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Amanda Hourihan was just a kid the first time a doctor told her she was fat. At the time, she didn't think much of it, but as she got older, she began feeling as though her weight made her stand out from most of her friends. In college, she was told to lose weight when she went to the infirmary for a cold. Other medical professionals have blamed ear and knee ailments on her size.
These experiences troubled Amanda, in part because she's always been very active. A frequent gym goer, she's completed half-marathons, walking marathons, and has even gone 13 miles carrying a 30 pound bag on her back as part of Boston's annual Tough Ruck competition.
But all most doctors see when she meets with them is her weight. She believes this represents a fundamental misunderstanding on the part of medical professionals when it comes to dealing with obese patients.
After many years of searching, Amanda finally has a doctor who's receptive to the idea of body positivity and willing to stay away from the constant weight loss advice. In order for more doctors to have positive relationships with their patients who are considered obese, she believes that doctors have to be willing to develop actual relationships with their patients, listen to what they have to say, and, perhaps most importantly, accept the idea that weight does not always equal health.
For this edition of The Takeaway's series on obesity in America, WNYC Health Reporter Mary Harris sat down with Amanda Hourihan to discuss how patients feel when doctors fail to see past their weight.
