How Doctors Treat Obese Patients

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/03/opinion/how-doctors-treat-obese-patients.html

Version 0 of 1.

To the Editor:

Re “Dangers Lurk for Obese Patients When Doctors See Only Weight” (“The Science of Fat” series, front page, Sept. 26):

Doctors do more than just compromise the medical care of obese patients; by oversimplifying the factors involved in weight loss, they often prescribe diets that make matters worse.

Despite mounting evidence that traditional diets do not work, patients like Sarah Bramblette, featured in your article, are still being told to follow painfully low-calorie diets like the 1,200-calorie plan her doctor recommended.

Excessively low-calorie diets only fuel cravings and appetite by elevating hunger hormones and reinforcing feelings of guilt and failure. Obese people are not machines who can be quickly and methodically “fixed” with little more than a prescription to “just do it.” Individuals are unique in their calorie needs and life experiences.

Doctors should encourage an open discussion about weight-loss concerns before advising a course of action. An understanding attitude provides hope, and a plan that includes continuing support from other health care professionals helps in developing sustainable health habits.

KIM FLANNERY

Brookfield, Wis.

The writer is a registered dietitian.