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.

No in-depth discussion or deeply personal disclosures needed, but just an acknowledgement would be appropriate.

I had an injury that left me unable to use good technique for one aspect of something I was paid to teach. I would briefly explain that I was currently unable to do it, but it was important for x, y and z reasons and therefore I would still spend time helping my students to understand and matter the correct technique.

Ignoring the elephant in the room makes people doubt your competence or knowledge.

It depends. If someone who was clearly obese was telling me about how important it is to lose weight for my general health and that I was heavier than I should be whilst they were a lot bigger, I would roll my eyes. If they explained that losing weight would help my particular issue, gave me information
on how I could do this then I would gratefully receive. It’s all in the delivery.

They seem to find the time to eat though.

Cooking from scratch I get, although you just have to prioritise time off work to batch cook so that you have nutritious stuff in the freezer.

It’s lovely to hear positive praise for a gp - so rare these days!

However let’s not demonise “skinny” people. I don’t think personality or compassion is at all connected to body fat ratio.

My BMI was 31 so in medical terms obese but, not so much fat more muscle, a blood test saw me on a pre diabetic referral! person running the course said I didn't qualify as sugar level were'nt hi enough! self referred as Dr was insistent!

I saw another Dr, older more sensible who said need to lose a bit of weight but concentrate on changing shape more than weight, it worked with the help of a PT BMi now 28.

Nurse still suggests weight watchers, which, as she is quite large, pot and Kettle.

Hygenist is another one dispensing skincare advice!! Lips are sun damaged and tells me to stay out of the sun, tricky when you work outdoors.... I told her I have already had skin cancer once, sadly it looks as if its back after 15 years, dermatology has picked up a few things.

You do realise there are fitness (bleep tests) for police don’t you?

Do you also have issues with disabled doctors not being able to run 100m in 15 seconds?

I despair at the stupidity here sometimes- I really do!

If the advice is given kindly and not in a "anyone who's not an idiot is already doing this" way, just nod along.

People are imperfect and I should think nurses and doctors are far from immune to vices and bad habits that many others turn to when coping with long hours, stress, etc.

Sucks to be them, I should think, being very overweight to obese and in a job where you're on your feet a lot is an uncomfortable or even painful experience. I've been a size 10-12 for over a decade, and my right knee still flares up occasionally from the damage I did when I was a size 18 and on my feet all day.

I get it OP, it’s patronising but may depend on the delivery of the advice.

We have a GP who is always round the back of the clinic fagging it 😂😂

What a judgemental post OP. How do you know that the nurse/nurses don't have a health condition or take medication causing it?

'Do you also have issues with disabled doctors not being able to run 100m in 15 seconds?'

You really cannot compare disability to being fat. Grossly unfair. Of course anyone disabled in the workplace would have support in place so they weren't bizarrely expected to run 100m in 15secs.

Similar thing has happened to my colleague, her BMI lists her as obese (she's only a size 12 but quite short). She went in for a check up due to asthma issues and they gave her the whole spiel about how she should lose weight. She said the nurse was at least 2-3 sizes bigger than her.
But she also understands that the advice they are trained to give doesn't change depending on their personal physical attributes. It just feels a bit uncomfortable for everyone involved I imagine.

Why can’t you compare the two? Both can limit a persons ability to perform day to day activities.

Or are you still clinging to the very outdated, for stupid people only obesity is down to greed and laziness only. Surely no one is that stupid anymore?

Not being overweight does not necessarily equal a healthy diet.

They are just people . They would have had this same advice themselves . How many doctors do you think smoke and drink ? They still have to advise patients not to .

Im a teacher and I tell my pupils to put their hand up to ask a question , to not shout at each other etc . Do you think I put my hand up to talk at home ? Do you think I never shout at my husband ? 🤣

The NHS is struggling as it is , do you expect them to stop employing people over a certain weight ?

