The War On Fat

[Crazed]

To make a long story short I am a student and I write quite a bit about the experience of becoming a nurse.

So with that being said I have decided due to some recent developments that I am going to write about the cultural war on fat focused on nursing.

I am acquainted with a woman who is a critical care nurse. I have to tolerate her toxic presence in my life due to her association with my dude's friend. Now, I would like to mention I am no small girl and have gained and lost, and gained again 100lbs. I have finally gotten to the point where I am not beating myself up about it and see efforts now as a matter of love for my body rather than hate. Recently she said this (to me of all people), "I hate fat people so much. They smell, they are hard to move around, and I think they should all die in a hole somewhere."

A member of my clinical group said, "You know these doctors will get upset at the COPD patient who is smoking like three cigarettes a day but say nothing to these fatties who don't follow their diets." I stood up, looked very serious for a moment and said, "HEY! I am one of those fatties that don't follow their diet." Then we went a few rounds with her saying she wasn't talking about me because I am "an attractive fatty."

What does my face have to do with my extra 100lbs? Seriously?

In any case I'd like an open dialog about the war on fat in nursing.

Do you see it in your practice? Are you militant anti-fat? If so why?

I've noticed that a good deal of the arguments that I've heard is fat is unhealthy, yet no one seems to see fat as being a symptom and not the disease.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

i have never encountered a nurse with a militant anti-fat view. however, maybe if we adopt this view on obesity there will be less obese patients. i am an rn who is 86 lbs overweight and i just lost 15 lbs over the past month or so because i'm tired of being unhealthy and i don't like the negative message its sending to my patients. how can we expect our patients to take us seriously when we look like the exact thing we are preaching against. i am happy that you love yourself and your body but you need to be honest with yourself. fact: obesity is unhealthy! fact: obesity increases your risk for disease! this is what we should be preaching to our patients. some nurses may have a more abrasive approach when discussing obesity. maybe that's what we need to hear. the truth! the way i see it, obese people (including myself) needs to stop whining when someone hurts our feeling about being fat and get off of our a$$es and lose weight.

hating guns has never stopped violent crimes

[nursel56]

When did it become part of the job description of a nurse that you must be an example to your patients? Like we don't have enough to stress ourselves out with already? Certainly, people notice if you are overweight while you explain all about healthy eating, etc., and someone may then think you are a hypocrit but to believe a person of average intelligence would forego the chance to live a longer, healthier life because the nurse is "fat" is not plausible and would be so flimsy a reason they probably don't have the motivation to stick with it anyway.

If both patients and the healthcare community find it acceptable to consider aspects of their appearance as a credible way to evaluate the nurse as a whole, we'll have a lot of people on chemo, high-dose steroids, certain psych drugs etc unfairly devalued when they really have enough on their plate trying to get/stay healthy and/or alive.

[PinkNBlue, BSN, RN]

When did it become part of the job description of a nurse that you must be an example to your patients? Like we don't have enough to stress ourselves out with already? Certainly, people notice if you are overweight while you explain all about healthy eating, etc., and someone may then think you are a hypocrit but to believe a person of average intelligence would forego the chance to live a longer, healthier life because the nurse is "fat" is not plausible and would be so flimsy a reason they probably don't have the motivation to stick with it anyway.

If both patients and the healthcare community find it acceptable to consider aspects of their appearance as a credible way to evaluate the nurse as a whole, we'll have a lot of people on chemo, high-dose steroids, certain psych drugs etc unfairly devalued when they really have enough on their plate trying to get/stay healthy and/or alive.

This. Exactly my thoughts but didn't know how to word it. :)

[Poi Dog]

As someone who has been on the higher and now lower end of the scale, I empathize with those who battle their weight. What happened to having empathy for those who are considered overweight? Yea, I know being empathetic is not going to help a person get healthier or lose weight but neither will being critical or judgmental.

What about educating people about the risk factors of being at an unhealthy weight, teaching them ways to eat healthy that won't hit them in the pocketbook, guiding them on ways to exercise without spending time in the gym. Gym memberships are expensive and that's not an excuse but a fact. If I didn't get a discount at my gym, there's no way I would even be a member there. Having money for gas to get to work vs. spending three weeks worth of pay? I'd choose to pay for gas every time.

When did those in the medical field become responsible for being the epitome of health and fitness? Face it, we don't have that much power. I chose to lose weight and exercise because I wanted to and not because I saw what I thought was a healthy medical professional. If my doctor had recommended that I lose weight, I would have shot back with, "Pay for my gym membership and hire Michael Symon (drools!) to come and cook healthy meals for me!" Huh, huh.

