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.

I'm with you OP. I had a health visitor, who could hardly fit up our stairs, tell me to eat more chicken after I had given birth and was loosing weight due to breastfeeding and eating healthily!

I know you’re being goady, but what are your qualifications? You sound like an absolute delight to be around. My distinction at Masters level says hi.

I agree to a point.

The point being that it really isn't as simple as eat less, move more for many, many people to achieve long-term weight loss. Menopausal and post- menopausal women particularly.

There are many studies to support this.

Oh, I wasn't meaning to do at all. Clumsily worded but I just wanted to show that weight has no reflection on how a person does their job and we shouldn't be making snap judgements based on appearance.

I have not read all the comment. However, I find your post very judgemental. I would personally expect all healthcare profession to provide all correct medical information to keep me healthy - its their job. They are paid to disseminate medical information and knowledge. They could be overweight for various reason including stress, shift work etc

'The point being that it really isn't as simple as eat less, move more for many, many people to achieve long-term weight loss. Menopausal and post- menopausal women particularly.'

It is though. What happens in peri amd meni is metabolism slows so we cannot eat the same amount and stay the same weight.

I used to stuff my face full of biscuits and stay a size 10, genetics yes but I never had to watch what i ate ever. Once I hit 40 and more that all changed i started piling on the pounds so guess what, I ate less and it worked. Simplistic yes but it is wrong to blame meno for weight gain. It is some women not adjusting their life styles to keep negative impact of peri/meno like weight gain at a minimum that the issue

Ok yes this is a valid point. The advice on optimum weight/ eating habits is the same no matter who delivers it!

Weight is such an emotive issue that I think people are always prickly and defensive when it’s mentioned.

I suspect slim HCPs delivering advice would be criticised for not understanding the difficulties fat people face and the reasons behind their over eating.

All we can expect is that any advice is delivered kindly and tactfully as possible I suppose.

Just because a nurse is fat doesn't mean the advice she is giving is incorrect.
I give nasal flu vaccines as a practice nurse but I never gave consent for them for my own DC.

She might have high cholesterol, for example.

Second to eating, sleep is THE most important process for human survival, and I don't know a single junior dr who isn't a sleep-deprived zombie (who, incidentally, also survives on a rubbish diet).

The entire institution doesn't follow its own advice. You don't just have to pick on fat nurses. Pick on all of them. Ignore all their advice and just die 😀

I think shifts affect weight. When I was in my 30s I worked shifts and I was the heaviest I had ever been. I am 60 now and have never ever been that weight since.

I think there’s strong evidence linking night shifts and night weight gain as it’s linked to the body clock.

YABU
They're just doing their job which is to give lifestyle advice to help you.
It doesn’t mean they have to follow it themselves.

Doctors who smoke ?
What about them ?
You just don’t know it ! lol

Why?

Stress and high cortisol can also lead to obesity.

They are embarrassed at having to do it, trust me. They have to share this info, and doing so while visibly unhealthy is pretty demoralising. Until they lose the weight though it's just something they have to deal with.

You can decline the info though. I would just have said politely 'I don't require any info on this, thank you though!'

You need to do more research on calorie counting. Dr Tim Spector has some good evidence-based stuff.

I'm 46 and possibly in peri but despite walking 6k a day and eating 1200 -1400 calories a day. I can't shift my weight.

I was like you, size 10 for decades and just needed to cut out crisps or something for a few weeks to lose weight quickly but the last 3 years, I've reduced and reduced and intermittent fast and still am hovering around 10st 10. I only weigh myself weekly and it's as if my body just likes that weight so following the same regime, I could be plus or minus 2lbs each week.

I'm not willing to reduce my calories to less than 1200 a day to potentially lose more as I don't think it's healthy or sustainable.

Yes incredibly simplistic. You are assuming rather arrogantly that everyone is the same as you.

There are many issues affecting diet. You clearly are basing everything you know in your own experience. If you look into actual research you will see that there are many issues affecting why people struggle with weight (both being under and overweight). For example in Professor Van Der Kolks seminal work “ The Body Keeps the Score” he sets out how a very large proportion of patients in a surgical weight loss programme suffered from abuse as children. If you’re actually interested in learning about the subject look up Dr Stephen Porges work on the vagus nerve specifically the effects of chewing.

You might also want to look up the links between poverty and the use of cheap sweet “treats” in order to temporarily lift moods.

The cycles of reward, punishment in certain eating disorders.

whilst smug and misinformed ideas such as the ones you set out remain there is going to be no solution to the actual problems.

But no doubt you feel superior to those actually struggling with this problem that better informed (and empathetic) people are trying to solve.

If you choose to self-soothe by eating excess calories, sure.

Think for a second. Famines aren't exactly known for being stress-free relaxing experiences...

Well, considering people who work in the nursing profession have one of the most stressful and unhappy careers I would think it was pretty self explanatory why they wouldn't be the picture of health.

I think it would be helpful if the general populous had insight into the fact that people in these careers sacrifice their own well-being to enhance yours first.
-Be greatful, we'd all be having a much more miserable life if these poor buggers actually prioritised themselves first.

I really struggle to believe that there are many people as ignorant as your acquaintance,

I mean, what obese or overweight person is genuinely baffled as to why they are the size they are? who doesn't know that an apple is better for you than a mars bar? that doesn't know that takeaways are bad for you? that doesn't know that exercise is good for you?

I think a lot of public health advice is lazy and doesn't get anywhere near to dealing with the obesity crisis in the country.

I'm overweight and it is essentially because I get far too much happiness and satisfaction from the immediate kick of fast food or sugary food. What I need is mental health support to get my mindset correct, and to get my ' buzz' from hobbies and exercise instead of food.

Obviously that is a lot more difficult to address than just making a leaflet that says ' have porridge instead of bacon sandwiches' .

I know people who take great care of their teeth and still have bad teeth, while others barely bother to do anymore than brush for 30 seconds morning and evening and their teeth are fine. There are genetic causes of bad teeth.

You obviously do demonise us or you wouldn't keep on saying things like this! I am fat, have always been, I eat a healthy diet and 1400 cals or less a day, I am quite fit with a physical job and can still do the splits but i'm still fat, you would look at me and think I need to eat less and move more, but that isn't true, so i'm not making excuses or shovelling crap food in my gob every day, it's not facts it's discrimination. I know i'm fat, we fat fucks always know, we know what to do about it(most of us anyway)but sometimes it just doesn't work and we are still seen as a lesser person, so shove your facts where the sun don't shine!

Took part in some CPR training last year ago. The fake patient was on a real bed. The course leader demonstrated how you might need to climb onto the bed in some cases or at least get one knee up. One of the nurses couldn't even get a knee onto the bed she was so large. She tried a few times from different angles, red-faced and huffing and puffing, did the CPR at a funny angle before giving up and sitting down panting and sweating. Couldn't even manage 30s. Needless to say she wasn't signed off as being competent!

You do know what famine is right?

That's people literally starving to death.

Which isn't an effective or sustainable weight loss programme is it?

It's actually really damaging to the body and leads to death. As the numerous deaths from Anorexia nervosa will tell you.

Or is that your recommendation for obesity? Starvation?

Don't be that idiot.

If people literally starve for extended periods then yes, they will lose weight and eventually die.

But we don't advise people to do that because it is a) extremely damaging and b) if you carry on with it, you will die.

Starvation diets and anorexia nervosa are not effective weight loss regimes for anyone seeking to stay alive.