idk who called dr mike fat phobic but he is literally the most inclusive and non-judgemental person in health i’ve seen at least on the internet! in fact he explained what it is and what it isn’t very well
He had a very controversial episode on bariatric surgery, which can be risky and is often a dangerous fix to a nuanced problem, and people were critical of his stance on it. Bariatric surgery is also often suggested to people who aren't great candidates because it's an easier, insurance-covered route and can be a medical money maker, and even recently was found to be pushed by a major hospital system mostly on underserved and vulnerable populations who were not properly educated or given access to other options, and then struggled with the access to the upkeep and proper nutrition needed to make that successful, some that died from complications or had complications from malnuritionment afterward. After seeing that video, I'm pleasantly surprised how nuanced he is in this video
Doctor Mike, like all of us, is someone that has learned and grown to be the amazing person he is. I remember episodes in the past where I cringed at some of his comments re: obesity. He's never been awful, to be clear. He's obviously keeping very up to speed with research and has developed a greater understanding since. That is the Hallmark of a great doctor: that they do not stop listening and learning ❤
We’ve come to a point where if you say something that a certain group of people don’t like, you’re automatically labeled as being against that group’s existence and/or beliefs.
I feel like the whole debate could've just ended on "being fat or skinny isn't A choice, it's a result of MULTIPLE choices and some of them aren't up to you"
Which is essentially not true , the nuisance of genetics , medication or disability isn't as wide as you'd think. How many overweight people do you know eat healthy and work out? It's this egg shell approach to weight that makes overweight people think it's not their responsibility.
Its Your choice to fight against the factors, Moving out Building good habbits. Yes genetics have a role but its largley up to the environment you grow up in and if your parents cant teach you dieting. I Blame Processed foods marketed to children and school lunches. The school system literally feeds children fast food every day and classify pizza as a vegatbale.
It all start with the diet coupled with sedentary behavior. Soda, highly refined carbs, excess sugar in products and government subsidized to encourage these products. Seem like we will just put people on meds like Ozempic rather than alter the overall diet.
@@raikaresha5906 to sugar coat the facts, everything is still your choice m even those genetics won't make you fat if your eating the appropriate food, you have to fight the factors. Calories are calories no one is fat off drinking water and eating carrots
And it's saddening for me to see few people in comment section still trying to simplify the matter. Following a kind and smart person doesn't mean they are kind and smart.
Nearly didn't watch the video because I was convinced the 'debate' would devolve into pure misinformation and opinion. So glad to see it wasn't the case.
@@annjames1837 Hundreds of reasons, and in actuality the trend towards obesity started already from the 1920's and onwards - it was already on the rise by '70. Our lifestyles are more sedentary, our food is more often processed, in America especially people more often eat out rather than home cook. Many of these are societal, not individual, issues.
Eating disorder therapist here: THANK YOU for your commentary on weight stigma, neutrality, and appropriate ways to support those struggling with weight, size, shape, and food.
You know how you cure eating disorders? Set specific goals, meet those goals through hard exercise and a proper calorie count. Once they see their body comp improve through legit means instead of puking or starving, they will be hooked.
@shawdnaasty This reveals a lot about why you think losing weight is so simple. You simply refuse to acknowledge the possible effects that mental health or psychological issues can have on someone's ability to lose weight.
@bm7502 that devalues the knowledge that Mike has to offer from a professional and medical standpoint. And he's trying to remain unbiased and informed in everything he presents with the video. He is definitely talking about the complexity of this hot-button topic and admitting that he cannot make a change individually that would lead to a domino effect. He does offer generalized solutions and mentions real issues. Being an advocate for the patient is his goal and I feel he did very well here.
I am a medical provider that works at an eating disorder clinic. This was a very appropriate approach to discussing weight, size, health, and dieting. GREAT WORK MIKE. VERY IMPRESSED.
Please, please, PLEASE, provide Portuguese subtitles for this video. I'm a clinical psychologist in Brazil, working with eating disorders and disordered eating, and I love how informative and respectful this video is. I have to share this. Love it! Congrats on the great work, as always
@@murlocknight1427 translated captions would require administration and going through the process of recruiting a well-trained translator and is not exactly easy to find. Some youtubers can afford to do this but not all youtubers can with resources at hand and they have to weigh up whether they should prioritise, say, a spanish translation or a portuguese translation or even a french translation for the CC. That would depend on the demographic of his audience tho.
so i started watching your channel when i began my weight loss journey. I changed my diet and exercise, six months later i have lost 60 pounds and when i went in for my check up my Doctor was blown away and asked what did you do to lose this weight? i told him very simply i merely followed what you told me changed my diet to low carb and walked an hour a day, i swear he looked like he was going to cry. FYI i am still on the low carb diet and it has been a year because of it my pallet has changed and it is easier to stay on it, i am not losing 10lbs every couple of weeks anymore now it is a pound or two but i am more active i look younger and have more energy.
Nah just make you resent them more, shaming is not gonna change how you think or your personal view on life unless the person is massively insecure or completely apathetic.@@DistortionSociety
@@DistortionSociety If that's true, then why are there still fat people? Is your argument that society simply hasn't been mean enough to fat people yet? That all the people out there who are fat simply haven't been shamed enough?
I think it's a dangerous line when we start blaming people for all of their health problems when we know how nuanced everything is. Are cavities a choice? Is stress a choice? Is cancer a choice? Is pre-eclampsia a choice? I think it's weird how obesity seems to be the only medical condition where we shame people so much. I am not healthy when I am skinny. Not even close. If fat shaming actually helped at all we wouldn't have any obese people.
@@getamber2671 Why? Cavities are caused mainly by simple sugars in our diet and imperfect brushing and/or flossing with some genetic tendencies. Sounds just like obesity: diet + habits + a bit of genes. It's a great comparison in my opinion. My favourite so far was laryngeal cancer, for whis a main risk is smoking, which is technically a choise, but is very hard to let go of, just like sugary and fatty foods, that seem sooo delicious to our brains.
Doctor Mike is so professional and compassionate when it comes to touchy subjects like this one. We need more doctors like him in all Healthcare specialties, in all systems.
Like his persona on video*. Don't forget his corona-boat-party and non-apology video on his otherwise unused and undermarketed second channel. I like the guy, people make mistakes, but man was that ever a poor choice which cost a lot of respect from me at least, an otherwise nobody in his comments.
Dr. Mike, I'm so glad I found you. Part of the reason I love watching your videos is that I feel like if I met you, I could talk to you like we were good friends. I'm glad you're a doctor. Your patients are truly blessed to have you in their lives caring for them and their health. God bless you.
I think the problem with “I’d rather be skinny than fat” rhetoric is that it often is presented as a pressure by society in an unhealthy way. People often find fat people “gross” or “undesirable” and essentially bully fat people into wanting to be skinny. Fat people should want to be skinny because it’s better for THEM, not because it’s better for everyone else. Most people who talk like this about fat people don’t actually care about their health. They’re simply identifying something they personally don’t like about how the other person looks and use health as a justification for this thought
No, it's because fat people are more likely to get diseases and die at younger ages from complications. It's ok to say being fat is disgusting. Because it is. There's also too skinny, no question. Also disgusting. But overwhelmingly people in the first world who are skinny are significantly less likely to have the same issues as fatties.
I'm a couple pounds overweight, but I'd like to be close to underweight so I'm very unhappy with my body, I think being skinny looks better, some people can pull off a bit of weight, but most people don't look better with too much weight, including myself. I would have been so much prettier if I was skinnier. My mom struggled with an eating disorder while I was growing up, and psychologists told me I have an eating disorder mindset, but I don't have an eating disorder, and I wish I did have an eating disorder so that I'd lose weight, but I like food too much. In my opinion people can be as fat as they want, but for me, when I was skinnier it was so much easier to just be relaxed and I had more energy, now being a couple pounds overweight I feel tired and lethargic all the time, and I feel like I look uglier too.
Lol do you think skinny people have it any better? Being skinny is not gonna skyrocket you advantage at getting laid or anything else in that type of shallow pool. The US feed off of insecurities and people who believe that they would never get anywhere in life if their fat and ugly. Most successful people ARE fat and ugly, being beautiful and skinny doesn't mean anything if your STILL not healthy on the way to get their. I'm not saying that people should stay stuck in where their at, but don't do it for the most shallowest or reasons, cause it won't make you feel any better.
I'm a clinical psychologist in Brazil, working with obesity treatment, and I couldn't agree more with Dr. Mike. The issue of choice is extremely delicate, considering that we already know the environment plays a strong role in the development of a multifactorial disease. Focusing solely on individual choice doesn't embrace nuances; it makes the person feel extremely guilty and defeated. It's essential to understand one's responsibility for their health, but it's also crucial to recognize the role of the environment in all of this, even to work towards a healthier environment.
But it is your choice to work towards a healthier Environment. It is your choice to change, to fight it etc It is still all based on choice. And you know wat, if it makes them feel defeated, that's on them, then they have an attitude problem and probably need therapy, go proscribe that to them, because reality will not change because it makes you "feel bad", at the end of the day, its always withing your power to fight. Also, here is a little secret, if its your choice, then it also means, its withing your power to change. But if its not your choice, then you should feel defeated, because you can't do anything about it. So by telling them that is was not their choice, you have doomed them to failure, because the only logical conclusion to "its not my choice" is that "therefore I can't do anything about it". And this is the real reason everyone want's to say "its not my choice", so they don't feel guilty for not acting. If you can blame something else then you don't have to blame yourself.
these nuances and environmental effects will be very helpful in the speech by the close ones that will have to burry them young due to a heart attack, I understand you are a psychologist and it is your job to help people with their feelings but enough with the sugar coating, life's tough. there are plenty of people recovering from diseases and accidents or born disabled who manage to achieve great things and be healthy. I'm not saying "if they can everyone can" There are nuances but obesity is so bad world wide that we need to stop giving a pass to SO many people.
@@LilFeralGangrelI grew up in such an environment. If you don't have a medical problem that prevents you from losing weight then it's easy to do. You can fill up a plate with healthy food which isn't even expensive and stop drinking soda. Also do some exercise and boom, you're losing weight. All you need to do is discipline yourself and resist the urges.
I found one who was wonderful, she listened and was really supportive and understanding, but as a result of being such a good GP she was always fully booked.
I never doubted what my mom fed me. Years into adulthood I understood it wasnt healthy to always eat carbohydrates. In my family it was always potatoes, rice, noodles, meat. And if you ate vegetables, it was because you were on a diet, and being on a diet meant you were fat, and it was shameful. Going to the nutritionist was shameful. We didnt talk about it back then. So the relationship I have with food is not my choice, it was something that I learnt through years since I was born. And then, it is sooo difficult to change after you grew up like this.
Dr. Mike used to be so fit until I was jealous of his boxing training clips... And now, this video and the video last week proves how genetics, and brain pre disposition, can cause one to abandon discipline (even in the face of a diminished public image). Perhaps Dr. Mike feels isolated and is compensating , I dunno. I can only get througha very small portion of these videos from week to week. For whatever reason, (no, I don't know him personally) but I get the feeling that maybe he's not as inclusive and considerate as he appears on camera. But to be fair, most aspiring celebrities aren't who they seem to be on camera. All that to say, "Good Luck , Dr. Mike " with everything. Keep your fans entertained with these amazing uploads and whatever content is within them.
i used to struggle with weight issues, tried pills, gained more. felt desperate. then i found aspect health. they focus on personal plans, sensors, app, coaches. like in video, it's complex. not just choice. society, genes matter
“Is obesity a choice” YES. It is the result of bad habits. Bad habits are the result of consistent choices. I feel like when people hear “it’s a choice” it’s like it’s being suggested that it’s easy to NOT be overweight. It’s as simple as making “a choice” after all. That not the case at. It’s a matter of many MANY choices, and when you’re addicted to food, it’s difficult to consistently make choices that go against that addiction. Long story short, obesity is NOT a problem that’s easy to fix, but it IS a choice (assuming we’re talking about adults and not young children)
The fact people lose weight ever means it is a choice. That doesn't mean it's an easy choice, that doesn't mean you have the will power to do it on your won, but if you eat less, you will lose weight... that is a fact and I'm not going to pretend it's complicated when it's not. I was a drug addict and drug dealer for years, it was a choice to continue to use drugs... it was terribly difficult to stop using drugs but I did it when I was tired of destroying my own life. A disease can not be stopped, no body and choose to stop having cancer, you can choose to stop eating as much or to stop taking drugs.
@@hawkward957 I think fat is nature's nuclear power also because maybe losing weight at least can be a complex process as is explained in the top comment of this thread? And I wonder if Mike wears his glasses during any of his operations!
this is my favorite Dr. Mike video i have seen. As someone in medical school and in eating disorder recovery, being exposed to the more nuanced side of weight in recovery vs what a lot of the medical community pushes surrounding weight loss has been so difficult for me to juggle. To know i will be a provider in a couple of years impacting people’s lives with my words and approach to the topic of weight, this video makes me feel so much more confident in knowing there are ways to have productive conversations about this centered around your patient’s individuals goals. NOT pushing toxic diet culture that will only result in yo-yo dieting…and probably more health problems!! Thank you Dr. Mike!!! keep being the best!!
Fair play to the man in the red shirt saying that just because he’s skinny doesn’t mean he’s happy. Being underweight is just as bad as being overweight and being skinny shouldn’t be something to aim for when it could really affect your health.
This is not because you have à privilege that you don’t have any problems in your life. But as a skinny person the whole world is made for you, you are celebrate because you are skinny. That’s the difference. Even if your inside health is terrible, People would assume that you are in good health
Being skinny is different than being underweight… Being skinny and maintaining a healthy body fat percentage is way healthier than being overweight and the problems that come with all the stress your body is putting on your cardiovascular system
@@glitterazaThat is completely BS as a skinny guy I was bullied to the point of almost committing suicide for 10+ years just for being skinny. Fat people act like skinny people are treated like gods when it's the opposite.
@@glitteraza I hear you. My experience at 98-100 pounds was often “she looks sick, is she ill?” And then 10-20 pounds heavier I got the “pretty and preferred reaction” I’ve been up and down over decades and there is definitely nuance there, again i can only speak from my experience.
Yeah of course losing weight because of an underlying issue isn’t good. Being not overweight is healthier than being overweight… objectively that is it. That is all lol.
Another big component of not just obesity, but anorexia too, is how they relate heavily on mental health and personal body image. Weight is so dynamic that it’s impossible to fit into a one size fits all category.
@@gracecairns9747 while someone can survive being 500 lbs, no one can survive being 50 lbs for very long. At that point half your weight is literally just your skeleton. Let me put it this way: a BMI of under 16 is associated with severe health risks. For me, a 5'3 woman, being 80 lbs is a BMI of 14 (which doesn't take fat or muscle into account but you wouldn't have much of either at that point) It's a difference between a 5-20 year life reduction and struggling to just live everyday. Another difference is between 600 lb sisters ("oh wow being that obese must suck") and Eugenia Cooney ("omg how is she still alive")
I don't think it's a weight thing. It's a body image thing. If we start with a healthy relationship with food and accepting ourselves as we are, that can heal us psychologically, and then we can work on lifestyle changes.
I’m so glad you covered this video! It was very frustrating to watch, and it feels like you corrected the exact problems I had with what was being said
As a bigger teen who gets bullied at school for their weight.When I heard you speakin out against fat shaming it literally brought me to tears.Bc i have been told be kids at my school that I don’t deserve to do anything bc of my weight.and as a big fan of your channel this episode really touched me.