People change their ways when they are darn good and ready to.

[wooh, BSN, RN]

If nurses were actually examples of health and fitness, there'd be a lot more UTIs in the world from people going 14 hours without peeing like nurses do.

[deftonez188]

What about educating people about the risk factors of being at an unhealthy weight, teaching them ways to eat healthy that won't hit them in the pocketbook, guiding them on ways to exercise without spending time in the gym. Gym memberships are expensive and that's not an excuse but a fact. If I didn't get a discount at my gym, there's no way I would even be a member there. Having money for gas to get to work vs. spending three weeks worth of pay? I'd choose to pay for gas every time.

Really? Where were you planning on going to the gym? 3 weeks worth of pay? What? Are the treadmills laden in gold?

$45 (total) a month for both my wife and I. Over the past decade, living in multiple states, only those ritzy 'spa'-gym places cost over $50 a month. You don't need a gym membership to lose weight either, there are tons of things to do indoors, or outdoors, weather dependent.

[Stephalump]

Really? Where were you planning on going to the gym? 3 weeks worth of pay? What? Are the treadmills laden in gold?

$45 (total) a month for both my wife and I. Over the past decade, living in multiple states, only those ritzy 'spa'-gym places cost over $50 a month. You don't need a gym membership to lose weight either, there are tons of things to do indoors, or outdoors, weather dependent.

I pay $73 a month for the YMCA. No diamond hand weights or supermodel trainers, but it does have a great kids program and some fun features!

I think a lot of people have a hard time getting motivated to work out at home and having a gym membership helps with that. Now that I have 3 little ones, I find it hard to get motivated to leave the house period, so I do much better at home with my own body weight, a pair of $10 hand weights, and a $10 Jillian Michael's DVD.

[deftonez188]

I pay $73 a month for the YMCA. No diamond hand weights or supermodel trainers, but it does have a great kids program and some fun features!

I think a lot of people have a hard time getting motivated to work out at home and having a gym membership helps with that. Now that I have 3 little ones, I find it hard to get motivated to leave the house period, so I do much better at home with my own body weight, a pair of $10 hand weights, and a $10 Jillian Michael's DVD.

I enjoy home work-outs too. My wife bought the Tae Bo series and their elastic bands - I may have poked funny at her looking 'silly' once to which I was told to try it for myself.

Tae Bo is no joke :)

[Andy Droid]

This thread still going?

cool.

Anyhoo, a thought occured.... some nurses said (to the effect that) they hate "fatties" due to the chance of injuring themselves moving them.

What about people like Greg Kovacs?

Dude is a 400 pounder.

Only thing is, he's 400 pounds of muscle (body builder... don't think he still does it as much, so no idea what his current weight is, but google him... dude's HUGE)

So.... do some of you folks also hate body builders, and instead of advocating excercise (which is what got them in this state in the first place) you advocate sitting on the couch watching TV?

After all... if moving 400 pounds is dangerous to you, then "what" the 400 lbs is shouldn't really matter.

Just a thought. (now go ahead and accuse me of trolling, but not actually address anything )

[nursel56]

**nevermind**

[Andy Droid]

You seem like a really nice guy, Andy. Very intelligent, too. I don't think you're trolling. I think you're in massive denial, and you're playing a game of wits here with us that you seem to be enjoying. The health problems associated with obesity are cumulative, and everyone is entitled to their thoughts about obesity as long as they don't let it affect the care they give.

I'm not in denial so much as I just take a wee bit of offence to blanket statements (especially when I fit the catagory of people stuffed under the blanket), which is pretty much what got me started arguing in this thread.

I have no doubt there are many health issues associated with obesity, but that doesn't mean every obese person will suffer from them, in the same way that not every smoker will develop lung cancer.

That's all I was arguing... just elaborated a bit.

But I do enjoy a good argument, I can't lie. (I'm practically sitting on my hands to refrain from arguing in another thread that I really, really want to.... but I don't want to be "that a-hole that does nothing but try to cause crap", so I'm trying to not do it... but it's ~really~ tempting.... the thread itself is practically taunting me. )

[anotherone, BSN, RN]

If nurses were actually examples of health and fitness, there'd be a lot more UTIs in the world from people going 14 hours without peeing like nurses do.

This garbage is even more annoying when it comes from those not even in the profession. But if you are a nurse you should be in ideal body weight so 5'6 and 120lbs is ok...... and IT IS EXCPECTED you be able to lift a 6ft 500lb pt into bed magically should the need arise. ON your own.n If you can't do that you shouldn't even be a nurse ...