by Yoni Freedoff, MD
How we talk about weight and health is even more important when people have a history of trauma. Bariatric surgeon, Yoni Freedhoff, talks about how to rethink weight in health care.
"Scales do measure the gravitational pull of Earth at a given moment in time. Scales don't measure the presence or absence of health, nor do they measure lifestyle or effort. And for patients, it's useful to note that scales don't measure happiness, success, or self worth, either.
... it's also crucial to consider that intentional, perpetual, and unremitting behavior change in the name of health or the treatment/prevention of a noncommunicable disease requires a tremendous amount of privilege that a majority of people simply don't possess. For many people, time might be better spent working long hours to put food on the table and pay rent, or on caregiving responsibilities.
We definitely don't have the same 24 hours, and the inconvenient truth of healthy living is that it involves significant time and effort. Chronic pain, disability, poor mental health, or fatigue may make regular cooking and exercise unattainable luxuries in the face of very real and chronic challenges. The simple reality is that many patients' lives are or have been filled with hardships that knock healthy living considerations way down the rungs of worthwhile pursuits."
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