Doctor Recommends Weight Loss; Woman Files Complaint

A couple of years ago a doctor specifically recommended Weight Watchers to me. I laughed incredulously and informed her of the approx. 5% success rate of such programs and she told me that she had just read "in a medical journal" that it was the best program, and very effective. I never saw that doctor again. I wonder if I should have sent a letter, or even a formal complaint?

When I was younger, my family doctor told me I shoud think about losing weight because I "was getting to that age where I would start liking boys and want them to like me back." Even at 16, I knew that this was the wrong thing for him to say to me, but it messed me up for a long time. It infuriated me, and I refused to go to the doctor for a long while after that. I support this woman because if doctors keep alienating patients because of their weight, patients are going to start feeling uncomfortable going to the doctors (like I was for a long time), and when something is actually wrong with them they will either feel like they have no where to go or have no idea about it. Ultimately, that is putting a patients life at risk. Not fat.

I have so much respect for that patient's decision to file a complaint. When I was 12, my family doctor told me I was a couple of pounds over what the weight charts said I should weigh so I should watch what I was eating. I lost all respect for her because of that -- I mean, I still had 6" to grow (as it turned out), how could 2 pounds possibly be worth mentioning at such a psychologically delicate age? I wish I had filed a complaint, rather than just telling my parents I thought our doctor was a moron.

You know, I saw this guy on the Today show this morning, and what he actually told his patient was "You're going to outlive your husband" (ironic that, but apparently the husband is fat too) "and then you won't be able to find another man." Or words to that effect. Obesity aside, that's offensive on so many levels I can't even count them. Surprisingly, Matt Lauer seemed to be on the patient's side when he interviewed this jerk.

Bravo,unnamed patient, bravo. While I am thrilled that she took this step, I am even more impressed the the mainstream news outlets are running with the story. Because it now other people who encounter fat bigotted doctors will feel empowered to stand up for themselves. Yes, doctors are professionals, but they are not freaking gods.

The "love life," thing reminds me of a story. I once took a temp job at a government office. Everything was fine for a while, and then my chair was replaced with a horribly unergonomic chair which was completely height-inappropriate for me and couldn't be adjusted. After several days of working in that chair, I started to develop horrible back pain. Once, one of my co-workers was off on vacation for a few days, and I borrowed their chair to test the theory out. My back pain went away completely. I went and requested a new chair and was told that they couldn't give me one without a doctor's note stating that I needed one for a medical reason. So off I went to the doctor. When I got there, the doctor refused to write me a note. He insisted that it was all due to my weight. I explained that I'd never had back pain before, that it began as soon as I got that chair, and that not using the chair made the pain go away. He said that it was obvious that it was my weight and that he didn't want to hear anything about any chair. I was just about to leave and make an appointment with another doctor when he said, "Plus, it'll do a number for your self esteem." I turned around, incredulous, and said, "What?" The doctor replied, "Well, when you look in the mirror in the morning, aren't you disgusted by what you see?" I said, "No." He said, "Well, you should be!" At that point I did leave. (I did also get a note from another doctor the next day later, which got me assigned a new chair and the back pain went away, thankfully.) I never filed a complaint, but in retrospect, I wish I'd have thought to do so.

I saw the Today show too. This guy may be our poster boy. He is arrogant, offensive, defensive and close minded. He is highly likely to shoot himself in the foot in a court of law, and he seemed to be doing a good job of it in the court of public opinion (though we know we're carrying the disadvantage in that arena). Now, I'm praying that our anonymous patient stays anonymous as long as she is able, and when she emerges I hope she's got a PR dream team to help her out. God love her, in order to pull this off she's got to come off as wise, kind and level headed. The more soft-spoken she is, the more snotty, bombastic and pig-headed he'll look. Prayers for this woman, folks! Good Karma for her! Paul, this one would be worth throwing yourself into the vortex. Have you made yourself available to get the truth out there and let it compete with his flimsy misconceptions? Consider it. (Good Karma to you too.)

