weight loss and credibility

When we ask patients "why do you want to lose weight?", we get usually four categories of reasons: 1-health 2-vanity 3-clothes 4-energy.

Yesterday I was discussing a fifth category with a patient: professional credibility

If I was running an auto repair service company, I am not quite certain my clients would care whether I was overweight or not. If I was a chef at a restaurant, similarly, I do not think my customers would think about it for one second if I was overweight.

I don't fix cars and I don't make souffle (did I spell that correctly?) but I do run a weight loss program and it would certainly raise some eyebrows if I was markedly overweight. Simlarly, othe rphysicians that treat patients for internal medicine issues such as diabetes, hypertension etc would have more credibility in recommending to their patients that they lose weight if the physician him or herself was at an appropriate weight.

In the healthcare field, it is important that we, as practitioners, try to set an example for our patients. When I did my internal medicine residency, 3 of the 4 oncologists at Portsmouth Naval Hospital smoked cigarettes. 4 of the 7 cardiologists smoked as well. How ludicrous was that?

No matter what your profession, credibility probably does enhance when we present ourselves in a "healthy" manner. Some professions are more sensitive to this than others.