- "I really want to like
Dr. Mike on YouTube, "but he really has some
fatphobic tendencies. "He's actually a fan of
intermittent fasting, "which is unbelievable to me "considering he's a medical professional. "In his most recent video, "he talked about gastric bypass surgery "being good for long-term weight loss. "And just in general, "he's talked about obesity and, "quote-unquote, 'watching what you eat.' "He's done videos where he tried "certain fat diets for 30 days, "but I've never watched them. "So I don't know where he
stands on keto, for instance. "Anyway, it just goes to
show that even doctors "can still learn a lot
in their own fields." I have to respond to this as well as many of these comments. Let's get into it. (light music) Honestly, I was really
disheartened, disappointed when I read this post. I'm not one usually to get upset when I read controversial posts about something that I've said, but this one touched me. You know, I have a lot of patients who are overweight and obese, who are struggling to lose weight. Know that they need to for their health because they don't want to die young, they don't want to have a heart attack at age 40 or a stroke at age 50. They want to live long, fruitful lives. And it's my job as a physician to help them do that. That doesn't make me fatphobic. I'm against fat shaming wholeheartedly. I've said it on Phil
DeFranco's podcast last year, that fat shaming is a form
of destructive criticism. That only works to break someone down instead of building them up. As a physician, my job
is to help a patient get from Point A to a healthy Point B. Not to make fun of them while they're at Point A in hopes that they get
to Point B on their own. No, we're a team and we have to do that together. In fact, I want to go through
this post line by line and really take it apart so we can figure out what's what. "He's actually a fan of
intermittent fasting, "which is unbelievable to me considering "he's a medical professional." I frankly, don't understand this critique. I like intermittent fasting for myself. Never did I say it's something I recommend to all my patients or as a piece of universal
nutrition advice. Universal nutrition
advice doesn't even exist. If you've seen any of my videos, I said that time and time again. "In his most recent video, "he talked about gastric bypass surgery "being good for long-term weight loss." Yeah, evidence shows that gastric bypass for those
who are morbidly obese has better long-term outcomes than dieting or just medical treatment
with medications. That being said, it's not the only solution. It's not the right solution for everybody and there's also different
types of bariatric surgery. There's many options and you have to discuss
them with your doctor to find out what's right for you. But just poo-pooing the entire
industry is wrong as well. Because not only does bariatric surgery help you lose weight, but it also gives you better control of your cholesterol. Better control of your blood sugars so much so that in patients who've had bariatric surgery, we've put their diabetes into remission. I mean, that's huge. "And in general, he's talked about obesity "and 'watching what you eat.'" I mean, I've definitely
talked about obesity. It's well proven that if your BMI falls under the obese or morbidly obese range, you're facing extra risks to your life. You are gonna have more illness. You're gonna have a lower quality of life. And, frankly, a shorter life than someone who is not obese. Does that mean that it
will be true all the time? No, these are risk scores. These are averages. Also, many people are quick to point out that the BMI scale is super flawed. It's not a perfect system and the BMI number alone
should never be used as a sole indicator of someone's health. Remember, we don't treat lab values. We don't treat numbers, we treat patients. So you look at the BMI number and then look at your patient. So if I see a very strong
gentleman in front of me with big muscles and a six-pack, and his BMI falls under
the obese category. No, I'm not gonna think he
faces serious health effects because his BMI number is high. We have to use some logic there. "He's done videos where he's tried "certain fat diets for 30 days, "but I've never watched them. "So I don't know where he
stands on keto, for instance." I mean, I would love for
you to have watched them. Because in my videos that have covered Whole 30, keto, intermittent
fasting, even vegan. I've done these for 30 days simply to show how they affected my body, but I also talked about the science. What we know, what we don't know. Because, honestly, the
field of nutritional science is an absolute mess. There's way more that we don't know than we do know. And I think understanding
this level of humility is a first step for many experts. Whether you're a registered
dietitian or physician. "Anyway, it just goes to show "that even doctors can still "learn a lot in their own fields." Facts, I agree. This is the one sentence of this post that I completely agree with. Being in medicine is a field where you're gonna learn for the rest of your life. In fact, there's a reason why we have to retake our boards we have to continually
have updated education 'cause guidelines change. In fact, that's what makes
medicine special for me. That's why I fell in love with the field. You constantly are learning, you're curious, you want to know the most
up-to-date information. That's powerful. that's good stuff. And I'm sad that it came at the end of a really
angry message against me, but it's true. Now, let's take a look at some