As someone who was broken up with and a secret insecurity was used to do that, if it hurt it’s a sign to look within yourself and fix that perspective.
Why are they right? It's not their body, and they have no real right to comment on it unless specifically asked. So please, keep your opinions, positive or negative, to yourself. No one, outside of your friends group cares to hear them.@detective2221
I had a friend who was skinny his whole life - to the point he was teased about it. He was diagnosed with bipolar. Eventually, years later, he was prescribed a specific medication for bipolar. Within six months of being on that drug he was overweight. Within a year he was obese. Some drugs make people put on weight. The doctors confirmed that it was definitely the drug that did it. People try to put blame on individuals as to why they are obese when it is a complex issue with many reasons as to why people reach that point. Mental health plays a huge part, so does physical disability - if a person can’t stand to cook their own food, walk to exercise etc it will affect their weight.
Amazingly said! I also think getting the mental help needed just isn't there. I'm not even obese, but having mental illness and other things, trying to help yourself by seeing doctors, social workers and psychiatrists, and they still don't get it, you really lose hope.
@karlwithak. how are feelings irrelevant? They literally control our decision making process? Like why would you even care about staying alive if your feelings didn't tell you that it was better? If feelings were irrelevant we would be robots. Like at what point does quality of life come into things. If you could make a high salary by taking medication that made you miserable every day would it be worth it? If you could be physically completely healthy but it made every day you were alive feel like torture mentally would you? For a lot of people they are working out the trade off every day. It may work 100% of the time, but if it impacts quality of life significantly then what is that 100% worth?
The drug doesn't have calories, your friend was just unwilling to change his lifestyle according to the way hos body changed, if you see you are gaining weight as a side effect of some drug , and you don't change your eating habits , its your fault
@@Atomkriegg it happened to me before that my whole metabolism changed because of a medication, nothing else changed, not diet or exercise. Knowing what foods sit well with your body, what fulfills your nutritional needs and what doesn't can sometimes vary and can be significantly affected by medication.
I was a fit and healthy individual when 10 years ago I was left traumatised by an incident. Psychological paralysed I rapidly gained weight from an increase of cortisol by the permanent stress I was left with. When I look at someone who is overweight or obese, I now see them as not lazy but in a state of trauma whether they are aware of it or not.
Mike, I'm a colleague of yours working in Germany (anesthesiologist/intensivist) and I just wanted to thank you for your work on RUclips. You have quickly become the goat doctor/RUclipsr and the things you choose to highlight on your platform are always on point.
Thank you for this awesome video!! I got put on blood pressure medication at 28 because I had become obese. I have two young girls and I started realizing that if I continued down that path I wouldn’t be able to be here with them for as long as I wanted. So I talked with my doctor about my plans and with his help and exercise I was able implement healthy life changes which I am enjoying so much! I’ve lost 62 pounds and I’m grateful for caring medical professionals who helped me become healthier for my family and myself!
Thank you for the opening comments. I feel that on middle ground, there is often no middle ground to start, especially when answers like this can run on a spectrum, or have multiple answers. They deliberately make it polarizing.
My main issue is that they're not exactly asking the right questions when it comes to this topic. They could've asked "do you want to be nothing but skin and bones or be morbidly obese" instead of "would you rather be skinny or fat" because the first question has very specific things that are asking but the second one (the one that's asked on there) seems to be more subjective because there is no definition between what skinny or fat is and it varies between different countries.
Shaming someone into getting help is not the way!! You explained everything beautifully!! I have a binge Ed so never in my life I would shame someone bc I’ve been in the chubby position before and now I lost 55 pounds when I am working on healing my binge ed. It’s always good to just help each other instead of shaming.
This is a point I really like to make to people I meet. I’m a thin woman. People can have this outside perspective that I must be really healthy or really fit or I work hard and eat right and that couldn’t be further from the truth. I am a pharmacy student who sits in class for hours on hours and site at my desk studying for hours and hours and I eat a lot of crappy food. At one point I was even thinner when I was playing college soccer and I was working out every single day and pushing my body to its limits and people would tell me “you have my dream body” but what they didn’t see is how horrible I felt physically, how much pain my body was put through, how I would workout until I was so sick I couldn’t even stomach the thought of eating a single thing. Wearing clothes hurt and I would get migraines all the time. I was depressed and stressed and really unhappy. So I promise you - skinny does not mean healthy or happy
@@d3b3z05 I also didn’t say being morbidly obese is healthy but a lot of people believe if you’re not the skinniest then you’re overweight and fat and unhealthy. I’m 5’7 I weigh 135 lbs and in middle school I constantly heard from other girls “you’re fat” because I weighed more than 90 lbs. people are aware being obese isn’t ideal or healthy you don’t need to come on here and say that its really not the point I’m trying to make. My point is weight and numbers on a scale don’t define your health, you and a trusted physician/physicians are the only ones who should be making that call.
Unfortunately, for women a number on the scale is still really important. Although it doesn't account for so many things like muscles (that are much heavier than fat), bone density, water etc. Men started abandoning this idea quite long time ago, but for women it's still prevalent, for some reason, and it's terribly unhealthy. I believe Dr. Mike Israetel has a good video on this topic.
Thank you so much Dr. Mike for mentioning lack of transportation as a reason for poor health care! I'm legally blind and cannot drive so I work from home and have insurance but a $200 uber ride to and from a doctor is impossible for me at times. I feel like this is very over looked often!
@@josiahday210 You won't believe this but there's different kinds of conditions that cause a person to be blind. There's also different levels of blindness. Educate yourself before you open your mouth and don't talk about something you don't even understand. He kind.
As a cross country and track coach, I try to help kids realize that weight does not equal health. Kids hear a lot of bad messaging. I like to tell them that having a 6 pack has nothing to do with being fast or strong. Having a 6 pack means you have low body-fat. I encourage kids to fuel their bodies and to know what they are consuming. Skinny versus fat is just simply not a good way to compare and contrast. Being healthy has so many facets, and one's body weight is such a small part. What was not discussed in this video was ability to sleep, heart rate, joint flexibility, or lung capacity. Also, more needs to be stated about looking towards foods to satisfy our emotional needs rather than socialization. I know that trends going back to 2012 show an increase in mental health concerns in teenagers, and I wonder if the same can be said for adolescent obesity.
@@nope66755 That is part of what is implied with "I encourage kids to fuel their bodies and to know that they are consuming." I tell my kids "garbage in: garbage out." But using running alone to lose weight is inefficient. That being said, many larger folks run without crippling pain. If there is a sharp pain, that is usually due to injury and not activity. Weight does cause more pressure on joints, but that is a conversation of mass and not just amount of body fat.
My daughter is a big girl, both in natural size and extra weight. She's also mentally ill. People hyperfixate on her weight, blaming it for her mental illness. No. It's a symptom, but not the cause. I wish people would shut up about it. She has value in and of herself. I love her and would be devastated if anything happened to her. She struggles to love herself enough as it is.
I am so sick of hearing people say obese people are depressed because their fat. People fail to take into account that a person's mental health can be more of threat to their life than being obese ever will be. I hope your daughter will be able to see her beauty and know that she is more than just her weight ❤️
That's the most important thing tbh - to be reduced to just your weight is awful. That people can't find value in your daughter before commenting on her weight is awful. And it stays with you, too, that judgement and unwarranted commentary. People just need to learn to not comment on situations they aren't involved with. And develop a little empathy, it's been proven time and time again that fat shaming simply does not work (it actually damages further, and in some cases kills).
@buffminer5827 Bruh get over it people get confused and mix things up, most of the time its a mistake and as you can see they used the right "their" the second time. Grow up and stop blaming random people for the mere fact that their mistakes are affecting little ol' you
I so appreciate your taking the time to discuss obesity in a non judgmental way. I battle lipedema, which doesn’t respond much to diet or exercise. Most of my doctors have little to no knowledge about lipedema. I’d love it if you’d do a video on Lipedema. The fat-shaming I’ve faced in public and within the medical community has been brutal. I also have an autoimmune disease. I have had to resort to high dose prednisone over a long period of time to stay alive. The disease and the treatment has been terribly destructive to my body. Spontaneous tendon and ligament ruptures related to the autoimmune disease have made matters worse. These injuries required surgery. After surgery I was non weight bearing for months waiting for bone to grow to hardware. This has happened four times. People can be cruel and hurtful. They have no idea what I’ve been through. I do take care of myself. I’m active and eat a healthy diet as part of my lifestyle, yet I’m still a lady with a very large bottom and legs.
This is why I love you Doctor Mike. You take an educated, thought felt approach to all of your topics. You think about the debate and cover all angles. Kudos to you and all of your deserved success. Keep being real.
When I was having knee pains because of hypermobility (Eds) I had a gp tell me “you could lose some weight huh?” And laughed at me 🙃 I understand that less weight would help my knees but im 6ft and not even that big weight wise and the way it was said was so detrimental to my esteem. Had to ask my podiatrist later if they thought losing weight would realistically help and they answered in the most respectful and considerate way i could ask for. Good relationships and Good doctors make a huge difference ❤
This video is incredible. Thank you for this, Dr. Mike. I've experienced much medical bias based on my weight, and it is incredible to hear a doctor speak like this.
Everyone experiences medical biases. Fat people seem to think it’s just them but it’s everyone. There are so many reasons and judgements that doctors make in regards to everyone. Medical malpractice is a leading cause of death. Hoof beats=horses not zebras is one of those things.
Thank you for calling out fat shaming when you see/hear it without using it in inappropriate places. Also, idk if anyone had different experiences, but I don't see anyone talking about how difficult it is to make lifestyle changes as your body changes with age too. I used to eat 3000 calories a day as a kid/teen. If I didn't have anyone to teach me about listening to what the body needs to what "full" feels like without overeating, I would absolutely be overweight. My metabolism CRASHED right around 26. I tend to eat 1800 calories a day now. I can't imagine how out of control I would feel if I had not learned how to understand what I was craving vs what my body needed.
Mine crashed at 31… definitely made me realize that I just got lucky with the genetic lottery and I wasn’t skinny necessarily because I was better than fat people. Made me less judgemental (to a point).
If we can stop calling obese people a crisis then I think we'll finally get somewhere. Until then, The bullying, shaming and coercion will continue from the diet industry while the diet culture cheers them all on.
My metabolism crashed straight after having kids at age 25 also but I quit sugars and carbs and that have kept my weight in check and also I have been loosing some
Its crazy how anytime I realize someone understands nuance really well I can suddenly listen to them all day regardless of the topic. Best doctor on youtube no doubt!
I had so many doctors make every visit about weightloss and it was so uncomfy and just make me depressed and hate going to the doctors. Then I got a new doctor who never brought it up and whenever I went to the doctors for an issue he'd take me seriously. Like when I went in saying I was tired, he did a full blood work-up, not just telling me to lose weight and found I had low iron. When I had plantar fascitis, he sent me to a physio who found it was from an injury from when I was a teenager that I never got physio for so my gait changed and I needed to correct that. These are both things that previous doctors 100% would have blamed on weight and not done a referral or pathology on. Then, last year, I lost 70pounds and honestly, I do credit his non-judgemental approach to some of it. I can't even fully explain why, but it did help. It's also helped me keep it off because technically I'm still in the 'overweight' BMI category and I know other GPs I've seen before would be saying to keep going etc, where as he is proud of me for keeping it off for a year and hasn't mentioned losing more weight. If he had, the pressure would have gotten to me and I think I would have gained weight back. But because my goal is just to keep it stable, at least for a while, I feel more confident in doing that.
I usually avoid commenting on videos but i wanna say one thing. im 17 and around beginning of 2023 i had lost 12kgs. i wasn't obese but i was overweight. everytime i tried to make a change and lose weight to be skinnier, i failed. this one time i made a lifestyle change because i started having breathing issues and had weird oily bumps on my skin which doctor said was due to my weight and excess fat. i didn't wanna risk my health so i made the change and stuck to it without feeling insecure throughout the process like i did in the past. now my weight fluctuates 1-2kg up or down but I've maintained it. i still wasnt exactly in my normal weight bmi (i was just 1kg over it) but i felt lighter, healthier and body felt more functional. I've tried losing 10 more kgs after that but now my mentality has been a lot about getting skinny fast so i fall off track easily and haven't been able to lose any more weight. in my opinion, the way you approach obesity and health makes a huge difference on how you navigate that change
Focus on muscle growth not being skinnny. Skinny is not helpful but muscular is. And it takes time don’t rush it just eat the proper amount of calories and protein and train till failure no matter what.
@@Theslowghost i do wanna have strength and ik it'll come from working out and training and building muscles but i dont wanna be "muscular" (im a female and thats just not my preference for myself haha) but right now because of my academics stuff its hard to prioritize all that or even take out time for it
@meaperly it takes a lot of conscious effort for most females to bulk up & be really muscular. Weight training is extra beneficial for us, tho. It helps w/bone density & decreases the risk of osteoporosis later on. Nor does it mean lifting heavy. If you're worried about gaining too much mass (which is unlikely w/o a very specific regimen geared towards that), then do lighter weights, higher reps. Leaner, sculpted muscles are still muscle. There are so many benefits to weight training!
@@Casssholevania or use them to achieve something better. That’s the most female mindset I’ve ever seen which is why women have no chance at doing what men do you guys are happy with bare minimum as long as you’re the ones doing it
This is the most refreshing view I've heard on the entire subject of obesity and weight loss. Thank you. There's SO MUCH nuance that people just want to throw out the window in favor of a simple answer that makes them feel safe or superior. I've lost 50lbs in the past year and I still have some people telling me it's not fast enough, not good enough, not the "right way". But I'm doing this through a brain disease, medications, thyroid problems, mobility issues. The fact that I'm losing weight is amazing. I'm making progress, and focusing on more aspects of my health journey than simply a number on a scale. It never mattered when all it was was a number on a scale.
That sounds like a sustainable rate! Rapid weight loss almost always leads to regaining and negative health effects, but a gradual change gives your body time to adjust and indicates that your lifestyle is changing to a new normal. I'm sorry some of the people in your life aren't being supportive or celebrating your hard work. I hope you have others who are acknowledging your accomplishments.
Occasionally, I see certain media, like this one, and wish RUclips had a LOVE feature and not just a thumbs up. Doctor Mike has done an AMAZING job of speaking about such a nuanced, systemic issue. LOVE LOVE
These were all my thoughts when I originally watched the video a couple days ago. I was really excited to hear you discuss this topic! You have such a way of responding back calmly, but yet passionately, in an educational manner that is encouraging. It really is admirable. The way you discussed how normalizing obesity is helpful takes a level of maturity and critical thinking that some people unfortunately don’t consider. Great video!!! 😊
I'm overweight but I didn't use to be. I used to be the "ideal" skinny, I had people complimenting me on my weight and body all the time. But I was sooo unhealthy. I would go days without eating and took in my calories from energy drinks and alcohol. I was depressed and developed a GI problem that ended up having to be medicated. Now that I'm happy, I'm overweight. I do have an endocronolical disorder (GHD) and losing weight is incredibly difficult. And I don't have money or access to an endocrinologist anymore. Weight is such a nuanced and complicated subject that has been reduced to "fat bad" and I appreciate you discussing the different faucets of this issue. I want to lose weight, but I don't want to end back where I was. People's bodies are different and we need to be treated as individuals and not just a general "problem"
I can totally identify...I used to be a professional actor and ideally skinny but not healthy b/c I had multiple eating disorders). However, this all changed when I developed a hormone secreting tumor that caused me Cushing's disease. I was too embarrassed to go see my doctor bc I had put on over 100lbs in less than year without changing my diet significantly. I finally felt so awful,I had to see my doctor and then had my adrenal gland removed. I now have to be on steriods for life, or I'll die. On top of that, I have developed RA and have difficulty moving and going out bc of the immunosuppressive drugs needed to just get out of bed.These health issues caused my obesity, not the other way around, and make just living life difficult. I used to judge people who were overweight harshly, but my experiences have allowed me to change my opinion and support people in all body shapes and sizes.
