Best post on this thread! seriously I think those surgeries should not be the first plan of attack to weight loss.
Obese Interviewee
- Thread starter blajeny
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Best post on this thread! seriously I think those surgeries should not be the first plan of attack to weight loss.
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Blade28
I find most people like to write about significant operations they've undergone. Helps them see what it's like as a patient, or they gain a greater appreciation for the medical field, or can empathize with patients' pain/suffering, etc.
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Folks, getting a medical opinion should be the OPs first line of attack. This isn't someone wearing a size 12 dress size. Most insurance companies won't pay for bariatric surgery until the patient has undergone at least six months of a non-surgical weight loss program without success. If the OP has success with a non-surgical program (and it is possible) then that would be great but to be in a situation where one weighs more than 100% above ideal body weight, I strongly believe that a physician should be consulted for advice (or referral) on diet and exercise appropriate to the OPs situation.
As for writing about one's surgery or illness in an application essay, it is overdone. Keep in mind that you are applying to be admitted as a medical student, not a a patient. Same goes for writing about family members. That is fine as a launching point but I like to see that the applicant has some experience caring for/about strangers (those who are not self, family or very close friends) as the practice of medicine means being compassionate toward those who are not your kin.
As for writing about one's surgery or illness in an application essay, it is overdone. Keep in mind that you are applying to be admitted as a medical student, not a a patient. Same goes for writing about family members. That is fine as a launching point but I like to see that the applicant has some experience caring for/about strangers (those who are not self, family or very close friends) as the practice of medicine means being compassionate toward those who are not your kin.
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Blade28
Agreed.
At our institution's bariatric program, among other criteria, an eligible patient has to either have a BMI of 40, or 35 with comorbidities. Please note that there are different criteria for adolescents - I'm not sure of the age of the OP.
Regardless, we should keep this thread focused on general weight loss tips and not specific medical advice.
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njbmd
It doesn't matter what kind of a "look" any of your interviewers gave you during the interview. When the committee sits down to evaluate applicants, any comments that are made about your physical appearance will be quickly silenced. Your application speaks for you and if you received an invitation to interview, then you are being considered for admission to that school.
It's easy to project your feelings onto an interviewer but you don't have a clue as to how you are actually perceived. Unless someone tells you that they believe you are lazy because you are overweight, then you don't know what they are "thinking". The opposite could have occurred too such as "This looks like a great applicant and I am going to fully support them" etc. Don't waste time trying to figure out what is or is not in the head of a person who is interviewing you. A better approach is to focus yourself on the questions you are asked and projecting your true self. Believe me, we have accepted plenty of students who were overweight and rejected far more who are slim.
If you feel unhealthy and are ashamed of your appearance, you can change YOUR feelings (and work on changing your appearance later) but don't go into an interview projecting anything negative. You are one hundred pounds overweight and you can be positive about who you are or you can be negative and depressed but at this point, you are not going to lose one hundred pounds over the course of this interview season and there is no guarantee that you would be accepted once you did. Change what you can and accept your achievements. There are plenty of slim folks out there wishing for an interview. Make the most of what you have and be as positive as possible.
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Blade28
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Just to put thing in perspective: 5'3", 290 lbs: BMI= 51
Federal definitions:
overweight: BMI >24.9
obese: BMI > 29.9
Sure, there are athletes with BMIs in the 30s (because of their large muscle mass) but a BMI >50 is double "ideal weight".
I agree that someone would not/should not mention appearance in discussing an interview but affect (emotional state) and estimated ability to perform the tasks of a med student might be an issue -- can the applicant move quickly when responding to an emergency, get close enough to the surgical field or other equipment to be of assistance, etc. Even if not explicitly a reason for rejecting an applicant, weight like many other attributes can color one's judgment and introduce bias.
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I think it is really important to remember that every school that you apply to (if you get in) you will have to spend 4 years of your life there. If someone on the admissions committee is that judgemental I don't know if that is a place I would like to be for 4 years.
