy is a sexist pig, obviously.

[sam sarrha]

7. This link explains the Epidemic of Obesity in this country...LINK>

if you lack a an enzyme then you dont metabolize this food additive, High Fructose Corn Syrup... not Karo, this is a Special thing that wasn't tested.

basically it causes the liver to turn everything into fat and store it.. leaving the person hungry after eating and inhibits the element that tells you when you are full.. that is insidious and DEMONIC..!!!

http://www.noweightgaincookbooks.com/worse_than_sugar.htm

and
http://www.rense.com/general53/ob.htm

[DaveinMD]

10. then why

are so many more obese now than used to be. I think it has more to do with sedantary life styles and mammoth portion sizes. I say this as a fat person.

[sam sarrha]

15. Read the links in Post #7

[Johonny]

26. Yes

There is no 1 magic reason why a person may be obese.

[Dervill Crow]

45. Probably because high fructose corn syrup hasn't always been in everything

[shanti]

69. right

i think that HFCS is the key to all of the overweight. it's in SO many different products, not the least of which is SODA. everyone knows the love affair that americans have with soda.

[Greyhound]

59. And you would be wrong. Lack of activity is certainly a factor

but the biggest problem is the corporate food industry. The use of industrialized additives such as the afore mentioned high fructose corn syrup and GMO starches, are used in place of their natural counter-parts, and the only thing your body can do with them is to convert them to fats. Add some more anti-biotics, hormones, and preservatives and you can literally starve while consuming enormous quantities of 'food'. Unless you are very selective, practically everything Amerikans eat is now corporate "FrankenFood", almost useless to your body.

[calico1]

12. So Karo is not the same as

HFCS?

[Southpaw Bookworm]

16. I don't think so

If I recall correctly, the difference is in the extent of the processing: I think that with HFCS they add an extra enzyme or chemical.

[sam sarrha]

20. is no this all explaned iln the articke in Post #7..??????

[Southpaw Bookworm]

29. Sorry.

Take a deep breath, please.

[sam sarrha]

18. no..!! read the link in Post #7 i got it fixed

[calico1]

21. Thank you. I always wondered about that. n/t

[sam sarrha]

50. and Thank You... the only person that actually read that...

[sam sarrha]

14. got link fixed

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

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[sam sarrha]

19. yes you can still be healthy but the stress on your immune system and body

lead to problems later...

[calico1]

22. NBA player's weight tends to be

muscle. If you are bigger but its in muscle that is not the same as being big and having a high fat body composition.

[personman]

40. Odd how that is.

After working out alot and eating alot to put on some muscle, I noticed my BMI was too high. Then it dawned on me that without some body fat or lean muscle mass measurement being involved in BMI calculation, isn't that sort of a useless number?

-personman

[SidDithers]

48. NFL players, not NBA...nt

Sid

[progressivebydesign]

78. obese and healthy is a rarity.

Bringing that up usually only serves as a way to make people feel that being obese is generally okay for your health. It's like when smokers heard about Dana Reeves having lung cancer as a non-smoker... I have heard many smokers since they cite her case a reason why smoking is okay.

Obesity, in general, is unhealthy. It's not a moral judgement. It's not an insult, it's a medical fact. If America treated obesity with care and concern, rather than scorn and ridicule, people would not be so offended at a doctor's advice about it.

[Greyhound]

91. No you can't. You probably meant NFL players, not NBA.

A NBA players BMI is very much the opposite of obese. We should all have a BMI like theirs. Football players OTOH, particularly linemen, are in terrible condition. They're huge and strong and engage, almost exclusively, in anaerobic activity. The result is the guy on the 49ers that just dropped dead. Twenty-something, professional 'athlete' and over 350lbs. Want to bet it'll be something like an undiscovered heart defect? How a heart defect can go undiscovered when these guys are poked, prodded, tested, and examined to within an inch of their lives for years before they get to that level. Bottom line, the NFL doesn't give shit about these guys, as long as they can get 5 - 7 years out of them.

[SteppingRazor]

38. We're supposed to take the word of a charlatan like Rense? n/t

[sam sarrha]

51. heard it other places.. what about the Fructose story...

[SteppingRazor]

56. Look, I'm not saying weight gain cannot result from this...

What I AM saying is that the primary cause of weight gain is -- taking in more calories than you burn. Period.

If you want to lose weight, you burn more calories than you take in.

It's just that simple. Eat less. Exercise more. All it really takes, though, is an active life. The reason there were a lot less fat people a century ago is because there was a lot more walking, a lot more labor, and even recreation often involved movement (dancing, walking, riding ... as opposed to, say, watching TV or sitting in front of the computer :evilgrin: )

[sam sarrha]

148. you are wrong when considering the effects of HFCS.. doesnt work that way

[shanti]

77. diabetes

i know SO many people who have recently (past 5 years) contracted type 2 diabetes, when they have zero family history of it. my suspicion is that hfcs and diabetes are interrelated. i don't know why i haven't gotten it (my sister has) as i drink at least two cokes every day (bad bad habit that is very hard to stop!)

[BiggJawn]

92. You and me both.

My grandmother had type 1. Mom and dad have/had type 2 (mom died from it)
I have type 2. Type 2 diabetes is considered "The modern epidemic" because it's so prevelant now.

WHY? How come I'm on a 1800 calorie diet, 2 oral meds AND injecting and I'm STILL fat and diabetic? Shouldn't the 30-50 miles a week of BRISK bike riding (I'm not talking pootling along the multi-use path at 9 MPH, I'm talking working up a sweat riding 5 miles legs at 20+)be doing SOMETHING?

60 years ago, think about it, the tales of what our grandparents ate every day. HUGE fucking meals.
I get 1800 calories. The Red Cross considered it a WAR CRIME to feed a POW in WWII that little!

There HAS to be something enviromental that's causing this.

Of course, Big Business' bottom line is more important than our health...

[sam sarrha]

150. adictive contents...!!

[Ladyhawk]

227. I gained a lot of weight and was diagnosed with diabetes in 2000.

My personal opinion is that there are many causes of obesity. My best friend in the whole world is obese and I love him with all my heart, but he'll be the first to tell folks that he turns to food for comfort. On the other hand, my formerly obese aunt was definitely NOT an overeater. She has lost well over 100 pounds in the past two years, but she had to work very hard to do it. Losing the weight isn't impossible, but it can be very, very hard!

My friend the overeater finally decided to undergo gastric bypass surgery. It's been two weeks and as far as I know he's doing fine. I hope he can find something healthier that food to turn to when he's upset. Lots of people do things that aren't good for them. **Ladyhawk raises her hand.**

I try really hard not to judge people. People are obese/smoke cigarettes/don't exercise/do drugs for all kinds of reasons. I want to become more compassionate toward these folks and understand that we all have weaknesses. Let's hope we're all working on our weaknesses while we help our friends to work on theirs.

[mondo joe]

128. When you use a dubious source you call your position into

question and diminish your own credibilty.

[sam sarrha]

149. so that also invalidsates the HFCS article..did you read that??

[sam sarrha]

152. Just tell me its dubious and quit insulting me

[shanti]

72. BINGO!

HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP - this is the demon!

[Qanisqineq]

115. also

many women have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome or polycycstic ovary syndrome) and are undiagnosed. PCOS leads to extreme weight gain and an inability to lose weight even with dieting and exercise. Many women with PCOS are also exhibit insulin resistance.

http://www.4woman.gov/faq/pcos.htm

http://centerforpcos.bsd.uchicago.edu/

[SidDithers]

135. See post #58 nt

Sid

[Terran]

23. I'm sorry, but I have no sympathy for her.

It's a doctor's duty to tell people things they may not want to hear. If she was offended, that is NOT the doctor's fault. And I'd be very interested to see what this woman looks like, i.e., just how urgent *is* her need to lose weight (odds are she's very very overweight if the doc told her her fat was going to kill her).

