Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

It’s time to stop focusing on family weight

Wendy Schofer, MD
Physician
February 3, 2023
10 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

My eyes fell upon a horrible newspaper headline from 2008: “Fat kids die earlier.” That is the first article that I remember talking about obesity in childhood, but there were plenty more in the early 2000s. At the time, I clipped it because it reinforced my approach at the time: identify issues, educate, act, and avoid.

Over the past two decades, there has been an increase in the prevalence of children being diagnosed as overweight and obese.

The jury is out on the specific reasons why. Could it be the processed food, the portion sizes, the composition (macros), the ready-access, the emotional eating, distracted eating, the preservatives, or hormonal disruptions? Could it be us: our genes, our eating habits, our sedentary lifestyle?

The search for an answer, a culprit to blame, and something to fix is buried inside the question of why waistlines are increasing.

Consider this: What if the answer is to stop focusing on the waistline and the scale?

The vast majority of the approaches to childhood weight are to focus on it to control it. We label the weight, first with numbers, then BMI, and then with diagnoses of overweight or obesity. We think that to name it is to tame it. But as we have learned on the playground, when a label is given to you by others, it produces shame by indicating that something is wrong with the person.

Parents approach overweight and obesity in their kids in a very understandable way: fear, worry for their children’s health, the long-term impact of weight, as well as social pressures and bullying. We parents also fear what it means about the job we’ve been entrusted to do: raise our kids to be healthy.

We think that if we change our weight, our kids will have better health, better social interactions, and no bullying. If we help them change, we can tell ourselves that we’ve done all we can and are good parents.

That is the wrong focus.

Fear is a potent motivator to get us moving into action, but fear puts blinders on us – all we see is what we have to fear.

When we focus on the weight, the food, and the exercise – we create fear and a diet mentality for our kids under the guise of trying to avoid the consequences of heavier body weight. We cannot fear ourselves for health or use fear to reach a sustainable, healthy weight.

Fear is exhausting. Willpower is used to avoid foods and to stick with an exercise plan. And eventually, the willpower runs out.

When willpower runs out, when we become exhausted – we seek comfort. And do you know an amazing source of comfort that a lot of us find? Food.

Food is not the enemy. Food is not bad. And neither is our weight. It’s just a small part of the story.

Fearing obesity and focusing so much on what we try to avoid is not the answer.

It’s time to focus on what we do want. The parents that I work with describe wanting to have freedom from food rules, freedom from focusing on weight, and the scale to determine what kind of a day/week/month they’re having. It’s time to focus on improving our relationship with food, our bodies, and our kids.

I took over as the obesity champion for the medical society. First order of business: removing the word obesity. We do not work to champion something with all the connotations of fear and avoidance. I embrace championing what we want. I was briefly the artist formerly known as the obesity champion. And then, I became a healthy lifestyle champion.

It’s not a perfect name, but it is moving toward something. And I am a strong proponent of moving towards what we want, not just looking at what we don’t want, running away, yet constantly keeping an eye on it.

When will we learn that if we really want to impact our society’s weight health, we need to move toward a goal we want? What do we want to create for our health?

Wendy Schofer is a pediatrician.

Prev

Navigating the challenges of coaching in the medical field

February 3, 2023 Kevin 0
…
Next

The hidden costs of teaching surgery: an academic surgeon's perspective

February 3, 2023 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Pediatrics

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Navigating the challenges of coaching in the medical field
Next Post >
The hidden costs of teaching surgery: an academic surgeon's perspective

More by Wendy Schofer, MD

  • Unlearning perfectionism: Embracing imperfection and finding my true self through improv

    Wendy Schofer, MD
  • The power of self-appreciation: Why physicians need to start acknowledging their own contributions

    Wendy Schofer, MD
  • Why physicians should go on a retreat

    Wendy Schofer, MD

Related Posts

  • Finding happiness in the time of COVID

    Anonymous
  • A medical student’s reflection on time, the scarcest resource

    Natasha Abadilla
  • It is time to make the unvaccinated pay their fair share

    Hayward Zwerling, MD
  • 5 ways to maintain family bonds in medical school

    Micaela Stevenson
  • It’s time for physicians to be less “productive”

    Anonymous
  • Easing a burden, one step at a time

    Ellen Rand

More in Physician

  • Physician return-to-work policies

    Deepak Gupta, MD
  • How my patients’ Zoom backgrounds made me a better doctor

    Joseph Barrera, MD
  • Understanding reproductive rights: complex considerations

    Anonymous
  • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

    Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD
  • Practicing medicine with conviction

    Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA
  • The power of memory in shaping human identity

    Emily F. Peters and Sandeep Jauhar, MD, PhD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

      Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD | Physician
    • COVID-19 unleashed an ongoing crisis of delirium in hospitals

      Christina Reppas-Rindlisbacher, MD, Nathan Stall, MD, and Paula Rochon, MD | Conditions
    • Air quality alert: Reducing our carbon footprint in health care

      Shreya Aggarwal, MD | Conditions
    • A teenager’s perspective: the pressing need for mental health days in schools

      Ruhi Saldanha | Conditions
    • End-of-life ethics and antibiotic use [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • End-of-life ethics and antibiotic use [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Physician return-to-work policies

      Deepak Gupta, MD | Physician
    • Communication, power dynamics, and organizational culture in health care

      Beth Boynton, RN, MS, CP | Conditions
    • How my patients’ Zoom backgrounds made me a better doctor

      Joseph Barrera, MD | Physician
    • Understanding reproductive rights: complex considerations

      Anonymous | Physician
    • Innovations in surgical education [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Mortality Risk From Damaged Bronchi Extends to People Without COPD
  • ChatGPT Improving, but Still Lacks Reliability as a Clinical Support Tool
  • COVID Vax in Pregnancy Protects Young Infants Against Omicron
  • Repeat Tests for Inflammation Aid Prognosis After Acute Heart Failure
  • FDA OKs Another Injectable for Rare Kidney Disorder

Meeting Coverage

  • Hot Flashes: Precursor to Alzheimer's Disease?
  • SABR Offers New Hope for Older Patients With Inoperable Kidney Cancer
  • Menopausal Women With Obesity Endure Worse Symptoms, Less HT Relief
  • Study Pinpoints Growing Use of Cannabis to Manage Menopause Symptoms
  • Fezolinetant Benefits Women Not Suited for Hormone Therapy
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

      Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD | Physician
    • COVID-19 unleashed an ongoing crisis of delirium in hospitals

      Christina Reppas-Rindlisbacher, MD, Nathan Stall, MD, and Paula Rochon, MD | Conditions
    • Air quality alert: Reducing our carbon footprint in health care

      Shreya Aggarwal, MD | Conditions
    • A teenager’s perspective: the pressing need for mental health days in schools

      Ruhi Saldanha | Conditions
    • End-of-life ethics and antibiotic use [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • End-of-life ethics and antibiotic use [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Physician return-to-work policies

      Deepak Gupta, MD | Physician
    • Communication, power dynamics, and organizational culture in health care

      Beth Boynton, RN, MS, CP | Conditions
    • How my patients’ Zoom backgrounds made me a better doctor

      Joseph Barrera, MD | Physician
    • Understanding reproductive rights: complex considerations

      Anonymous | Physician
    • Innovations in surgical education [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...