I was so miserable when I was at my "ideal" weight. I'd (unintentionally, mental health stuff that made me forget to do things) go 2-3 days without food, or with nothing more than a grilled cheese or an english muffin with peanut butter and a pudding cup. I had no stamina, felt shaky most of the time, and was so so tired all the time. Got into college, started eating more, put on a lot of weight and have genuinely never felt better. It's a complicated issue.
That's what they're going for. They want that polarization because they know it will lead to clicks, ratings and added revenue. They are not out to fix a problem or address an issue, they are only in it for money. Calling their show "Middle Ground" is just a sleazy way of wanting to add "respectability" (the fake kind) to their show to attract viewers and clicks.
Yeah i think they do that so that you discuss what you’re black and white point of the topic is AND so you can discuss your gray/colored area of that topic as well
I’ve never been obese but I have been borderline underweight (I’m 5’2 so bmi tells me I can be pretty light before it’s a problem but it was still a problem despite what bmi calculators said) and struggled with disordered eating and body dysmorphia. And tbh I just wish people would not talk about other peoples bodies, and make assumptions on their health based on it. I got so much praise from strangers for being “so small after having two kids” got asked constantly where the kids even came from. Other moms talking down on themselves because their post partum Body wasn’t like mine.. and it just made me feel awful and fed into my ED. I was not healthy. Yes I was skinny. But I was starving myself. My body was starting to eat through the muscles I had. My brain fog was brutal. I was doing the most to care for my kids, but was barely keeping myself alive.
I was so resentful towards skinnier people because of this. I hated feeling punished just because I was fat. As I have gotten older, I realized how dangerous this could be towards skinny people. And I have seen people die due to getting too skinny. It really changed my perspective and now I try and be less judgmental myself.
I’m also 5’2” but 219 lb, obese my whole life. What was your borderline weight & do u remember your clothing size? Sorry I ask but I’m trying to imagine what size I’d wear if I lost 100 lb lol
@@darkprince56 I was like 105 at my lowest as an adult. And I was in xxs/xs brand/type of clothing dependant. I looked sickly& childish tho tbh. I’m 120 now. A size s. And I feel much more stronger and slay
I've suffered from PCOS, a bad knee, and obesity since puberty. I would LOVE to be skinny, but it isn't simple. I've had so many doctors just tell me, "lose weight." They would just tell me to lose weight and not tell me HOW to lose weight. The first time I lost any significant weight was when for the first time I had a doctor that didn't immediately lecture me and he told me, "You already know what I'm going to say. Come back to me with a plan to lose ONE POUND. Just a plan." I was so encouraged that I managed to lose 40lbs. And then I gained it all back again after my sleep cycle went out of whack and my doctor was reluctant to help treat me for it. Oops. Fat-shaming will NEVER get someone to lose weight. Only encouragement will help people to lose weight. I've tried replicating the circumstances of losing the weight the first time, and haven't managed to get the same results. It isn't a simple problem for some of us, and sometimes, losing the weight is like a black box.
Success isn’t a straight line, but you’ve proven that you CAN do it. The reality is it takes HUGE effort to completely change your lifestyle while dealing with health issues (even WITHOUT health issues its HARD). Don’t let a setback stop you. I believe in you, sending good vibes.
This is awesome, I think it’s so important to hear doctors perspective who aren’t bias and are just taking each comment and rebutting it or providing another perspective. You only ever hear people who are not professionals on the topic talking about this (which isn’t necessarily always bad) but I think it’s important we have more input from professionals too. 😊
I have severe mental health issues, which lead to binge eating. I take medication that increases the appetite. I have been underweight, overweight, and everything in between. I do not choose to be fat. I hardly drink, I eat fruit and veg, and not a lot of meat, or sugar. I have tossed dieting, because it turns into an obsession and I have been dieting since I was a (normal, healthy weight) child. I am now working towards eating intuitively, and working through the trauma and emotions that lead me to binge eating. For me, from my own experience, and from listening to the experience of others, people who are overweight usually have childhood trauma at the root, or other adverse childhood experiences.
I had a very restrictive diet as a child because I had a number of food intolerances. And when there were alternatives they were expensive. So once I could I eat more when I grew older and most of these food issues simmered down, I didn't have any kind of normal relationship to food. I still struggle with that and have to find ways around that as a middle-aged adult
It's rare for people to point out that being skinny is not that good of a thing. I've been suffering from multiple digestion related issues, dropping down all the way to 120lbs while being 6'1. Weak immunity and lack of energy are just the tip of the iceberg. I'm always juggling with multiple health issues at the same time and it's really exhausting. Being skinny should never be glorified. It's torture.
what you are describing is not just skinny, just like being chubby is not the same as being morbidly obese. frankly 120lbs at 6'1 sounds like a different medical problem like an eating disorder. Being "skinny" generally means no abnormal health problems due to lack or nutrition and malnutrition isnt a symptom of being skinny, its the reverse. Being skinny isnt torture, being in a state of malnutrition though i definitely can see could be.
“You can be either fat and jolly or a skinny b1tch… pick one”. That’s my opinion BUT I cannot believe being fat is a choice. There are too many genetic/mental/and socioeconomic factors. Sorry but that facts. Diabetics process foods differently. Anyone who says it’s a choice, needs to educate themselves.
Also using skinny instead of slender as the opposite comparison. Skinny people essential aren't healthy,their below the recommended health level. Now slender ? *In shape* is a different story
Last I heard, anorexia had the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. Imo this is why we have to be careful with diet culture or we risk pushing people towards the most fatal mental illness
Dr. Mike... You have so much compassion for ppl. Thank you for that. I don't struggle w my weight... But I have other health issues that I wish I had a doctor who could help me w that kind of compassion... Just realizing that it's never "that simple." I don't know how many times a doctor has tried to put me on antidepressants bc I have inflammation, fatigue, and pain just everywhere. I haven't been going to a doc for a couple of years bc I feel like the doctors I had were not really listening to me. Thank you for speaking about subjects like this in this way. Good for you!
I really agree with everything you said here. We need more people and especially Doctors like you in this country and world. Everytime I see a new doctor the first thing they do is tell me to lose weight they don't take the time to find out why I'm this big, what's happened in my past, just automatically lose weight. It's very depressing for me
I swear sometimes I feel like we need pop up ads on every web page to remind people that nuance exists and that human beings are all unique and should be treated as such. Thank you Dr. Mike for helping to keep that message going. I can't exercise without being bedbound for weeks afterwards. So all I can do is watch my diet. It is definitely a lifestyle change and not a temporary "Diet"
Thank you for addressing the issue of ultra-processed food. The food in our country that is most affordable is practically poison and feeds the cycle of always wanting more. I'm trying so hard to make positive diet changes but it's certainly not easy. I really appreciate how you discussed so many different aspects of obesity and are so empathetic!
I don't want assume you mean the USA but if you are, food that is ultra-processed is by far not the most affordable. I don't eat it because of that cost and I am super frugal. It only saves times in cooking and can taste good. I eat a lot of beans, rice, and greens and they are cheaper by far than super salty microwaved stuff.
Plus sized guy here. Really appreciate your take on this. Seems like people speak about it as black and white when it's not. I've lost about 80 lbs and have to consciously remind myself all day, every day not to eat to much or to stay away from certain foods because I know I can't eat them in moderation, it gets mentally exhausting to constantly have to combat the impulse to eat even though you're not hungry.
My family on both sides is fat. I had been saying it for years that we need to think differently about food. My mom discovered that I was right when she joined Overeaters Anonymous. OA acknowledges the mental/spiritual aspects of weight management and helps with that. I also suspect that my mother is where I got ADHD, which is often genetic. I was diagnosed ADHD a few years ago in my early 30s. I have since learned so much about ADHD and its incredibly far-reaching effects. ADHDers often have weight issues because eating often unhealthy foods provide those brain chemicals that we are deficit in. Unhealthy foods are especially good at giving us the dopamine and serotonin that our brains are low in when we have ADHD. One of the stimulant medications approved for ADHD is also approved for binge eating disorder, Vyvanse. I am not sufficiently medicated for ADHD currently due to insurance and cost issues, but when my doctor was trialing stimulants with me, I did notice that I had better self-control when it came to resisting sweets. On the philosophy end of things, I feel like, "Why should I deny myself at least some tasty foods when I can't afford most other forms of enjoyment?" Can my husband and I afford to vacation or go to the theater or even have a quiet house outside of the ghetto? NO! We have been denied most forms of enjoyment due to money, so when it comes to food, by golly, at least I want to enjoy good, high-quality food! (We do most of our own cooking to a foodie restaurant level. I know how to bake from scratch, so very few desserts are purchased in stores.) I'd like there to be balance so that I can enjoy the fantastic food we cook and bake but also not pig out on it either. I am hoping that being properly medicated will help with that balance.
You might consider that you might have adhd. You can try to find other ways to get more dopamine (which food gives). A pet, sitting in the sun, stretching. Meds can certainly help, just think about it. Also, the non stimulant meds are pretty great.
A nutritionist explained to me awhile back that when you lose weight the fat cells do not actually go away (I've had other doctors tell me this too). They are always in your body, waiting to be refilled. Unfortunately when you've lost a significant amount of weight you will always have to battle against your body trying to refill those cells. It sucks, but stay strong. It's even worse to lose all of the hard work you've put into losing that weight.
I definitely am on the side of it not being a choice. I have PCOS, and no matter what I do (diets, intense exercise, intermittent fasting) I'm still gaining weight. So it's really discouraging that so many people think it's just from being "lazy", or overeating. Sometimes you can do everything right, and your body just doesn't respond.
Girl this is the story of my life. I started Mounjaro haven’t changed a thing I’ve eaten and am finally loosing weight. It is nearly impossible without any drugs like this and I am paying a premium to get this drug. It is not accessible and I wish it was
@@nope66755 I don't know what your trauma is to be chastising women with PCOS. And if you bothered to research anything, Hispanic women have the most severe phenotype for it. You also have no idea the race of any person you're trying to internet bully.
I was a chubby kid, my parents had less than ideal eating habits that I eventually learned. After being bullied for my weight, I took drastic measures and developed an eating disorder in my teens and early 20s. I didn't eat, I over exercised, but it kept me small so I did it until it caused me worse health problems. I was skinny, yeah but I was frequently sick, my bones stuck out and I hated my body. During both of these scenarios, I never actually learned how to eat correctly or exercise without bringing myself to exhaustion. Now in my late 20s I'm overweight, but I am actually more active than I've ever been, I'm stronger, and I dont hyper fixate on how I look. I hike, swim, run 5ks, and cycle. Now I'm not saying that I can't lose a few pounds because I definitely can. My goals now are about my endurance, my strength, making sure everything looks good when going to the doctor, no health issues. Being skinny isn't a priority but being healthy and able to move my body to do the things I love is.
I broke my back in the military and I lost a lot of the tools I had to focus on the calories out side of the CICO equation, but I still have control over the calories in side. I got up to nearly 300lbs and all my family is over 300lbs and they have horrible quality of life, and I need to be able to help my wife and kids. Yes it is harder for some people but the only person who is going to help you is you, its not a game where you win by beating others, its a game you win by playing.
I always skirt between overweight and ideal weight. It’s exhausting feeling hungry all the time but not getting to enjoy food everyone around me enjoys. All this to stay healthy. Sometimes it feels not worth the struggle.
The only thing that's ever worked for me is avoiding excess carbs and filling up on watery fibrous foods. Lots of water too. And don't go too long without eating something. I'm only 5'2" and older so it's gotten really hard to keep my weight down.
Short women have a harder time...some people don't realize how little we actually can eat before the weight starts packing on...never mind adding older age to the mix. I'm almost 50 and it just gets harder, it sucks, but I keep trying.
@@HiNickCares my fitness level is not of question. I can still pass my military PRT with almost 100 pts. That means I max out all the required activities.
I’ve been reading The Dorito Effect, which touches on food addiction (actual studies on it, not just anecdotal) and how food processing has changed and how it relates to rises in obesity. I think it’s a must-read.
I've been "chubby" my whole live, but my weight really became noticeable after a negligent doctor (psychiatrist) misdiagnosed me, and provided a medication with a known side effect of weight gain with no oversight. Between that, a knee injury that took away dancing (which I've done my entire life up until I was injured), and an autoimmune arthritis diagnosis, it's been a difficult journey. However, that doesn't stop people from judging me before understanding the whole situation. Combine that with trauma, and there is this messy mish-mash of competing ideations. I've had my fair share of doctors completely write off my pain because of my weight, but I'm grateful to have a core team of doctors who understand the whole picture, not just want to solve the weight issue.
I am 62 and overweight. I have stenosis in my neck and shoulder area. I have degenerative disc in my lumbar area. I mentioned to my general practitioner that I was having tingling in my upper back and pain in my lumbar and hip area. I feel like some of it could be arthritis. Her response was "you should lose some weight. Period. My interpretation was she didn't care, didn't want to help. I never mentioned it again. Excellent video Dr. Mike! This is right on point and made me cry.😢
It's definitely gotta be a nuanced discussion. A little bit of nature, a little bit of nurture, a little bit of personal responsibility. In the end, morbid obesity isn't a terminal cancer. Something can always be done, just a matter of what it is and how much of it an individual can do at a given time. It's one of the most difficult games of inches you can play.
It’s called MORBID obesity, which means it leads to death. No it’s not terminal cancer, and it’s not a game of inches. I was always very thin, after a second stillborn my body went out of wack. I was also very depressed. I was given medication and gained 50 lbs in a year. It took me many years to find away that worked for me, and my body is finally letting the weight go. I did it all, all the diets, all the food fads,etc. I was even bulimic for a bit out of desperation. Please don’t fat shame, many of us are doing our best.
@@AvaNightingale there is always a choice and you can always work to get better and healthier. It will be much harder for some but getting emotional and giving up will definitely not help.
I wish every doctors were more like him. Super understanding, knowledgeable and supportive of his patients while showing the facts. He’s not afraid to say he doesn’t know something and will work with them to get the best outcome possible.
I think one of the big problems i find with the Obese vs Skinny question/debate is education and cultural perceptions of weight or the idea that you are either fat or you are skinny. There is no middle ground for a lot of people which can lead to shaming, blame, and disordered thanking.
I have fluctuated with my weight my entire life. I have been obese and I have been skinny at different ages and I have seen both sides of the spectrum and I can say I am happiest in the middle when I am healthy and feeling good physically everyday. When I was very thin I felt uncomfortable at the way I was looked at and treated by men and at my heaviest I was uncomfortable with how I was looked at and treated by women. For me I just want to be physically healthy and feel good and not tip the scale in either direction! Being obese and being skinny I can say I would rather be healthy!
i’m not sure if you can answer this for me but if you can based off of your experience that would be wonderful😞 what would you say helped and motivated you? my boyfriend is overweight (though obviously i’d never shame him especially not to motivate him), he wants to eat healthier and start working out again. he is very self destructive emotionally and is the type of person who wants to see immediate results and if he doesn’t loses motivation. i’ve given him advice but i don’t have the same issue so i’m not sure what else to say other than encouraging him giving him tips on how to slowly work towards getting his motivation and trying to get him to meet small goals step by step (like looking up gyms in his area, getting a membership, looking for a personal trainer, looking at healthy foods he may like), which i have done, but it’s not working for him.