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This is such nonsense. Everywhere you go you will find people making judgments. Some will make negative judgments about you... saying you wouldn't want to be somewhere where someone might make a negative judgment about your gender, weight, perceived sexual preferences or other attributes is just silly. Anyone who isn't willing to study/work in a place where someone will have negative feelings toward them will need to get a thicker skin or become a hermit.
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I wouldn't pay too much attention to specific clothes sizes or weights...more how do you feel and how you look (in terms of tone, not "hot or not"). I know my "ideal weight" is supposed to be about 140 lbs for my height, and I know that there's not a snowflake's chance in hell that I could ever weigh that without amputation of some kind. But, I do know that I can get myself to the point where I'm toned and I'm active without feeling all exhausted...and that's fine with me. And, recent studies show that there's a greater level of health benefits from being active than being thin and inactive so...
If you're embarrassed working out in public, I'd highly recommend getting an elliptical or bike for your home...that way there's really no excuse and it's right there, you can watch tv while you do it and all that. It may be expensive, but when you consider the savings from improved health, it's cheaper in the long run.
Find yourself a goal. Maybe a marathon seems impossible, so focus on something small...do a 5K walk...make sure you give yourself a month or two to get used to walking longer distances (save your joints and feet). Get fitted with good shoes <- often overlooked and VERY important, makes a big difference. Having an event sometimes helps you get motivated to keep working out. If you find yourself out of breath a lot, try swimming or water aerobics. Wear board shorts and a t-shirt if you're self conscious. It's amazing how swimming helps the endurance. And keep in mind, better to be the chubby guy/girl out there jogging or swimming than to be the one sitting at home.
If you're embarrassed working out in public, I'd highly recommend getting an elliptical or bike for your home...that way there's really no excuse and it's right there, you can watch tv while you do it and all that. It may be expensive, but when you consider the savings from improved health, it's cheaper in the long run.
Find yourself a goal. Maybe a marathon seems impossible, so focus on something small...do a 5K walk...make sure you give yourself a month or two to get used to walking longer distances (save your joints and feet). Get fitted with good shoes <- often overlooked and VERY important, makes a big difference. Having an event sometimes helps you get motivated to keep working out. If you find yourself out of breath a lot, try swimming or water aerobics. Wear board shorts and a t-shirt if you're self conscious. It's amazing how swimming helps the endurance. And keep in mind, better to be the chubby guy/girl out there jogging or swimming than to be the one sitting at home.
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Yeah...5'3 and 290 lbs? That's extremely obese... 🙁 I feel like if I were to suddenly double my body weight, I'd have trouble getting around.
I think at that level, surgery may be a sound option. Good luck to the OP if those numbers weren't exaggerated.
I think at that level, surgery may be a sound option. Good luck to the OP if those numbers weren't exaggerated.
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A couple of years ago, NYU surgeons published a case series of 331 patients with BMI >50 who had bariatric surgery. Age ranged from 13-72 and 75% were female. There were no deaths. The take home message was that the shorter, less complex surgery in these patients is safest (compared to longer more complex surgical procedures) and results in the shortest post-op recovery with good success 1-3 years out.
There are also support groups online for people with BMI>50. I'm doubt the OP is a troll.
There are also support groups online for people with BMI>50. I'm doubt the OP is a troll.
Kinda related to your post, but is it a bad idea if you start out about how your first exp. with medicine was through dealing with a major illness and then use the second half to talk about other medical experiences working with others in clinics and wrap it up?
BTW good posts! Very informative.
I do seriously believe it is possible to lose weight if you top overeating and stop eating junk food and start exercising a lot more. Its hard but it can be done.
the key is to maintaining these diet changes once you've lost all that weight rather then going back to your old habits.
I think you should do your best to lose weight not because of a need to get accepted into med school but for the sake of your own health. There are so many comorbidities that go along with obesity that can be avoided by good health practices. Hypertension, hyperinsulinemia, Diabetes, are just a few to name. Then there is the issue of the fact that fat shouldn't be growing in the central abdominal area as it does in obese people. These are the things i"d be concerned about.