I'm overweight too but I exercise and I'm also happy with how I look. So I'm not a skinny person who lacks understanding of what it is to be fat.

[seabeyond]

27. you have no sympathy for a person in pain. wow n/t

[Name removed]

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[seabeyond]

71. i have yet to find a person that is overweight

that doesnt feel bad about themselves in some way. that hurts spirit. whenever we feel less about who we are.

our society certainly encourages our fellowman to attack and be mean. how we do things now a days. we give an overweight person every reason to dislike themselves

that causes pain

all this isnt a tough concept, but.....as a judging and hollow nation, we tend to do that everywhere

of course it is meaningless to you. if what i say has meaning, you would have to own your own behavior. then it wouldnt feel so good to call someone names. and where is the fun it ridiculing another human being, if you are going to feel bad about it

[Terran]

99. sigh

i have yet to find a person that is overweight that doesn't feel bad about themselves in some way. that hurts spirit. whenever we feel less about who we are.

As I already stated, I'm overweight and happy with how I look. And moreover, I know dozens of overweight people who feel the same way. Not everyone allows themselves to be made in to a victim. I hate to say it, but that's what you're supporting here--victimhood.

our society certainly encourages our fellowman (sic) to attack and be mean. how we do things now a days. we give an overweight person every reason to dislike themselves

True. It doesn't mean every overweight person has to listen to those reasons or feel helpless, or in fact feel any way in particular about being big. The fact is, you don't know this woman and you don't know what her mindset is, so stop trying to speak for her.

that causes pain

Some caps and punctuation would be nice. Yes, IF a person allows themselves to be influenced to dislike themselves, it cause pain. You don't know that's the case here.

all this isnt a tough concept, but.....as a judging and hollow nation, we tend to do that everywhere

Indeed not--you've reduced it all to extremely simplistic terms. Congrats.

of course it is meaningless to you.

Nice try (well, not really). The foolishness of this remark hardly needs to be pointed out.

if what i say has meaning, you would have to won your own behavior. then it wouldnt (sic) feel so good to call someone names. and where is the fun it ridiculing another human eing (sic), if you are going to feel bad about it

What you say has little meaning because you're making broad and unsupportable generalizations about a huge group of people. I have no "behavior" to own up to. Did you miss the part where I said that *I* am overweight too? And show me where I or the doctor called anyone "names". The doc called her "fat". Apparently she is "fat". Admittedly, "fat" is subjective, but then, we don't know this woman's weight.

[seabeyond]

110. i dont know you ......do i

yet i can talk about 5 personal friends, over years have gained weight in their 40's. all struggle and it is a big part of their life. i personally prefer life be about children, love, family, yet i see them so fucused on weight. so much of their time and life

i can talk about other friends. literally i have not had one person overweight be happy with it. they may say that initially but as i have gotten to know them, they start sharing more. generally that was a self protective comment, happy fat,.......cause, they know how they are judged. protecting themselves. mother in law, 6.

i would rather see a person overweight embrace it. love themselves. but....society meakes it really hard too. so good for you. we both embrace the same,. i simply say being ugly to a person, is ugly. not defending or validating or creating overweight person as victim. i am saying let them be.

ugly is ugly. mean spirited is just that. it would be wonderful if all were so secure in htemselves they could not take it all personally. unfortunately that is hard for some. and as more and more people feel the need to bash the other. cant hardly get away from it

[Silverhair]

143. Sometime pain is necessary for progress.

Sometimes the truth hurts, but it is only when the truth is accepted that something can be done about the situation. Or the woman can live in the anethesia of self-deception, until the truth becomes unavoidable. Then the pain will be worse.

[sam sarrha]

36. did you read the post in #7...we are being poisoned for $$$ gain

[Terran]

74. Yes I did and I don't see how it's relevant to this story.

Regardless of the cause, the woman is fat, apparently, and needs to do something about it, according to a physician. There are plenty of ways she can do that and avoid the paradigm described in your links. She had no basis on which to be offended by what her doctor told her, that's all I'm saying. As I told the other person who "responded" to me, getting offended by the truth is stupid and very republican.

[progressivebydesign]

76. I agree with you.. Obesity is a medical condition and he is a doctor

Would that woman be offended if the told her she had high blood pressure? How about if she was a smoker and he told her she needs to quit. Oh, never mind, smokers are defensive too. The most defensive are those that know in their heart the doc is right. If we all read the whole article you'd see the quote from another patient of his, a formerly obese one, who said they were MAD at him when he told them the same thing. But.. that patient realized they were really mad at themselves, and embarassed more than anything.

THere is definitely a bind that doctors have with obesity and smoking. You are paid to care for their health, and yet you are afraid to offend someone in trying to save their life!

[northzax]

84. actually, as a smoker

(and not a particularly defensive one, I think) At my last checkup, my Doctor told me "you know, those things are going to kill you, right?" to which I replied "no, the high-fructose corn syrup is going to do that first" (ok, no I didn't, I simply nodded meekly) whatever the reasons I smoke, if it's because I'm addicted, bored, whatever, he has to tell me to quit.

whatever the cause of obesity, the fact is, it increases your chances of dying at an earlier age. You simply cannot argue with that. Yes, some people are obese due to medical conditions, but that's the type of thing your doctor should know about, right? if you have a thyroid problem, it's the kind of thing you share with your doctor, no? This isn't a stranger walking up to someone and saying 'you need to lose weight' this is someone you are paying for professional medical advice. If my doctor DIDN'T tell me to quit smoking, I'd find a new doctor, that's his JOB. If I were obese, and my doctor DIDN'T tell me I needed to lose weight, and suggest ways to do so, he'd be negligent.

[LisaL]

125. Is being a "fat cow" a medical condition now days?

[raccoon]

24. And this is supposed to be fricking NEWS????

If my cat uses her sandbox, is stupid, dumb, ignorant AP or some other corporate media hoes going to report that?

Real journalism is dead in America. What we have now for "mainstream" media is worse than National Enquirer. At least National Enquirer didn't pretend to be really reporting news.


WHAT A CROCK OF SHIT!!!!

[charlie]

32. Boy howdy

You've got that right. I thought it was just a little human interest blip in the news, but a post upstream said the doctor appeared on a Today show segment. If we're gonna talk about our poor eating habits, let's begin with the consumption of junk that passes for "news" nowadays.

[Name removed]

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[seabeyond]

31. bully for you so something happens and you start putting

that weight on again, i will be able to be as mean and ugly as i want, without a care in the word

i on the other hand have never been overweight, it is quite easy for me to stay in shape at 43, and genetically my family kicks ass. and i can about eat whatever i want. even those chocolates.

should be easy for me to be in postion to say the ugliest, .... the thing. it is just so ugly

flat slob. almost sounds like elementary playground behavior.

[Name removed]

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[Obamarama]

49. Yeah, yeah, yeah...high fructose corn syrup. It's SUGAR.

Granted, it's a processed form of sugar, but it's metabolized like sugar. There's no great mystery here. You consume too much of it (i.e. soda, ice cream, fruit drinks, etc...) your body is going to store the excess it can't burn. We're not talking rocket science here...just basic biochemistry.

I'm not being rude. I'm being honest. I very clearly and obviously put myself into the same category as "fat slob," except I'm doing something more about it than whining about the ills and evils of high fructose corn syrup.

And finally, no I am not a Republican. Life long liberal Democrat, thank you very much, but just happen to tell it like it is when people need to be verbally smacked up side the head to get a clue.

[ProfessorGAC]

58. That's Not A Food Additive

It's a sugar syrup with the distribution of sugars skewed toward fructose. The older corn sugars were much higher in dextrose. Fructose metabolizes MUCH more readily and efficiently in the Krebs' Cycle. The purpose of switching to HFCS was to make it HEALTHIER for people.

