Talking to Your Doctor

It’s hard. But it’s time.

Who likes to talk to their general practitioner about their weight? No one. Most people dread getting on the scale to begin with and are embarrassed to ask for help. It’s easier to ignore your weight rather than highlight it as a topic of discussion.

But obesity is a progressive disease, and avoiding the topic allows more time for chronic health problems to arise or worsen. While it can be uncomfortable to bring it up, it is important to be proactive and prevent continued obesity damage to the system. And if you’re a parent, making changes in your life now will make it less likely that your children will grow up to suffer from obesity as a teen and as an adult.

While New Dimensions works to offer medical providers more tools like The Obesity Treatment Guide for talking to patients about their weight, we also want to help patients find a way to feel comfortable bringing it up on their own.

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Talk to Your Doc Checklist

Make a list of questions. They might include:

• Is my health being affected by my weight now? How?
• What can obesity do to my health in the long run?
• How will losing weight help me?
• Am I a candidate for medical or surgical weight loss?
• Is it worth it?
• What about the diets I see on TV?
• What kind of benefits would I have in losing weight?
• Are there places I can get reliable information?
• What are the next steps I should take?
• Can you refer me to a bariatric weight loss clinic or to a bariatric surgeon?
• What should I look for in a bariatric surgeon?
• Is Center of Excellence important? Why?

Bring a list of medications. Don’t forget herbal pills, supplements and over-the-counter medicines. 

List your weight-loss attempts. Include the number of times and how you have tried to lose weight before.

Recruit some moral support. If you’re still nervous, bring a family member or a friend to provide moral support. This person might also be helpful at thinking of other questions to ask.

Take notes. If you’re nervous, it’s sometimes hard to remember the doctor’s answer. Bring a pad and pen to write down answers so you’ll have them later for reference.

Take action. While your doctor should be a good source of information, you’re ultimately in charge of your own health. If your doctor is not prepared to answer all of your questions about weight loss, ask for a referral or call New Dimensions.