This is *exactly* why overweight people stay away from doctors. This kind of rude treatment only exacerbates the problem. When you go to doctors, you expect to be treated professionally, not bullied. Heck, I'm healthy and don't go to checkups because not only can I not afford them (I would have to pay out of pocket with my crappy health insurance), but I'll probably just get told to starve myself even though I'm average size. I don't need to go to a doctor to hear that I'm healthy in all other respects, but I still need to be thin to make the medical profession happy. Screw them.

I wanted to get the name of this person/patient to write her a letter of support, but perhaps it would be better if she did remain anonymous for as long as possible. That way she would not be put through the media mill and be attacked. Then again, it seems that the media themselves are slowly starting to wise up to the fact that prescribing weight loss (especially for something completely unrelated but also in general!) is inappropriate and counterproductive.

I also happen to catch this on the Today show, but only because my mother was watching it. When I first heard what it was about, and how they put it in that "this stupid woman is attacking this wonderful doctor because he called her fat" tone, I blurted out "Good for her!" which started a little bit of an argument with my mother which finally got her to see what I've been trying to say for several months. There wasn't a completely negative stance on the show, but it wasn't positive either. I think they were trying to be neutral, but as a precaution made it a bit negative. I'm with everyone else here and only hope it will turn out good. Any doctor peddling weight loss crap instead of actually treating patients shouldn't be allowed to practice.

I think the reason the polls were so high towards "helpful" is that they made it sound in the article (at least, the one I read on ABC news) that the doctor only told the patient she ought to lose weight. There was nothing about the love life advice in it at all.

Alright, did some hunting for the letter writing stuff. :) New Hampshire Attorney General (Of whom I think we should really show support): Kelly Ayotte (603) 271-1202 kelly.ayotte@doj.nh.gov 33 Capitol Street Concord, NH 03301 New Hampshire Board of Medicine: (603) 271-1203 ptaylor@nhsa.state.nh.us (Need to put who it is for so they can forward it; the list of board members is here: http://www.nh.gov/medicine/consumer.html) 2 Industrial Park Drive #8 Concord NH 03301 Dr. Terry Bennett (603) 332-0379 terry@greencafe.com 151 South Main St Rochester, NH 03867 It was fun looking him up in the NH board of medicine thing - he agreed to a settlement and was fined $1,000 in 1995 for providing false information on a liscense application.

Thanks, MidknytOwl! To me it was sort of sad that those "overweight" patients agreed with what the doctor was saying. And I wonder how many disagreed, but did not get air time..

Hey everyone. I was incensed, as you all were I am sure, to hear this Dr. Bennett's blase, hurtful comments. I wanted to thank MidknytOwl for the links. I wrote the following email to Kelly Ayotte, the Attorney General: "Hello Ms. Ayotte, I have been following the story of Dr. Bennett, and I want to thank you for going ahead with the investigation. What people like Dr. Bennett don't seem to understand are the facts regarding weight, health and weight loss. These include: (1) Up to 98% of diets result in greater weight gain, which constitutes yo-yo dieting, widely held to be more damaging than staying at a stable weight -- even a high one (see: "The Obesity Myth" by Paul Campos); (2) the CDC has admitted that it basically pulled the "300,000 people a year die from obesity" statistic out of thin air (See: www.bigfatblog.com) ; (3) shocking though it may be to believe, there is zero evidence that fat causes health problems. There is a link, but not causality, and said link can even be explained by the fact that fat people loathe going to the doctor because they constantly encounter fat-hatred and bigotry, as evidenced by Dr. Bennett. (See: "Fat!So?" by Marilyn Wann) Fat-hatred is one of the last "acceptable" forms of discrimination in our society. Unfortunately, it is also highly prevalent in the medical field, which means that fewer and fewer fat people will see a doctor when they have a legitimate problem; we are just sick of everything from ear aches to tumors being explained away by our weight. Isolated societies in other parts of the world, such as Niger, hold fat people, especially women, on a pedestal. Fat is admired, respected and found to be sexy (so much for Dr. Bennett's "love life" comments). In these societies, fat people have no health problems commonly associated with fatness in our society, such as heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. So, what's the difference? Could it be the constant fat-phobic diatribe faced by fat people in our society? Sorry to rant, I just wanted to make sure that your office sticks with this investigation. It makes me furious to think of all the women out there -- kids, teenagers and adults -- that are damaged and demeaned by those like Dr. Bennett, those they entrust with their health. You should check out www.bigfatblog.com. There is an entry about your case, with interesting comments attached. Thanks again," Just thought you might be interested.

