Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! “With schools closed, children spent hours upon hours sitting in front of a screen for instruction and homework. Non-academic screen time increased as well, with parents needing to wo…
Category: Obesity
Tips for treating high-weight patients [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! “It might seem odd to write about what high-weight patients would like when they meet with their doctors. Don’t they want what every patient wants? The answer is yes, but the fact is,…
Our Shakespearean love affair with BMI
I’m standing outside the exam room, reviewing Marcus, my 16-year-old patient’s growth chart, specifically his BMI. It’s up again, and my heart sinks. I feel that all too common rush of frustration and disappointment and, “Why am…
A gastric bypass might help some people bypass cancer
In an exciting recent study, researchers found that for adults with obesity, weight loss through bariatric surgery lowered their risk of cancer by 35% and reduced their risk of cancer-related death by 43%. This was true of both gastric bypass and gastr…
Don’t give up on intermittent fasting just yet [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. “So don’t give up your eating window just yet! The good question I am hoping researchers will answer next: who loses the most weight? Is it the human who eats three meals and no snacks that include protein, fi…
My journey being gaslighted about obesity, skinny fat, and body type
When I was eight years old, I was a star soccer player on a state championship team. During shirts-off practice and while down at the local pool, I noticed how different my body was compared to my peers. After I referenced my scientifically approved hu…
Fat acceptance is a human acceptance movement
The recent article by Danielle Crittenden, “The Danger of Fat Acceptance: The Average American Woman Is Now a Size 18” is more of the same perpetuation of our society’s deeply internalized diet culture, weight blaming, and shaming of …
Confronting weight bias in health care
One day, working as a floater PT, I walked into the rehab gym, and every single therapist looked at me with the same pitying expression. The rehab manager took me into her office. “I’m so sorry to put you in this position. One of your new p…
New Weight Loss Treatment Is Marked by Heavy Marketing and Modest Results
Approved as a device, not a drug, Plenity contains a plant-based gel that swells to fill 25% of a person’s stomach, to help people eat less. Results vary widely but are modest on average.
To Shed Bias, Doctors Get Schooled to Look Beyond Obesity
Research has long shown that doctors are less likely to respect patients who are overweight or obese — terms that now apply to nearly three-quarters of adults in the U.S. The Association of American Medical Colleges plans to roll out new diversity, equity, and inclusion standards aimed at teaching doctors, among other things, how to treat patients who are overweight with respect.
