Docs Dodging the Fat Conversation

You're a 5-foot-8-inch woman weighing 165 pounds, but to be considered a "normal" weight, you need to be 144 or less. Does your doctor tell you, "You're overweight and you need to lose weight." Or does he dodge the fat conversation entirely and you score the antibiotics needed for that nasty sinus infection.

Chances are strong your doctor won't bring up the health ramifications of carrying that extra weight around. According to a 2005 study, only 40 percent of obese patients were advised by their healthcare professionals to drop weight. Many docs are failing to routinely measure body mass index, and the topic itself is, well, uncomfortable. "Physicians are reluctant to bring up weight because it's such a loaded issue," Dr. William Dietz, director of the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity at the CDC, tells the Los Angeles Times.

Maybe doctors don't think their patients will listen, and they can't exactly pen a prescription for behavior change. But being overweight or obese has data-verified medical consequences -- your risk for weight-related diseases rises quickly when you depart the "normal" range. It's not right doctors aren't measuring and reporting your BMI like your blood pressure. A candid discussion about weight should be a vigilant priority.

Having to face the music privately with your doctor could be that critical push toward healthier choices. People might not share with their docs they drink a case of beer a week with that bag of chips and dip, but the scale doesn't deny, minimize or lie. More doctors need to hit play on this conversation -- recent studies have shown children, adolescents and adults underestimate or are unaware of their serious weight problems.

Check out this simple way to figure out your maximum weight limit, instead of the more complicated, and controversial, BMI.