I e-mailed ABC news and asked them why they didn't have anything about the love life advice in the story. I'm still waiting for a response. I suppose they will just send me some stock reply, but I'll let you all know if I hear anything.

I find it amusing that he felt he was doing a professional job by referring a patient to a service like Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig, citing that they can be successful. Uh, has anyone actually seen any success-rate statistics from either of these companies? No? Gee. It's not like they don't KEEP them. I wonder why they don't RELEASE them then. What this says to me ... when a Dr. feels the need to refer a patient to a questionably-effective weight-loss service ... is that the Dr. has no f*cking clue how to 'solve' his patient's weight problem. Because there isn't a solution. And if there were one, you'd think a Dr. would know it before f*cking Jenny Craig would. I mean, do Dr.s refer, say, RENAL patients to the schlocky 'health-food store' down the road (not a real health food store, but one of those that promises to, I dunno, tell you the state of your kidneys by examining the colour of your aura)? Of course not. So, if Dr.s are so convinced that 'obesity' is a 'disease' that needs 'treatment,' then why aren't THEY the ones handling the treatment? (Because the best they've come up with so far is to cut out half of someone's gut?) Any other (real) disease would be handled by a doctor, perhaps with some supplemental alternative care. Someone with a real disease would not be sent to Jenny Craig. I know I'm rambling, but I'm upset.

This is exactly why I dislike doctors, and will not go to see my G.P. I need a new women's doctor, as well, because neither of them listen when I tell them that diets don't work, and yes, thank you, I do exercise four hours a week. I've been through so many fasting blood tests that serve only to prove that I'm healthy... It's such a waste - of their time, and of mine. They shouldn't send these doctors to an educational seminar... They should do a combination Fat Acceptance and Listening Training....

MichMurphy, ever heard a doctor admit that he doesn't know how to cure something? That is the problem here. When doctors don't have a clue, they blame weight. If it were not weight, they would blame something else (maybe the color of a woman's aura, as you say.. they would tell her to tint it mauve and all would supposedly be well). Doctors are used to being looked up to as if they were gods. I pity their mental/psychological state when weight is no longer present as an all-purpose bugaboo.

Absoultely Fatthought. There is actually a study that found doctors who are also pilots have higher crash rates for small planes than non doctor pilots. Those behind the study speculate that doctors fly with the feeling that they are omnipotent, something they internalize during medical school. According to the theory, doctors are taught to develop it as a defense for all the life and death decisions they make. Otherwise, the fear is there would be too much potential for doubt and their decision making ability could be hampered. I don't know whether this psychological protection is absolutely necessary or not but it is certainly damaging in other areas. It is one of the reasons why the medical profession can not open its mind to the fact that have very simplistic notions about fatness and did more harm than good. What the medical profession needs in a whole new paradigm period! p.s. My book which mentions this study is at my mom's house in AZ, so I can't reference it right this minute. But it is mentioned in an article called "The Doctor Nurse Game."

I completely admire this woman and her stand. I hope it encourages more fat people to not put up with this kind of rubbish treatment from doctors and other health "professionals" and feel that they'll be taken seriously if they make a complaint.

Psst. Moongirli: Email me, and I'll give you the info on my GP, if you're interested. She's been extremely fat-friendly so far, at least, far more so than any other doctor I've ever gone to. :) (And that goes for anybody else in the Ann Arbor, MI area who needs a new doc. :))