You're argument is antithetical to the facts.

Next!
The Professor

[SidDithers]

113. Antithetical to the facts....

heheh :)

Nice to see some realism injected into this thread. And so nicely worded, to boot!

:toast:

Sid

[personman]

62. Unless their body chemistry...

involves lack of legs, I think they can still run or walk or something.

Food additives don't make people couch themselves to death, but people are doing it.

Isn't calling people republicans or freepers against the rules here?

-personman

[northzax]

98. so because it's someone else's fault

a doctor shouldn't tell a patient to lose weight? I don't get it. you could always avoid high fructose corn syrup, it's not that hard to do. If you can't process HFCS, DON'T EAT IT. seems fairly simple, to me.

in the great majority of cases, physical condition is directly tied to lifestyle. In the few that are medically related (and there are some, no doubt) this is the type of thing that your personal physician should know about you. In almost every case, changing diet and living habits will cause someone to lose excess weight. Sorry, them's the facts. I, personally, go to my doctor to get the cold hard truth.

What, exactly, was wrong with his advice? 'find a group of likeminded people and change your lifestyle' if that doesn't work, if she is truely eating healthily, exercising well and nothing changes, then there may be an undiagnosed underlying physical condition. But Occam requires us to take the simplest, most obvious explanation first. If you are overwieght, try eating better and exercising. Works for almost everyone.

Again, this was not unsolicited advice from a stranger, this was the woman's doctor, it's his job to tell her that.

[Greybnk48]

39. There are skinny slobs too

My Ex-husband (I remarried 24 yrs ago but we're still friends) was always thin and it had nothing to do with his eating habits. He put butter on everything including steak and burgers. He wanted dessert every night (which I could never eat) and would put away an entire pie by bedtime and never gain weight. He also drank beer like water (hence the divorce). He now has sky high cholesterol and is probably looking a colon cancer down the road--all self inflicted.

I always said I would have given anything for his metabolism. I always watched my fat intake and calories. Now I'm glad that I am predisposed to being overweight because my eating habits are better than those that never gained weight from eating like a pig or slob, whatever you wish to call it.

[Jack from Charlotte]

145. Agree completely, Kzoo. Some patients need shocking.....

and need an ass kicking. Some need hand holding. Don't know anything about this Doc but the woman can change Docs anytime she wants. Right?

I've always said the biggest problem with physicians is they don't give advice forceful enough. They should put their finger in your face and tell you the consequences of your behavior. You want Polyana-speak.... get yourself a new Doc. There's some other wussy ass Doc out there who'll tell you it's all "glandular" and let you die early.

[kestrel91316]

28. I sympathize with physicians in general with the problem of

telling patients about obesity without offending them. I encounter obese feline patients with some frequency in my practice, and have had fat clients get all huffy with me when I am discussing their cat's dangerous obesity.

What am I supposed to do? Only tell thin clients about their cat's problem and how to address it? Am I supposed to tiptoe around the problem, hint at it obliquely, or ignore it altogether just because the owner has weight (and maybe psychological) issues? My duty is to my patient, and I try not to offend clients but they have to get a thicker skin if they put their own egos ahead of their cat's health.

Sometimes people are just WEIRD.

[charlie]

42. I agree with you

It's a doctor's job to give healthful advice and too many people can be stupidly petulant about it. But have a look at post #5. This guy went about it way wrong and I'm hardly surprised his patient got into a snit.

[Jack from Charlotte]

195. A snit? She filed a complaint with the state board.....

What a putz. Why doesn't she just get another Doc? No. Her wittle feeling were hurt. He said he was "trying to get her attention." Shake her up.... shock her into action..... If he offended, he said he is sorry. Even wrote her a letter saying so.... but no. This twit has to complain to the state board because the Doc hurt her friggin feelings.

[PunkPop]

109. You're kidding??

People get offended when you tell them their CATS are fat? Hilarious.

[Jack from Charlotte]

196. Kest, funny you should mention fat cats.....

My wife's best friend just changed vets because she was tired of the previous.....long time.... vet complaining about her cats being overweight. They are both hugely fat, too. Un friggin real.

I consider it animal cruelty to allow your pet to get too fat. And it is so easy for them to do a diet. You just give them less food. What are they going to do? Raid the fridge at 2AM?

Now, I fired the same vet because he just hammered us on the price of everything. I've axed 2 for that reason.... but that is another story.

[imperialismispasse]

34. It is the doctor's job to tell her anything that can endanger her life

but he doesn't have to be rude about it either. Did he tell her nicely or did he call her names? I read somewhere doctors are required to take a bedside manner course when their in med school now. Maybe this guy needs one.

[sam sarrha]

41. dactors are uninformed and probably restricted from commenting on HFCS

.

[sam sarrha]

47. I am really disturbed at the ignorant responses here,it is a food ADDITIVE!

this sounds like FREEPERVILLE..!!! NO DIFFERRNT...THIS IS UNPROGRESSIVE HATE SPEACH..

Enlighten UP FOLKS..!!!

[SidDithers]

54. You're quoting freakin' rense as a source...

and then complaining when nobody takes you seriously?

:crazy:

Sid

[imperialismispasse]

80. Okay but they can still say that being overweight is unhealthy right?

Being overweight is unhealthy no matter what is causing it right? And so the doctor has a responsibility to tell her that her weight is unhealthy right? I'm just trying to understand what you had against my post.

[Terran]

105. "restricted from commenting..."??

Yeah...right. :shrug:

[October]

43. I wish a doctor had been more honest with my mom

My mom, at age 60, had elective heart surgery.

She was 5'0"
Weight: 191
lifestyle: sedentary
Smoker: Heavy

My mom had a stroke after the heart surgery and was on life support for weeks. They transferred her to a University Hospital, so that she could be put on a heart transplant list if need be. We then found out that "because of her weight" she could not be a candidate for a heart transplant. Her cardiologist should have known that. Since the surgery was elective, he could've said "lose x amount of pounds first...and then we'll talk about surgery..." To my way of thinking, she was high risk.

Anyway, she has recovered a lot from her stroke, but can no longer read, write or understand numbers. She is also paralyzed on her right side, so is wheelchair-bound in a nursing home at age 62. She can converse -- which we're thankful for. But is miserable. She's lost her home, independence, cognition and physical abilities. Now she always says "Why didn't someone tell me...no one ever told me how fat I was..." That's really unfair of her, I know, blaming everyone else, but that's how she copes I guess. She knew she was overweight, and talked about it A LOT -- for decades. But she's right that doctors never made her feel alarmed for her health -- in fact, many were overweight themselves and joked with her.

She gets very upset now upon seeing heavy people, and squeezes my hand telling me with tears in her eyes to never gain weight like she did. (I've always been small/thin, btw, and have been a runner for years.)

This is not a judgment on my part, but I have to say that my mother's obesity was lifestyle-related. She wasn't always heavy; she just truly was a binge-eater and had absolutely no self-control. None. Not everyone is like that I know, but she was.

[Siena]

46. Maybe he could have said it more nicely...

but would that have gotten her attention? Listen - I sympathize that there are certainly cases where people gain weight beyond their control. But let's be serious. For most cases, it is a result of our sedentary, super sized lives. As her DOCTOR, i'm sure he knew that she was the latter and quite frankly, she should stop putting so much energy into complaining and put more energy into eating less and exercising because that will save her life!!!

I remember when I was a smoker, any idiot on the street would love to tell me how it was bad for my health. GOD FORBID i tell someone to put down that Big Mac. And I'm sure anyone would support the person that told me to put down my cigarette because cigarettes are bad for me and I should have stopped. Is it nice for some stranger to tell me that smoking is a disgusting habit? Could they say it more nicely? yeah maybe. But possibly enough people saying that to me got my attention.