I agree. Being healthy should be the goal of every person, not the size of your pants. It's just sad that we all our judged by our appearance and so often base our self worth on the perception of others. That is what truly needs to change in our society overall.
I'm autistic and a lot of people like me (including myself) have aversions. They're not easy to overcome. There's often something about the texture, an aftertaste of something or something similar that makes it hard for me to eat certain things. It's hard to find things that I can enjoy, sometimes.
i enjoy almost everything and eat basically as much as i can. my body happens to burn it off or idk doesnt absorb all of it...nonetheless, im very thin.always been. what im saying is that its not exactly my choice.
100%. And it's not 'being picky'. There are not a lot of things I can eat. Mostly soft things like bread and pasta, baked chicken breast. Nothing that touches, nothing that has sauces that might be hiding what the food is. I would LOVE to be able to just eat normally, go to a sushi place with my friends, go to a barbeque, feel comfortable at thanksgiving. It isn't a choice, I literally vomit when I crunch down on some things. What's worse is when my body decides something that's always been fine is now on the 'no' list. Like bananas. I love them. One day my body just decided bananas are on the throw up list. Wow, thanks body. I don't go to restaurants because even if they have something I like on the menu, something else might have gotten into the dish by mistake. If I order a cheese pizza, and an onion accidentally got on it and i bite that, cheese pizza is off the menu for my body for a long time. Because every time I take a bite, I remember that crunch, that sound, that feeling of the onion and throw up.
I also have a comorbid developmental coordination disorder. I need to be heavily supervised when I work out or I might hurt myself (and I have rather crackly joints from all the times I have already done so). Losing weight is kind of a rigged game over here.
In the VA women's clinic in St Louis, weighing in is optional because so many women refuse to seek any kind of healthcare for fear of being fat shamed when weight could be caused by any number of things. My dr. put me on Paxil for my depression that came with menopause, and I gained 40 pounds, which made me even more depressed.
@@blackmetalwizard weight IS important, but so many women (I know I've been one) are so afraid and bone weary of being fat shamed that they won't get the care they need. Too many Drs and especially insurance companies treat the scale as the be-all and end-all. BMI isn't gospel either. On top of that, women have been programmed by advertising, the diet industry, cosmetic surgery, and loved ones to hate ourselves. I gained a lot of weight during menopause, and I've had a gynecologist of all people tell me "Burn more calories than you eat. Why is it so complicated?"
Dr. Mike As a retired psychotherapist, I have seen that many women who had a history of childhood sexual abuse, often become obese to insure that men are not sexually attracted to them, because they see sex in a much different manner than those of us who grew up in a normal environment. When I treated a patient who had an obesity issue, I would question their childhood, and were they exposed to abuse as a child.
This is an extremely generalizing and misogynistic comment…. And not based on facts at all…. I’m a fat woman and I’ve NEVER had a problem with a man being attracted to me. Also, sexual abuse isn’t about sexual attraction. It’s about power. I highly doubt you have any experience in psychotherapy.
@@4th_boneka where’s the statistical evidence for this? You can present opinions all you’d like. But you’re not backing them with facts. So you’re just spewing misinformation at this point
Amazing video. So nuanced and balanced. Dr. Mike really gets it in terms of looking at the whole situation and every variable. There’s so many factors to look at if you want to treat the entire lifestyle and not just one symptom.
I am a hair over a year into anorexia recovery and am currently overweight/obese which I was not previously in life, even before ED. I eat very healthy and exercise, but I can literally not lose weight. This has opened my eyes to the fact that sometimes our bodies just sort of do what they do. But I know I am infinitely more healthy fatter than I was when starving. We need to all just be a bit kinder to one another.
"I can literally not lose weight" you were given the superpowers to defy the first law of thermodynamics? What's your body feeding on if you're on a caloric deficit? Cosmic energy? You ain't counting your calories right most likely
@@Yiulias do you understand the metabolic changes which occur after a prolonged period of starvation or are you just in the habit of providing unsolicited advice regardless of context?
@@daniellerussomanno188 metabolic changes can go so far, you can't sustain your current weight if you dont feed it enough energy, this is not an opinion, is a fact
Dr. Mike, as one has been dealing with the obesity struggle I really appreciate what you’re saying and if I was in New York, I would love to have you as my doctor or at least meet with you to discuss this further
Appreciate this video. For a long time, Americans were judged for our fatness. It clearly is not simply a willpower issue when it starts to become an issue globally. After watching your interview with Dr. Salas-Whalen, it sounded like you're someone has never struggled with weight loss. I could go into my complicated story/journey, but suffice to say in my younger years I judged people who were overweight and now after being obese and trying to lose weight for 10+ years, it's filed away as a lesson learned. Life has shown me over and over again, in very painful ways, that until you've walked a mile, you truly have no idea. When I see comments like "just lose weight", it's like someone gelling me "just be happy!" when I was suicidal. And yes, I do sometimes feel just as out of control with my ability to lose weight as I did with my ability to recover from depression. It's a demoralizing, daily battle. I ended up taking medications for my depression, and I wish I didn't wait so long because I thought I could willpower through it. It wasn't my favorite Middle Ground episode, but your response kind of made up for it.
Speaking as someone who has lost a significant amount of weight, losing it wasn't calories in calories out and all done It was getting diagnosed with PCOS and speaking with a nutritionist on how to better fuel my body with insulin resistance Getting on medication for the insulin resistance For me, there was some psych help, bc I realized I actually liked the "invisibility" that comes with being overweight. I'd noticed I received less attention overall as a plus size person, whether that was my physical body or my confidence I don't know but that part was tough to get over It was finding a gym that actually accepted me and cheered for me instead of judging me And these are just some of the outside factors I needed help with. So yes, working out and learning to eat a healthier diet did end up bringing weight loss, but without all the other I never would've.
your story is actually a very great example. as it is a result of many things which are not right mentally, physically and socially. but scientifically it is still calories in vs calories out..
It’s still calories in vs calories out. Some people may have a condition in which their body isn’t burning calories at the rate is should, but that’s a small percentage. People simply won’t take full responsibility for what they eat and drink, or the effort they exert.
@@brandonhoover2120 Sigh. For someone who struggles with their mental health and spends days/weeks too exhausted to exercise, what would you suggest? Just snap out of it? It's not that simple. It's a lot more nuanced than that. I've lost a crapton of weight by exercising and eating right, but then the holidays came up. Now I'm too depressed to exercise and I've fallen off of my healthy eating plan. It would be nice if I could just take responsibility, but try telling that to my brain. It's all I can do to go to work full-time right now. SMDH.
This is exactly how we use to talk about depression. "Depression is a choice! You just have to try harder and make happier choices! They caused their own unhappiness!" No one says this anymore, for good reason. I don't see how weight is any different.
I was at my least healthy when I was at my leanest and most muscular. Worst relationship with food, excercising as a form of self harm. Now I am slightly overweight with a good relationship with my food. I am chronically ill, so excercising is hard, accessing food is hard, making food is hard.
Even for someone who really wants to be in better shape, it gets harder to do at a larger size, making it harder to do that work regardless of willpower. The lethargy and pain that come with carrying all the extra weight can just get in the way. I've also known several people who've gained a lot of their weight while healing from an injury (usually to their ankle or leg) and couldn't return to doing things they've enjoyed before or work to decrease that weight because they no longer had enough energy to do so because of how lethargic carrying all that weight has made them. I'm sure there are ways to help with these problems, but there's also not enough helpful information out there for people who need it and it's difficult to sort through what information is helpful. There's also fairly high levels of anxiety in society as well, which only complicates things further.
Its easier. More bodyweight =harder exercise=more calories burnt. Anyway, injury is a lame excuse. Ronaldo Nazario’s kneecap exploded, ended up in his thigh, but he didnt get fat. He did rehab and ended up producing the greatest world cup performance ever. Never make excuses
everyone has their own particular circumstances but cycling, swimming and intermittent fasting are a good combination of ways to be active without stressing the joints as well as help limit food intake. i think that theres plenty of information out there but perhaps theres so much that people become overwhelmed.
@@socire72 thats not a fair comparison, athletes are in a completely different category as they already were in a reasonably healthy relationship with food and have the dedication and drive already to achieve in their sport.
I often find this question similar to "Is getting good/bad grades in school a choice?" It could be because of what the grades are determined by, and is not reflective of how valuable a student is. Some students have traits that don't go well with certain schooling systems. And yes, some people are more intellectually gifted than others and thus certain things will be easier for them. But it also could be changed through hard work.
This is so good as always! I wish if Dr.Mike can do a pod cast with Saharoo Izadi. Her "The Last Diet" describes many mentality factors combined with overweight , obese people. ❤❤❤
I have been overweight my whole life, and recently had bloodwork done. Everything came back, not just good, but optimal, including all my lipids. People may look at my body and think I’m unhealthy, but I am actually in excellent health. My mental health is great too, and I am a runner. I have had one bad cold this past February and one mild cold in March, and no other illness since before the pandemic. 40 years old and my only medication is albuterol for primarily exercise induced asthma. 😊
Being overweight overtime can (CAN not always) lead to health risks, obese people can be "healthy", but almost always after prolonged obesity they have health issues
@@agentperry8347 overweight and obese are not the same, one is a product of circumstances while the other is a chronic condition. Please learn the difference.
Thank you for this. I am both disabled and overweight, and the medical issues came first. Medications, difficulty moving, barely enough energy to manage daily tasks likes bathing and dressing, and non-stop stress from medical bills all contributed. Even shopping for and cooking healthy food is challenging. I have experienced judgement from others and myself, because of course I internalized all the fat-phobic messaging I heard growing up. I can't tell you how much women in my family talk about weight, dieting, and food. I have a daughter with an eating disorder who gets triggered at almost every family gathering.
I’m disabled, nerve damage and muscle weakness on my entire left side. Does that mean I should also be fat? No! I have to do physio everyday but even if I didn’t I can not over eat or eat the right kinds of food not endless amounts of junk food.
@@karlwithak.And eventually die. Have you ever tried living a life when you're hungry 24/7? You've just eaten or even overeaten yet you never feel full? You still feel hungry... Have you tried not eating then or even limiting your food?
idk who called dr mike fat phobic but he is literally the most inclusive and non-judgemental person in health i’ve seen at least on the internet! in fact he explained what it is and what it isn’t very well
He had a very controversial episode on bariatric surgery, which can be risky and is often a dangerous fix to a nuanced problem, and people were critical of his stance on it. Bariatric surgery is also often suggested to people who aren't great candidates because it's an easier, insurance-covered route and can be a medical money maker, and even recently was found to be pushed by a major hospital system mostly on underserved and vulnerable populations who were not properly educated or given access to other options, and then struggled with the access to the upkeep and proper nutrition needed to make that successful, some that died from complications or had complications from malnuritionment afterward. After seeing that video, I'm pleasantly surprised how nuanced he is in this video
Idiot redditors who think they know more than a literal doctor called him that.
Doctor Mike, like all of us, is someone that has learned and grown to be the amazing person he is. I remember episodes in the past where I cringed at some of his comments re: obesity. He's never been awful, to be clear. He's obviously keeping very up to speed with research and has developed a greater understanding since. That is the Hallmark of a great doctor: that they do not stop listening and learning ❤
Yeah I have to agree. Also Fatphobia is an incorrect term, the correct term for it is sizeism.
We’ve come to a point where if you say something that a certain group of people don’t like, you’re automatically labeled as being against that group’s existence and/or beliefs.
I feel like the whole debate could've just ended on "being fat or skinny isn't A choice, it's a result of MULTIPLE choices and some of them aren't up to you"
Which is essentially not true , the nuisance of genetics , medication or disability isn't as wide as you'd think. How many overweight people do you know eat healthy and work out? It's this egg shell approach to weight that makes overweight people think it's not their responsibility.
Its Your choice to fight against the factors, Moving out Building good habbits. Yes genetics have a role but its largley up to the environment you grow up in and if your parents cant teach you dieting. I Blame Processed foods marketed to children and school lunches. The school system literally feeds children fast food every day and classify pizza as a vegatbale.
It all start with the diet coupled with sedentary behavior. Soda, highly refined carbs, excess sugar in products and government subsidized to encourage these products. Seem like we will just put people on meds like Ozempic rather than alter the overall diet.
@@gie3973 but they said that "it's a result of MULTIPLE choices." So they didn't exactly deny that it's not a choice, right?
@@raikaresha5906 to sugar coat the facts, everything is still your choice m even those genetics won't make you fat if your eating the appropriate food, you have to fight the factors. Calories are calories no one is fat off drinking water and eating carrots
It's refreshing to see a chat about this thorny topic handled with a ton of respect and understanding. Definitely threw me for a loop in the best way.
And it's saddening for me to see few people in comment section still trying to simplify the matter.
Following a kind and smart person doesn't mean they are kind and smart.
Nearly didn't watch the video because I was convinced the 'debate' would devolve into pure misinformation and opinion. So glad to see it wasn't the case.
I grew up in the 70's. It was RARE to see anyone overweight. I wonder why 🤔
@@annjames1837 Hundreds of reasons, and in actuality the trend towards obesity started already from the 1920's and onwards - it was already on the rise by '70. Our lifestyles are more sedentary, our food is more often processed, in America especially people more often eat out rather than home cook. Many of these are societal, not individual, issues.
Eating disorder therapist here: THANK YOU for your commentary on weight stigma, neutrality, and appropriate ways to support those struggling with weight, size, shape, and food.
You know how you cure eating disorders? Set specific goals, meet those goals through hard exercise and a proper calorie count. Once they see their body comp improve through legit means instead of puking or starving, they will be hooked.
@@AllenK9Eating disorders are a psychological problem. They are not going to be fixed with assigning a diet and exercise routine.
@@AllenK9 Not you telling a medical professional how to cure a mental illness 😂
@shawdnaasty This reveals a lot about why you think losing weight is so simple. You simply refuse to acknowledge the possible effects that mental health or psychological issues can have on someone's ability to lose weight.
@@vmajereit's super easy lol, exercise and eat less. That mental health excuse it's just lack of discipline
Wow, amazed by Mike's bravery to speak about such a heated topic on his channel. It's nice to have his voice added to the debate
He played his answer very safe..
@bm7502 that devalues the knowledge that Mike has to offer from a professional and medical standpoint. And he's trying to remain unbiased and informed in everything he presents with the video. He is definitely talking about the complexity of this hot-button topic and admitting that he cannot make a change individually that would lead to a domino effect.
He does offer generalized solutions and mentions real issues. Being an advocate for the patient is his goal and I feel he did very well here.
he was too polite and will still be called fatphobic
@@nope66755 I'm curious what you mean by "too polite" ?
@@bm7502 what do you want him to say? "I hate fat people and they should automatically be skinny."
I am a medical provider that works at an eating disorder clinic. This was a very appropriate approach to discussing weight, size, health, and dieting. GREAT WORK MIKE. VERY IMPRESSED.
Please, please, PLEASE, provide Portuguese subtitles for this video. I'm a clinical psychologist in Brazil, working with eating disorders and disordered eating, and I love how informative and respectful this video is. I have to share this. Love it! Congrats on the great work, as always
Go to settings CC go to auto translate and go down to Portuguese
@@FretHead420 The autotranslated captioning is just as bad as the English automatic captioning, that’s not really a solution.
