Fat people are a danger to themselves. Health not withstanding (diabetes, hypertension, stroke, cardiac disease, arthritis, etc. are all shown to increase in patients with, um, largess) there are many more practical and truly understated reasons to remain thin:
1) radiology equipment may not be able to accomodate your size (CT or MRI scanners that can't handle the weight/ size)
2) getting any central line placed is much harder due to obliteration of normal anatomical landmarks by fat and once obtained many healthcare workers won't want to remove it even if a "potential" infection is suspected leading to possible catheter related infections
3) peripheral IV's are often obtained only through multiple, painful attempts and frequently are 22 gauge size or smaller, in the fingers or feet, lending them to being subpar for any real utilization if acutely ill
4) intubations are harder, messier, and patient's tend to decompensate faster with larger body habitus - plus bag masking is harder on someone who's chin doesn't really exist anymore
5) lumbar punctures, epidurals, spinals, etc. are much harder to obtain as, once again, normal anatomical layouts are obliterated by fat
6) beds may not be able to support you unless "special" ones are obtained which could leave you waiting in uncomfortable chairs, wheelchairs, or stretchers for prolonged periods while one is obtained
7) moving patients from stretchers to OR tables requires more personnel and once on the table you have a higher chance of falling off due to weight balance being less central
8) when incapacitated, being turned, changed, etc. is harder on the nursing staff, requiring more staff to accomplish the job, and therefore lending to potential reductions in care over time and bedsore formations
9) harder to hear heart and lung sounds - plus radiographs tend to have abnormal shadows and lines from rolls of fat which can impair diagnosis of conditions
10) many drugs are given based on ideal body weights and larger status leads to variable dosage delivery. Fat is also large storage pool for many drugs which can lead to reduced effective concentrations intially only to then have an increase as the drug stored in fat is released and joins the already circulating concentration with resultant overdosing.
Just some things to consider when the current culture tries to tell us to be "happy with yourself just as you are". Be happy, but work towards losing weight - it's best. Humans are not naturally fat.
Showing posts with label obesity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label obesity. Show all posts
Friday, May 16, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Slowest Loser
Remember this topic? 221 pound male, 6'1"?
Yeah that was me and I can say that, as of this morning, I've lost about 15 pounds! It feels awesome to have been able to accomplish at least some weight reduction in the months that I've been toiling in our workout center.
My goal is to try and get around 190 pounds before residency starts. I don't think that will happen, but it's good to have a goal in mind. Since I've had some time off I've been working out for 1.5-2 hours a day, have been eating better, have stuck with my plan to avoid soft drinks, and reduced my caloric intake by about 500 calories a day.
I also try to workout before eating breakfast or lunch since you burn more calories this way. Wife commented that she thinks I've lost too much weight and that my clothes don't fit well anymore, but I've still got some more to go. I've just been wearing baggier clothing to hide the bulge for so long that it looks too baggy on me now.
The program where I've been accepted has a fairly good gym with several elliptical machines and lots of free and machine weights, but it's used by the entire campus. I'm thinking about finding out how much they'd charge with me being a resident and then comparing that with purchasing a home gym like Bowflex along with a treadmill. It would be easier to workout at home since I wouldn't feel guilty with the extra 1-2 hours spent away, so it might be worth a little bit more each month just to vanquish the guilt.
Yeah that was me and I can say that, as of this morning, I've lost about 15 pounds! It feels awesome to have been able to accomplish at least some weight reduction in the months that I've been toiling in our workout center.
My goal is to try and get around 190 pounds before residency starts. I don't think that will happen, but it's good to have a goal in mind. Since I've had some time off I've been working out for 1.5-2 hours a day, have been eating better, have stuck with my plan to avoid soft drinks, and reduced my caloric intake by about 500 calories a day.
I also try to workout before eating breakfast or lunch since you burn more calories this way. Wife commented that she thinks I've lost too much weight and that my clothes don't fit well anymore, but I've still got some more to go. I've just been wearing baggier clothing to hide the bulge for so long that it looks too baggy on me now.
The program where I've been accepted has a fairly good gym with several elliptical machines and lots of free and machine weights, but it's used by the entire campus. I'm thinking about finding out how much they'd charge with me being a resident and then comparing that with purchasing a home gym like Bowflex along with a treadmill. It would be easier to workout at home since I wouldn't feel guilty with the extra 1-2 hours spent away, so it might be worth a little bit more each month just to vanquish the guilt.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Not Just Shaq
There’s a new TV program that will feature Shaquille O’Neal and centers around his efforts to get some morbidly obese kids thinner. It’s got a good message, but I think these kinds of programs are missing one of the real problems when it comes to obese children.
Stepson has a weight problem. He’s not grown very well, is smaller than most boys in his class, and has packed on the pounds in the last couple years like he was planning on hibernating. When I’ve reviewed some pictures from the beginning of med school and look at the changes in him I’m amazed and saddened. Truly something needs to be done.