I think this doctor's attitude and behaviour (and that of those mentioned in the comments, too!) is reprehensible. I just wanted to speak up and make sure it got specifically said, though: there =are= doctors who aren't like that. My GP when I was growing up was of the personal opinion that I ought to lose weight, but mentioned it only if I asked for advice on it or if the issue I was dealing with had a fair chance of being exacerbated by my weight, and he was wise enough to say only that it =might= be a factor. To me, that was fair enough -- I had foot problems, for example, which appeared after I'd just gained weight, so it might've been a factor (though it didn't turn out to be). Even then, he didn't push anything. My current doctor needed to be shown twice that I knew what I was talking about with regard to weight issues and the state of the art, as it were, but now he's even better about it than my GP was -- and he actually admits it when he/the medical establishment don't know how to cure something, too! A lot of it's luck and some's determination and research, but there are some decent doctors out there, and I still think getting upset/pissed off is a better risk to take than dying from not getting healthcare is. And I haven't used (or had to use) it yet, but I liked the question I remember someone suggesting around here -- "What would you suggest/diagnose/whatever for a thin person with my symptoms?" That one's filed for if I ever feel like I need it. If you're not seeing your doctor because of this kind of thing, please find another one you can live with. Why should we let their prejudice dictate how well we can take care of ourselves?

I'm going through a similar problem with my (now former) doctor. I am in the process of writing a letter to both my health insurance provider and the medical board. I had gone in with many symptoms that made me think that my thyroid level might be off (I'm hypothyroid)--some of the symptoms were really worrying, including heart palpitations. The only symptom I was able to get out of my mouth was "I'm tired," and the doc immediately said, "You have sleep apnea," and forcefully referred me to a sleep clinic. She refused to even listen to my other symptoms and I had to argue with her to do bloodwork to check my thyroid (and while she was at it, my electrolytes). I was due to have it checked anyway so I was not asking for anything unreasonable. She refused to address my problems or even listen to all of my symptoms and instead went on the usual tirade about weight loss surgery, which she knows I am opposed to. (I have an active life, work out regularly and eat well--so no thanks on the loss of my wonderful life because of those surgeries). I had been informed by my health insurance company that one of my medications was being moved to the expensive list ($100 for 90 day script), which meant I now had 3 meds (one of them for allergies) at that same price. I wanted to discuss with her what my options were for changing meds to ones on the formulary list which is much cheaper. She refused to even discuss it with me and asked me, seriously, "Don't you have a rich relative with one foot in the grave?" Then she told me that I had no room to complain about the price of my prescriptions unless I had weight loss surgery. Anyway, tests came back and my potassium was tanking because of a diuretic the doc had me on that she was supposed to be monitoring (I found that out after the fact). If she'd have listen to my symptoms she could've probably figured that out. The symptoms were similar to the thyroid being off. Long story short--thank goodness I'm intelligent and could do some research and figure out what was going on myself because the doc didn't even take me off the med (this happened once before because of a similar med about 10 years ago)--there's more including another horrible doc visit (this time with an advocate so I had a witness), but I won't go on and on. I just wanted to say that I support the woman in that suit wholeheartedly as I am fighting the same battle in a different state. My battle is just beginning. And people wonder why our healthcare costs so much sometimes--maybe if docs just started listening to their patients and treating them like human beings, we wouldn't have nearly as many problems. I almost ended up in the hospital because of medical negligence related to weight bias.

May I shill here for my fat friendly health professionals list? They do exist - not in great numbers, but I keep getting new recommendations all the time.

