TW: Weight I’ve just seen a video on Tik tok sayint that people now get offended when a doctor tells them to stand on a scale. What do you guys think about that? I am not gonna lie but to me it’s just confusing

Huh? It’s part of a doctors job so being offended is not really right lol, can ask not to see the number? Seems like not very many people on there are very well educated about life I don’t understand they should learn more from books not a silly app

I see it this way; If a doctor asks you to step on a scale then they’re doing it for a reason! Wether it’s to help the diagnosis or help them decide on what tablet dosage you need etc especially if you’re still in your growing and developing stage, it’s important to check the weight of the patient. If you get offended by a doctor simply doing theyre job then you gotta re think why.

That’s no reason to get offended. They aren’t there to judge it’s strictly health...

@supernova32 I have an Ed, dosent offend me. Idk how you could ask nicer “okay now step on the scale” is just how people talk

@supernova32 and I am giving mine? Lmao

@Taylinnn19 i was just saying sometimes it hurts my feelings

i genuinely don’t see a problem, it’s for health reasons. the only time i don’t think it’s okay is when school force kids to get weighed.

Ppl get offended over stupidest things nowadays

Well weight actually isn't a good indicator of health and yet for some reason it's still standard to weigh people at every doctor's visit. It stems from fatphobia and a misunderstanding of the relationship between weight and health. There isn't actually a medical necessity to weigh people that much and it can be super triggering for people. I wish it wasn't standard practice

@aurielle but since every doctor does it.. surely everyone by now should prepare themselves for it. Also if it’s that triggering for someone surely they could look away so they don’t see the numbers

Every time I get asked to step on the weight I start panicking. And don’t get me started on the BMI measure. Such an outdated and faulty calculation. But I don’t feel offended. The doctor is just trying to do their job and finding the best possible diagnosis. I don’t think anyone should take it personally or be offended by it.

@Averagegal okay but it's still not right that there's so much emphasis and stigma on weight in the medical profession? You're allowed to object to something if you don't think it's fair

I've found a lot of doctors in the US weigh in kg and ask if youd like to know your weight in lbs. Theres also the option to not look. Weight isnt everything but dramatic weight gain or loss can be a concern if it indicates real health issues. Weight can also influence how much of a medication is needed. Doctors shouldn't be using weight to brush off patient problems but it's not as if that's the only reason they check. They're being thorough doing their job, I dont think that alone is at all offensive.

It’s not always to base your health on weight. They look at dramatic weight gain and loss which could indicate bigger problems. I don’t understand why someone would get offended by them asking you to step on a scale. They don’t tell you your weight unless you want to know. I personally never look.

I understand getting nervous or uncomfortable but there’s nothing offensive about it. There are many reasons (which others have listed above) why it might be useful for the doctor to know your weight, it’s not to fat-shame anyone.

I didn’t even know this was an issue? They’re clearly asking for a reason and trying to help you, not doing it for the fun of it lol

The only times I have been at a doctors office and they asked me to step on a scale was when it was necessary for various reasons. I can literally only remember 3 or 4 times in my life where it has happened. I think it’s important to remember that they are doing their job. Even though there are a lot of situations where your weight doesn’t say anything about your health there are still situations where it does. There are situations where your weight can affect your health or where your weight changes can indicate that there are some underlying health issues. It’s the doctors job to find those issues and diagnose them and to inform you about necessary changes in lifestyle, and I think they should be allowed to do their job properly in order to do that.

TW: discussion of weight @Marmoulak healthcare is different in different places. I've been asked to step on the scale or asked for my weight every single time I've set foot in a doctor's office even when simply getting a prescription for birth control or when getting a flu shot, literally in situations where my weight had no relevance whatsoever. My weight has never fluctuated more than 15 pounds in my entire adult life and I've never had a health issue linked to weight so there is absolutely no reason for them to weigh me so much. I understand if weight change comes up in relation to stress or a specific concern you have but they weigh you right off the bat before they even take a medical history or ask you why you're there.

I don't think people really understand the extent to which medical fatphobia permeates the field, doctors absolutely do fat-shame people or pin issues on their weight and tell them "just lose weight to fix it", all the time. And the standard practice of weighing people feeds into that. I recommend checking out @drjoshuawolrich to learn more about it

@aurielle Ahhh I see, yeah that sounds a bit exessive and unnecessary. I was answering based on the context where I live since the post didn’t specify a country and just asked about doctors in general.

@Marmoulak it's really good that where you live they only ask for weight when it's deemed necessary!

I thought they always checked my weight at pill checks (only once a year) to see if I have any risk factors for blood clots. I think they like to have your up to date weight on file too so they can offer flu jabs to everyone who may need it x

I mean they do it for medical purposes (dosing medication, seeing any changes in weight etc) I think it would be better to request to not know the number rather than just having them skip it

I used to weigh people before appointments at a clinic and if people didn’t want to be weighed, I would say. How about you step on the scale and I’ll cover up the number for you? And that worked everytime. Like I don’t remember a single weight, I don’t judge people on their weight by any means but doctors did need it incase there was a significant problem! Weight shouldn’t be offensive, all that matters is if you’re comfortable in your own body and it’s okay if you aren’t.

TW: weight loss I get weighed even when I just go to the gynecologist which I always found unnecessary. However, once when I went for birth control, the nurse weighed me and took me to the room to wait for the doctor. Shortly after, the nurse came back to my room and said she noticed a dramatic weight loss since my last appointment 3 months ago. She began to ask if it was intentional and if I was okay. It was intentional weight loss but I appreciated that so much. I honestly always thought it was unnecessary but they actually do look at trends etc. Even if it seems unnecessary for you and irrelevant to your visit, they do have your best interest and health in mind.

This is interesting to read about because the only time I’ve ever been weight as a teen or adult is when I see my gynecologist for a yearly check up. That’s it. It’s so weird that in other countries it seems like weighting the person is standard practice for whatever is happening.

As a child I had to step on the scale almost every time I went to our pediatrician before I was examined (I neither liked it nor understood why). I haven’t been asked about my weight for a while though.

I think it’s mostly unnecessary and harmful. As someone who’s gone through an ED and have been weighed repeatedly over 100 times by doctors, being weighed to get my BC pills or a flu shot is mentally draining.