Weighed from Birth: Why Weight Alone Isn't a Reliable Health Indicator

From childhood checkups, weight monitoring has been standard practice. Yet this routine measurement—and the weight loss advice it often sparks—can overlook deeper health issues or even worsen them.

Last July, a Scientific American article, "What if doctors stopped prescribing weight loss?", spotlighted a North Carolina clinic that bans scales. Health professionals there challenge weight-centric care, focusing instead on overall well-being. With patients reporting life-changing results, we wondered: Could this approach work in France? And how does medical weight focus impact patients?

Dive into a potentially realistic shift away from scale obsession.

Is Weight a True Marker of Health?

Weight checks start at birth for good reason. "We track both weight and height, especially in children, to ensure growth aligns with appropriate weight gain," explains Dr. Faïza Bossy, a Nanterre general practitioner specializing in vascular diseases.

Video of the day:

Scale readings, growth curves, and BMI calculations help professionals spot excessive gain or loss signaling potential illnesses. Standards guide care: BMI over 30 indicates obesity; under 17.5 suggests underweight. Both are classified as chronic conditions.

"For adults at full height, we focus on weight alone because it's simple to measure and quantify," Dr. Bossy adds. "It reflects lifestyle habits, fluctuating accordingly."

Psychoanalyst Catherine Grangeard, who supports overweight individuals, calls equating thinness with health a "terrible confusion."

The Harm of Forced Weight Loss

Experts agree: centering care on the scale is misguided. Repeated comments, amplified by fat-shaming society, damage physical and mental health.

In her documentary We Finish Off the Big Ones Nicely (from her book We Aren't Born Fat), journalist Gabrielle Deydier recounts her story. A doctor's diet at 16—prescribed after her mother's panic over size 42 jeans—proved disastrous. At 65 kg aiming to lose 10, she was told to drop 20. "It ruined my relationship with food," she shares.

Such cases fuel eating disorders, per Grangeard. Restrictive dieting also risks rebound weight gain and erodes trust in doctors, leading some to avoid care out of judgment fears.

"It backfires: avoidance isolates them, heightening emotional eating and weight regain. Stigmatized individuals gain more weight," notes endocrinologist Vanessa Folope.

Stigma and Bias in Medicine

"Society idealizes thinness, stigmatizing obesity—with biases rife among the public and professionals alike," Folope says, calling it a "societal issue."

A 2015 British Journal of Obesity article found doctors viewing obese patients as less disciplined, compliant, or likable—leading to rushed consults and poor prescriptions.

"Fatphobia in medicine is taboo," counters Dr. Bossy. "Patients resist full exams; one-third refuse undressing for a cough. We need global assessments for accurate diagnoses, not judgments."

She admits perceptions vary: "I tell patients frankly, 'You're overweight—what next?' My aim isn't guilt."

Flawed Prescriptions

"I get concern for my weight, but it excuses everything—cystitis? Here's a diet," says Alexia, 28, obese since childhood and weary of judgment.

Twitter's #BalancetonGrossophobe overflows with similar frustrations over weight-focused visits.

"Fatphobic staff reduce issues to weight with hurtful words, assuming effort alone fixes it," Grangeard laments.

This spurs rampant dieting, yet a 2010 ANSES study shows 80-95% fail, causing regain. "Post-diet, self-image suffers; guilt leads to comfort eating," she explains.

Understanding Obesity Beyond Diets

Change is possible, Folope believes, starting in training: "Students mimic seniors, so introduce empathetic models."

Since 2015, her Rouen University Hospital program, "Obese Patients: From Changing Our Gaze to Improving Practices," fosters empathy via simulations—including a 200-kg obesity suit. Role-plays and aids training reduce biases.

After four years and 200+ trainees: 94% changed practices, 68% influenced teams, 70% curbed prejudices—effects lasting years.

Holistic Networks for Better Care

Grangeard urges ending weight loss prescriptions: Care for the person, not just symptoms.

"Explore causes, listen—ditch knee-jerk diets," she advises.

Example: A patient "fattened" post-sexual assault sought escape via food. "Weight loss fails without addressing trauma; many regain upon resurfacing vulnerability," she notes.

Multidisciplinary teams help: GPs can refer while treating acute issues. Patients open up more to specialists.

France's 17% obesity rate affects over 8 million. Grangeard concludes: Without understanding fat as a problem-solving mechanism, weight loss pushes are "monumental bullshit."