YABVU

In the early weeks of the 1st covid lockdown, my local super-hospital was virtually empty with the staff having very little to do.

But because of all the information in the news and the government's assertions that the NHS was near-collapse and it seemed, all NHS workers doing double/triple shifts and not able to get to the shops. And the few Drs/nurses that went viral on Tiktok or similar, saying that was happening to them because they lived in a hot-spot, then the public jumped on the bandwagon.

And the hospital received almost daily donations of Easter eggs and takeaways from well-meaning individuals or local restaurants.

Staff were going home with carrier bags full of chocolate and takeaways after gorging themselves all shift because there wasn't much else to do. And the donors were seen as supporting the NHS..

One is in the person's control, the other isn't. Nothing 'stupid' about stating facts. Or is everyone who overeats addicted with mh problems? Not just you know, an over eater?

I'm surprised anyone would think disabled people wouldn't have support in the workplace? Why do you think that anyone would criticise someone's inability to run if they were disabled .

Clearly you have no clue about the well explained (here and elsewhere) multifaceted causes of the obesity crisis.

well someone was criticising someone’s ability to not run if they were overweight- so unless you are with the “all fat people are greedy and lazy” brigade then you have failed to explain the difference

'well someone was criticising someone’s ability to not run if they were overweight- so unless you are with the “all fat people are greedy and lazy” brigade then you have failed to explain the difference'

Disabled people cannot change their disability. Overweight can lose weight. I'm sorry of it's an inconvenient truth but that is the 'difference'. I feel sorry for overweight people but blaming everything else other than the amount they consume is not helpful.

Please don't group disabled people and overweight people together, it's not ok.

Depends on why that overweight person is overweight though and you won't know the difference just by looking at them, so it's easier for all the people who demonise fat people to just believe they are stupid and or lazy and just shovel junk food in their traps 24/7. All the people on here who think fat people can't do their jobs because they are fat is judgemental and vile! I'm suck of all the posts about fat lately it's so sickening! Fat=less than skinny we got it!

Oh you'd be surprised.

I finally got to see an NHS GP the other day and she gave me a lecture on contraception, concluding with " your husband can of have a vasectomy, of course - tell him to come and see me if he's being a baby about it".

I was sterilized 14 years ago.

The vast vast majority who are over weight are because their calorie intake is more than what they are burning off.

I don’t believe all ‘fat people are lazy and greedy’ a lot of it is down to wrong food choices, busy life style, mental health, very low income.

But I wish people would stop pretending that everyone that is over weight is suffering from a medical condition. They are not

Not read the whole thread I will admit. But oh this is so hard. I did notice last time I took a friend to an OP appointment quite a few obese + nurses, smoking outside. And yes, it did make me jump and wonder.

They live very stressful lives, long hours, etc, I get it. And yet. To 'dispense theory' - is it not fair to expect to lead and encourage by exemple, to some extent? It is hard to listen to advice and take it seriously- if clearly not followed by advisor. Can you imagine someone at Alcoholics Anonymous to be drinking at the advice-support session? Or a gym instructor unable to show you exercises because of their lack of fitness and extra weight? Or a teacher who does not have a good grasp of the subject they teach?

@HeraSyndulla 😅😂

'Depends on why that overweight person is overweight though and you won't know the difference just by looking at them, so it's easier for all the people who demonise fat people to just believe they are stupid and or lazy'

I don't demonise overweight people, as I've said I feel sorry for those struggling but we have to stop the excuses that's it's all because of things out of someone's control, stop the minimising and enabling. It is hard but people just have to eat less and do physical activity to balance the input with the energy used.

It isn't easy, no one is suggesting it is but all hyperbole that pointing out facts is calling people 'lazy fat and stupid' is not helpful.

Yet another thread bashing the overweight for their existence - WTF is going on @MNHQ? This is getting ridiculous. People on benefits and people who are fat are getting regularly ridiculed on here. I thought it was supposed to be a supportive site?