Here's my letter I sent: Dear Ms. Ayotte, I recently read a news article concerning the complaint that has been filed against Dr. Terry Bennett over his comments to a patient that she lose weight. I am sure that you will be getting a plethora of mail from this, as it has gotten national media coverage, so I will try to keep this letter short. I read that one of Dr. Bennett’s other patients is trying to get a petition signed to get you fired over this matter; I am writing this letter in support of your decision to pursue this complaint. I do not know what your stand is on the issue, but as a fat person, I do appreciate that you are taking a complaint such as this one seriously, rather than tossing it aside as many others might. I myself have been told by almost every doctor I’ve ever visited to lose weight. In addition, I have found that many doctors will blame any condition you are being seen for on your weight, regardless of if it is another condition. I myself have experienced this. I have an overactive bladder. (You’ve probably seen the commercials for it, “gotta go, gotta go”) I have a rather acute case, which without treatment leaves me getting out of bed to use the restroom up to eight times a night, and going sometimes every twenty minutes during the day. Every six months or so, tired of living this way, I would go to a doctor to see what was wrong, and because of my weight, every time I was tested for Type II Diabetes, as frequent urination is a symptom. (It was also the only symptom I had for that disease) When my fasting blood sugar would come back in the low 70s (125+ signifies diabetes), I would be told some people just have to urinate more than others and/or that if I wasn’t heavy, there wouldn’t be as much pressure on my bladder and this would no longer be a problem. It wasn’t until I saw a poster ad for one of the drugs that had a symptom list, of which I had every single one, that I diagnosed myself, went in telling a doctor what I was certain I had, and finally got treatment. My case, sadly, is just one of many. While my quality of life was lowered by discriminatory care by doctors, I have heard numerous stories from other people who had life-threatening issues their doctors told them to lose weight to take care of. Growing up, my doctor told me every single visit that I needed to lose weight, even when I was there for something like an ear infection. I do not know if Dr. Bennett did the same to this patient, but telling her her weight is bad for her love life is not his business. I am glad that this woman complained, and that you have taken the proper actions regarding her complaint. It is about time that the medical profession stopped only half treating us because of our size, and actually started listening to our symptoms and complaints like they do for their thin patients. I apologize for making this letter longer than I intended, and hope that I have not taken up too much of your time. Again, I appreciate that you have taken the matter seriously, and hope all will turn out well for you. Sincerely, Anica Mercado Corvallis, Oregon 'Tis my first, so hopefully it didn't suck too much. :)

When I was a teenager (and about a size 16 - I say this just for reference for the upcoming comment) I went to a gynecologist who, while she had her hands IN MY BODY, told me that I was "aesthetically displeasing" and that "[your] vagina is full of fat". She also told me she was surprised I was sexually active, since most men did not like fat girls. She then threatened - and I use that word on purpose - to "cut me off" from birth control pills unless I lost weight. By the time she was done with me, and I don't necessarily mean physically, I felt like a piece of foul meat that was spoiled, but if a man was hungry enough he might deign to touch it. The only reason SHE would get near me, obviously, is because she was being paid to do so. When I got home, my boyfriend said "Wow, are you alight? You're as white as a sheet!" He thought it was from my routine exam. I was so humiliated and so ashamed (and so afraid that all the crap she had told me was true) that I couldn't tell him about it. I didn't have another pap smear or other gynecological exam for almost twenty years. Smart? No, most probably not, but I could_not_make_myself_go. I just couldn't face the risk of being treated like that again. I know some doctors face death and disease everyday and have to find some sort of coping mechanism for dealing with that. I refuse to believe though that terrorizing teenage girls, who they KNOW are already treated badly enough by society because of their weight,is a prescription for anything other than future problems. I hope this "Doctor" Bennett is ripped to shreds (professionally) before he encounters someone not as strong as the brave unnamed patient. Leigh p.s.: Stef's list is great!

I'm so angry about this I am almost crying. I have been posting extensively about this in, of all places, a Mensa SIG I am on. Every single person there thinks the doctor was correct. Some days I wonder why I even try.

I still think the reason everyone thinks the doctor was correct is because not all of the information in the story was reported on. The ABC News Poll said, and I am cutting and pasting from the website: The New Hampshire state medical board is reprimanding a doctor for telling a patient she needs to lose weight. Was the doctor being offensive or honest with his assessment? Honest Offensive It doesn't say *how* the doctor told her that she needed to lose weight, nor does it even mention the love life thing. I don't know if it's intentionally biased, or if they just didn't know it, but I would write to them and let them know that their poll doesn't tell the whole story.