@@murlocknight1427 translated captions would require administration and going through the process of recruiting a well-trained translator and is not exactly easy to find. Some youtubers can afford to do this but not all youtubers can with resources at hand and they have to weigh up whether they should prioritise, say, a spanish translation or a portuguese translation or even a french translation for the CC. That would depend on the demographic of his audience tho.
You can provide them yourselve. Go and translate or is that too much effort for you?
@@kaspervestergaard2383 what's all that animosity for? it was never that serious lolol
so i started watching your channel when i began my weight loss journey. I changed my diet and exercise, six months later i have lost 60 pounds and when i went in for my check up my Doctor was blown away and asked what did you do to lose this weight? i told him very simply i merely followed what you told me changed my diet to low carb and walked an hour a day, i swear he looked like he was going to cry. FYI i am still on the low carb diet and it has been a year because of it my pallet has changed and it is easier to stay on it, i am not losing 10lbs every couple of weeks anymore now it is a pound or two but i am more active i look younger and have more energy.
im so happy for you♥️♥️♥️
CONGRATULATIONS!!!🎉
good for you, man! I love hearing stories like this.
👍
👏👏👏
I remember a quite one professor said: "Hold them accountable but don't shame them. Shaming only produces anger."
anger produced motivation for me personally
@@socire72 Exactly, people think shaming is bad, shaming is what gets people to change their ways
Which is why your gonna burn out faster than a candle trust me I have been there@@socire72
Nah just make you resent them more, shaming is not gonna change how you think or your personal view on life unless the person is massively insecure or completely apathetic.@@DistortionSociety
@@DistortionSociety If that's true, then why are there still fat people? Is your argument that society simply hasn't been mean enough to fat people yet? That all the people out there who are fat simply haven't been shamed enough?
I think it's a dangerous line when we start blaming people for all of their health problems when we know how nuanced everything is. Are cavities a choice? Is stress a choice? Is cancer a choice? Is pre-eclampsia a choice? I think it's weird how obesity seems to be the only medical condition where we shame people so much. I am not healthy when I am skinny. Not even close. If fat shaming actually helped at all we wouldn't have any obese people.
In most Basic ,it is their fault -wrong diet,too less physical activity and so on.
@@piotrdworowy183 but I think it could also be genetic obesity (I think I once her Dr Mike say that not too sure tho)
I think cavities was probably the worst thing to put up here as an example of health choices, but the sentiment is still there.
Well stress and some cancers are kinda choices.
@@getamber2671 Why? Cavities are caused mainly by simple sugars in our diet and imperfect brushing and/or flossing with some genetic tendencies. Sounds just like obesity: diet + habits + a bit of genes. It's a great comparison in my opinion. My favourite so far was laryngeal cancer, for whis a main risk is smoking, which is technically a choise, but is very hard to let go of, just like sugary and fatty foods, that seem sooo delicious to our brains.
Doctor Mike is so professional and compassionate when it comes to touchy subjects like this one. We need more doctors like him in all Healthcare specialties, in all systems.
Like his persona on video*. Don't forget his corona-boat-party and non-apology video on his otherwise unused and undermarketed second channel. I like the guy, people make mistakes, but man was that ever a poor choice which cost a lot of respect from me at least, an otherwise nobody in his comments.
@@chaozzah because life goes on, he can’t change the past, but he can learn and make better choices now and in the future
He's just afraid to speak the tuth about obesity because the fat acceptance crowd would eat him
*truth
Dr. Mike, I'm so glad I found you. Part of the reason I love watching your videos is that I feel like if I met you, I could talk to you like we were good friends. I'm glad you're a doctor. Your patients are truly blessed to have you in their lives caring for them and their health. God bless you.
I love your pfp :D
I think the problem with “I’d rather be skinny than fat” rhetoric is that it often is presented as a pressure by society in an unhealthy way. People often find fat people “gross” or “undesirable” and essentially bully fat people into wanting to be skinny. Fat people should want to be skinny because it’s better for THEM, not because it’s better for everyone else. Most people who talk like this about fat people don’t actually care about their health. They’re simply identifying something they personally don’t like about how the other person looks and use health as a justification for this thought
No, it's because fat people are more likely to get diseases and die at younger ages from complications.
It's ok to say being fat is disgusting. Because it is.
There's also too skinny, no question. Also disgusting.
But overwhelmingly people in the first world who are skinny are significantly less likely to have the same issues as fatties.
I'm a couple pounds overweight, but I'd like to be close to underweight so I'm very unhappy with my body, I think being skinny looks better, some people can pull off a bit of weight, but most people don't look better with too much weight, including myself. I would have been so much prettier if I was skinnier. My mom struggled with an eating disorder while I was growing up, and psychologists told me I have an eating disorder mindset, but I don't have an eating disorder, and I wish I did have an eating disorder so that I'd lose weight, but I like food too much. In my opinion people can be as fat as they want, but for me, when I was skinnier it was so much easier to just be relaxed and I had more energy, now being a couple pounds overweight I feel tired and lethargic all the time, and I feel like I look uglier too.
It's bad to be skinny.
@@The_Tortoise_and_the_Hare a couple of pounds is nothing.
Lol do you think skinny people have it any better? Being skinny is not gonna skyrocket you advantage at getting laid or anything else in that type of shallow pool. The US feed off of insecurities and people who believe that they would never get anywhere in life if their fat and ugly.
Most successful people ARE fat and ugly, being beautiful and skinny doesn't mean anything if your STILL not healthy on the way to get their. I'm not saying that people should stay stuck in where their at, but don't do it for the most shallowest or reasons, cause it won't make you feel any better.
I'm a clinical psychologist in Brazil, working with obesity treatment, and I couldn't agree more with Dr. Mike. The issue of choice is extremely delicate, considering that we already know the environment plays a strong role in the development of a multifactorial disease. Focusing solely on individual choice doesn't embrace nuances; it makes the person feel extremely guilty and defeated. It's essential to understand one's responsibility for their health, but it's also crucial to recognize the role of the environment in all of this, even to work towards a healthier environment.
But it is your choice to work towards a healthier Environment. It is your choice to change, to fight it etc It is still all based on choice.
And you know wat, if it makes them feel defeated, that's on them, then they have an attitude problem and probably need therapy, go proscribe that to them, because reality will not change because it makes you "feel bad", at the end of the day, its always withing your power to fight.
Also, here is a little secret, if its your choice, then it also means, its withing your power to change.
But if its not your choice, then you should feel defeated, because you can't do anything about it.
So by telling them that is was not their choice, you have doomed them to failure, because the only logical conclusion to "its not my choice" is that "therefore I can't do anything about it".
And this is the real reason everyone want's to say "its not my choice", so they don't feel guilty for not acting. If you can blame something else then you don't have to blame yourself.
So you're saying it's all my choice that I am still obese?@@emperorpicard4901
@@emperorpicard4901 your arguments come from a place of ignorance.
these nuances and environmental effects will be very helpful in the speech by the close ones that will have to burry them young due to a heart attack,
I understand you are a psychologist and it is your job to help people with their feelings but enough with the sugar coating, life's tough.
there are plenty of people recovering from diseases and accidents or born disabled who manage to achieve great things and be healthy.
I'm not saying "if they can everyone can" There are nuances but obesity is so bad world wide that we need to stop giving a pass to SO many people.
@@LilFeralGangrelI grew up in such an environment. If you don't have a medical problem that prevents you from losing weight then it's easy to do. You can fill up a plate with healthy food which isn't even expensive and stop drinking soda. Also do some exercise and boom, you're losing weight. All you need to do is discipline yourself and resist the urges.
As an obese woman, I would love to find a GP with the same beliefs as Dr. Mike. I feel understood when he talks about this.
I found one who was wonderful, she listened and was really supportive and understanding, but as a result of being such a good GP she was always fully booked.
Totally agree 💯👍
Shame
Because hes trying to be nice hes not giving you a flat out short answer hes extending his answer to make you feel better
Yessss this! Me too.
I never doubted what my mom fed me. Years into adulthood I understood it wasnt healthy to always eat carbohydrates. In my family it was always potatoes, rice, noodles, meat. And if you ate vegetables, it was because you were on a diet, and being on a diet meant you were fat, and it was shameful. Going to the nutritionist was shameful. We didnt talk about it back then. So the relationship I have with food is not my choice, it was something that I learnt through years since I was born. And then, it is sooo difficult to change after you grew up like this.
this is a well rounded commentary on this very controversial topic. Dr.Mike continues to look at this problem holistically.
Dr. Mike used to be so fit until I was jealous of his boxing training clips... And now, this video and the video last week proves how genetics, and brain pre disposition, can cause one to abandon discipline (even in the face of a diminished public image).
Perhaps Dr. Mike feels isolated and is compensating , I dunno. I can only get througha very small portion of these videos from week to week. For whatever reason, (no, I don't know him personally) but I get the feeling that maybe he's not as inclusive and considerate as he appears on camera. But to be fair, most aspiring celebrities aren't who they seem to be on camera. All that to say, "Good Luck , Dr. Mike " with everything. Keep your fans entertained with these amazing uploads and whatever content is within them.
Always appreciate mike for his nuanced and kind takes
I appreciate how he approaches even the most controversial topics in a positive educational conversation type of way
Shut up
i used to struggle with weight issues, tried pills, gained more. felt desperate. then i found aspect health. they focus on personal plans, sensors, app, coaches. like in video, it's complex. not just choice. society, genes matter
“Is obesity a choice” YES. It is the result of bad habits. Bad habits are the result of consistent choices. I feel like when people hear “it’s a choice” it’s like it’s being suggested that it’s easy to NOT be overweight. It’s as simple as making “a choice” after all. That not the case at. It’s a matter of many MANY choices, and when you’re addicted to food, it’s difficult to consistently make choices that go against that addiction. Long story short, obesity is NOT a problem that’s easy to fix, but it IS a choice (assuming we’re talking about adults and not young children)
The fact people lose weight ever means it is a choice. That doesn't mean it's an easy choice, that doesn't mean you have the will power to do it on your won, but if you eat less, you will lose weight... that is a fact and I'm not going to pretend it's complicated when it's not. I was a drug addict and drug dealer for years, it was a choice to continue to use drugs... it was terribly difficult to stop using drugs but I did it when I was tired of destroying my own life. A disease can not be stopped, no body and choose to stop having cancer, you can choose to stop eating as much or to stop taking drugs.
@@codyritner3826Well, my dad likey learned in Laurel Recovery that *alcoholism* is a disease, do you disagree with that too?
@@hawkward957 I think fat is nature's nuclear power also because maybe losing weight at least can be a complex process as is explained in the top comment of this thread? And I wonder if Mike wears his glasses during any of his operations!
This comment is probably a paid promotion for some app
this is my favorite Dr. Mike video i have seen. As someone in medical school and in eating disorder recovery, being exposed to the more nuanced side of weight in recovery vs what a lot of the medical community pushes surrounding weight loss has been so difficult for me to juggle. To know i will be a provider in a couple of years impacting people’s lives with my words and approach to the topic of weight, this video makes me feel so much more confident in knowing there are ways to have productive conversations about this centered around your patient’s individuals goals. NOT pushing toxic diet culture that will only result in yo-yo dieting…and probably more health problems!! Thank you Dr. Mike!!! keep being the best!!
Fair play to the man in the red shirt saying that just because he’s skinny doesn’t mean he’s happy. Being underweight is just as bad as being overweight and being skinny shouldn’t be something to aim for when it could really affect your health.
This is not because you have à privilege that you don’t have any problems in your life. But as a skinny person the whole world is made for you, you are celebrate because you are skinny. That’s the difference. Even if your inside health is terrible, People would assume that you are in good health
@@glitteraza that’s what I meant. Being skinny is considered the ideal, and it shouldn’t be
Being skinny is different than being underweight… Being skinny and maintaining a healthy body fat percentage is way healthier than being overweight and the problems that come with all the stress your body is putting on your cardiovascular system
@@glitterazaThat is completely BS as a skinny guy I was bullied to the point of almost committing suicide for 10+ years just for being skinny. Fat people act like skinny people are treated like gods when it's the opposite.
@@glitteraza I hear you. My experience at 98-100 pounds was often “she looks sick, is she ill?” And then 10-20 pounds heavier I got the “pretty and preferred reaction” I’ve been up and down over decades and there is definitely nuance there, again i can only speak from my experience.
I had cancer and lost 60lbs in two months. I had so many people telling me I looked great and asking what I was doing… skinny is NOT always healthier.
Just like smoking won't always kill you. But smoking and being morbidly obese do increase your risk of dying a premature death
She didn’t say being fat was healthy, just that losing weight is NOT ALWAYS a healthy change.
@@d3b3z05What’s your point? They never said being fat was healthy
That's a loaded statement.
Skinnier is not always healthier but being more overweight is always less healthy.
Yeah of course losing weight because of an underlying issue isn’t good. Being not overweight is healthier than being overweight… objectively that is it. That is all lol.
Another big component of not just obesity, but anorexia too, is how they relate heavily on mental health and personal body image. Weight is so dynamic that it’s impossible to fit into a one size fits all category.
I believe that weight can be dynamic in a normal extent but there is a big difference between being fat and obese or skinny and anorexia.
@@gracecairns9747 how so? Anorexia is just as detrimental to the body as obesity is. They are just opposite ends of the weight spectrum.
@@gracecairns9747 while someone can survive being 500 lbs, no one can survive being 50 lbs for very long. At that point half your weight is literally just your skeleton.
Let me put it this way: a BMI of under 16 is associated with severe health risks. For me, a 5'3 woman, being 80 lbs is a BMI of 14 (which doesn't take fat or muscle into account but you wouldn't have much of either at that point)
It's a difference between a 5-20 year life reduction and struggling to just live everyday.
Another difference is between 600 lb sisters ("oh wow being that obese must suck") and Eugenia Cooney ("omg how is she still alive")
I don't think it's a weight thing. It's a body image thing. If we start with a healthy relationship with food and accepting ourselves as we are, that can heal us psychologically, and then we can work on lifestyle changes.
@@loveybear5042If your clinically obese you dont have a healthy relationship with food. You shouldnt not be accepting of obesity.
I’m so glad you covered this video! It was very frustrating to watch, and it feels like you corrected the exact problems I had with what was being said
As a bigger teen who gets bullied at school for their weight.When I heard you speakin out against fat shaming it literally brought me to tears.Bc i have been told be kids at my school that I don’t deserve to do anything bc of my weight.and as a big fan of your channel this episode really touched me.
As someone who was broken up with and a secret insecurity was used to do that, if it hurt it’s a sign to look within yourself and fix that perspective.
So bc of my weight I don’t deserve to live bc that’s what some ppl have told me@@SentinelAntioch
@@SentinelAntiochThey don't deserve anything because they are overweight?
Why are they right? It's not their body, and they have no real right to comment on it unless specifically asked. So please, keep your opinions, positive or negative, to yourself. No one, outside of your friends group cares to hear them.@detective2221
ignore the rude commenters. you don’t deserve to be treated that way
I had a friend who was skinny his whole life - to the point he was teased about it. He was diagnosed with bipolar. Eventually, years later, he was prescribed a specific medication for bipolar. Within six months of being on that drug he was overweight. Within a year he was obese. Some drugs make people put on weight. The doctors confirmed that it was definitely the drug that did it.