[Horse with no Name]

85. That's the truth

I wonder how MANY times he may have told her nicely and it didn't get her attention?
I'm overweight. I wasn't offended when my doc told me I needed to lose a few pounds, because he wasn't telling me something I DIDN'T ALREADY KNOW. Still and all--I didn't like hearing it.
Obese is a medical term. IF this woman is going to try to sue this doc for giving her a diagnosis, then what will happen when someone has cancer?
Will the doc choose not to tell them because it may cause emotional trauma?
Please. I'm all for political correctness in situations where it is warranted.
As I said, not every doc has a good bedside manner. I'm very aware of that--see it all the time.
I actually backed away from standing next to a surgeon one time because of what he said to a patient's father. I knew that guy was gonna start swinging.:)
However, the doc spoke the truth and the guy knew it. Some just react a little more violently when they hear the truth. It depends how close to home it hits.

[Name removed]

52. Deleted message

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[Siena]

53. How can you tell?

I would have thought the people flaming up were the fat ones but someone (can't remember which post) said that they were very thin.

[Name removed]

61. Deleted message

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[Pithlet]

155. Yep.

And, those posters have clearly shown that size and assholery aren't correlated.

If a doctor cannot convey the seriousness of a health situation without being a jerk, that person shouldn't be a doctor. All the asshole responses in this thread prove that too many people think it is okay to belittle and degrade fat people. That they need to be treated that way because they're too stupid to comprehend anything otherwise. I love how everyone immediately jumped to the conclusion that this woman is stupid and overly sensitive, and the doctor is right, without even knowing enough about what happened. It's because she's fat. And fat=stupid. Fat=lazy. Fat=slob. Fat=unable to comprehend one's own health.

This thread makes me sick.

[Terran]

167. What EXACTLY in the article

leads you to believe that the doctor "belittled" or "degraded" his patient? He told her she was "fat", apparently, and apparently that is an objective fact, since it's not reported that she disputes it. So how does that degrade her? What exactly would you have the doctor do? Perhaps if he used a Latinate word instead of a Saxon word, that would have not been so offensive? "Dangerously adipose"?

You are reading far far more into this particular incident than can possibly be discerned from the available facts. As an overweight guy, I'm well aware of what many skinny people mean when they say "fat". But this a DOCTOR. When your DOCTOR tells you you're fat, you need to listen and accept it as fact and not be offended by professional judgments. It's not intended to be insulting, it's intended to keep the patient healthy.

[Pithlet]

170. What, exactly, in the article

leads you to believe the woman was overreacting?

The fact is we don't know. And the fact that so many were ready to jump to conclusions and ramble on about how fat people need the awful brutal truth delivered to them in demeaning, humiliating ways or they won't get it saddens and sickens me. In many responses in this threat it was assumed that the doctor was either A) innocent and the woman was overreacting, or B) the doctor did say those things, but fat people need to hear it that way because they're too stupid to get it otherwise.

I'm not the one reading anything into that article. My response is based solely on the ugly, hateful responses in this thread.

[LisaL]

183. They both have been giving interviews, and apparently

the Dr. told the woman that when her husband dies, she will never find another man cause she is a "fat cow".
Lovely, ain't it?
If the above is true, then I am very glad she reported him.

[seabeyond]

188. that is what gets me is the comments in this thread. i get to be mean

and ugly and hateful because after all i am such a caring person concerned for fellow mans health. bullshit. just a way to lessen another person, to feel superior to. bullshit. the same kind of bullshit the religious right pulls to save us all.

i dont care about the doctor, i dont care about this woman. what sickens me, is the justification to be ugly. this is what our nation is feeding on. and it is everywhere

i go around being nice, to all strangers, never shy. it is refreshing for people. and they never disappoint to reciprocate niceness. this is an example my children live from. they to will grow up being nice to fellowman

they wont be the one insulting another human being, for kicks. or to feel better about themselves. they will also be able to better accept and love their own imperfections and not beat themselves up for it.

[Pithlet]

193. You and I have disagreed quite strongly in the past

but it is obvious you're a kind and compassionate person, and I'm so with you on everything you've said here.

[seabeyond]

194. hear ya pithlet n/t

[Greyhound]

65. Hmm, I wonder. n/t

:shrug:

[DaveJ]

55. I side with the doctor...

Let's assume he unsubtly phrased his advise. So what? Aren't overeaters a bit rude themselves, eating far more than their fair share of food, enough to feed a starving village in Africa.... Reducing gas mileage of their cars. Adding extra expense to their family's grocery bills. Perhaps even being a little embarrassing to be around? Bogging down the health care system. I for one feel a little bad about being overweight, and definitely would not have complained.

[seabeyond]

63. so what? it isnt effective. we know in all these things (booze, cig, oe)

being ugly, verbally slapping up side of the head isnt effective.

so why do it. are you doing it because of your disdain for this person, and a need to shame them

cause it isnt to help them

we know, it isnt effective

[DaveJ]

81. Well ALL rude people suck...

I'm just saying if I have to side with one of them, I side with the doctor because at least he attempts to help someone, as feeble as the attempts may be.

I think Dems should stand up against obesity. What, should be tell everyone it's okay to overeat now just to win votes? Come on. Protect the lives of our party members.

[Name removed]

86. Deleted message

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[DaveJ]

97. Whether you like it or not, people care about each other...

You don't live in a bubble. People will express their concerns for one another, like it or not. But nobody is forcing anything.

[seabeyond]

102. but it isnt working calling someone a fat pig

i think this is the point. you dress it up as caring for someone, i call bullshit

[DaveJ]

114. Would you have prefered the doctor said nothing?

Many say nothing, just to avoid the trouble. All those doctors with patients dying of obesity -- and they recieve no complaints. Meanwhile the one who tries (maybe does a bad job but at least tries) gets written up.

Totally unfair.

[seabeyond]

122. are you suggesting to me, there is a possibility this woman

doesnt know her weight will/could effect her life. what a sheltered world she must be living in

[DaveJ]

127. As a father of two teenagers

I know that they need to be told to do something many times before they finally do it. Sometimes they need to be told more firmly.

Are adults that way? Maybe not. Maybe so. But if doc saved 1 life out of 200 I say it's worth a few hurt feelings.

As I said he could have kept his mouth shut. He wasn't getting paid for his advice. Most doctors do nothing if they aren't getting paid for it. I'd prefer a doctor who tries, personally.

[mondo joe]

132. I don't doubt she knows. We often know things. But we often

can be roused to do something by others.

[Name removed]

163. Deleted message

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[Siena]

100. We're talking about a DOCTOR telling a PATIENT they're overweight.

[charlie]

106. If only it were so

We're talking about a doctor telling his patient she'll wind up widowed and too unattractive to woo another mate. He should've paused a moment to consider the effect of his prophesizin'.

[mondo joe]

126. Presumably he thought the effect would be to motivate her to

make changes.

And his "prophecy" was not off base.

[Name removed]

138. Deleted message

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[mondo joe]

140. What did he say that was not statistically more (rather than less)

likely?

[charlie]

141. Too ugly to find a mate?

That's a bit outside of a doctor's ken, don't you think?

[mondo joe]

156. I'd like to know precisely what he said first. But I'd add that

the the liklihood of bring older and overweight probably does decrease the liklihood of making new romantic relationships.

But again I'd like to know just what he said rather than an impression of it.

[charlie]

160. Okay, I agree.

I would too.

Statistically, being old and fat dimishes the likelihood of possible romance.

Statistically speaking, that beak of yours is killing your chances. The bald spot ain't too swinging either. Speaking strictly as your doctor, of course.

If she's really suing him, she needs to get a grip, she's overreacting by a mile. If he told her what they say he told her, he's learning that he should keep his yap from going where it has no business going. He's a doctor, not a romance counselor.

