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Hello folks. So today I will be talking about a blog article that I came across on Twitter. So allegedly, the article states that body positivity groups created ‘do not weigh me cards’ to reduce stress at the doctor’s office. People in the comment find it absurd. I am here to explain why I agree with it (somewhat) Of course, some points got me a little sus.
This isn’t about overweight people ‘avoiding reality’
You don’t have to be overweight to need this. Although the article needs better explaining. I feel as though this is intended for people who deal with eating disorders. Looking at the scale, having the doctor bring up their weight can do more harm than good to their recovery. I am not an eating disorder specialist so I can’t outright say oh this and that.
Also, fatphobia is real. Plenty of folks can’t get their medical issues checked because the doctor will blame it on the person’s weight by default and the doctor won’t run proper tests.
This can cost folks their lives.
I was on Twitter. One person posted they were denied care because of their weight. Another person said a friend who had their thyroid removed, a doctor told them they didn’t need medication, they just needed to lose weight. The problem, when you have no thyroid, you CAN NOT lose weight. Therefore the person needed their meds so they CAN lose weight.
There’s people who deal with Eating Disorders
The people against this need to look at this from an ED (eating disorder) brain. Someone fresh out of recovery for their ED. Gets on the scale, knows what they weighed when they left recovery, gets weighed, the doctor tells them their weight. They see they gained and the ED brain will tell them ‘oh no!, you gained X LBS’ which can send them back to their ED. People who are refused care, have undetected conditions brushed off and blamed on their weight.
I feel someone may use this card because they are worried they will be denied care because of their weight.
I disagree with the original message
In some cases you can say ‘hey can you not tell me my weight xyz’ in cases it’s needed like if you’re having surgery. Unless the person is like 400LBS, their weight should not be a concern. I feel the article should have added something like that. I agree with them in regards to folks recovering from an ED, looking at the title people got the vibes don’t weigh me ever.
Fatphobia caused me to be insecure
I’ve been insecure about my weight forever. I was on meds for my ADHD. ADHD meds increase your cravings and make them difficult to control. Everyone has different reactions to meds. The doctor assumes I drank a lot of soda and juice, ate a lot when my mom never let me drink a lot of sugary drinks. I bought it at school sometimes but I didn’t have money for it every day. I only had water or iced tea to drink at home.
This is probably why the cards were made in the first place, too many weight stigmas. Medication plays a huge role. Argo my ADHD meds played a part. I started eating 2000 calories or less. therefore if I am labeled overweight/obese for simply not being skinny thin I can squash the eating too much stigma if I say I eat less than 2000 calories a day. It just seems that way to me. That we just label people overweight simply because they are not thin. Although everyone is different, EDs can really skew your view of things.
I did starve myself at some point. I ate like a bird. I’ve been thinking. People aren’t born hating their image. Society makes them hate themselves.
My view of body positivity
When I say body positivity It’s aimed at this, folks who have curves. Wider hips etc. To help them feel great. To tell them they don’t need to be thin to be beautiful.
Its not about “hurt feelings”
it’s not about being soft it’s about people being afraid of their medical conditions being dismissed and blamed on their weight. This does happen.
Or if they are overweight
it is being blamed on overeating when they could have a medical condition unknown. Or the meds they are on.
If there were fewer stigmas people wouldn’t be so resistant to the scale. I think it has more to do with stigmas, fatphobia, EDs than ‘promoting obesity.’
The comments gave me ‘tell me you’ve never had body image issues, eating disorders without telling me you’ve never struggled with your image.’
Genetically people store more body fat than others. My folks got wider hips and such. It’s just no one wants to be shamed for something in their DNA. No one wants to be shamed for not meeting society’s beauty standards. Again I am not talking about my 600LB life here. Ya;ll know that YouTuber Amberlynn Reid, right? The one who records herself eating like 6000 calories a day? We’re not talking about that here. I am sure some folks in body positivity are not promoting that.
Maybe the person talks about their weight with someone trained better like their trainer at the gym
Trying to show you don’t need to be thin to be accepted, curves and such are becoming the norm. That skinny person, how do you know they are happy like that? They may hate it.
Knowing how society labels anyone not thin as ‘fat’ I can understand why someone would ask not to be weighed/told about their weight. I feel PCPs don’t have the best approach when it comes to weight and mental health and a therapist/psychiatrist is more equipped if the patient has had/has ED and/or body image issues. Especially if the doc who treated you for your ED told you to talk about weight with your therapist. In that case, you can inform your PCP you talk about your weight with your therapist or a dietitian, etc.