I still think the reason everyone thinks the doctor was correct is because not all of the information in the story was reported on. The ABC News Poll said, and I am cutting and pasting from the website: The New Hampshire state medical board is reprimanding a doctor for telling a patient she needs to lose weight. Was the doctor being offensive or honest with his assessment? Honest Offensive It doesn't say *how* the doctor told her that she needed to lose weight, nor does it even mention the love life thing. I don't know if it's intentionally biased, or if they just didn't know it, but I would write to them and let them know that their poll doesn't tell the whole story.

you know that is interesting that those fat people in other countries love fatty woman and that these fatty woman don't have heart disease high blood pressure or anything else, could it be the lifestyle? higher quality food exercise and cleaner air? and all the emotional support they give to each other, the love they have for the community living? something to think about you know? I guess I am very fortuant to have good doctors no one pressures me to lose weight in fact they just check everything before recommending any prescription and no one has even mentioned weight loss surgury. it wouldn't do any good if they do as I disagree witht it. all my health parameters are good except blood pressure, but you know what when I lost weight on weight watchers years ago and was a 10 long years jogger of 12 or more miles a week plus hiking trials which I love to do, I still had stage 2 sometimes higher pressure so losing weight did lower pressure some, but not enough and I attribute that to lower metabolism not better cardio health. I have had high pressure since 10 years old and I wasn't obese then. and moonvine this may seem like a depressing point but with the woman complaining this may cause them (the medicial community) to start investigating this and being better at avoiding doing the same thing since many of their patients are fat and losing them due to angering them will hurt their business, and your all right about doctors trying to protect their godliness, by not admitting they dont' know what the cure is or problem so it is easier and safer for their egos to blame the patient. so here we have patient heal thy self!! it really is a shame to blame the patients for their conditions, and these doctors who read up on medical studies need to ask questions beyond what it is written, seems to me that some doctors suffer from niaveness, putting faith in every word they hear or read, which makes them a fool. that would make all of us fools if we put faith in every word just because the ones saying it are in position of authority. question everything, be sure of the facts received before making decisions, which is alot safer than just jumping into something just because someone in position of authority says it is true or not. RR

WOW. What a story. It's a perfect place for all fat people to come out and talk about medical mistreatment and I hope that's what will happen. It has here at least. I also hope the annon complainer is in the size acceptance community and is getting advice etc. Oh, I do hope so... And if she's reading our posts, I think she's ace. That's all I'm gonna say now 'cause I'd want to see what happens next. Stef's list is great. MidknytOwl: good going on all the research!

Awesome job, MidkyntOwl - thanks. So I just read another article about this here and interestingly, the same "overweight people [sic]" coming to the doctor's defense is... Mindy Haney. She's the only one I've read about. No "people". Person. One. Here, we've already had more than one person talk about her or his story with a doctor in a similar situation. I've got one, too. Wouldn't it be stellar if we, say, contacted our local media with our stories? I think so. I plan on writing the local papers and TV outlets for starters, and working up from there.

I had a similar experience with a doctor whom I actually liked and is basically compassionate. At the time,of course, I was convinced fat was bad and was desperately trying to lose weight, so that probably colored my (lack of) response. Still, it did kind of niggle at me, as I'd begun wondering whether "science" really had any answer for weight loss at all, since the advice I was following didn't work. Anyway, it was after one of "those" exams, and he told me I could have a more active sex life if I lost weight, because I'd be more attractive. I asked him why I should want a man who didn't want ME unless I looked a certain way, and he stumbled and stammered all over himself until I changed the subject. I just wish I'd known then what I know now. I especially wish I'd known it in 1999,when a friend of mine was working as a security guard at a hotel. A heavy metal door slammed into her knee, injuring it. When she went to the worker's comp doctor, he wrote in a letter that her knee problems were caused by her weight and "a lack of aerobic fitness," therefore, the hotel was not obligated to compensate her for chronic pain/injury. Totally ignoring, HELLO!, that A GIANT METAL DOOR SLAMMED INTO HER KNEE! I realize now that this was health bigotry. I wish more people would speak out about it, like the anonymous patient referenced in the article, but at the same time, we need to brace ourselves for the ridicule she's going to reap.

I'm just as offended that several news stations have slapped the headline "Doctor Tells Woman She's Obese" on this thing, and ran it under Irresistible Headlines - the "wacky" or "zany" news. This is discrimination by size and gender, and it's WACKY?