[LisaL]

179. According to a story, she reported him.

It doesn't say anything about a lawsuit.

[LisaL]

177. As well as her love life with her husband, unless the good Dr. is

a sex therapist, which he is not.

[LisaL]

133. Oh please. Democrats standing against obesity?

How ridiculous can it get? What about smoking, drinking, using drugs?
That can shorten someone's life. Should democrats demand everybody stopped smoking?

[oldcoot]

171. We already have one "holier-than-thou-party"

It is called the Republican Party. The Republicans are more than eager to tell other people who they can love, what medical procedures they can receive, and how to live our lives. We do not need a second political party to tell Americans how to live their lives. Indeed, one of the things that appeals to me about the Democrats is that they are as willing to intervene in my medical decisions (reproductive freedom)as Republicans.

Adults generally do not appreciate having other adults tell them how to live their lives. They also do not appreciate having people talk down to them, especially politicians.

[txaslftist]

68. They pass gas more often, too.

Polluting the air those poor starving Africans have to breath.

:sarcasm:

[Connie_Corleone]

73. Well, if they were actually living in Africa, it would be rude.

But we live in a country that over consumes everything, not just food.

Maybe we should just kill fat people since they're such a burden on society.
:sarcasm: :eyes:

[DaveJ]

83. As I said in #81

"I think Dems should stand up against obesity. What, should be tell everyone it's okay to overeat now just to win votes? Come on. Protect the lives of our party members."

Obviously I don't think we should kill them. I'm conerned that they're killing themselves!!!!

[Connie_Corleone]

90. People are getting confused.

It's the WAY someone says to lose weight, like the idiotic post# 75.

Of course doctors and others should bring attention to obesity. But that's completely different than saying, "You're a fat cow! Lose some weight!" (channeling the *ucked up post# 75)

Edit: add more clarity.

[charlie]

93. So get to it, you overweight fatass

You're embarassing to be around, your tonnage uses more gasoline than you're entitled to, and whole African villages can subsist on one of your porkfests at Taco Bell.

(See the problem here?)

[DaveJ]

103. To be honest, no.

I might whip back an insult at most, but I'm not going to complain to your supervisor.

[charlie]

118. No?

I agree that both this lady and her doctor aren't exactly behaving like adults.

But I drew those sentiments from your post and embellished them to be a little rougher. So imagine if you met me at a DU meetup and heard that face to face? You'd whip back an insult (or maybe rightly want to take a poke at me)? I'd consider my attempt to convince you a failure. There's tough medicine and there's jerkiness, and that's jerkiness.

[Mnemosyne]

161. People that judge others value based on their

physical appearance are the ones that should be embarrassed and ashamed. They ARE hateful, rude disgusting excuses for human beings.

The judgments on this thread are completely sickening. I see another has started.

Is this a way for all of you to feel superior?
Disgusting.

[Horse with no Name]

60. Patients do NOT like the term "obese"

They would rather hear overweight, heavy, etc.
Obese has a very negative connotation.
However, obese IS a medical term.
A person is not considered obese until he or she weighs 20% or more over the maximum desirable weight for his/her height.
Obesity increases a person's chance for hypertension and stroke. Coronary Artery Disease is more common. Adult onset Diabetes if five times more common in an obese person.
Increasing degrees of extra weight in men are associated with increased risk of cancer of the colon, rectum, and prostate.
Increasing weight in women shows a higher risk of cancer of the breast, uterus, and cervix.
One thing people really need to grasp. Your Doctor is NOT your friend.
Your Doctor is someone that you hire to tell you the truth about your health. Please don't confuse a good doc with a friendly doc. I'd rather have a good doc that was an asshole than a friendly doc who didn't know his shit from applesauce.
Some Doc's have shitty bedside manners--that is true.
However, it doesn't mean that what he is telling you isn't the truth.

[Greyhound]

67. Watch out fat folks, you are the next 'smokers'

Amerikans just love to tell others what's wrong with them, while ignoring their own faults.
I'm just saying.

[txaslftist]

70. You're just saying... a fundamental truth.

We have to be the most judgmental people on the face of the earth.

[progressivebydesign]

82. BS. No such thing as second-hand obesity!

Someone else's weight has zero affect on my life and does not endanger those around them. Nice try to relate the two. There's a big difference. I could give a hoot if smokers want to kill themselves.. if they'd just stay in their homes, alone or with other smokers, and keep their smoke contained, that would be just fine.

To equate obesity with smoking is wrong.

[seabeyond]

88. you are right, much more shallow. just offends people visual

experience in life. doesnt even have to do with second hand obesity.

it has absolutely nothing to do with the other person, yet still......

pretty pathetic

[fishnfla]

107. Lifestyle health problems increase health costs for everybody

smoking and obesity and alcoholism are the greatest contributers to health problems in this country

when they cant pay their medical bills, you, and your employer, and your tax dollars do

you can get zero effect from sticking your head in the sand only

[mondo joe]

111. So does sports.

Most people engage in some activity that increases healthcare costs, so there's something of a tradeoff.

But not everyone engages in an activity that directly impacts the health of people sitting nearby.

[seabeyond]

112. ah this is the repug line. i suggest, no high risk activity

and genetically inclined to diabetes, no kids allowed

[Greyhound]

165. See? What did I say. n/t

[maxsolomon]

116. 39 billion a year in taxpayer expenditures

to treat obesity would argue otherwise.

[mondo joe]

137. Can we get comparisons on the cost of obesity related

expenses in relation to expenses related to sexual activity, sports and bike riding?

[fishnfla]

185. you are really comparing apples and raisins

because the health problems, and costs thereof, of obesity are myriad. Things that are directly related like; heart disease, high blood pressure and hypertension, metabolic disorders, adult onset diabetes, pulmonary and circulatory diseases, etc. Many of these problems are mutli-organ disorders with subsequent other issues affecting the whole body.

These are serious and chronic problems, well, until you die.

Health costs from STD's(except for AIDS-which only affects a fraction of the population comparatively speaking) and sports ( I assume you are talking about injuries) are much more treatable and limited. You can't even begin to compare the costs

[GoneOffShore]

166. Ever share an airline seat

in economy with someone who is genuinely obese?
Or sit next to someone on a train?
Just asking.

[melody]

192. no, but I have to listen to thin people yammer on

And I have to deal with screaming kids and smelly people and many other things. None of us rule the road, so to speak, we all have to give each other leeway. Honestly, this is the kind of argument I get from freepers in general!

In point of fact, I never fly anymore because of rude remarks that have been made. When I take the train (most fat people only travel by car, because of comments from insensitive, ignorant jerks), I buy two seats. I do that to give myself space as much as anything, believe me. And I'm a middle-weight in the realms of obesity.

[Pithlet]

174. It isn't the same thing at all.

But you can't have a thread about prejudices against obesity without someone chiming in about smokers. As if the two issues were anything alike. Or, maybe I'm imagining it when smokers are glorified in the movies where characters smoke because it's perceived as cool. I must have missed all of the times fat people have been portrayed as cool. Or all the smokers who've committed suicide because they were mercilessly ridiculed.

[DaveJ]

87. Bu$h is a big supporter of cigarette companiess too. nt

[Greyhound]

96. I did not equate smoking with obesity

I was saying that the health police have the obese in their sights as their next group to 'help'. Watch out.

[Pithlet]

180. It goes beyond the health police, though.

That's the difference. Everyone knows the health police can be extremely annoying. But that isn't the only thing fat people have to suffer through. They really are degraded and marginalized from society in a way that smokers can never be. Because you're fat every single second of every day of your life. The only time it's evident to strangers around you you're a smoker is when you light up.

I do have sympathy for smokers. I reserve my contempt for the cigarette companies. It's a damn hard, no, nearly impossible habit to break, and most of them would if they could. I just don't think they're discriminated against and shamed the way fat people are.