of the most upvoted comments. "I felt the same way, too. "I love all of his videos "on other areas of science, "but I take his health
and nutrition videos "with a grain of salt. "Don't forget that much of
the research within medicine "comes from a fatphobic stance. "so I feel it can be difficult "for medical professionals to move away from that." I don't understand, like, what fatphobic, how it's being used in this given example. You know, many years ago we sort of viewed those who were overweight as perhaps people who
wanted to be overweight, who didn't care that they were overweight. That may have been true for
a small portion of people, but there's individuals
who have medical conditions that make them more susceptible to being overweight and we have to address those
in the medical community. So it's not about being fatphobic. It's not about fat shaming people. It's about addressing true health risks in a constructive way to help people become the healthiest version of themselves. being overweight is not just a problem for heart attack, stroke risk. It's a problem for your entire health. Cancer risk, sleep, happiness, everything suffers when disease goes up. "Most doctors also believe "that obesity is a disease "and that BMI is a good
predictor of health. "Sadly, most medical
professionals are living "in diet culture and fatphobia "as much as the rest of the population. "It's wild that doctors
tell patients to lose weight "when diets have a 95% failure rate "and often leave people in worse shape "than when they started. "Can you imagine if doctors prescribed "any other treatment or medication "with 95% chance of failure." This is a good point to talk about. When we prescribe a diet
plan or nutrition plan, the reason that it fails is because adherence is low. Changing someone's
behavior is quite difficult and we haven't mastered
that art as physicians. As a health care system really, but it doesn't mean that we're failing because we're fatphobic. I do think it's important to say that I wish doctors spent
more time studying nutrition and understanding how weight loss works, how cholesterol works. If you're a doctor and you're not up-to-date
on this type of information, it's really wise to use
a teamwork approach here. Get a registered dietitian on board, a behavioral counselor, perhaps even a consultation with a bariatric specialist. We have obesity and metabolic programs across the country that are doing great work. "I have only ever seen
one doctor in my life "who didn't mention losing weight to me. "So this is really not surprising to me. "Show me a doctor who isn't fatphobic "and I will be shocked." It sounds like the person writing this is going through a lot of pain. So it's not about being judgmental here. If doctors aren't immediately bringing up someone being overweight or obese, that could be okay because maybe that person isn't ready to have that conversation. But if I'm gonna be giving you an honest assessment of your health where you can do better, where your risks are, we have to talk about weight. It's like me having a
patient who's a smoker and completely ignoring
the fact that they smoke when I'm trying to optimize their health. I would be doing a disservice to them. So, yes, when I have patients who come in for a checkup, for a preventative visit so that they can stay being healthy, part of that discussion
is weight management. Not 'cause I'm fatphobic, but it's 'cause I'm patient-focused. "Capitalism thrives on people, "especially women, feeling inadequate "and needing to buy something. "Either diet books,
coaching, gym memberships, "new clothes to show
off that bikini body." I don't want to blame this on capitalism. I kind of want to blame
it on rogue marketing. You know, I talk badly of
detox teas and miracle cures. I've never sold any of
that stuff, never will. I think it's horrible for my patients 'cause it actually derails them from true treatment plans that work, but also take some work. You know, it's a lot easier to take a pill than get up, eat healthy,
sleep well, go to the gym. So, yeah, people are sort of excited with these shortcuts. But, honestly, these
shortcuts don't exist. It's not capitalism, it's rogue evil marketing. This one's actually in
support of what I said. "He's always advocating
for preventable care "because it's cheaper for
the patient to lose weight "than spend thousands of dollars "on heart surgery and diabetes care. "He's not fatphobic, "he just doesn't want you in debt." I'm a huge fan of preventive care. I mean, that's why I love family medicine and what I do. Because I want to prevent the heart attack rather than just simply treat it when it's there. Saving someone money, saving someone having to take medications long-term for the rest of their life 'cause they have a stent. I want my patients to live the highest quality of life with as least medications as possible and part of that means
lowering your weight naturally. If you're overweight or obese, of course. Look I completely
disagree with fat shaming. I'm not fatphobic. I want my patients to live
happy and healthy lives. And many of the times, if they're obese or morbidly obese, I want to help them lose weight so that they can reach their goals and have a high quality, long life. That being said, if you want more information, I have a whole nutrition playlist for you linked down below. If you want to watch a really funny video to take your mind off of things, quarantine, right now click here for a Memes video. Or if you want to see what
started this whole thing, check out my Responding To
Tweets video right here.