People try to put blame on individuals as to why they are obese when it is a complex issue with many reasons as to why people reach that point. Mental health plays a huge part, so does physical disability - if a person can’t stand to cook their own food, walk to exercise etc it will affect their weight.
Amazingly said!
I also think getting the mental help needed just isn't there. I'm not even obese, but having mental illness and other things, trying to help yourself by seeing doctors, social workers and psychiatrists, and they still don't get it, you really lose hope.
@karlwithak. how are feelings irrelevant? They literally control our decision making process? Like why would you even care about staying alive if your feelings didn't tell you that it was better? If feelings were irrelevant we would be robots. Like at what point does quality of life come into things. If you could make a high salary by taking medication that made you miserable every day would it be worth it? If you could be physically completely healthy but it made every day you were alive feel like torture mentally would you? For a lot of people they are working out the trade off every day. It may work 100% of the time, but if it impacts quality of life significantly then what is that 100% worth?
Is it the drug itself or the drug makes people eat more? I’ve always wondered about that…
The drug doesn't have calories, your friend was just unwilling to change his lifestyle according to the way hos body changed, if you see you are gaining weight as a side effect of some drug , and you don't change your eating habits , its your fault
@@Atomkriegg it happened to me before that my whole metabolism changed because of a medication, nothing else changed, not diet or exercise. Knowing what foods sit well with your body, what fulfills your nutritional needs and what doesn't can sometimes vary and can be significantly affected by medication.
I was a fit and healthy individual when 10 years ago I was left traumatised by an incident. Psychological paralysed I rapidly gained weight from an increase of cortisol by the permanent stress I was left with. When I look at someone who is overweight or obese, I now see them as not lazy but in a state of trauma whether they are aware of it or not.
😢 perfect way to put it
But its still food, I have high cortisol too and I‘m extremely underweight bc I nearly eat nothing. You eat to much.
Mike, I'm a colleague of yours working in Germany (anesthesiologist/intensivist) and I just wanted to thank you for your work on RUclips. You have quickly become the goat doctor/RUclipsr and the things you choose to highlight on your platform are always on point.
Thank you for this awesome video!! I got put on blood pressure medication at 28 because I had become obese. I have two young girls and I started realizing that if I continued down that path I wouldn’t be able to be here with them for as long as I wanted. So I talked with my doctor about my plans and with his help and exercise I was able implement healthy life changes which I am enjoying so much! I’ve lost 62 pounds and I’m grateful for caring medical professionals who helped me become healthier for my family and myself!
Thank you for the opening comments. I feel that on middle ground, there is often no middle ground to start, especially when answers like this can run on a spectrum, or have multiple answers. They deliberately make it polarizing.
My main issue is that they're not exactly asking the right questions when it comes to this topic. They could've asked "do you want to be nothing but skin and bones or be morbidly obese" instead of "would you rather be skinny or fat" because the first question has very specific things that are asking but the second one (the one that's asked on there) seems to be more subjective because there is no definition between what skinny or fat is and it varies between different countries.
Great perspective Dr.Mike, it's so important to remove shame from this issue and also support personal action against the problem.
Shaming someone into getting help is not the way!! You explained everything beautifully!! I have a binge Ed so never in my life I would shame someone bc I’ve been in the chubby position before and now I lost 55 pounds when I am working on healing my binge ed. It’s always good to just help each other instead of shaming.
being fat is dangerous, we acnt let children eat too much food growing up. they will blame their parents when they grow up
This is a point I really like to make to people I meet. I’m a thin woman. People can have this outside perspective that I must be really healthy or really fit or I work hard and eat right and that couldn’t be further from the truth. I am a pharmacy student who sits in class for hours on hours and site at my desk studying for hours and hours and I eat a lot of crappy food. At one point I was even thinner when I was playing college soccer and I was working out every single day and pushing my body to its limits and people would tell me “you have my dream body” but what they didn’t see is how horrible I felt physically, how much pain my body was put through, how I would workout until I was so sick I couldn’t even stomach the thought of eating a single thing. Wearing clothes hurt and I would get migraines all the time. I was depressed and stressed and really unhappy. So I promise you - skinny does not mean healthy or happy
Same, same. Seriously, being skinny isn’t a metric of healthiness.
@@d3b3z05 I also didn’t say being morbidly obese is healthy but a lot of people believe if you’re not the skinniest then you’re overweight and fat and unhealthy. I’m 5’7 I weigh 135 lbs and in middle school I constantly heard from other girls “you’re fat” because I weighed more than 90 lbs. people are aware being obese isn’t ideal or healthy you don’t need to come on here and say that its really not the point I’m trying to make. My point is weight and numbers on a scale don’t define your health, you and a trusted physician/physicians are the only ones who should be making that call.
Unfortunately, for women a number on the scale is still really important. Although it doesn't account for so many things like muscles (that are much heavier than fat), bone density, water etc.
Men started abandoning this idea quite long time ago, but for women it's still prevalent, for some reason, and it's terribly unhealthy. I believe Dr. Mike Israetel has a good video on this topic.
Thank you so much Dr. Mike for mentioning lack of transportation as a reason for poor health care! I'm legally blind and cannot drive so I work from home and have insurance but a $200 uber ride to and from a doctor is impossible for me at times. I feel like this is very over looked often!
its called glasses
@@josiahday210 Glasses don't improve many conditions and that was needlessly rude.
@@josiahday210 lmao what
@@josiahday210 its called education.
@@josiahday210 You won't believe this but there's different kinds of conditions that cause a person to be blind. There's also different levels of blindness. Educate yourself before you open your mouth and don't talk about something you don't even understand. He kind.
As a cross country and track coach, I try to help kids realize that weight does not equal health. Kids hear a lot of bad messaging. I like to tell them that having a 6 pack has nothing to do with being fast or strong. Having a 6 pack means you have low body-fat. I encourage kids to fuel their bodies and to know what they are consuming. Skinny versus fat is just simply not a good way to compare and contrast. Being healthy has so many facets, and one's body weight is such a small part. What was not discussed in this video was ability to sleep, heart rate, joint flexibility, or lung capacity. Also, more needs to be stated about looking towards foods to satisfy our emotional needs rather than socialization. I know that trends going back to 2012 show an increase in mental health concerns in teenagers, and I wonder if the same can be said for adolescent obesity.
You must be an awful coach
hope you’re also teaching them that running while fat will lead to crippling pain eventually so they should be eating a healthy balanced diet
@@nope66755 That is part of what is implied with "I encourage kids to fuel their bodies and to know that they are consuming." I tell my kids "garbage in: garbage out." But using running alone to lose weight is inefficient. That being said, many larger folks run without crippling pain. If there is a sharp pain, that is usually due to injury and not activity. Weight does cause more pressure on joints, but that is a conversation of mass and not just amount of body fat.
@@gwnfan sorry I can’t read apparently
@@nope66755 No worries. When we read on screens, our eyes often play tricks on us.
This is one of the best discussions about weight that I've seen. Great job!
My daughter is a big girl, both in natural size and extra weight. She's also mentally ill. People hyperfixate on her weight, blaming it for her mental illness. No. It's a symptom, but not the cause. I wish people would shut up about it. She has value in and of herself. I love her and would be devastated if anything happened to her. She struggles to love herself enough as it is.
I am so sick of hearing people say obese people are depressed because their fat. People fail to take into account that a person's mental health can be more of threat to their life than being obese ever will be. I hope your daughter will be able to see her beauty and know that she is more than just her weight ❤️
That's the most important thing tbh - to be reduced to just your weight is awful. That people can't find value in your daughter before commenting on her weight is awful. And it stays with you, too, that judgement and unwarranted commentary. People just need to learn to not comment on situations they aren't involved with. And develop a little empathy, it's been proven time and time again that fat shaming simply does not work (it actually damages further, and in some cases kills).
@buffminer5827 Bruh get over it people get confused and mix things up, most of the time its a mistake and as you can see they used the right "their" the second time. Grow up and stop blaming random people for the mere fact that their mistakes are affecting little ol' you
*"because of their fat."
Makes the "their" correct. Not a big deal @buffminer5827
@buffminer5827 I have dyslexia but I'm so sorry my spelling and grammar weren't up to your standards.
I so appreciate your taking the time to discuss obesity in a non judgmental way.
I battle lipedema, which doesn’t respond much to diet or exercise. Most of my doctors have little to no knowledge about lipedema. I’d love it if you’d do a video on Lipedema.
The fat-shaming I’ve faced in public and within the medical community has been brutal.
I also have an autoimmune disease. I have had to resort to high dose prednisone over a long period of time to stay alive. The disease and the treatment has been terribly destructive to my body. Spontaneous tendon and ligament ruptures related to the autoimmune disease have made matters worse. These injuries required surgery. After surgery I was non weight bearing for months waiting for bone to grow to hardware. This has happened four times.
People can be cruel and hurtful. They have no idea what I’ve been through. I do take care of myself. I’m active and eat a healthy diet as part of my lifestyle, yet I’m still a lady with a very large bottom and legs.
This is why I love you Doctor Mike. You take an educated, thought felt approach to all of your topics. You think about the debate and cover all angles. Kudos to you and all of your deserved success. Keep being real.
When I was having knee pains because of hypermobility (Eds) I had a gp tell me “you could lose some weight huh?” And laughed at me 🙃 I understand that less weight would help my knees but im 6ft and not even that big weight wise and the way it was said was so detrimental to my esteem. Had to ask my podiatrist later if they thought losing weight would realistically help and they answered in the most respectful and considerate way i could ask for. Good relationships and Good doctors make a huge difference ❤
This video is incredible. Thank you for this, Dr. Mike. I've experienced much medical bias based on my weight, and it is incredible to hear a doctor speak like this.
Everyone experiences medical biases. Fat people seem to think it’s just them but it’s everyone. There are so many reasons and judgements that doctors make in regards to everyone. Medical malpractice is a leading cause of death. Hoof beats=horses not zebras is one of those things.
Thank you for calling out fat shaming when you see/hear it without using it in inappropriate places.
Also, idk if anyone had different experiences, but I don't see anyone talking about how difficult it is to make lifestyle changes as your body changes with age too. I used to eat 3000 calories a day as a kid/teen. If I didn't have anyone to teach me about listening to what the body needs to what "full" feels like without overeating, I would absolutely be overweight. My metabolism CRASHED right around 26. I tend to eat 1800 calories a day now. I can't imagine how out of control I would feel if I had not learned how to understand what I was craving vs what my body needed.
Mine crashed at 31… definitely made me realize that I just got lucky with the genetic lottery and I wasn’t skinny necessarily because I was better than fat people. Made me less judgemental (to a point).
If we can stop calling obese people a crisis then I think we'll finally get somewhere. Until then, The bullying, shaming and coercion will continue from the diet industry while the diet culture cheers them all on.
@@princessbabibear4794 obesity is a crisis and it’s only becoming worse.
My metabolism crashed straight after having kids at age 25 also but I quit sugars and carbs and that have kept my weight in check and also I have been loosing some
"fat shaming"? Do you mean "pointing out that obesity is a disease and peoole chan choose what they eat?"
As someone currently entering the healthcare field, I really appreciate the new perspectives Dr. Mike just presented. Thanks for talking about this!
Its crazy how anytime I realize someone understands nuance really well I can suddenly listen to them all day regardless of the topic. Best doctor on youtube no doubt!
I had so many doctors make every visit about weightloss and it was so uncomfy and just make me depressed and hate going to the doctors. Then I got a new doctor who never brought it up and whenever I went to the doctors for an issue he'd take me seriously. Like when I went in saying I was tired, he did a full blood work-up, not just telling me to lose weight and found I had low iron. When I had plantar fascitis, he sent me to a physio who found it was from an injury from when I was a teenager that I never got physio for so my gait changed and I needed to correct that. These are both things that previous doctors 100% would have blamed on weight and not done a referral or pathology on.
Then, last year, I lost 70pounds and honestly, I do credit his non-judgemental approach to some of it. I can't even fully explain why, but it did help. It's also helped me keep it off because technically I'm still in the 'overweight' BMI category and I know other GPs I've seen before would be saying to keep going etc, where as he is proud of me for keeping it off for a year and hasn't mentioned losing more weight. If he had, the pressure would have gotten to me and I think I would have gained weight back. But because my goal is just to keep it stable, at least for a while, I feel more confident in doing that.
I usually avoid commenting on videos but i wanna say one thing. im 17 and around beginning of 2023 i had lost 12kgs. i wasn't obese but i was overweight. everytime i tried to make a change and lose weight to be skinnier, i failed. this one time i made a lifestyle change because i started having breathing issues and had weird oily bumps on my skin which doctor said was due to my weight and excess fat. i didn't wanna risk my health so i made the change and stuck to it without feeling insecure throughout the process like i did in the past.
now my weight fluctuates 1-2kg up or down but I've maintained it. i still wasnt exactly in my normal weight bmi (i was just 1kg over it) but i felt lighter, healthier and body felt more functional.
I've tried losing 10 more kgs after that but now my mentality has been a lot about getting skinny fast so i fall off track easily and haven't been able to lose any more weight.
in my opinion, the way you approach obesity and health makes a huge difference on how you navigate that change
Focus on muscle growth not being skinnny. Skinny is not helpful but muscular is. And it takes time don’t rush it just eat the proper amount of calories and protein and train till failure no matter what.
@@Theslowghost i do wanna have strength and ik it'll come from working out and training and building muscles but i dont wanna be "muscular" (im a female and thats just not my preference for myself haha) but right now because of my academics stuff its hard to prioritize all that or even take out time for it
@meaperly it takes a lot of conscious effort for most females to bulk up & be really muscular. Weight training is extra beneficial for us, tho. It helps w/bone density & decreases the risk of osteoporosis later on. Nor does it mean lifting heavy. If you're worried about gaining too much mass (which is unlikely w/o a very specific regimen geared towards that), then do lighter weights, higher reps. Leaner, sculpted muscles are still muscle. There are so many benefits to weight training!
I haven't weighed myself in years and I'm so much happier because of it. Go off how you feel, and toss your scales in the rubbish bin.
@@Casssholevania or use them to achieve something better. That’s the most female mindset I’ve ever seen which is why women have no chance at doing what men do you guys are happy with bare minimum as long as you’re the ones doing it
This is the most refreshing view I've heard on the entire subject of obesity and weight loss. Thank you. There's SO MUCH nuance that people just want to throw out the window in favor of a simple answer that makes them feel safe or superior. I've lost 50lbs in the past year and I still have some people telling me it's not fast enough, not good enough, not the "right way". But I'm doing this through a brain disease, medications, thyroid problems, mobility issues. The fact that I'm losing weight is amazing. I'm making progress, and focusing on more aspects of my health journey than simply a number on a scale. It never mattered when all it was was a number on a scale.
That sounds like a sustainable rate! Rapid weight loss almost always leads to regaining and negative health effects, but a gradual change gives your body time to adjust and indicates that your lifestyle is changing to a new normal. I'm sorry some of the people in your life aren't being supportive or celebrating your hard work. I hope you have others who are acknowledging your accomplishments.
Occasionally, I see certain media, like this one, and wish RUclips had a LOVE feature and not just a thumbs up. Doctor Mike has done an AMAZING job of speaking about such a nuanced, systemic issue. LOVE LOVE
These were all my thoughts when I originally watched the video a couple days ago. I was really excited to hear you discuss this topic! You have such a way of responding back calmly, but yet passionately, in an educational manner that is encouraging. It really is admirable. The way you discussed how normalizing obesity is helpful takes a level of maturity and critical thinking that some people unfortunately don’t consider. Great video!!! 😊
I'm overweight but I didn't use to be. I used to be the "ideal" skinny, I had people complimenting me on my weight and body all the time.
