Medical Should I write about weight loss for an adversity essay?

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tantacles

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Over the last two years, I have lost close to 100 pounds (weight that I gained in high school + the first two years of college). It was a huge challenge for me, and basically required that I completely overhaul my lifestyle, both in terms of diet and exercise. In the process, I learned a ton about food and the food ecosystem in the U.S. It inspired me to study food policy + its impact on public health during my MPH, and work on a healthy food initiative outside of school. Obesity is obviously a major issue in our country, and I'm hoping to continue studying it and helping patients in medical school. As someone who was borderline obese, the past few years dealing with my weight and losing it have also given me first-hand understanding of patients who deal with similar issues.

I'm working on secondary drafts, and I'm wondering if you think this weight loss and what I've learned from it could be the subject for an "adversity" essay that asks about a big challenge I faced? I looked at some older posts on SDN, and they seemed to suggest that weight loss isn't a great topic to bring up to adcoms and that it may/may not be looked upon favorably (especially if I gained weight in high school/college, because then it could suggest issues with coping with stress.) If that's the case, I will pivot to something else, so I wanted to confirm if this would be appropriate. Thank you so much!
I love this topic for an adversity essay. Shows great commitment to health, and I think you can talk about health consequences of obesity and your potential to empathize with your patients who suffer from obesity, particularly in their struggle to reach and maintain a more healthy weight. A+ topic in my opinion. Many physicians themselves struggle with obesity, and you may win a lot of points with this one if you tackle it sensitively and celebrate your success..

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I love this topic for an adversity essay. Shows great commitment to health, and I think you can talk about health consequences of obesity and your potential to empathize with your patients who suffer from obesity, particularly in their struggle to reach and maintain a more healthy weight. A+ topic in my opinion. Many physicians themselves struggle with obesity, and you may win a lot of points with this one if you tackle it sensitively and celebrate your success..
Agree 1000%!
 
I mentioned this before online, but I had an advisee who did talk about his weight issues as a "weakness" in a strengths/weakness prompt. There is certainly bias and harassment due to being overweight, and overcoming it does take a lot of perseverance and commitment.
 
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