#fat discrimination

[tw: medical fatphobia, mention of disordered eating]

I have high blood pressure. I’ve had high blood pressure and have been on medication for it since I was in my late 20s, thanks to genetics: my mom and dad both have been hypertensive since their late 20s, all my grandparents were, and my brother too.

I’m also fat. I don’t look especially fat, but I’m obese according to the BMI charts.

Yesterday I saw a new doctor for the first time, and my blood pressure was elevated as it typically is in doctor’s offices, since I have white-coat syndrome, which means my blood pressure is usually higher in a doctor’s office. After a bit of discussion about that, and about the fact that when I check my blood pressure at home it’s typically within the normal range, the doctor said, “Well, first of all I would definitely recommend that you lose about 20 pounds, that would definitely bring your blood pressure down.”

This new doctor, who had known me for all of ten minutes, didn’t ask me about my eating or exercise habits, or see a single blood test result before recommending that I lose weight. For all she knew, I had a history of disordered eating and that suggestion would trigger me into resuming unhealthy patterns.

Aside from hypertension, I’m pretty healthy. I have consistently good blood sugar numbers, good cholesterol numbers, good thyroid numbers, all those other numbers that are actually indicators of one’s health. I eat lots of whole grains and nuts and fruit and vegetables, I’ve never smoked or done recreational drugs, and I rarely drink. I exercise regularly and try to get enough sleep.

As it happens, I did lose a significant amount of weight a few years back, after my younger daughter stopped nursing, and it had exactly zero effect on my blood pressure. For me, the high blood pressure seems to be entirely genetic.

The more I think about how casually and immediately this doctor who barely knew me suggested weight loss to me, the angrier I get about it.