The Weight Conundrum

If you’re anything like me, your experience with the medical world goes as follows:

Shoulder Pain:

Me: “Doctor I’ve got an awful pain in my left shoulder, can you take a look?”

Doc: “It’s just because of the extra weight you’re carrying around.”

Back Pain:

Me: “I’m experiencing severe pain in my upper and lower back.”

Doc: “You’re carrying around so much weight that it’s crushing your spine.”

Mental Health:

Me: “I’ve been distracted lately, and feeling not myself.”

Doc: “Well, being obese causes depression, you should probably lose some weight.”

Pink Eye:

Me: “I’m certain I’ve contracted pink eye from my toddler.”

Doc: “It’s probably just all of that extra fat oozing out of your eyes.”

Okay, okay, okay, I made that last one up. But when you’re obese, even the most basic interaction with the health community ends the same way. ‘Lose Weight’. Now don’t get me wrong, we understand that being overweight is the leading factor in a plethora of health problems. We understand that being overweight is the leading factor in most of our health problems. We know that losing weight would solve a lot of problems. This doesn’t mean we don’t deserve to have our health concerns addressed, this doesn’t mean we may not be suffering from conditions that aren’t caused by our weight.

The real issue though, is that we’re not provided many useful suggestions. Not one time has a doctor or nurse helped me develop a plan to tackle the weight issue. Go on a diet, and be more active. That’s the plan (I can hear you thinking it), and you're right. For most of us, those are the only things we need to do shed the pounds. It sounds simple on paper, or when you’re doling out advice, but in reality it takes a lot to accomplish.

What diet do I chose? Do I cut out certain food groups entirely? Or do I follow a strict calorie deficit? Is walking more effective than running for weight loss? I’m already fatigued by chronic pain, will my exercise routine be damning to my joints? Do I have to stop eating PASTA? And yes, the answers to some of these questions can be answered with a quick Google search, but what google isn’t going to tell us is how to put it all together. Google isn’t going to help us figure out what works best for our individual bodies.

So go see a nutritionist, they can help.

That’s all well and good, but its also an expensive route, and one that’s not covered by my health insurance. Neither is joining a gym, or attending fitness classes.

What I want to know is why primary health care providers aren’t jumping at the bit to assist patients with their nutritional needs. 160 million Americans are overweight or obese, and it's the leading cause of numerous other health issues. We don’t want to be fat, and most of us have yo-yo dieted, fad dieted, and jumped off the exercise band wagon due to unsatisfactory results countless times. Having a medical authority to help guide, and hold us accountable could be paramount in a weight-loss journey. This is something Insurance Companies should be shoveling money towards, it should be one of the biggest preventative care measures available.

Yes, our bodies are our own responsibility. And yes, we can track down our own resources. But sustainable weight loss on a large scale should not feel like an unclimbable mountain. We should not have to go broke, or waist precious time on fads that don’t work. Millions of Americans would benefit from changes to the way the medical and insurance communities treat obesity. So talk to your doctor, call your insurance, and request that they make changes, and maybe change your life, and the lives around you.