Man, this is everywhere, too. Rush Limbaugh covered it and deemed it as excessive political correctness. (Rush! People treated you like crap for your weight - you're a "former fatty" too!) Anyway, the general consensus out there is that fat people are in denial, and the doc is okay. But I strongly believe that's because there's only one side of the story out there. I've already written several stations and the Tribune, with more on the way. If you're writing, feel free to point them to this page on the site. We all have stories. This needs to get out.

I think the doctor's comment was rude and insensitive even if we give him the benefit of the doubt and assume his message was well intentioned. More significantly, his suggestion about diet programs was pretty much worthless given that most diets have recidivism rates higher than heroin addiction. Most doctors are pretty much worthless when it comes to useful suggestions for larger patients. I'm particularly offended by the slavish reliance on BMI (body mass index) as a measure of obesity. It's a worthless metric which has absolutely no ability to take into account different body types and is grotesquely biased against larger people. My personal favorite was a few years back was when I went into the doctor for a routine physical and they discovered that their old office scale could not weigh me. The doctor (a skinny little 5'5", 155 lb. marathon running, bran eating dweeb who looked at 6'1", 365 lb. power lifting me like I was livestock on the hoof) suggested I go down to the local grocery store and have them weight me on the meat scales then report back. Resisting the urge to clean and jerk him through the nearest window I left and never went back. You can't let these morons - and there are lots of them - get you down or screw with your head. If you want to lose weight - great. If you're comfortable at your current size - great. Either way, do it because you want to not because somebody else sees you as a project or a cause.

Paul, I just saw you over at the wizbang blog. Had to put my own two cents in as well, especially after some dork posted after yours saying all the woman had to do was go to fat camp. So predictable. Say, I think you've coined a logo: Hi, I'm [..] and I'm for fat rights. I quite like that. How about linking to other blogs so some of us can put our two cents in as well?

I threw in my .02 too. More for the lurkers' sake than anything else.

A doctor actually said to a patient " don't you have a rich relative with one foot in the grave" when she asked about cheaper medications? Hello? What does it take for some people to realize that there are people in this country who are not filthy rich? Everybody i meet seems to be astonished that a) i'm not a billionaire and b) don't have a thousand-person support system to give me everything, anytime. And i think the patient was right to call the doctor on his stupid, bigoted comments ,especially when there is overwhelming evidence diets don't work and if fat people die younger, it's from malpractice or not seeking medical attention.

Good going Ajoyce and nice comeback as well. Can you believe that some dork named Barry Atrick (bariactric) posted there? Idiot. Perhaps the good doctor is getting some of his friends to stick up for him. Someone sad like that would stoop so low.

LOL...you know, I didn't even register that that was his name, but that's pretty funny. Maybe he's had WLS; that would explain his crankiness.

I was going to submit this article to the BLOG for mention, but I see it's already here. So, the comment I would like to make is ... )*)*!@&*_)(*!_!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so fed up I just don't know what to do. I feel like fat people, especially super-sized fatties like me, have been under attack for years, decades. But, in the last few years it has crescendoed to a fever pitch. This week, CNN dot com has carried an anti-obesity story EVERY DAY. Now, today, there are two. This country is creating a hostile environment where people like I cannot even survive anymore, and I just don't know what to do about it. Anybody got any ideas? Signed, Madder than hell and not going to take it anymore .....

Ideas? Join NAAFA, and get your friends to join NAAFA too. Because while as individuals we can partake in letter writing and activism, it doesn't amount to much until there is an organization with the membership numbers and financial resources who can put a political face on the fat rights movement.

I have to agree that all I've seen on the topic is, "Those damn fatties don't like being subjected to reality, do they??" Funny thing is, when I first saw that article, there was a line in it that said, "Get more first dates that lead to second dates." Someone had cut and pasted it, so I don't know if that was a line from an advertisement, or something the doctor said!! Considering his comments about her love life, it wouldn't be hard to see that being a comment of his. Personally, I've never had a doctor that was anything but respectful to me - the stories I'm hearing here are absolutely horrifying, and I can't give words to how upset they make me. It's just.. infuriating. By the way, one note to tcbarry - should that ever happen again, go ahead and do a clean & (aptly named) jerk on the f'r. Then, while you have him above your head, ask him how much of your weight he thinks is body fat, and how much is pure f'n muscle.