Why do so many people want to act like having a high amount of fat isn’t a detriment to your health?
I've had bariatric surgery.
I was over 400lbs, unhappy, and slowly dying. I didn't want a knee replacement when I was 35, and I didn't want to end up dying before I could actually live my life.
A lot of people thing bariatric surgery is some kind of fix-all. Hitting a magic weight loss button and you'll melt pounds away while not changing your lifestyle.
That is a load of SHIT.
There's a clearance process that most insurance carriers require. It includes a psych clearance, medical clearance, and meetings with nutritionists so you understand that this isn't some kind of magic thing that'll make you lose weight. You have to change your lifestyle completely. No more bad foods, limiting portions, and constantly drinking water.
The first few months after the surgery were rough, but it was thankfully complication free. It changed my entire life, and it was the tool I needed to jump start the engine to help me start getting healthier.
I'm down to 250lbs and a little over a year post-op. Sure, there are annoying things (dumping syndrome--which is definitely exactly what it sounds like, and hydration challenges), but I don't regret my decision at all.
Doctor Mike is not fatphobic. He's a physician that understands sometimes someone can be past the point of being able to lose weight comfortably on their own, and surgical intervention can help them along the journey.
Personally don't really understand any of the comments in the video. I don't understand how anyone can think that its healthy to be fat. There is nothing wrong with fat people, they could just be more healthy, the same way being way too thin is unhealthy. To critique a doctor for pointing out different ways of improving ones health seems insane to me.
I'm Swedish and not American so maybe its just a cultural difference, but I really don't get it.
I think it can be hard sometimes to differentiate between help and hate when you’re in a vulnerable situation like being overweight, but most doctors are just looking out for your health. Situations vary a lot from person to person, so that’s why working with your medical team is key to becoming your healthiest self.
It’s unfortunate that some people see some medical advice as discriminatory and while I don’t doubt there are people and doctors out there who are/have been fatphobic, most will want to help you, and we’ve got to understand that.
Came looking for this sub because this video incensed me. That comment is horse shit. I’m obese and I believe Doctor Mike only has mine and other obese peoples’ best interests in mind. He’s an intelligent, compassionate dude.
Sad that he's getting attacked over trying to help people. He speaks about obesity and weight loss from a compassionate, scientific approach. He doesn't shame people about their weight--he's trying to advocate for measures that can help improve their lives.
Fatphobia sucks, but people need to be more discerning about what is malicious and what is factual. Factually, obesity is just not healthy.
This makes me so sad. Dr. Mike, you are not fatphobic. You are an amazing physician and an inspiration to me (pre-med). Some people are just insecure about their weight and would rather deny it than admit that regardless of beauty standards and aesthetics, being obese and morbidly obese with drastically shorten their lifespans. My smoker aunt who is obese was just diagnosed with stomach cancer. SHE'S ONLY 40. She was one of those people who used to say "whatever, smoking hasn't killed me yet", or "yeah whatever, I don't care about my size". I've been begging her to quit for the longest time (especially during COVID) and guess what? Now we're wig shopping next Tuesday because she is going to lose her hair. I agree the nutrition field needs to improve so we can find the best ways to help obese people lose enough weight to where these risks are decreased but that doesn't mean the existing science that links obesity with a plethora of heart conditions is wrong. When I was also recovering from anorexia intermittent fasting helped my stomach and my brain give time to digest large meals, it helped me from relapsing. But I don't walk around recommending it to everyone, preaching about it, and neither does Dr. Mike! In your videos, you talk about all of this, and since they admitted to not watching your videos their claims are baseless. Thank you Dr. Mike for all that you do. Please do not feel bad. You are the kindest and most loving physician ever.
Love,
A fan.
Kind of sad that videos like these have to be made. Some really should learn how to take things less personal & maybe start facing the facts oops. And if they can't do that then maybe don't watch a doctor on YouTube who's known for promoting healthy lifestyles and stating facts lmao
I think it can be very easy for somebody to hear medical advice about weight and take it as a personal attack.
As an obese person I've only had one negative experience with a doctor regarding my weight, so it's uncommon, but is possible.
I saw nothing controversial, however, in what Dr. Mike was saying. It's not only great that he acknowledges the risks of obesity, but also that he understands the struggles of losing weight through his practice. Losing weight is simpler for some than others. Doesn't negate the risks, though.