Good luck.
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Blade28
True, but for many bariatric programs, BMI > 35 = severely obese, BMI > 40 = morbidly obese.
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yes, that is an acceptable way to approach "why medicine"
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Um...no, you wouldn't, especially if you are young. Before I lost weight, my BMI was in the high 40's, and I assure you I could walk just fine.
You don't gain a 100 lbs in a few days, it takes years to get to that weight, and your body adjusts (at least temporarily, long term it will break down).
Losing weight without surgery is possible, but if you are morbidly obese I strongly urge you to get help. It is not an easy process, and you definitely have to have support which is why I mentioned Weight Watchers or Overeaters Anonymous.
If the OP is actually a real person, feel free to PM me and I can send you links to websites of people who have lost 100 lbs plus by following Weight Watchers.
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Does anyone know if this is a true statement. I am pretty sure that self esteem is not protected by law.
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Begaster
One pound every five weeks.
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My bad, I thought 1 pound = 2500 kcal, instead of 3500.
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totally inappropriate. i think she will not be judged for her weight, and should not get the surgery.
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Troll much?
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It's kind of like the feeling you get when you see a doctor smoking. People that are supposed to be advocating health who aren't practicing what they preach. Your weight could also play a role if you wanted to enter certain fields such as surgery where standing for long periods of time is a necessary function. First and foremost you should want to lose the weight for yourself and your health. Best of luck to you
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BMI is only applicable for people without muscle mass. My BMI is 32.5-obese-because I'm 5'11" and 230, but I can also bench my weight, run a mile in around 7 minutes and also my build is very wide: my shoulders measure almost 2 feet across. I could stand to lose 20-30 pounds, which is overweight, but that hardly makes me "obese". For my height, a healthy weight is estimated to be around 150-170, but I'd have to lose a lot of muscle before that. In reality, a healthy weight for someone with my build is around 200. BMI is a dangerously simplified and archaeic way of analyzing your overall health.
Edit: It is however a great way to sell Hydroxycut and Metabolife, which again are more stressful to your heart than the weight you might lose.
Edit: It is however a great way to sell Hydroxycut and Metabolife, which again are more stressful to your heart than the weight you might lose.
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So you would not let a dentist with really bad teeth give a root canal? Or a barber with a really bad haircut cut your hair?
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That reminds me of a riddle:
You are driving cross country for an interview. On the way there you make a stop in a small town for a haircut. You learn that there are only two barbers in the town and luckily they are located right next to one another. You go into the first haircut shop. The store is impeccably kept, but the barber has a horrible haircut. You leave and go to the next door barber shop. This shop is a mess, but the barber has a great haircut.
Which barber would you go to?
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The one with the horrible haircut got his haircut from the barber with the good haircut, whom he subsequently gave a good haircut to. So the one with the bad haircut is the one that's good at cutting hair.
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It's possible that the barber with a bad haircut cut his own hair.
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if this is your attitude, then don't think about starting a surgical residency...
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since hwen is taller more attactive for females? i always thought petite females, not tall manly females were what's considered attractive
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tall =/ manly as far as ladies are concerned.
I probably wouldn't date a girl taller than me (I'm 6'1") but I have dated a girl that was 5'11" and she was fly. Slender tall build, proportional. 👍
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Tall does not necessarily=manly! At 5'10" I am not manly by any means. In many countries height is reflective of general height. In some cases shorter stature can indicate malnutrition, so taller people may be seen as well-nourished and therefore better off financially. 🙂
Multiple studies have shown that people are judged by their appearances. And unfortunately the OP may actually be getting a bit of backlash due to this fact. It's not right, and the person may have underlying conditions that led to their physique.