[Name removed]

75. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

79. Deleted message

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[maxsolomon]

104. oh please

try & understand the MEDICAL DEFINITION of obesity before you get your little feelings hurt. if you shed 5 lbs., you'd just be "overweight". you shouldn't be offended, you should be happy someone in litigious america had the sac to tell you to your face. i wish to Yahweh/God/Allah my mother's doctor had the nerve. she's 5'-2" & 195. instead, he just gives her pills. i & my siblings almost get disowned if i bring the subject up. shitty attitude? hell yes. this is KILLING AMERICA, not just my mom.

did you do anything about that diagnosis besides get offended? i did. 25 lbs. took 3 months.

the NYT today said taxpayers spent 39 billion in 2004 for obesity related treatments. that's not the obese individuals, that's collectively. like this bullshit war & a 200 million dollar bridge in Alaska, i don't like paying for shit that's not neccessary.

[Scout1071]

191. No need to patronize me.

I understand the definition.

I think that your angry, bitter and hateful attitude may lead to a heart attack, but you don't hear me complaining about having to pick-up your medical bills now do you?

[Jack from Charlotte]

198. You were offended with the diagnosis? Un-friggin-real.*

[LisaL]

131. Sounds like he did put it "that way".

Apparently, he called this woman a "fat cow".

[imperialismispasse]

144. It doesn't say in the story that he said that.

I don't understand where the "fat cow" quote is coming from. I think that's really wrong if he said that. Can you show me where it says that?

[mtnester]

94. "I told a fat woman she was obese," Bennett says...

surely everyone can see from this statement alone...not that I was there or anything but I betcha dollars to donuts that he was pretty callous about it.

You know, there is a way to threaten and be mean about something, and a way to say it professionally. The fact that he is calling her FAT even after the fact...I mean, "I told a fat woman she was obese" is redundant...how about I am concerned with your weight and your health, your life is important to me and the people who love you so can I help you find a solution...would be one way to say it.

I bet DU'ers could come up with better ways to say it too.

Now, on the other hand, I think suing him is just as asinine. Can I go back and sue the estate of the veterinarian who came to our house to take care of the horses when I was a teenager and pudgy who hurt the crap out of my feelings by calling me fat when I was 11?

Funny how a word can sting...I guess that is the point of my rant..using the word FAT is the problem I have with the doc...cause even today, as a svelte 45 year old woman (who grew up and matured into my body thank you)I can still feel the exact hurt when this man called me fat some 34 years ago.

[maxsolomon]

120. expecting sensitivity from a DOCTOR?

& because he said FAT? frankly, you need thicker skin. most specialists treat you like a car that needs servicing.

[mtnester]

162. And THAT is the problem...

don't you think?

[maxsolomon]

169. that is A problem

we've got WAY bigger problems than hurting people's feelings by telling them they're fat or obese.

[bleedingheart]

95. My mom's doctor told her to lose weight

She didn't listen.

She had knee surgery and the surgeon told her to lose weight and start an exercise regimen. He even prescribed her therapy etc.

She didn't care.


10 years later.

She has diabetes.

She has more knee problems.


She only lost weight recently but the weight took its toll and to be healthier she needs to lose more weight.

[Vinca]

108. You know what a doctor said to my husband after telling him

he had diabetes? "Don't cancel your life insurance." I swear. My husband came home in tears, apparently convinced the end was near. That was about 8 years ago. His grandma, who he apparently inherited the diabetes from, lived to 104.

[newportdadde]

117. A fat woman gets told to loose weight = news?

Man the MSM must really needs a celebrity scandal or a missing blond. Here is the deal if you exercise and eat right you will have a healthier life. Its not rocket science. Unless your suffering from a medical condition or a handicap which doesn't allow you to excerise its your own fault.

As I starting working an office job 6 years ago I started to gain weight(sitting on ass all day). So I started at the gym lifting, walking, cycling, I lost a little weight and haven't actually gained any in 3 years. I've also found that I can't eat like I did 6 years ago in college, I've had to stop eating ANY Chips, Fatty foods etc, it sucks all the things I like I have to stay away from.

I'm injuried now and can't lift so like I mentioned above I can't fault those folks who cant physically work out. But I'm also going to be honest, I still have a belly, why do I have it? Because I lack the personal will power to get rid of it, simple as that. Its my fault I could eat better but I don't or I could work out on the bike after dinner instead of sitting down to TV or reading. Personal choices.

There are so many people who are overweight out there simply because they cannot keep their hands out of the cookie car. See them at the grocery store all the time, loading in cookies into the car, ice cream, all the junk. I feel no sympathy for them, that is a choice, you get to enjoy those oreos where I'm eating a rice cake.. well you have to pay a price for it.

This doctor was trying to help this lady, to make her have a longer life. She just didn't like hearing she was going to have to get off her ass and stop eating garbage. I guess he would rather he just keep his mouth shut and let her die young.

[personman]

146. I hear you...

My mom is overweight, and she knows it, and she still eats whatever she wants and doesn't exercise. When she complains about being out of breath or tired all the time, of course I feel bad for her, but some people work really hard to get in shape and stay in shape. Would it be fair if someone who doesn't eat well and doesn't exercise is just as healthy as someone who runs and lift weights daily?

So that got me to thinking about how people who are obese are often looked down on in society. Their lack of physical fitness is seen as a lack of self-discipline. So I wonder is that really an unfair conclusion to make?

It certainly isn't popular to suggest obese people are obese because they lack the discipline to exercise and eat right, people DO NOT like to hear this. But is it unfair? is it untrue? I don't think it is. I'm not suggesting that is a reason to be unsympathetic or insensitive to people with weight problems, but I think it is a truth and should be acknowledged.

-personman

[LisaL]

119. He told a "fat woman she was obese"?

He is talking about the weight being bad for the patient's love life?
And then he is surprised some people are offended by it?

[fishnfla]

121. The Dr, based on experience, should've used more tact

he probably spends all day sounding like a broken record, as the majority of his patients are overweight, up to a third may be obese, depending on the mode and location of his practice.

Maybe he got irritated listening to people complain about their health problems when they dont even have enough self respect to take care of themselves.

But common sense works both ways Dr.

[w8liftinglady]

147. I wish there were more adjuncts that people could afford

-to help them lose weight.I am a nurse who now works in rehab.Most of my patients are obese.99% of them are aware of it.After a certain age,it becomes very difficult to lose weight,even with a compliant patient.We have had a lot of success with the Lap-Band,but it is only covered for a few patients,and not too many have 10,000-20,000 bucks to get the procedure done.Doctors,for the most part,are ignorant when it comes to effective lifetime weight loss.Many doctors think just because they say it,so it shall be.They tell their patients to lose weight,then give them a one page copy of a generic diet.I wish the NIH would direct more research into lifetime weight loss.It would help a myriad of diseases.

[walldude]

151. I don't go to a doctor to be coddled

I want him/her to tell it like it is. I haven't seen any evidence that he called her a fat cow. Somehow I doubt he did. Maybe Doctors get tired of people coming to them wanting a pill to fix everything.
Then again maybe not. Maybe he's an asshole, but I'm inclined to believe that he's trying to save this womans life. If she doesn't like his bedside manner she needs to get a new doctor...

[mondo joe]

157. Going to the doctor really heightens some anxieties for some

people and in weird ways.

My best friend is a very heavy woman. She's smart, she's funny and she's honest in general, and in particular about her weight.

And yet, mysteriously, she is NONE of those things when she visits a physician. It's like she is possessed by someone else.

When she's asked to step on the scale she considers it an insult and says "obviously I'm fat - I don't need to be weighed". And when her provider tries to talk, even in the most gentle way, about her weight she becomes so defensive she's irrational.

This is in no way my defense of the woman in this story, who I think is in the wrong for making this fuss. But I do wonder if she was not in a similar position and found greater offense than would have been construed in a different position.

