Nursing Tip #2: Think before you speak. Guess who said the following…

“Oh, looks like someone needs to lose weight.”

“If you are obese now, you’ll basically be obese forever”

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5000 points if you guess my DOCTOR.

Yes, that’s right.  I went in for a regular physical and according to my BMI, I’m class I obese.  Now being 5 feet tall, I can see how since I’m not exactly the skinniest person on the block.  I enjoy my curvaceousness.  

I’ve been getting regular exercise and I’m making more health conscious meal choices.  I’ve been slowly losing weight over the past year because of these lifestyle changes.  Yes, I would LIKE to lose weight but I’m happy with how my body looks.  I’m not morbidly obese but still….Those words hurt.

Now, to defend my doctor, I’m sure she meant well.  She just said it in the wrong way.  She’s really nice I swear.  As for the “being obese forever” thing, I think she meant health problems stemming from obesity. 

But take this as a lesson and don’t say things on a whim.  You can easily offend patients without knowing it.