When I started training sessions at the gym (that was cut short because of the corona) the trainer said not eating enough calories slows your metabolism down which can make you gain weight. He asked us what we were eating. We told him and he said it was not enough. I am sure what my mom and I ate had to be around 2000 calories may be fewer than that.
Different bodies need different calorie intakes. Some people roll with the stigma that if you’re overweight you eat too much. The trainer would be a better person to talk about weight and nutrition with for instance. I could inform the nurse when I go to the doc I talk about weight and nutrition with the trainer at the gym. Trainers do ask you about your diet and tell you what you should eat.
I went to LA Fitness with my aunt. They measured her waist, legs, etc. This is a huge NO NO. What if the client had an ED? If they see the numbers change by merely 2 or 3, it could cause them to relapse. Especially if they see the changes and ask you ‘what happened.’ Some people get bigger when they start exercising.
The trainer I had vs the doctor I had
When I started my training sessions at the gym, the guy took the time to map out a meal plan. When my doc from when I was a teen boldly assumed I was eating a lot. Didn’t even take the time to map out a good meal plan and just blamed it on soda and juice. Just telling you to lose weight and not mapping out a plan so you know what you need to buy when you’re shopping is an oxymoron. The doc blames all juices. Now juice made from real fruit is better for you. Real natural ingredients are better for you than fake processed. Sometimes you can eat something you didn’t know is high in carbs etc.
Final thoughts
Again not aimed at folks with health problems, especially undetected health problems. Just because someone is for this doesn’t mean they stuff their face. They may have a health problem undetected that they cannot get looked at because it’s blamed on their weight outright. I mean if they assume you’re stuffing your face and that’s why instead of undetected heart problems causing your weight gain. heart problems make you retain water. Bad thyroid etc. If it’s a legit medical issue, just losing weight is not gonna fix it. The said issue needs to be corrected
I feel the cards should have that. ‘Hey I am recovering from an eating disorder and it will do more harm to my recovery if you talk about my weight. It’s best I talk about this with my X.’ The cards can work for non-verbal autistics, social anxiety folks, etc. And to say can you please not tell me my weight.
I feel folks who struggle with their image feel better talking about their weight with someone more equipped like a dietitian or their trainer at the gym etc. They are not ignoring it. As I said, they feel better talking about it with someone well trained.
There are other things that cause weight gain besides stuffing your face like mistakes you made when reading labels
Too much protein can make you gain. I recall my mom telling me that when I found a protein drink by Silk Milk at the store. If the doctor just assumes it’s because you’re overeating and not finding out what you are eating; they will not get you anywhere. You could be eating something you didn’t know was high in carbs. There are tons of mistakes people make when it comes to reading labels. The doctor won’t find that out assuming you overeat.
The comments I saw on Twitter and Facebook are proof of the stigma for mental health and weight. People assumed the idea was to promote being overweight. It’s far from that.
If people who are like 500 LBS wanna use this as a get-out-of-jail card to ignore their health then that is a problem,
Also, folks assumed the people for it is overweight. This right there proves the stigma
I feel instead of “do not weigh me” cards. How about ‘please do not tell me about my weight.’ then the nurse weighs you and puts it in the system.
Concluding thoughts
I feel the people against this should educate themselves on weight stigma, eating disorders, the recovery process for EDs, and fatphobia. The article mentions the things I did like weight stigma. I agree with them there. However the overall message ‘don’t weigh me cards’ without context especially, will surely make doctors and nurses sus.
It has nothing to do with being soft. Thoughts that ran through my head were “fatphobia weight stigmas etc are such a huge problem that whoever thought about this felt these cards are necessary.” While people who don’t understand those concepts saw it as a way to promote being unhealthy.
I am not your society-pleasing skinny. Blood tests and such are clean. So if that’s good, unless I am like 500LBs, my weight should not concern anyone. This isn’t about being soft, weak, etc it’s about the fact that stigmas are such a big problem that people are uncomfortable being weighed because of these stigmas. “I need your weight to make sure you get the right dose for meds’ unfortunately not all doctors/nurses are like you who are caring and want to spot health issues. Some doctors outright refuse treatment due to the person’s weight.
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