Exercise and eating right are about the best options for him; yet this is truly not an easy undertaking in our current state-run educational system. School ends at 3pm after which he goes to an after-school care program where Daughter has preschool where he actually does get some time outside. Stepson is there until either one of this 3 parents (mom, dad, me) can pick him up. Then he has homework. TONS of homework since he’s in advanced classes. By the time he’s finished it’s time for dinner and bathing. Bedtime is 8:30pm and he’s had almost no time after school to get some good quality time outside.
But what of recess? Don’t even get me started on this apparently antiquated notion. Schools all over the nation are removing recess and PE as they continue to cut down on "extracurriculars" in favor of cramming more and more education down kid’s throats. The kids are restless, have little to no outlet, and are being drugged up the wazoo for ADHD. WTF is wrong here?
Stepson is allowed 10-15 minutes for the entire day to be outside. THE ENTIRE DAY! His PE classes are a joke. I’ve actually seen video at his graduation ceremony where the kids were holding sticks and trying to twirl rubber plates on them. And this is not just a singular occurrence – apparently it’s part of a “friendly” PE regimen where kids aren’t made to feel inferior through competition.
Now some people state that video games are the issue along with poor nutrition - as this seems to be the main focus seen in that TV show. I agree with these issues in part, but when there’s really no time to play anything due to increasing educational loads then we’re missing the bigger picture. Education is important to our youth, but sacrificing their health in order to “make the grade” is not an option. I don’t know why it ever became acceptable for children to be locked up in classes all day without recess in the first place.
We can blame the video industry, fast food culture, and the increasingly popular idea that “fat is not ugly”, but we have to address the fact that our children are not getting enough exercise. An hour a day – is it really that hard? Our children are getting fatter, sicker, and have poorer self-images of themselves due to these problems. Hell, we, as a nation, are the fattest we’ve ever been. Perhaps more parents and teachers need to get out and play with the kids, rather than just lecture to them.
So, since I’ve rambled on and preached about what you should be doing, it’s only fair to let you know what I plan to do. My plan for this summer includes going to the pool daily and swimming laps, having a physical and labwork done by his pediatrician for a nagging belief that there’s possibly a hormonal imbalance, and eating more fruit and veggies. He’s just finished up baseball (which is really not a good sport to loose weight with) and has camp during the day which will enable me time to study for Step 2 CK. Hopefully we can shed some pounds before he starts school again. I know I need to loose a lot as well and together we might just do it.
Stepson has a weight problem. He’s not grown very well, is smaller than most boys in his class, and has packed on the pounds in the last couple years like he was planning on hibernating. When I’ve reviewed some pictures from the beginning of med school and look at the changes in him I’m amazed and saddened. Truly something needs to be done.
Exercise and eating right are about the best options for him; yet this is truly not an easy undertaking in our current state-run educational system. School ends at 3pm after which he goes to an after-school care program where Daughter has preschool where he actually does get some time outside. Stepson is there until either one of this 3 parents (mom, dad, me) can pick him up. Then he has homework. TONS of homework since he’s in advanced classes. By the time he’s finished it’s time for dinner and bathing. Bedtime is 8:30pm and he’s had almost no time after school to get some good quality time outside.
But what of recess? Don’t even get me started on this apparently antiquated notion. Schools all over the nation are removing recess and PE as they continue to cut down on "extracurriculars" in favor of cramming more and more education down kid’s throats. The kids are restless, have little to no outlet, and are being drugged up the wazoo for ADHD. WTF is wrong here?
Stepson is allowed 10-15 minutes for the entire day to be outside. THE ENTIRE DAY! His PE classes are a joke. I’ve actually seen video at his graduation ceremony where the kids were holding sticks and trying to twirl rubber plates on them. And this is not just a singular occurrence – apparently it’s part of a “friendly” PE regimen where kids aren’t made to feel inferior through competition.
Now some people state that video games are the issue along with poor nutrition - as this seems to be the main focus seen in that TV show. I agree with these issues in part, but when there’s really no time to play anything due to increasing educational loads then we’re missing the bigger picture. Education is important to our youth, but sacrificing their health in order to “make the grade” is not an option. I don’t know why it ever became acceptable for children to be locked up in classes all day without recess in the first place.
We can blame the video industry, fast food culture, and the increasingly popular idea that “fat is not ugly”, but we have to address the fact that our children are not getting enough exercise. An hour a day – is it really that hard? Our children are getting fatter, sicker, and have poorer self-images of themselves due to these problems. Hell, we, as a nation, are the fattest we’ve ever been. Perhaps more parents and teachers need to get out and play with the kids, rather than just lecture to them.
So, since I’ve rambled on and preached about what you should be doing, it’s only fair to let you know what I plan to do. My plan for this summer includes going to the pool daily and swimming laps, having a physical and labwork done by his pediatrician for a nagging belief that there’s possibly a hormonal imbalance, and eating more fruit and veggies. He’s just finished up baseball (which is really not a good sport to loose weight with) and has camp during the day which will enable me time to study for Step 2 CK. Hopefully we can shed some pounds before he starts school again. I know I need to loose a lot as well and together we might just do it.
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