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To your first bold point, I dont want to sound corny but you saying you can't is a huge factor (or at least bigger than you might think). Here's a little tiny story of mine because I know how you feel: In junior year of HS, I was 5'10 and 200 lbs without having worked out like literally AT ALL. I was a 46 waist and at a gym I could bench the bar only once or twice (i'm male). I had friends at the time who were about 110 pounds who could lift the bar a few times even.
I got really motivated and started lifting and running all the time. I did it AT LEAST 5 days a week. I just tried to do physical activity EVERYday and it worked really well. And i know there are days you feel horrible at the gym or just unmotivated so after a bad workout I'd go home and relax a few hours, then go for a long walk (burns calories and I just relax my mind and think about stuff). If you are female, of course, i'd expect you to spend less time lifting and more time running/swimming/elliptical/etc.
I went from a size 46 waist to a 34 waist (200 pounds to almost 180) and I could bench over my body weight so my muscle increased a ton. And it only took me about 7 months. By the way I have the worst diet in the world. The ONLY changes I made were no more soda (used to drink 2 a day) and candy only maybe once a week (used to be one pack per day at least). And other occasional stuff like if I drank a glass of orange juice I wouldn't have more juice later because I tried to drink tons of water.
So about thinking of a hardcore diet...do NOT do it. You will do it for a week, maybe more, then fall right back into the way you were. Almost no one can diet strictly and keep it up. What you CAN do is what i've done - instead of getting capri suns for drinks other than water I get 5 calorie juice packs (they dont taste too bad n it's a good change from water always). If you want to do any sort of diet, do a reasonable one...like make those simple changes and maybe try to make one meal a day healthier than usual. Say you get a double cheeseburger everyday at work; I'd substitute it for a Tuna melt or a chicken breast sandwich. Still tastes good and not much healthier, but it will make a difference.
And i disagree where people said you should maybe try getting a personal trainer. I tried in the past to go with friends, parents, etc. to the gym. Or i tried to get up and active before with people or when people told me I should. But it wasn't until I got SUPER into it until I got major results.
The hardest part about hardcore working out is that the hardest part of it is getting into it. After you are doing it everyday for a month, it becomes second nature. So do that - put yourself through a month of hell and change minor things. I promise you will see huge results. You won't see them immediately of course (they take time) which is why alot of people give up or stop working as hard. But if you challenge yourself you'll be where you want to be in no time.
Hope this helped AT ALL and wasn't just worthless ranting haha. PM me if you have any more Qs I could help you with. Otherwise, best of luck! 👍
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I disagree with this. Everyone should work on changing their diet for the better. I'm not talking about doing those stupid south beach, atkins, etc diets. I'm talking about making healthier choices in general, and this doesn't mean starving yourself.
I've really worked on changing my diet and it's the same as what you said for working out. It sucks at first, but you just have to keep doing it. The more you replace processed/fried foods with fruits, vegetables, and whole grains the better you will feel. At first, it will be unsatisfying, but once you adjust you will no longer crave fatty, starchy foods that you once did and you will feel 100% better.
So true!! One of the things we were were talking about in our obesity lecture during biochem this past semester was lifestyle changes.
what you just described was long term lifestyle changes which is what's necessary to maintain good health.
A lot of people do the atkins, south beach diet, etc. and feel good in the short term but don't look towards long term goals.
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This isn't just advice geared towards the obese either. Everyone can benefit in the long term from a healthy diet. Heart disease is up there as one of the leading killers in the US and (I'm not a doctor here) is probably one of the more preventable causes of death.
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X2.
The coolest thing about eating healthy and exercising is the way you feel when all your systems are functioning properly. Seriously, get addicted to naturally feeling good and it will be the best thing you'll ever do for your health. I don't have time to exercise like I should but I try to run 3x a week and play some sports other days. Combine that with a good diet/sleep and you feel AMAZING.
This is something that must be frustrating for physicians. Healthy, normal living makes you feel so good and keeps your body (which is the most valuable thing anyone possesses) in shape yet people every day make the choice to abuse it. I think it is good to feel reverence for life in all forms but it does leave one vulnerable to being disappointed by those who do not respect their bodies.
