Health at Every Size®, A Series Part 4: Navigating the Scale at the Doctor’s Office, A Guide

One of the most stressful and anxiety provoking parts of going to the doctor’s office can be anticipating having to step on the scale. But guess what - it’s more often than not, a completely unnecessary step. Here are some ways to navigate the conversation, so you can be prepared the next time you have an appointment: 

Before your appointment:

If you’re lucky enough to already have a HAES-aligned dietitian, mental health practitioner, or other provider, ask them if they would mind calling your other providers ahead of time to ask that they not bring up weight and that they not weigh you unless medically relevant. 

When you’re at the doctor’s office and you’re walked towards the scale:

You can simply say “I prefer not to be weighed - thanks!”

That might be enough. But what if you’re met with resistance?

IF THEY SAY: “It’s required by insurance.”

Guess what? This actually isn’t true in most cases - and you can even check with your insurance provider beforehand to make sure. You can respond with: “You know, I thought that too, but I actually did some research / checked with my provider, and that’s not true!”

IF THEY SAY: “Can you make a best guess / Can I guess?”

They wouldn’t make a “guess” at your blood pressure, heart rate, or blood glucose levels. If it’s a guess, then it’s not important. And if it’s not important… then they don’t need it.

IF THEY SAY: “It’s medically relevant for the procedure we’re doing.”

There may be some cases where weight is medically relevant - for example, if you need to go under anesthesia. In these cases, you can request a blind weigh-in and request that they not tell you your weight or add it into any charts you have access to.

Finally, if you’d prefer not to bring it up every time, you can ask the nurse or doctor to add the note for future visits. You may also be able to add a note online if your doctor’s office has an online appointment system.

If a doctor dismisses your symptoms or concerns, refuses to run tests, or continues to prescribes weight loss:

• Tell them you want it recorded in your chart that they’ve chosen not to run any tests. This tactic can keep doctors and other medical professionals honest and may make them more likely to run the tests.

• Bring up the evidence: there are NO peer-reviewed controlled clinical studies that show that people can sustain long-term intentional weight loss. But also remind yourself that it’s not your responsibility to educate your doctor - you can also ask your doctor to provide you evidence that intentional weight loss is possible and that it works.

• Lastly, if all else fails, you may want to find another doctor - our previous post {link third post here} can help with finding a HAES-aligned provider.

In addition, these two sets of self-advocacy cards may be helpful:

More Love “Don’t Weigh Me” cards

Ragen Chastain’s “What to Say at the Doctor’s Office” cards

To read more about the HAES philosophy, click here.

To read more about the benefits of working with a HAES provider, click here.

To read more about how to find a HAES provider, click here.