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.

And when do you propose they get the time to take advantage of these healthy meals they bring in? In case you missed it:

From my sister who is a ward nurse.

We do get a break but it’s usually interrupted. Every department is different and there are days people don’t get a proper meal and sometimes just grab some biscuits and there’s some days you get time to sit down and have a sandwich, but I can gurantee the break is interrupted and if the emergency buzzer goes you get nothing and it’s straight back out 😂.

Oh yeah no wonder nurses end up putting weight on, you grab and go and live off easy food!

Some departments like clinics etc it will be, but wards definitely not, my friend didn’t get her break till 3:30 the other day from
7:30 as there was just nobody to take over from her we do try but some days it’s just impossible!

And there's a problem. Nuts and nut bars are very high calorie and fruit juice and smoothies are very high in sugar. Lots of prepackaged salads and wraps are also very high in calorie because they have so much mayo, cheese etc. or

Assuming you meant to quote @Mirabai there!

Sending spoons to you!

@Mirabai I just re read your post. I'm also incredibly sorry about your father.

Well that’s your problem you just keep chant in the sane mantra with no ability to change your solution to address the actual issues. You’re trying to imagine the problem to meet your solution.

I don’t feel like any victim thanks. I’m perfectly healthy weight. But I have experience every day of the damage people like you do to those who are overweight, I actually understand the issues at play. You’re displaying signs quite a few problems you might want to address. But yes I would highly recommend spending some time educating yourself on this (assuming you have the capacity mentally and time wise, as well as ability to access the information). I find education is the best way to overcome bigotry.

It depends why they have gone to the appointment. People of all sizes can have heart attacks, diabetes both type 1 and type 2, kidney disease, liver problems

Many nurses I know have spent their lives putting other people first and that unfortunately means they don't have the time/mental space to look after themselves, often meaning an unhealthy lifestyle over decades that catches up with them.

Yep you couldn’t make it up could you. There’s some extremely poorly educated people on this thread. Interestingly overweight people are usually far more educated about nutrition than those lucky enough to easily maintain a “healthy” weight.

I can well imagine how hectic and stressful it is. Surely the obvious consequence is weight loss rather than gain?

@BeretRaspberry I did indeed my apols.
Hard to see what I am doing past my enormous girth whilst I inhale doughnuts.

Well, if it was that obvious and that was how it worked, this thread and fat HCPs wouldn’t exist.🙄

Is it really so difficult to understand that some restrictions can make weight management a real problem for some pepeoplethat doesnt mean they do no exercise at all or only eat unhealthy food.

I'm glad you manage with your conditions but can you really not see that other people have different conditions and restrictions?

I often see patients with eating disorders, should I say to them that if they really wanted to they could do XYZ and then it would all be fine and their weight would be healthy? I see people with crippling chronic conditions who can barely move, people with metabolic diseases, mental health conditions which are debilitating. Should I say they could do something about if they really wanted to?

I've seen people who have made themselves really unwell trying to push themselves beyond their physical capabilities because they are devastated that an illness or injury has led to a body they hate.

Things just aren't that simple.

Regardless, the job of healthcare professionals is not to inspire or lead by example. It is to give evidence based information, they owe no explanation about their own health and lifestyle choices or to own their 'own' perceived short comings.

I have AI illness + Fibro + Long Covid and you absolutely have to keep moving. No exercise is counter productive. It’s not recommended with CFS either - of which Long Covid is a form - you just have to avoid overly extended or vigorous exercise.

Wow! Just wow. You really have no idea. LC may be similar but it’s not the same. Exercise is NOT recommended for ME patients. Staying within and under your energy limitations is essential to prevent relapse or increase in symptoms.

I am lucky in that I can do some tasks on some days that keep me moving, but there are days where I cannot get out of bed. And I am one of the lucky ones.

that sounds so bad. People have different body types, and if you feel strongly about it, why the hell wouldn't you mention it to them? instead of sitting in silent judgement

I’m sorry about your father but respectfully, none of those things bar perhaps certain nuts in moderation, are “healthy”. Bars, fruit juice & smoothies are just laden with sugar. Porridge is just a mass of carbs as are wraps. Salads - OK.. but how fresh would they be, in a vending machine?
guaranteed 99.9% of what’s in a vending machine is ultra processed and laced with crap.
It’s criminal, really, that the place you go when you’re sick and the options are ultra processed shite from a machine, or the unhealthy slop they feed you. The irony is not lost on me.

I have never said weight management isn’t hard for some people.

To be fair we were talking about you not your patients. Of course there are mental and physical illnesses which make it hard to manage weight. But the overweight/ obese portion of the population is 60%. ED prevalence is is 2.6%, serious mental illness around 5%. Statistically the majority of overweight people don’t have serious mental or physical illness. So the issue is not how to tackle obesity in those minorities, but in the majority.

That just illustrates the complete lack of understanding of the many causes of obesity and is grounded on the misconception that it is solely caused by greed and laziness.

Exercise is absolutely recommended in both Long Covid and CFS. It is simply overexercise eg too-challenging exercise that are not advised. You have to be aware of exercise intolerance and post exercise crashes and not push too hard.

LC is a form of CFS. In some cases it can be worse - for people who sustained lung or heart damage, or were on ventilators - you don’t see that kind of damage in CFS.

Luckily my lungs are ok, but I have an underlying AI illness that’s very similar to MS - nerve damage, joint pain, exhaustion etc - and even then you have to keep moving.

I agree. I’d hazard a guess this was an over 50 health check.

67 % of women in their 50s have high cholesterol which can be reduced by diet. There are many misconceptions about cholesterol so dietary advice can be useful. The menopause also plays havoc with lipid levels.

The word “diet” has been hi jacked by the weight loss industry.
In medical terms it simply means the food you eat. No need for a knee jerk reaction or huge offence if you’re given dietary advice.
Patients are given information on diet and seem to only hear one thing :YOU'RE FAT.
It’s a knee jerk reaction fuelled by the media promoting the idea that any mention of weight/ size/ diet is Fat shaming and NOT ALLOWED.

The anecdotes from HCPs are appalling. It’s no wonder nurses are leaving the profession in droves and theres a recruitment crisis.

Nuts are excellent nutrition. Nut bars tend to have too much sugar but compared to a Mars they’re still a better choice. Equally fruit juice is better than coke. There’s nothing wrong with mayo or cheese - I think the whole calorie preoccupation is unhealthy, they are normal foods.

A friend who is a nurse once told me she frequently goes an entire shift without even having time to pee, never mind eat. She'd probably consider eating at her desk (if she has one) a luxury. She must be ravenous as well as knackered by the end of her shift.

Exactly. I’d have thought the mind of crazy, stressful hectic shifts in a busy hospital would more tend to cause weight loss than gain.

Oh FFS. You do realise that for most ME patients overexercising can mean getting out of bed or moving around their own home. And that it’s difficult to know what your energy limitations are because they fluctuate so much. Most people with ME deteriorate over time because they think they can do more than is good for their body. And most people with ME that I know of (and I know many) cannot do any form of exercise without suffering repercussions.

Again, you’re widely off the mark and don’t seem to understand that just because you can do something doesn’t mean others can.

Also:

https://meassociation.org.uk/2024/02/new-scientist-on-the-use-of-exercise-therapy-for-long-covid/