But I was sooo unhealthy. I would go days without eating and took in my calories from energy drinks and alcohol.
I was depressed and developed a GI problem that ended up having to be medicated.
Now that I'm happy, I'm overweight. I do have an endocronolical disorder (GHD) and losing weight is incredibly difficult.
And I don't have money or access to an endocrinologist anymore.
Weight is such a nuanced and complicated subject that has been reduced to "fat bad" and I appreciate you discussing the different faucets of this issue.
I want to lose weight, but I don't want to end back where I was. People's bodies are different and we need to be treated as individuals and not just a general "problem"
I can totally identify...I used to be a professional actor and ideally skinny but not healthy b/c I had multiple eating disorders). However, this all changed when I developed a hormone secreting tumor that caused me Cushing's disease. I was too embarrassed to go see my doctor bc I had put on over 100lbs in less than year without changing my diet significantly. I finally felt so awful,I had to see my doctor and then had my adrenal gland removed. I now have to be on steriods for life, or I'll die. On top of that, I have developed RA and have difficulty moving and going out bc of the immunosuppressive drugs needed to just get out of bed.These health issues caused my obesity, not the other way around, and make just living life difficult. I used to judge people who were overweight harshly, but my experiences have allowed me to change my opinion and support people in all body shapes and sizes.
I was so miserable when I was at my "ideal" weight. I'd (unintentionally, mental health stuff that made me forget to do things) go 2-3 days without food, or with nothing more than a grilled cheese or an english muffin with peanut butter and a pudding cup. I had no stamina, felt shaky most of the time, and was so so tired all the time.
Got into college, started eating more, put on a lot of weight and have genuinely never felt better. It's a complicated issue.
For a show called “middle ground” its very intriguing that they always ask nothing but polarizing, black-and-white, yes-or-no, questions.
Well isn't that the point?
It exposes the end of the spectrum to each other to talk about their opinions, that place is a middle ground and can help people find a middle ground
That's what they're going for. They want that polarization because they know it will lead to clicks, ratings and added revenue. They are not out to fix a problem or address an issue, they are only in it for money. Calling their show "Middle Ground" is just a sleazy way of wanting to add "respectability" (the fake kind) to their show to attract viewers and clicks.
It's designed to create disagreements and yet there is some productive dialogue in there.
Yeah i think they do that so that you discuss what you’re black and white point of the topic is AND so you can discuss your gray/colored area of that topic as well
Thank you so much for your brilliant teaching! Doctors and all medical personnel treating patients should be PROACTIVE!
Thank you for tackling this topic. It is an on going conversation that needs to continue.
I’ve never been obese but I have been borderline underweight (I’m 5’2 so bmi tells me I can be pretty light before it’s a problem but it was still a problem despite what bmi calculators said) and struggled with disordered eating and body dysmorphia. And tbh I just wish people would not talk about other peoples bodies, and make assumptions on their health based on it. I got so much praise from strangers for being “so small after having two kids” got asked constantly where the kids even came from. Other moms talking down on themselves because their post partum Body wasn’t like mine.. and it just made me feel awful and fed into my ED. I was not healthy. Yes I was skinny. But I was starving myself. My body was starting to eat through the muscles I had. My brain fog was brutal. I was doing the most to care for my kids, but was barely keeping myself alive.
I was so resentful towards skinnier people because of this. I hated feeling punished just because I was fat. As I have gotten older, I realized how dangerous this could be towards skinny people. And I have seen people die due to getting too skinny. It really changed my perspective and now I try and be less judgmental myself.
I’m also 5’2” but 219 lb, obese my whole life. What was your borderline weight & do u remember your clothing size? Sorry I ask but I’m trying to imagine what size I’d wear if I lost 100 lb lol
@@darkprince56 I was like 105 at my lowest as an adult. And I was in xxs/xs brand/type of clothing dependant. I looked sickly& childish tho tbh. I’m 120 now. A size s. And I feel much more stronger and slay
@@aleebee5911 wow...I can't imagine ever going from a 2x (in men's size) to S ..thanks for your reply and I'm glad you're doing better today!
@@darkprince56 thank you so much c: I forgot to specify womens sizing for myself I just realized lol
I've suffered from PCOS, a bad knee, and obesity since puberty. I would LOVE to be skinny, but it isn't simple. I've had so many doctors just tell me, "lose weight." They would just tell me to lose weight and not tell me HOW to lose weight. The first time I lost any significant weight was when for the first time I had a doctor that didn't immediately lecture me and he told me, "You already know what I'm going to say. Come back to me with a plan to lose ONE POUND. Just a plan." I was so encouraged that I managed to lose 40lbs. And then I gained it all back again after my sleep cycle went out of whack and my doctor was reluctant to help treat me for it. Oops. Fat-shaming will NEVER get someone to lose weight. Only encouragement will help people to lose weight. I've tried replicating the circumstances of losing the weight the first time, and haven't managed to get the same results. It isn't a simple problem for some of us, and sometimes, losing the weight is like a black box.
Success isn’t a straight line, but you’ve proven that you CAN do it. The reality is it takes HUGE effort to completely change your lifestyle while dealing with health issues (even WITHOUT health issues its HARD). Don’t let a setback stop you. I believe in you, sending good vibes.
🍔🍔🍔🍔🐷🐷🐷🐷🐷
You’re making excuses
@@volup2026🍑🍑🍑🕳️🕳️🕳️
@clemfandango6675 do you think saying this will help or are you just here to be a shitty person?
This is awesome, I think it’s so important to hear doctors perspective who aren’t bias and are just taking each comment and rebutting it or providing another perspective. You only ever hear people who are not professionals on the topic talking about this (which isn’t necessarily always bad) but I think it’s important we have more input from professionals too. 😊
I have severe mental health issues, which lead to binge eating. I take medication that increases the appetite. I have been underweight, overweight, and everything in between. I do not choose to be fat. I hardly drink, I eat fruit and veg, and not a lot of meat, or sugar. I have tossed dieting, because it turns into an obsession and I have been dieting since I was a (normal, healthy weight) child. I am now working towards eating intuitively, and working through the trauma and emotions that lead me to binge eating.
For me, from my own experience, and from listening to the experience of others, people who are overweight usually have childhood trauma at the root, or other adverse childhood experiences.
Binge eating is a choice, stop making excuses.
@@wmdkittyfactually wrong.
@@santiv4 Just a troll. You can't expect anything less from a video about obesity.
You can choose different coping mechanisms
I had a very restrictive diet as a child because I had a number of food intolerances. And when there were alternatives they were expensive.
So once I could I eat more when I grew older and most of these food issues simmered down, I didn't have any kind of normal relationship to food. I still struggle with that and have to find ways around that as a middle-aged adult
It's rare for people to point out that being skinny is not that good of a thing.
I've been suffering from multiple digestion related issues, dropping down all the way to 120lbs while being 6'1.
Weak immunity and lack of energy are just the tip of the iceberg. I'm always juggling with multiple health issues at the same time and it's really exhausting.
Being skinny should never be glorified. It's torture.
what you are describing is not just skinny, just like being chubby is not the same as being morbidly obese. frankly 120lbs at 6'1 sounds like a different medical problem like an eating disorder. Being "skinny" generally means no abnormal health problems due to lack or nutrition and malnutrition isnt a symptom of being skinny, its the reverse. Being skinny isnt torture, being in a state of malnutrition though i definitely can see could be.
@@Varocka They said in their post they lost so much weight because of digestive issues.
“You can be either fat and jolly or a skinny b1tch… pick one”. That’s my opinion BUT I cannot believe being fat is a choice. There are too many genetic/mental/and socioeconomic factors. Sorry but that facts. Diabetics process foods differently. Anyone who says it’s a choice, needs to educate themselves.
Also using skinny instead of slender as the opposite comparison. Skinny people essential aren't healthy,their below the recommended health level. Now slender ? *In shape* is a different story
Last I heard, anorexia had the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. Imo this is why we have to be careful with diet culture or we risk pushing people towards the most fatal mental illness
Dr. Mike... You have so much compassion for ppl. Thank you for that. I don't struggle w my weight... But I have other health issues that I wish I had a doctor who could help me w that kind of compassion... Just realizing that it's never "that simple." I don't know how many times a doctor has tried to put me on antidepressants bc I have inflammation, fatigue, and pain just everywhere. I haven't been going to a doc for a couple of years bc I feel like the doctors I had were not really listening to me. Thank you for speaking about subjects like this in this way. Good for you!
Glad I found this channel. Dr. Mike is a real one
I really agree with everything you said here. We need more people and especially Doctors like you in this country and world. Everytime I see a new doctor the first thing they do is tell me to lose weight they don't take the time to find out why I'm this big, what's happened in my past, just automatically lose weight. It's very depressing for me
I swear sometimes I feel like we need pop up ads on every web page to remind people that nuance exists and that human beings are all unique and should be treated as such. Thank you Dr. Mike for helping to keep that message going. I can't exercise without being bedbound for weeks afterwards. So all I can do is watch my diet. It is definitely a lifestyle change and not a temporary "Diet"
Dr Mike brings out the most nuanced content on here and I am all for it!❤❤
Thank you for addressing the issue of ultra-processed food. The food in our country that is most affordable is practically poison and feeds the cycle of always wanting more. I'm trying so hard to make positive diet changes but it's certainly not easy. I really appreciate how you discussed so many different aspects of obesity and are so empathetic!
I don't want assume you mean the USA but if you are, food that is ultra-processed is by far not the most affordable. I don't eat it because of that cost and I am super frugal. It only saves times in cooking and can taste good. I eat a lot of beans, rice, and greens and they are cheaper by far than super salty microwaved stuff.
Plus sized guy here. Really appreciate your take on this. Seems like people speak about it as black and white when it's not. I've lost about 80 lbs and have to consciously remind myself all day, every day not to eat to much or to stay away from certain foods because I know I can't eat them in moderation, it gets mentally exhausting to constantly have to combat the impulse to eat even though you're not hungry.
My family on both sides is fat. I had been saying it for years that we need to think differently about food. My mom discovered that I was right when she joined Overeaters Anonymous. OA acknowledges the mental/spiritual aspects of weight management and helps with that. I also suspect that my mother is where I got ADHD, which is often genetic. I was diagnosed ADHD a few years ago in my early 30s. I have since learned so much about ADHD and its incredibly far-reaching effects. ADHDers often have weight issues because eating often unhealthy foods provide those brain chemicals that we are deficit in. Unhealthy foods are especially good at giving us the dopamine and serotonin that our brains are low in when we have ADHD. One of the stimulant medications approved for ADHD is also approved for binge eating disorder, Vyvanse. I am not sufficiently medicated for ADHD currently due to insurance and cost issues, but when my doctor was trialing stimulants with me, I did notice that I had better self-control when it came to resisting sweets.
On the philosophy end of things, I feel like, "Why should I deny myself at least some tasty foods when I can't afford most other forms of enjoyment?" Can my husband and I afford to vacation or go to the theater or even have a quiet house outside of the ghetto? NO! We have been denied most forms of enjoyment due to money, so when it comes to food, by golly, at least I want to enjoy good, high-quality food! (We do most of our own cooking to a foodie restaurant level. I know how to bake from scratch, so very few desserts are purchased in stores.)
I'd like there to be balance so that I can enjoy the fantastic food we cook and bake but also not pig out on it either. I am hoping that being properly medicated will help with that balance.
You might consider that you might have adhd. You can try to find other ways to get more dopamine (which food gives). A pet, sitting in the sun, stretching.
Meds can certainly help, just think about it. Also, the non stimulant meds are pretty great.
A nutritionist explained to me awhile back that when you lose weight the fat cells do not actually go away (I've had other doctors tell me this too). They are always in your body, waiting to be refilled. Unfortunately when you've lost a significant amount of weight you will always have to battle against your body trying to refill those cells. It sucks, but stay strong. It's even worse to lose all of the hard work you've put into losing that weight.
I definitely am on the side of it not being a choice. I have PCOS, and no matter what I do (diets, intense exercise, intermittent fasting) I'm still gaining weight. So it's really discouraging that so many people think it's just from being "lazy", or overeating. Sometimes you can do everything right, and your body just doesn't respond.
Girl this is the story of my life. I started Mounjaro haven’t changed a thing I’ve eaten and am finally loosing weight. It is nearly impossible without any drugs like this and I am paying a premium to get this drug. It is not accessible and I wish it was
A lot of privileged western women use PCOS as an excuse
@@nope66755 I don't know what your trauma is to be chastising women with PCOS. And if you bothered to research anything, Hispanic women have the most severe phenotype for it. You also have no idea the race of any person you're trying to internet bully.
Same though
Thyroid issues are much more common in people with PCOS. It sucks to lose weight when your metabolism is wack.
"No matter what a person looks like you can't know what there going through" thank you so much for saying that.
Wow, stumbled on this and gave it a listen - well articulated Mike.
I was a chubby kid, my parents had less than ideal eating habits that I eventually learned. After being bullied for my weight, I took drastic measures and developed an eating disorder in my teens and early 20s. I didn't eat, I over exercised, but it kept me small so I did it until it caused me worse health problems. I was skinny, yeah but I was frequently sick, my bones stuck out and I hated my body. During both of these scenarios, I never actually learned how to eat correctly or exercise without bringing myself to exhaustion. Now in my late 20s I'm overweight, but I am actually more active than I've ever been, I'm stronger, and I dont hyper fixate on how I look. I hike, swim, run 5ks, and cycle. Now I'm not saying that I can't lose a few pounds because I definitely can. My goals now are about my endurance, my strength, making sure everything looks good when going to the doctor, no health issues. Being skinny isn't a priority but being healthy and able to move my body to do the things I love is.
Dr Mike is a real one he when to medical school for so long just for us and his patients
… all doctors went to medical school for a long time
bro what that's a legal requirement
Bruh
I broke my back in the military and I lost a lot of the tools I had to focus on the calories out side of the CICO equation, but I still have control over the calories in side. I got up to nearly 300lbs and all my family is over 300lbs and they have horrible quality of life, and I need to be able to help my wife and kids. Yes it is harder for some people but the only person who is going to help you is you, its not a game where you win by beating others, its a game you win by playing.
I always skirt between overweight and ideal weight. It’s exhausting feeling hungry all the time but not getting to enjoy food everyone around me enjoys. All this to stay healthy. Sometimes it feels not worth the struggle.
The only thing that's ever worked for me is avoiding excess carbs and filling up on watery fibrous foods. Lots of water too. And don't go too long without eating something. I'm only 5'2" and older so it's gotten really hard to keep my weight down.
@@lynnebucher6537 ditto. I’m 5’3” and in my 40’s. It gets harder and harder as the yrs go on.
Short women have a harder time...some people don't realize how little we actually can eat before the weight starts packing on...never mind adding older age to the mix. I'm almost 50 and it just gets harder, it sucks, but I keep trying.
Have you heard of pushups?
@@HiNickCares my fitness level is not of question. I can still pass my military PRT with almost 100 pts. That means I max out all the required activities.
I’ve been reading The Dorito Effect, which touches on food addiction (actual studies on it, not just anecdotal) and how food processing has changed and how it relates to rises in obesity. I think it’s a must-read.
