To expect fat nurses to have some insight?.

[Vikingess]

Just had a routine health check today at my GP surgery. Two nurses - both considerably overweight - dispensing advice on diet. I
am not overweight -AIBU to expect health professionals to demonstrate the the standards they recommended or at least admit to falling short.

Thank goodness for people like you who can state the obvious. Perhaps you could petition for them to be removed from their jobs until they meet your body shape standards. How dare fat people be in jobs helping others when they have human flaws.

The basic problem with a fat person giving you advice on healthy eating is that the advice clearly doesn’t work

As part of the screening questions, she asked me about my diet and then she asked about exercise e.g. how many hours a week, do I do DIY and gardening. I then said that my diet was not great and I only did two or three hours of mod exercise a week and needed to improve. She then came out with that comment. I am not sure what you are struggling to understand here.

Or are you saying that doctors never need medical advice because they apparently know it all? (We don’t btw). Despite having knowledge, we are human and the chance to discuss stuff objectively with a third party is invaluable.

YABU. They would have gone through studies and training in order to give you that information. What they do in their own time is up to them.

Would you expect an assistant in a supermarket to have ate all the food in order to give you advice on the nicest products?
Would you expect an assistant in Currys to have personally used every washing machine?
Would you expect a PT in a gym to do the same routine that they teach you?
Does someone who work in a bank mean that they're good with money themselves and have hundreds of thousands in savings?
Would you expect a cleaner to have a pristine home themselves?
Would you expect someone who works as a maid in a hotel to make their own bed every morning to the same hotel standards?

No, no, no, no, no, no.

I’m quite pleased to read most of the comments are supportive though it is a shame the support isn’t the same when we’re talking about people in general, rather than when defending HCPs.

Absolute nonsense.

If you think contemporary life is more stressful then try working in a 19c mill or factory or down a mine or as a servant or on the land - with no welfare state to fall back on, no union, and the ever present threat of the workhouse or destitution. Life, historically has been unimaginably tough.

I didn’t mention “greed” or “laziness” in my post, so I’m not sure what the point of your last para is. Instead I referenced addiction, compulsion, and binge eating disorder patterns, which research shows, play their part in obesity; as does poor education on food.

At least admit falling short , so you’re expecting them to comment on their own health rather than act professionally and focus on yours? People give professional advice at work all the time about things they don’t do perfectly themselves.

If not wanting to take health advice from a hypocrite makes people a judgmental twat then that’s their choice tbh

I agree it's cheeky.

Given almost 70% of the population is overweight or obese, it's stands to reason that some nurses will be (and more overweight than thin ones.)

Interestingly there was a drive a year or so back to try to encourage medical staff to set a good example , because telling a patient to lose weight when you're overweight or obese isn't a great example, is it?

Just like if you went to see a doctor and he was at his desk smoking a fag or drinking vodka at 10am. (and telling you not to do the same.)

I don't buy into the excuses of shift work means we rely on biscuits.
Many nurses are not in busy NHS wards. They are in GP practices or small health centres. They work for a few hours a day, during normal working hours.

It's not hard to put an apple, a piece of fruit or a bag of nuts in your bag/locker and eat that in a break rather than buying canteen rubbish or whatever lies around in the staff room.

I think people feel the need to justify themselves as they’ve been very unfairly attacked simply for being a certain size and turning up to their place of work. It makes no difference to me what size the HCP may be. I want good care and good advice.

The fat phobia on this thread is…. Phew

But someone who gives out 'advice' but clearly doesn't follow it themselves is on a sticky wicket, surely.

The people who need a wake up call are usually not getting it for fear of 'fat shaming'.

People who are clearly slim don't need advice as they're managing okay anyway.

Wow another goady post about fatties in a situation that most likely didn't happen! It's an interesting topic for discussion though.

Skinnyfat is very much a thing. The older I get and the more I learn about nutrition the more I realise how unhealthily the vast majority of people eat, even those who seem healthy or eat relatively well. It's fascinating.

People who are clearly slim don't need advice as they're managing okay anyway.

But, as displayed on this thread already, being thin doesn’t mean you’re following a healthy lifestyle.

I mean, if we go by your logic, no catholics could get married in church because priests aren’t married.

Male obstetricians or infertile midwives shouldn’t deliver babies.

Just because you don’t do something in your personal life doesn’t mean you can’t advise on it in a professional capacity.

Yes, and the best teacher I and my dc ever had were confirmed childless bachelors and spinsters.

Depends what subject they're teaching.
My midwifery tutor was the original spinster, a vicar's daughter. Attending antenatal classes (as a student learner) that she was taking was excruciating when she started trying to warn the men that sex would change and they had to take care of their partners and ermmm, try "other positions".
Didn't help that she blushed to the roots while doing it. I think everyone there ended up blushing!
😅😂

In theory their weight should have nothing to do with you. But I do agree with you.

For what it’s worth an ex friend/acquaintance I know of is a practice nurse in a GP surgery. Its interesting as a complete turnaround from her other job as a hairdresser.

I never spoke to here about her nurse job but she’s at least a size 16 and it shocked me last time I saw her because I hadn’t realised she’d got so big.

A size 16? Hide immediately

If a doctor smokes, she is still giving you good advice if she advises you to quit.

God forbid nurses be human with their own struggles. You might need to sit down for this one, but some drink to excess and smoke, too.

That is true.
But unlike being overweight, you could argue they are not likely to be doing it in front of you (and yes, okay you might smell the smoke.)

But if HCP had some self-awareness they might say 'Do as I say not as I do!' and at least acknowledge they're failing to practise what they preach.

It must be very hard to keep dishing out advice when you're clearly not taking it yourself.

Misses the point.

Ok so we need to add more to the list of things fat people can’t do

we can’t be confident
we can’t wear nice clothes
we can’t exercise
we can’t work in healthcare

All the comparisons to hairdressers, therapists, dentists, whatever, aren't relevant. These doctors and nurses aren't trying to sell you something. They aren't advertising something. They aren't trying to gain your custom. And they aren't telling you what to do. They are just giving you the information you need if you want good health. It is your choice whether you use that information or not. Just as it is theirs.