You Probably Don’t Need To Be Weighed At The Doctor’s Office

For many struggling with body image, heading to the doctor for a specific health issue or even just a routine checkup is more stressful than it needs to be.

Weigh-ins are a standard practice before you see your doctor, but if you’ve experienced an eating disorder or are self-conscious about your weight, jumping on a scale in the middle of a busy hallway is a tall order.

But here’s an underdiscussed secret: You really don’t have to be weighed every time you go to the doctor.

“It is entirely correct that after age 18, most people do not need to be weighed at the doctor’s office,” Jennifer Gaudiani, a Denver-based physician who treats patients with eating disorders, told HuffPost.

Of course, there are a handful of exceptions: Weight understandably needs to be tracked when a patient with an eating disorder has specific weight needs in order to treat the disease.

If someone comes in and is concerned about unexplained weight loss, that needs to be measured and watched, too.

“And young children need to have weight and height monitored to make sure growth is proceeding properly,” Gaudiani said. “Pregnant people also need to have weights followed ― although they don’t need to have the weights revealed or discussed ― to be sure baby is getting what baby needs.”

But outside of exceptions like these, Gaudiani said she’s confident that “90%” of weigh-ins taken at medical offices are entirely unnecessary.

“What that means is someone coming in to talk about their depression, digestion, substance use or twisted ankle can find themselves on the other end of a lecture about weight and weight loss,” she said.

That sometimes results in weight-conscious patients avoiding health checkups altogether.

“Unnecessary weigh-ins chill patients’ willingness to see medical providers, waste everyone’s time, fail to address the most important concerns of the patient, and may push individuals into cycles of dieting, maybe some weight loss, then regaining even more,” she said.

Given Gaudiani’s thoughts on weigh-ins, she was thrilled last month when she saw these “Please Don’t Weigh Me” cards trending on Twitter:

The cards, created by eating disorder recovery site More-Love.org, read: “Please don’t weigh me unless it’s (really) medically necessary,” adding: “If you really need my weight, please tell me why so that I can give you my informed consent.”

The cards were initially free for individuals but now cost $1 each due to demand….