Your Weight and Your Doctor
For so many of us, that number on the scale means so much more to us than it should. For so many of us, this number can trigger feelings of shame, self-loathing, and thought of disordered eating behaviors such as restricting caloric intake, intense exercise, vomiting, or binging until we hurt enough to be "punished" for our indiscretion of taking up space on this Earth. Some people even avoid going to their doctor to avoid what can be a humiliating and stressful event known as "the weigh-in".
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| Doctors shouldn't cause this. |
As a registered dietitian, I can tell you that at no point in my education or internship was I ever taught to evaluate a person any other way then just their weight and BMI. Despite the FACT that you CANNOT tell how healthy or unhealthy a person is due to their weight or BMI, and the FACT that "treating" weight with weight-loss literally does nothing for anybody. Lowering our weight does not automatically fix breathing problems, joint pain, back pain, anxiety, depression, or anything else. And patients who go to doctors, dietitians, etc. should be treated as a whole person and not just as someone who "needs to lose a few". Seeing a patient or client as just their weight is dangerous, and is not providing the patient with the care they need. Patients need to be listened to and their problems and concerns addressed and treated, not just be offered more "helpful" advice on how to lose weight.
Which brings us to YOU. You have the right to refuse to be weighed at your doctors office. If getting weighed in causes you emotional, or mental stress in anyway you can refuse to do so. Another alternative is to be weighed facing away from the scale and to not be told your weight. Super easy, right? Well...I won't lie, you will more then likely face some form of push back. There are a few things you can do if met with push-back. But I do want to take a second to acknowledge that not everyone will feel safe, or comfortable enough in their doctors office to utilize these activities.
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| Add this word to your vocabulary! |
1) If you are told that you "have" to be weighed:
You can tell the nurse and/or assistant that you are not comfortable with that, and if they insist, simply repeat to them that you are not going to weigh-in and they are making your uncomfortable.
You can ask why you "need" to be weighed. If they say your insurance company requires it, I HIGHLY recommend calling your insurance company and checking on this.
2)You doctor may threaten to no longer see you as a patient.
Now, another acknowledgement I need to make: some of you may not be able to afford another doctor, have reliable transport to another doctor, or you may live in an area that does not have a lot of doctor selection. Not everyone will be able to utilize these tips.
If your able you can find another doctor and call your insurance and report your doctor.
If you are comfortable with going on Yelp/Facebook/Google and giving a review, then by all means do so as well.
Now, there are a few reasons why it would be a good idea to have your doctor take and record your weight such as:
- If you are about to have surgery, or need antibiotics to ensure that you get the proper dosage.
- If you are in the hospital and not eating or are on medications, they may wish to weigh you daily to check effectiveness.
- If you are seeing a health care professional specifically to talk about weight loss or gain.
- If you are coming in for a physical.
- If you have had weight loss surgery, any follow up appointments will typically take your weight.
- Any medication that is weight-based for dosage (e.g. insulin)
- Tracking of life threatening conditions such as kidney failure and congestive heart failure.
But if you are in a situation where weighing-in is necessary, I want to let you know that you STILL have options. You can weigh-in facing away from the scale and tell them that you do not want to know your weight. You may also request that they not include your weight on your "Visit Summary" paper if your office deals in that.
If you are able to change practitioners, or if you are just interested in browsing I recommend using the Health At Every Size list of organizations and practitioners who practice Health At Every Size principles, and a non-diet approach.
As always, remember that you are so much more than your weight, and so is your health! Focus on loving yourself, making decisions that make you feel good, and avoid people who try to make you feel like you take up too much space!
If you have any ideas on other changes the health community could make to become more inclusive and body positive leave me a comment below!
P.S. Next week I will be talking about the progress I have made on my book "What They Don't Want You To Know About Weight Loss", some cool foods I tried, and a general check in on where the Feminist Dietitian is going. Don't miss it by subscribing to my blog, or by following me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest!
P.P.S. My newsletter is up! Feel free to sign up by the link in the side bar, and receive my FREE guide on the 5 foods that can help bring balance to your diet today!
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