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.

The daily fat basher. Bog off OP and examine your own “imperfections”.
People are fat for a variety of reasons. It doesn’t make us stupid or unable to give appropriate general health advice. If you were fat yourself then these nurses (if they aren’t a figment of your imagination used to make your desired point) would be best placed to understand how difficult life might be for you and your barriers to losing weight.

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

That first paragraph might be one of the stupidest things I’ve read on here.

Two nurses in a routine appointment, why were there two? Can't recall 1 single appointment where two nurses have been present!

They are there to advise you not take advice. Take the advice or not, your call. Their physical appearance won't benefit you one way or the other.

I must admit I was given dietary advice from a doctor who must have been 20+
stone and I did feel pot kettle black , it got worse when I left the practice and saw him outside smoking .
Its like going to an exercise class and the instructor is obese . I don't aspire to look like that so would prefer to see someone who represents the effort I put into the class .

It's not fair to people I know but for me I want anyone giving me health advice to look like they take their own advice .

shakes head
Seriously? Some of the replies on here are next level judgemental! How on earth can any of you possibly know whether someone has a health condition that contributed to their weight problem?
Not ALL people overweight are so because they sit stuffing their faces all day you know!!!
😡

And you're an idiot for even thinking/believing this, let alone posting it!

My friend is an overweight cardiologist and he does exactly this! He tells his patients to listen to the advice but he does acknowledge his own weight....

This. They are doing a job to help YOU woth health. Don’t shoot the messenger. That is their role. Oh and the term “fat” is a loaded word, check your language.

If every overweight, smoking, drinking health professional was to leave to meet your exacting standards the health system would be in an even worse state than it is. YABVU.

Horrible, judgmental thread. Nurses do amazing work and tend to put their patients before tvhemselves most of the time yet here we are judging the fuck out of them.

When I was going through treatment for endometrial cancer, which has a link to obesity because fat cells produce oestrogen, the staff kept referring to me as "nice and slim" My nurse specialist obviously was feeling very sensitive about her weight because she kept making comments that were along the lines of "not like me", which was kind of annoying because I was the one with cancer and I needed support I didn't want to deal with her feelings about her weight.

It can be really difficult though for nurses to manage their eating on the wards, my DD is a student nurse and does 13 hour shifts. She's pretty good at taking food in as I have wanged onto her for years about healthy eating. But it is a challenge for her to have food in and prepare it, particular when she's getting back at 8pm and has to get up again at 5.30 to get back to the hospital. There's often cakes and chocolates around as well from the patients and their families, and of course they're tired and stressed and it's much more difficult to resist things when you're feeling like that.

I don't think there is enough focus though on nutrition in the NHS generally. Post-cancer. I've been given absolutely no advice at all around diet or exercise or any of those things to reduce recurrence. I've needed to find everything out myself or pay privately. Even when I had some digestive issues diet wasn't mentioned as a factor I was just given a prescription.

Wow you are so unreasonable . I am a fat doctor, probably because I am overworked stressed and menopausal.
I know how to make lentil soup, spuds and chicken strips, but I’m often too tired to do this at 9pm and have instead used a vending machine to eat crap on my way home.

I am well educated and knowledgeable about diet and exercise and I deliver this information with empathy. Should I not bother?

I’d rather we kept medical staff in the current nightmare of healthcare system so I’ll happily take their advice thanks !

So whats the alternative then? That once nurses get to a certain BMI they have to omit any advice relating to diet to patients? That they call a slim nurse in to do that part? That the fat ones are forced to diet or lose their jobs? Or they take it on a case by case basis, have a look at patients, and if they're slimmer than them think, oh, no! I wouldn't have the cheek!?

It's rather silly to assume by someone's appearance that their knowledge or application of health advice is correct. Even if, across the population, heavy people are more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviours, you can't then make conclusions about individuals. As someone pointed out earlier, there are thin people with appalling habits or eating disorders. But you can't see that.

YABU They could be overweight due to a medical condition.Working long hours also doesn't help in keeping fit and healthy. Stop being judgy.

Knowing the correct advice and having the time and finances to follow the correct advice are two completely different things. They did their job by making you aware of the current advice, did you really expect them to turn around and say “I know I’m fat but don’t be like me”

A pretty disgusting, judgmental post. There are many reasons of obesity anyways. And regardless, they are sharing knowledge (but may be unable to follow the advice or simply not want to, it could be a personal choice).
Hope you get your degree in nursing soon so you can replace them!

Well done you, here is a little medal. Hope you gave them this unsollicited advice on how to cook!

AIBU to expect health professionals to demonstrate the the standards they recommended or at least admit to falling short.

Why should they 'admit' to anything - you want them to pepper the conversation with details of their weight problems?

Along the lines of "I know I'm fat but these are the NHS guidelines on healthy living"

YABU, you're there to discuss your health, not theirs.

The fact is 43% of those who voted agree in some way with OP. Yet way more than 57% of comments are saying she's being unreasonable.

I agree with OP that it is patronising to give advice to people/clients/customers that you're unable to follow - whether that be a divorce solicitor wrangling over their own divorce in court for years and making themselves broke (I know a couple who did this), or being a seriously unhealthy healthcare professional, or a PE teacher who can't even run 100meters. It doesn't make them less qualified, but it makes them patronising and it does (whether people will admit it or not) make people less likely to follow the advice given.

It's extremely difficult to eat healthily with the 12 hour shift system (add in getting off late and travel time). Meal breaks get missed or are late and taken in the ward office with constant interruptions. I get why nurses want 12 hour shifts - more free days which is especially helpful if organising childcare. But the old 8 hour shift system meant nurses were relieved for their lunch break when the late shift arrived. Now there is no one to take over while a nurse grabs a break and the wards are so busy, there's always one more job to do before going on a break. Try getting up at six to start work at 7 or 7:30 and not having a sit down til 5pm.

Then there's the issue of exercise. This is something that massively pisses me off. My hospital offers exercise classes with the physios.. On our hospital intranet chat system I see our CEO and other senior management praising the classes and recommending them. How nice to work in admin and be able to pop off for an exercise class in the middle of the day. Bet they don't work late to make up the time either. How can any of the clinical staff leave their wards or operating theatres to take advantage of this "perk"? The very people who would benefit from exercises to maintain a healthy musculoskeletal system and avoid back problems.

We also have an outdoor pool. During the annual health and wellbeing week (promoting things like the exercise classes we can't get to) there was free use of the pool. The weather was good and I took my daughters on my day off. Swimming alongside me were two young women who I guessed worked in HR chatting to each other as they swam about the joy of coming swimming every day in their lunch hour. Yes, the nurses and medical staff would love to do that to!

There's a two tier workforce - the ones doing all the hard graft who get no opportunity to take care of themselves and the others patting themselves on the back for providing all these perks to support the workforce and tick ✅ boxes showing what benevolent employers they are. 🤬🤬🤬

Giving dietary advice is just a small part of her role so I wouldn't think much of it.

However a overweight/bad lifestyle personal trainer who gets paid to solely give that advice -yes YANBU to think they should practice what they preach.

Slimming world consultants who yo-yo diet, I wouldn't take any advice of them either.