Look what has happened to us. We're all getting on our soap boxes giving nutritional advice with a sample size of n=1 (that 1 being yourself). Kind of silly, eh?
I never went to a physician about my weight problem, although it was mentioned to me by mydoctor who didn't help me at all with any useful advice. But, if you are morbidly obese, I'm sure it would help to start with a physician to see how you should go about losing the weight. I'm sure you'll have to take the initial weight loss MUCH slower because there maybe complications otherwise (I have no idea what being so obese does to your heart at a young age).
I hope you weren't embarrassed with all of us trying to give you advice blajeny. You seemed to have stopped posting.
Truth is, if you are morbidly obese, it will reflect badly on you.
I never went to a physician about my weight problem, although it was mentioned to me by mydoctor who didn't help me at all with any useful advice. But, if you are morbidly obese, I'm sure it would help to start with a physician to see how you should go about losing the weight. I'm sure you'll have to take the initial weight loss MUCH slower because there maybe complications otherwise (I have no idea what being so obese does to your heart at a young age).
I hope you weren't embarrassed with all of us trying to give you advice blajeny. You seemed to have stopped posting.
Truth is, if you are morbidly obese, it will reflect badly on you.
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I never claimed to be a physician, but it's common sense that eating healthy (i.e. more fruits and vegetables, less processed and fried foods) is good for everyone.
Obviously, I've never been in the OPs situation, so all I can say is for he/she to see a physician to find out what would be a good way to go about changing his/her lifestyle. There are consequences that need to be considered that we as pre-meds know nothing about.
Sorry, I've just lost track about what the heck we were talking about in this thread.
I think the bigger concern is for her to know if there are any potentially increased risks of fatality from overexertion due to her size. I'm not a physician, but this would naturally be my first concern.
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the point is to not make drastic changes in diet/lifestyle all at once b/c you aren't likely to stick with it. for instance, the DASH diet for people with high blood pressure recommends making small changes to your diet over time. if you don't eat fruits and veg, start with orange juice in the morning. if you have only 1-2 servings per day, add 1 more to lunch and dinner.
i think the most important thing in a diet is to allow for mistakes and not to 100% give up foods that you love, even bad ones (unless directed by a professional). they key is moderation. i could never eat a proper thanksgiving meal with my family if i always was looking to improve my "diet and lifestyle."
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You might want to consider Lap-Band, too. If you have any questions about being banded, if you consider it, just send a private message!
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of course it doesn't happen 100% all at once. i never said it did.
of course you can "mess up" once in a while. i never said you couldn't and i mess up too. no one's perfect. 🙂 i actually allow myself to eat whatever i want for dinner on Fridays. granted, it's not usually too crazy like deep fried sticks of butter or anything, so i don't feel bad.
i just think that diet is a HUGE part of overall fitness and to try to lose weight solely through exercise seems kinda pointless and won't help you with your cholesterol/heart disease problems down the line.
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i guess i misunderstood your post
all of this is moot anyways as neither of us is a physician. . .
I don't understand how you find this so ridiculous. Part of the problem with a lot of developed nations is that they don't want to take prevetative measures towards their problems.
Obesity, heart disease, lung cancer, liver cancer, etc. a lot of these things are preventative problems.
Obesity is one of the few thing that if you are not 1 ton or are at the point where you can still walk on your own and move around on your own you can help reduce through working out and eating right.
Drugs and short term diets are not long term solutions to obesity. Walking and using stairs instead of taking the easy way out with elevators and escalators, not eating so much mcdonalds and fatty junk food all the time especially if youaren't poor and can afford real food, not eating a lot of deep fried foods, and exercise are the things that are going to help prevent obesity and other comorbidities in the long run.
Even trained physicians will say as much that these are the best regimens. If you have other probles like diabetes already well then of course that's not going to be treated with these simple measures bt if you don't this part of the way to reducing the chances for getting those things.