[melody]

178. his medical advice was incorrect anyway

Obesity itself has very little impact on longevity. Fat people who exercise are healthier than thin people who are sedentary. In fact, the health affects are so minimal that the last major study showed that the fattest women will still outlive the thinnest men.

She needs a new doctor. Mine is excellent.

Anyone who wants other info on this can check out several great books on this topic (which our diet-industry multi-billion-dollar ad-run media/press genially overlooks): "Big, Fat Lies" by a former obesity doctor and "The Obesity Myth" by a journalist who set out to write a book called "Obesity Kills" and then found out it doesn't.

End of diatribte. :-)

[danalytical]

186. Sounds like rationalization to me

Fat is unhealthy. Period. It can lead to heart disease, diabetes, and immobility as well as many other health problems. Saying that being overweight doesn't cause problems, is like saying an oil leak in an engine doesn't cause problems. Maybe the leak isn't the technical cause of the eventual breakdown, but it is what caused the engine to run dry and seize up eventually. Know what I mean?

I'm sure some of you on here are overweight and just don't want to own the truth, others maybe just overly sympathetic. It's very unhealthy. It's not easy. But then, neither is life.

[melody]

189. the usual response

Some people just don't want to let go of cherished myths that make them feel better -- this one is an example. My doctor is the one who gave me the data in talking me out of weight loss surgery. She's a very slender Asian lady.

Fat isn't unhealthy. Being sedentary and having a bad diet is unhealthy, but it remains as unhealthy for thin people as it is for fat people. Some thin people make themselves feel better with the illusion that they are "more in control than fat people" when they are, quite often, much less healthy.

Research shows (and my doctor has given me the stats, which I'd be happy to provide) that obesity definitely disables, it definitely irritates many conditions, but it is only correlative with diabetes and other conditions, it doesn't cause them. I'm fat and I'm not diabetic or hypertensive. I have low blood cholesterol levels. It may well be that what we've attributed to obesity has really been caused by dieting, which we fat people have done all our lives. I definitely am disabled by it, but that is a very different thing from longevity.

Medical evidence (the latest stuff) strongly shows that yoyo dieting is much less healthy than simply staying at a heavy weight. If your chances are 10% of succeeding at any diet (and that's what they are), then you're much better off resisting the diet wheel. And weight loss surgery kills people by the hundreds every year.

I've recommended two books for you - there are many others. If you want the current evidence and research, you'll seek them out. I don't ever go on in any debate on this issue, because fatophobes (and you don't sound like one, you're just misinformed) refuse to inform themselves, while I've been reading on this issue - from all sides - since childhood.

In a hundred years, medical science will feel terrible about how fat people were treated in the past. It'll be too late for us, but perhaps this new trend of discovery will benefit fat people in the future...if we're allowed to live outside of concentration camps. lol

I'm adding a few titles on here for those who genuinely want to inform themselves versus embracing the freeper mode of limited thinking, in example: "America's the greatest country because everyone knows American's the greatest country".


Books:
The Obesity Myth (written by a journalist funded by the usual suspects to "prove" that obesity kills)
Big Fat Lies: The Truth About Your Weight and Your Health by Dr. Glenn Gaesser (a very slender, athletic former obesity doctor) A link to an excerpt here: http://www.gurze.net/site12_5_00/exerptBFL.htm

Links:
http://www.cswd.org
http://www.consumerfreedom.com/news_detail.cfm/headline/2768

There are many, many others.

All refutations of their data are based on government overcooked data or research that is thirty to forty years old.

[danalytical]

197. You REALLY believe that?

fat IS unhealthy. Them's the facts jack. Get over it. You think it's a coincidence that our society is more sedentary AND fat AND unhealthy? Do you think sedentary and obese are not connected? How about bad eating habits and obesity? What about ALL of those coincidences. Puhhhlease!

[Name removed]

200. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[danalytical]

205. Freeper?

It's not my fault you are rationalizing your health problems. I am a staunch Democrat. But that doesn't mean I check logical reasoning at the door. You tried to say that being overweight isn't being unhealthy. While that may be true in an exception, it certainly is not the rule. I can be crass when I see BS.

So lets see so far from you two I have heard...

THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A HYPOTHETICAL QUESTION BTW!!!!

(you told me that)"I hate fat people", because I believe being overweight is unhealthy, and that it's equally unhealthy to deny that fact?

And you told me "I am a freeper". Why? Because I didn't roll over when you posted more rationalizing?

I am aware of the articles and the studies that pointed out governmental study errors. But that doesn't change the overall picture. Linking obesity to health problems is common place and real. It's isn't mean or bullying.

edited for puncuation and clarity... read the above post and you'll understand why the misunderstanding happened.

[Name removed]

210. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Beaverhausen]

216. You "hate fat people"

God, I feel sorry for you. Having to live in a country with all these horrible, lazy, evil, and mean fat people.

Why can't everyone be beautiful and wonderful like you are?




I truly pity you.

[danalytical]

219. misunderstanding lady

I was saying that YOU said I hate fat people. Understand. Chalk it up to quick typing and fast grammar. Seriously, read it again.

[Beaverhausen]

204. The point isn't that he called her unhealthy - he called her a "fat cow"

...and said her love life would suffer if she didn't lose weight.

That is way over the line for a doctor to say to a patient- especially if the doctor had any clue to the reasons people are overweight in the first place, one of which is often low self-esteem. He really didn't help her self-esteem any with his comment, did he?

and furthermore plenty of overweight people have satisfactory love lives, thank you very much.

this "doctor" is an ass.

[danalytical]

207. The Dr. is CORRECT

Obese people have been found to have reduced libidos. He was giving her the truth. And whoever said he called her a fat cow? I don't know that that's the truth. If it is, then he was being a jerk. But making her aware of health problems is his JOB.

[Beaverhausen]

208. Read the whole thread. He didn't deny that he called her that.

Yes, a doctor telling a patient that his or her weight is unhealthy is fine but to call them names is completely unacceptable.

And I would like a link to your reduced libido claim.

[danalytical]

211. Here's one study

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/briefs/obesity/hb041207c.htm

It took about 2 seconds and is the first one that popped up.

Search obesity + libido


What they found: Obese people were 25 times as likely to report dissatisfaction with sex as the normal-weight people. About 65 percent of treatment-seekers and 41 percent of obese people who weren't getting treatment said they had problems in at least one of four areas: lack of sexual enjoyment, lack of sexual desire, difficulty with performance, and avoidance of sexual encounters. Only 5 percent of those in the normal-weight group had any problems in these four areas. About 40 percent of treatment-seekers said they avoided sex altogether, while 24 percent of non-treatment-seekers and just 2.5 percent of the normal-weight participants avoided sex. According to the results, women had more problems than men in both weight groups.




Here's some more from NETDOCTOR
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/sex_relationships/facts/lackingsexdrive.htm

What are the causes of lack of libido in men?

The causes can be either physical or psychological.


Physical causes

Possible physical causes include:


alcoholism - quite common.


abuse of drugs - such as cocaine.


anaemia - unusual unless the man has been bleeding for any reason.


hyperprolactinaemia - an uncommon disorder in which too much of the hormone prolactin is produced by the pituitary gland.


obesity - quite common; simply slimming down will often help.


prescribed drugs - particularly Proscar (finasteride), a tablet used for prostate problems.


low male hormone level (testosterone) - contrary to what many people think, this is rare.


any major 'generalised' disease, such as diabetes.

[Pithlet]

206. Did it ever occur to you

that fat might be a side effect of an unhealthy lifestyle, and that it is the lifestyle itself, and not the fat, that kills? Thin people die of heart disease and diabetes every day. Being morbidly obese is not heatlhy, but not measuring up to the stick thin ideal is not a health crisis.