I've been "chubby" my whole live, but my weight really became noticeable after a negligent doctor (psychiatrist) misdiagnosed me, and provided a medication with a known side effect of weight gain with no oversight. Between that, a knee injury that took away dancing (which I've done my entire life up until I was injured), and an autoimmune arthritis diagnosis, it's been a difficult journey. However, that doesn't stop people from judging me before understanding the whole situation. Combine that with trauma, and there is this messy mish-mash of competing ideations. I've had my fair share of doctors completely write off my pain because of my weight, but I'm grateful to have a core team of doctors who understand the whole picture, not just want to solve the weight issue.
I was nervous to watch this video but i love it. You are so respectful and clearly want to understand and help people!
I am 62 and overweight. I have stenosis in my neck and shoulder area. I have degenerative disc in my lumbar area. I mentioned to my general practitioner that I was having tingling in my upper back and pain in my lumbar and hip area. I feel like some of it could be arthritis. Her response was "you should lose some weight. Period. My interpretation was she didn't care, didn't want to help. I never mentioned it again.
Excellent video Dr. Mike! This is right on point and made me cry.😢
But you should lose weight. Is that incorrect? Have you lost any weight since?
Wow. What a way to tackle a controversial health topic with such grace and principle. Dr. Mike well done.
It's definitely gotta be a nuanced discussion. A little bit of nature, a little bit of nurture, a little bit of personal responsibility.
In the end, morbid obesity isn't a terminal cancer. Something can always be done, just a matter of what it is and how much of it an individual can do at a given time. It's one of the most difficult games of inches you can play.
Agreee 1000% it really is a choice imo
you will work on a problem only when you accept it is a problem.
@@syedhisham2594 What's a problem for one person is less so for another and some others have no such choice so that's bs
It’s called MORBID obesity, which means it leads to death. No it’s not terminal cancer, and it’s not a game of inches. I was always very thin, after a second stillborn my body went out of wack. I was also very depressed. I was given medication and gained 50 lbs in a year. It took me many years to find away that worked for me, and my body is finally letting the weight go. I did it all, all the diets, all the food fads,etc. I was even bulimic for a bit out of desperation. Please don’t fat shame, many of us are doing our best.
@@AvaNightingale there is always a choice and you can always work to get better and healthier. It will be much harder for some but getting emotional and giving up will definitely not help.
I wish every doctors were more like him. Super understanding, knowledgeable and supportive of his patients while showing the facts. He’s not afraid to say he doesn’t know something and will work with them to get the best outcome possible.
I think one of the big problems i find with the Obese vs Skinny question/debate is education and cultural perceptions of weight or the idea that you are either fat or you are skinny. There is no middle ground for a lot of people which can lead to shaming, blame, and disordered thanking.
I have fluctuated with my weight my entire life. I have been obese and I have been skinny at different ages and I have seen both sides of the spectrum and I can say I am happiest in the middle when I am healthy and feeling good physically everyday. When I was very thin I felt uncomfortable at the way I was looked at and treated by men and at my heaviest I was uncomfortable with how I was looked at and treated by women. For me I just want to be physically healthy and feel good and not tip the scale in either direction! Being obese and being skinny I can say I would rather be healthy!
fr this is what actually matters.
i’m not sure if you can answer this for me but if you can based off of your experience that would be wonderful😞 what would you say helped and motivated you? my boyfriend is overweight (though obviously i’d never shame him especially not to motivate him), he wants to eat healthier and start working out again. he is very self destructive emotionally and is the type of person who wants to see immediate results and if he doesn’t loses motivation. i’ve given him advice but i don’t have the same issue so i’m not sure what else to say other than encouraging him giving him tips on how to slowly work towards getting his motivation and trying to get him to meet small goals step by step (like looking up gyms in his area, getting a membership, looking for a personal trainer, looking at healthy foods he may like), which i have done, but it’s not working for him.
I agree. Being healthy should be the goal of every person, not the size of your pants. It's just sad that we all our judged by our appearance and so often base our self worth on the perception of others. That is what truly needs to change in our society overall.
You can't be obese and healthy.
I'm autistic and a lot of people like me (including myself) have aversions. They're not easy to overcome. There's often something about the texture, an aftertaste of something or something similar that makes it hard for me to eat certain things. It's hard to find things that I can enjoy, sometimes.
i enjoy almost everything and eat basically as much as i can. my body happens to burn it off or idk doesnt absorb all of it...nonetheless, im very thin.always been. what im saying is that its not exactly my choice.
100%. And it's not 'being picky'. There are not a lot of things I can eat. Mostly soft things like bread and pasta, baked chicken breast. Nothing that touches, nothing that has sauces that might be hiding what the food is. I would LOVE to be able to just eat normally, go to a sushi place with my friends, go to a barbeque, feel comfortable at thanksgiving. It isn't a choice, I literally vomit when I crunch down on some things. What's worse is when my body decides something that's always been fine is now on the 'no' list. Like bananas. I love them. One day my body just decided bananas are on the throw up list. Wow, thanks body. I don't go to restaurants because even if they have something I like on the menu, something else might have gotten into the dish by mistake. If I order a cheese pizza, and an onion accidentally got on it and i bite that, cheese pizza is off the menu for my body for a long time. Because every time I take a bite, I remember that crunch, that sound, that feeling of the onion and throw up.
I also have a comorbid developmental coordination disorder. I need to be heavily supervised when I work out or I might hurt myself (and I have rather crackly joints from all the times I have already done so).
Losing weight is kind of a rigged game over here.
Excuses
@@terminator_x.24you're literally wrong
In the VA women's clinic in St Louis, weighing in is optional because so many women refuse to seek any kind of healthcare for fear of being fat shamed when weight could be caused by any number of things. My dr. put me on Paxil for my depression that came with menopause, and I gained 40 pounds, which made me even more depressed.
I wouldn't trust a doctor who thinks that weight isn't important...
@@blackmetalwizard weight IS important, but so many women (I know I've been one) are so afraid and bone weary of being fat shamed that they won't get the care they need. Too many Drs and especially insurance companies treat the scale as the be-all and end-all. BMI isn't gospel either. On top of that, women have been programmed by advertising, the diet industry, cosmetic surgery, and loved ones to hate ourselves. I gained a lot of weight during menopause, and I've had a gynecologist of all people tell me "Burn more calories than you eat. Why is it so complicated?"
@@eadecamp being allergic to shame is not a valid excuse
Dr. Mike As a retired psychotherapist, I have seen that many women who had a history of childhood sexual abuse, often become obese to insure that men are not sexually attracted to them, because they see sex in a much different manner than those of us who grew up in a normal environment. When I treated a patient who had an obesity issue, I would question their childhood, and were they exposed to abuse as a child.
Yes! This is a very important point many doctors don't even seem to know about at all.
This is an extremely generalizing and misogynistic comment…. And not based on facts at all…. I’m a fat woman and I’ve NEVER had a problem with a man being attracted to me. Also, sexual abuse isn’t about sexual attraction. It’s about power. I highly doubt you have any experience in psychotherapy.
@@4th_bonekathat’s your opinion, and I hope you truly don’t believe this idiot is spewing any facts…. Because he’s not…
@@queerskiesahead847because it’s not true ..: wtf… lmao
@@4th_boneka where’s the statistical evidence for this? You can present opinions all you’d like. But you’re not backing them with facts. So you’re just spewing misinformation at this point
Amazing video. So nuanced and balanced. Dr. Mike really gets it in terms of looking at the whole situation and every variable. There’s so many factors to look at if you want to treat the entire lifestyle and not just one symptom.
I am a hair over a year into anorexia recovery and am currently overweight/obese which I was not previously in life, even before ED. I eat very healthy and exercise, but I can literally not lose weight. This has opened my eyes to the fact that sometimes our bodies just sort of do what they do. But I know I am infinitely more healthy fatter than I was when starving. We need to all just be a bit kinder to one another.
Look into metabolic syndrome.
@@vaiapatta8313 I dont have metabolic syndrome.
"I can literally not lose weight" you were given the superpowers to defy the first law of thermodynamics? What's your body feeding on if you're on a caloric deficit? Cosmic energy? You ain't counting your calories right most likely
@@Yiulias do you understand the metabolic changes which occur after a prolonged period of starvation or are you just in the habit of providing unsolicited advice regardless of context?
@@daniellerussomanno188 metabolic changes can go so far, you can't sustain your current weight if you dont feed it enough energy, this is not an opinion, is a fact
Dr. Mike, as one has been dealing with the obesity struggle I really appreciate what you’re saying and if I was in New York, I would love to have you as my doctor or at least meet with you to discuss this further
Appreciate this video. For a long time, Americans were judged for our fatness. It clearly is not simply a willpower issue when it starts to become an issue globally.
After watching your interview with Dr. Salas-Whalen, it sounded like you're someone has never struggled with weight loss. I could go into my complicated story/journey, but suffice to say in my younger years I judged people who were overweight and now after being obese and trying to lose weight for 10+ years, it's filed away as a lesson learned.
Life has shown me over and over again, in very painful ways, that until you've walked a mile, you truly have no idea. When I see comments like "just lose weight", it's like someone gelling me "just be happy!" when I was suicidal. And yes, I do sometimes feel just as out of control with my ability to lose weight as I did with my ability to recover from depression. It's a demoralizing, daily battle. I ended up taking medications for my depression, and I wish I didn't wait so long because I thought I could willpower through it.
It wasn't my favorite Middle Ground episode, but your response kind of made up for it.
Speaking as someone who has lost a significant amount of weight, losing it wasn't calories in calories out and all done
It was getting diagnosed with PCOS and speaking with a nutritionist on how to better fuel my body with insulin resistance
Getting on medication for the insulin resistance
For me, there was some psych help, bc I realized I actually liked the "invisibility" that comes with being overweight. I'd noticed I received less attention overall as a plus size person, whether that was my physical body or my confidence I don't know but that part was tough to get over
It was finding a gym that actually accepted me and cheered for me instead of judging me
And these are just some of the outside factors I needed help with.
So yes, working out and learning to eat a healthier diet did end up bringing weight loss, but without all the other I never would've.
your story is actually a very great example. as it is a result of many things which are not right mentally, physically and socially. but scientifically it is still calories in vs calories out..
i so relate with the invisibility !
It’s still calories in vs calories out.
Some people may have a condition in which their body isn’t burning calories at the rate is should, but that’s a small percentage.
People simply won’t take full responsibility for what they eat and drink, or the effort they exert.
@@brandonhoover2120 Sigh. For someone who struggles with their mental health and spends days/weeks too exhausted to exercise, what would you suggest? Just snap out of it? It's not that simple. It's a lot more nuanced than that. I've lost a crapton of weight by exercising and eating right, but then the holidays came up. Now I'm too depressed to exercise and I've fallen off of my healthy eating plan. It would be nice if I could just take responsibility, but try telling that to my brain. It's all I can do to go to work full-time right now. SMDH.
@@brandonhoover2120yall love to miss the point and go back to lecturing and shaming when u couldve just stayed supportive
This is exactly how we use to talk about depression. "Depression is a choice! You just have to try harder and make happier choices! They caused their own unhappiness!" No one says this anymore, for good reason. I don't see how weight is any different.
And to go off that.... depression is a huge reason for obesity
YES!
Now everybody is depressed, half the country is on meds. Great progress.
because over eating is a choice lol
@@drhsn5271 Because depression is common and people are finally being treated for it.
I was at my least healthy when I was at my leanest and most muscular. Worst relationship with food, excercising as a form of self harm. Now I am slightly overweight with a good relationship with my food.
I am chronically ill, so excercising is hard, accessing food is hard, making food is hard.
Even for someone who really wants to be in better shape, it gets harder to do at a larger size, making it harder to do that work regardless of willpower. The lethargy and pain that come with carrying all the extra weight can just get in the way.
I've also known several people who've gained a lot of their weight while healing from an injury (usually to their ankle or leg) and couldn't return to doing things they've enjoyed before or work to decrease that weight because they no longer had enough energy to do so because of how lethargic carrying all that weight has made them.
I'm sure there are ways to help with these problems, but there's also not enough helpful information out there for people who need it and it's difficult to sort through what information is helpful.
There's also fairly high levels of anxiety in society as well, which only complicates things further.
Its easier. More bodyweight =harder exercise=more calories burnt. Anyway, injury is a lame excuse. Ronaldo Nazario’s kneecap exploded, ended up in his thigh, but he didnt get fat. He did rehab and ended up producing the greatest world cup performance ever. Never make excuses
@@socire72 ur stupid as hell lmao
everyone has their own particular circumstances but cycling, swimming and intermittent fasting are a good combination of ways to be active without stressing the joints as well as help limit food intake. i think that theres plenty of information out there but perhaps theres so much that people become overwhelmed.
@@socire72 thats not a fair comparison, athletes are in a completely different category as they already were in a reasonably healthy relationship with food and have the dedication and drive already to achieve in their sport.
@@socire72It’s not that simple. Bodies have different way of responding to different situations. Even more so an athlete’s.
I often find this question similar to "Is getting good/bad grades in school a choice?"
It could be because of what the grades are determined by, and is not reflective of how valuable a student is. Some students have traits that don't go well with certain schooling systems. And yes, some people are more intellectually gifted than others and thus certain things will be easier for them.
But it also could be changed through hard work.
This is so good as always!
I wish if Dr.Mike can do a pod cast with Saharoo Izadi. Her "The Last Diet" describes many mentality factors combined with overweight , obese people.
❤❤❤
This actually made me feel a little better about myself. Thank you for being open minded and kind.
The answer is: "It's complicated", like everything in life
Is eating a choice? The answer is: yes.
@@fllf3078 genius, what's your point?
Have you heard of pushups?
@@HiNickCares have you heard of nuance?
@@SunbleachedAngel That's not how you lose weight.
I have been overweight my whole life, and recently had bloodwork done. Everything came back, not just good, but optimal, including all my lipids.
People may look at my body and think I’m unhealthy, but I am actually in excellent health. My mental health is great too, and I am a runner. I have had one bad cold this past February and one mild cold in March, and no other illness since before the pandemic.
40 years old and my only medication is albuterol for primarily exercise induced asthma.
😊
You go girl! You seem super healthy and happy, looks mean nothing!
Being overweight overtime can (CAN not always) lead to health risks, obese people can be "healthy", but almost always after prolonged obesity they have health issues
@@agentperry8347 overweight and obese are not the same, one is a product of circumstances while the other is a chronic condition. Please learn the difference.
@@frankiefavero1666 isn't obesity based on bmi
@@agentperry8347 yep! All obese are overweight but everyone who is overweight is not obese, in fact most overweight people are definitely not obese.
Thank you for this. I am both disabled and overweight, and the medical issues came first. Medications, difficulty moving, barely enough energy to manage daily tasks likes bathing and dressing, and non-stop stress from medical bills all contributed. Even shopping for and cooking healthy food is challenging. I have experienced judgement from others and myself, because of course I internalized all the fat-phobic messaging I heard growing up. I can't tell you how much women in my family talk about weight, dieting, and food. I have a daughter with an eating disorder who gets triggered at almost every family gathering.
I’m disabled, nerve damage and muscle weakness on my entire left side. Does that mean I should also be fat? No! I have to do physio everyday but even if I didn’t I can not over eat or eat the right kinds of food not endless amounts of junk food.
@@piperjaycieGood for you
@@karlwithak.And eventually die. Have you ever tried living a life when you're hungry 24/7? You've just eaten or even overeaten yet you never feel full? You still feel hungry... Have you tried not eating then or even limiting your food?
@@piperjayciegood for you. As a person who never feels full I could never
Doesn't matter what I eat
Discovered your channel yesterday this video made me subscribe.
Glad I watched this video