This is all so upsetting to me. (I had a condition undiagnosed by several doctors, and now I do either avoid doctors who attribute my rare health issues to my weight, or I am quite hostile towards them as I interrogate them about their facts.) The doctor appeared on CNN last night. I didn’t hear everything that was said because I was yelling and swearing at the TV part of the time. The doctor says that he doesn't actually know how much the woman weighs because she asks not to be weighed at the doctor’s office, but he guesses that at 5'7" she weighs about 250 pounds. He told the interviewer that what he said to the patient was all FACTUAL, all true. He said that obese people WILL die at least 10 years earlier than non-obese people, and they WILL die horribly, of debilitating, agonizing illnesses, and their life-ending illnesses will cost a LOT of money. He said that the patient’s husband is obese so it's a FACT (statistically, he added) that the husband will die soon! Then she will be alone, looking for a new partner. And it's a FACT that when men list what they want in a mate, "obese" is never on the list, and since men die sooner than women anyway her choices will be very limited by the numbers. The interviewer was mostly concerned that the “advice” about the patient's love life had crossed the line. Less concerned about the “facts” that fat people die sooner, horribly, or if they don’t then they’ll not find someone who’ll love them. There was an ethics columnist on after the doctor who said that everyone should first, do no harm, and the doctor had done harm. And it wasn’t just how the doctor said it, but what the doctor said, that was unethical. Also, the doctor apologized to the patient but said in his interview that what he was doing now with his fat patients was warning them, before launching into the horrible-and-early-death, no-one-will-love-you speech, that what he was about to say might be difficult for them to accept. The ethicist said that this shows that, while the doctor apologized, he was not sorry. Still, NO ONE questioned the fact that the doctor says that he’s dealing with facts. I really hope that if this goes to court someone helps the patient question the doctor about his "facts"... Right now Jerry Springer (on AirAmericaRadio) is just started to talk about the issue. He started the segment with Weird Al’s “Eat It” as bumper music, but I’m hoping that as a progressive he’ll have a slightly more enlightened view. But my hopes may soon be dashed. They usually are. Damn it.

Yeah. My hopes are dashed.

What did he have to say?

He started talking about how unhealthy being fat is, about how it's a serious problem in America, and getting worse, and affecting children now. And he said that once you get to about 350 pounds, which may take a few years, then it can only take months before you're 500 pounds (WTF?), and then you can't walk or leave the house. This is when I almost started crying from frustration, and went on their website thinking that I'd write them a note to try to educate them. Then he started talking about the billions and billions of dollars that fat people cost America - he actually said "YOUR tax dollars go up to help pay for the medical..." and then I was so upset that I had to shut it off. So I don't know if anyone contradicted him (I doubt it). I had given him a chance (despite his horrifying TV show) and he was not disappointing me, but now he has (deeply) and I won't listen to his show again. (I still listen to Randi in the afternoons, despite the fact that she flirted with a complimentary caller, and asked what he looked like, and when he said he looked like Ron Jeremey she said "That fat?" and told him, nevermind.) Here's a question. Is it better to listen, to hear what the other side says, what they're thinking? I don't mind getting riled up, generally, so that's not an issue... I just don't want to become bitter...

That is a tough question Violet. I know myself pretty well and I usually avoid the crap until I psche myself up to do battle. Then it really doesnt bother me. I almost enjoy it sometimes. But it depends on the person. Meantime, I just made myself a new "button" Dr Bennet IS an idiot Weight loss does more harm than good!

My dr. told me that if I was thin I would be a knockout. I couldn't believe it. Now, I totally know his opinions about this since he's been a family friend for years, but I was still taken aback. He is a good dr. in many other ways and he does treat the symptoms without saying "you need to lose weight" but he is certainly happy when the weight comes off. I can see that if a dr. really believes the studies about obesity, he should say something medically, but no social commentary, and not a blanket prescription for every ill. If I choose to disagree with him, that should be that, and he should never say anything again. This case horrifies me because I've been in places where someone I trusted said something derogatory about my weight...no one should have to go through that, and I hope this dr. is sanctioned.