This is very true. Doctors have less respect for heavy patients. My Doctor is reed-thin and a runner and though little is actually said his demeanor speaks volume. Of course, the thin docs rarely complain of their fat wallets gratis of their hefty patients and their issues.

As an obese person myself, I can agree with this statement completely. I am lazy and and overeat and, deep down, 99% of us "fatties" know that I am telling the truth. We eat too much and we don't get off out butts enough. One other thing is that I don't blame doctors for feeling the way they do. If I was in their shoes I would probably feel the same way. I myself discriminate against fat people too, even though I am also fat. I am trying to lose it all now by eating healthy and doing 30 min of exercise per day.

Obesity is an outcome, the process that gets them there is unhealthy attitudes. First you think, then you act. If you find yourself simply acting, then it's a habit. Breaking habits are hard and as a society, we've gotten too accustomed to things being easy. There is no easy way to being healthy. It's about hard work and thinking healthfully. If you're not prepared to roll up your sleeves, get tough and do the hard work, the outcome is going to be obesity. Have you ever seen an obese runner? If you have, it won't be for long. See what happens on "Biggest Loser"? Hard work...we've gotten to use to things being easy.

Come on Ruth--I think the study should be reversed--and it will reveal fat patients resent their thin doctors. Yet, if doctors are actually fat, the fat patients themselves will use that as an excuse not to listen to their docs. Can't have it both ways. The doctor's weight has no bearing on the issue of your health. Get in to see your docs--evince interest, try compliance for a change, work hard and earn their respect. It is like everything else in life. If you are perceived as a listless overeating whiner or excuse monger, who weighs in the same each time you are at your doctor's office, or you are adding ever more inches to your waistline, your doctor cannot possibly respect you for your intransigence. I myself am tired of the lies and the bland
helplessness of my obese patients. Something has got to give folks. It is usually your knees or your heart. As for obese patients filling their doctors pockets--you're kidding. Have you checked your insurance payments lately lovely Ruth? A pittance my love, is what they pay your doctors today. In fact all patients think the medical profession is supposed to be so noble that doctors must live on thin air and gruel. Meantime doctors' overhead has escalated into the stratosphere. As for the paperwork it can never be done. My obese patients take up the most time. They can never pay me enough for the cerebral taxation that I suffer to care for them. Each has at least 10 pathologies. They always want excuse forms--for the employer, for the airlines to give them two seats instead of one, for the sick days they want, for disability, lengthy letters to gastric by pass surgeons, to life insurance that won't issue a policy quickly, to health insurance to make sure obesity does not become a preexisting condition for exclusion--so on and so forth, endless grunt work--and docs are supposed to smile through all of this, take 40 dollars per visit, get accused of being greedy and also exude respect? Granted I love my obese patients, not because they fill my coffers with money, but because they are genuinely self deprecating, humorous and fine people but that does not mean I am going to stand by and see my colleagues bashed for showing exasperation with the obduracy that goes hand in hand with obesity.
A doctor

I don't think a doctor should loose respect for his obese patients. I have hypothyroidism, I exercise every day, I don't eat much and still I am obese at 173 lbs. I have this weight for at least 20 years. Not everyone is obese by choice. These doctors should go learn more about human beings .

Obese and thin people are treated differently by the majority of people. The major reason so many people in America are overweight is because we eat too much for comfort! It does not hurt to treat ourselves with something special once in a while, what is necessary is that we limit our portions and do not overeat! It is also necessary to keep our body properly hydrated, so drink a full glass of water with each meal or snack. Being overweight sucked, but after reading a book, I lost 85 pounds! Words can not express how good I feel! This is a comment which I recently received about the book Lose Weight Using Four Easy Steps

I think that obese people are treated differently by their doctors too. I am technically obese. I am an attorney and have never been called lazy by anyone, I work out at 4:30am for usually 1.5-2 hours six days a week. I have run 2 marathons, and 4 half marathons. I eat approximately 2000-2300 calories a day--I count religiously. I am 5'9 and 220lbs. After blood tests came back normal, I tried to explain my habits to my doctor and even brought in a food journal, that he rolled his eyes at me and clearly did not believe me, suggested I see a nutritionist to ensure I was counting calories correctly (like I am a moron). I really resent this, and felt very disrespected. Obviously, I felt very uncomfortable going back to him--To the doctor who commented: I understand it is frustrating when science is saying it is a matter of calories in calories out, but your patients are claiming otherwise. But truly, keep this in mind: Sometimes what appears to be a "lie" is true. I have no reason to lie on this forum, and that is the truth.