Besides, people who rationalize that it's okay to degrade fat people because they're unhealthy are stupid, and stupidity is also bad for health. I think we need to do something about them.

[danalytical]

209. Being overly skinny is just as bad

It's true. I never said otherwise. I also don't like you inferring I am stupid because I don't agree with your opinion of weight tied to health. There is a correlation. It may not be the actual weight that causes the health problem (although that is true in some cases), but too much fat can certainly create problems. Along with the lifestyle associated.

[Pithlet]

217. I didn't infer that you were stupid.

At least that wasn't my intent. That's why I broke it off as a separate paragraph. It was in the spirit of the thread, where obvious some people do feel that way. I'll usually make it clear when I'm insulting someone ;)

I happen to think that the discussion of health is irrelevant, because no one, doctors included, get a pass for degrading people for health reasons. It doesn't matter if fat is healthy or not.

I don't know if we strongly disagree on the health of fat, but I do think you might be a litte bit behind the research. Fat people who are fit and eat healthy are in better health than skinny people who do not. Sometimes lack of exercise and poor eating habits can make you fat, but not always. So, there may not be a direct connection between fat and health, something you don't seem ready to concede. In other words, being fat is only dangerous if your lifestyle is unhealthy, but that applies to anyone, no matter the size. Fat does not always equal unhealthy. You cannot tell by looking at a person if they lead a healthful lifestyle.

edited for misplaces apostrophe.

[Missy Vixen]

199. You know what?

I've sat back and read this thread in its entirety. I have said nothing before now because I thought that maybe, just maybe, I needed to walk away. The below statement sums up the problem in one sentence.

>I'm sure some of you on here are overweight and just don't want to own the truth, others maybe just overly sympathetic.<

Tell me, what part of "the truth" do I (and others who live daily in a body that isn't "fashionable",) not want to "own"? I live in my body. You don't.

The LAST time I chimed in on a thread of this sort, I posted that those who hate the fat (and let's be realistic here -- it is HATE that causes people to say soul-killing things to a complete stranger,) hate them because of their appearance. It's not concern over their health or a wish to make their lives better. It's the fact that many people can't admit their bigotry towards the fat.

This is an appearance issue. What's more, it's bullying, shaming and ostracism. NOTHING MORE.

Julie

[melody]

201. Well said, Julie!

Exactly - people who hate fat people are bigots. And they DO hate fat people, those who say such things. It is absolutely a sociopathic washover from Alpha primate playground dynamics.

Those who spout off have so rarely read any of the research.

[danalytical]

202. It's about health damnit

I am saying that some of the people here may be getting angry because they themselves are obese. Why is that hating them? I'm saying don;t get mad about a Dr. telling you you are overweight. OWN IT! Say you are right and try to be more healthy. I am about 15 lbs overweight and I KNOW it. I work out about 3 times a week and eat Turkey sandwhiches for lunch everyday.


From MSNBC

"Other overweight patients have come to Bennett’s defense.

“What really makes me angry is he told the truth,” Mindy Haney told WMUR-TV on Tuesday. “How can you punish somebody for that?”

Haney said Bennett has helped her lose more than 150 pounds, but acknowledged that she initially didn’t want to listen.

“I have been in this lady’s shoes. I’ve been angry and left his practice. I mean, in-my-car-taking-off angry,” Haney said. “But once you think about it, you’re angry at yourself, not Doctor Bennett. He’s the messenger. He’s telling you what you already know.”

[Missy Vixen]

203. Uh, no it isn't

>I'm saying don;t get mad about a Dr. telling you you are overweight. OWN IT!<

Thanks for proving my point.

Julie

[melody]

214. beyond which fact

He specifically said in his post:

>I hate fat people,

And then he says he didn't. It's Pat Robertson, all over again.

I more than own the fact I'm overweight - I'm fat. I'm just saying the government is feeding people propaganda that simply isn't true.

[countingbluecars]

212. It 's about bullying people

and feeling superior. I have been a teacher for a long time, and the most commonly used put down by fourth graders is "fat" for girls and "fag" for boys. The doctor used school yard bullying techniques on this woman. He also used a sexist argument when he said she would not be able to find a man. Why couldn't he talk to this woman about her health in an intelligent manner. Oh, maybe he thinks fat people are stupid too.

[melody]

213. puhlease

You said yourself:

>I hate fat people,

Why are you backing away from your proclamation now?

It doesn't matter what Mindy says (or anyone else). Read the research if you want to know.

[danalytical]

215. misunderstanding

Bad use of punctuation.

[Beaverhausen]

218. read your post #205

[danalytical]

220. LOL

I see what you were referring to, but that was just bad wording. I was saying it like...

Ever see the movie "My Cousin Vinny" when Ralph Machio is told he killed the store clerk and then Ralph says "I killed the clerk?". Then the sheriff uses that in court as a confession...

That's what that was about. Lol sorry for the misunderstanding.

[Name removed]

222. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[danalytical]

224. Nope, I didn't

You told me I did, and I repeated it in horror. But I didn;t use the correct punctuation.

[melody]

226. well, you've no integrity either

Congratulations, you've made the full Pat Roberston league.

[danalytical]

228. Oh stop

You know what I was saying, yet you hold onto your anger. We disagree on whether being obese is unhealthy. I also haven't seen any prrof the Dr. made rude comments. Just accusations so far. Lets leave it at that.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

221. 2 sides. If the doc in fact called her 'fat cow' and said that stuff

about her husband dying and no one wanting her, he is both stupid and an unprofessional, insensitive boob.

However, I do often see patients who seem completely oblivious to the fact that their severe obesity is a serious health problem for them, and sometimes when this issue is brought to their attention, seem SHOCKED to have this pointed out, and some take serious offense even if it is phrased in completely medical and nonjudgemental language.

It is the job of physicians to call their patients' attention to any significant medical problems and tell them the implications and any ways to address the problem. From there it is up to the patient how to receive this information and what to do.

Sometimes it is necessary for the physician to use strong language if they sense the patient is ignoring or brushing off the information and they want to make a sincere effort to get through. This should not be insulting however.

When I was an intern, I remember taking care of a patient with severe alcoholic liver disease. When our team visited with the patient, my supervising resident told him matter of factly that if he didn't quit drinking, he would die, and very likely in an unpleasant way, vomiting up blood due to the consequences of his liver disease (which is the problem he was in the hospital for). It was rather brutal and to the point but in my opinion was appropriate to the situation. Obviously the patient is free to ignore any advice, but it is fair then for the physician to say "well, I've given you as much warning as I can, that's all I can do."

But if the reported exchange between doctor and patient truly occurred, then in my opinion the doc crossed the line of propriety and professionalism.

[danalytical]

223. Excellent summation

It all depends on the actual language the Dr used.

[melody]

225. then you need to discuss this with my doctor

How do you speak to the body of evidence that says fat people live just as long as thin people?

I have lost four friends to weight loss surgery because they were told they would die in five years. The average life expectancy for a WLS patient is age 55. The average obese person dies about 1.5 years before the average thin person up until age 70, when all numbers remain the same.

[knitter4democracy]

229. He's an a$$****--period.

Yeah, there are doctors who are jerks. The system encourages it, I think, with all of its emphasis on being better than everyone and being superhuman.

Do doctors say stuff like that privately? Sure they do. It's hard for them to see patients kill themselves with everything we do that we know is bad for us. Should they say something to patients? They have to, with the latest few lawsuits from relatives saying the doctor didn't do enough for their loved one and therefore committed malpractice.

Honestly, though, that guy's a jerk and needs a sabbatical or something. Someone send him a subscription to the Placebo Journal and tell him that that's the proper place to vent--not the exam room.

[Moderator]

230. Locking.

The discussion has gotten personal and folks are pushing the limits of civility. Calling a break on this one.

Thanks for your consideration.