Finding a Size Friendly Doctor

Medical Treatment for the Big and Tall

Persons of size (big and tall) have special challenges when searching for medical assistance. One of the first challenges is to find a doctor who does not have a natural tendency to attribute weight to all the medical issues present. Another challenge is to find a doctor that is trying to force you to make decisions that are uncomfortable.For example, the doctor should not assume that prescribing diet pills, (or any prescription with a side effect of weight loss) or advising weight loss surgery is automatically in your best interest.

What to Look for in a Doctor or Medical Facility


  • Notice the waiting room. A lobby that is entirely furnished with armchairs and a lack of couches is a sure sign that the doctor or even the hospital is not size friendly. With over 2/3rds of the populace of the United States classified as overweight or obese, the facility should be cognizant that a majority of the clientele will not be what is considered “normal” sized.
  • Look for comfortable seating. The size friendly doctor or hospital will have an exam table that accommodates your weight. Wooden framed tables and chairs with arms are a bad sign. Also chairs without arms should be present in this room for you as well.
  • Inquire about their scale. A doctor that is size friendly should have a scale that weighs up to at least 600 pounds. We understand that weighing in can be traumatic for some, and it should be made clear to the doctor if you do not want to be weighed. But if you are having an annual physical, you should be weighed and they need to have the equipment.
  • Ask about the equipment that is used. In the same vain as the scale, a size friendly doctor’s office will have equipment that accommodates your size. Extra large blood pressure cuffs, step stools to assist with getting on exam tables and urinary hats available for urine samples are all example of items size friendly medical facilities should have. In the case of hospitals, they should high weight capacity MRI, CT Scan machines, and x-ray machines. A size friendly doctor should have a working knowledge of hospitals with these types of machines.

Being Proactive in Your Medical Care

You should also endeavor to establish ground rules with your medical providers by setting up an introductory meeting. Let a doctor and his/her staff know what your health goals are. Some people are perfectly fine with being overweight. The last thing they want to hear is a doctor that is pushing diets and telling them their weight is the cause of all their problems. Communicate that. Don’t be averse to the truth, for instance, if you are diagnosed with Type II Diabetes, then obviously losing weight is going to be a way of controlling it. But if you break your arm, you don’t want a physician that will start advising gastric bypass as a way to correct the issue. Also, when you advise the prospective physician of your boundaries, make sure he advises the staff of this (for example, if you do not want to be weighed every visit, the nurses that work there need to know that since they are the ones who usually do this).


And don’t be afraid to ask for things. The Americans with Disabilities Act has been substantially expanded for 2009. And the morbidly obese are covered under this. You have the right to ask to be accommodated, and they have a duty to make reasonable accommodations.

If you have a doctor that is acting in ways you feel that are detrimental to you because of your size, keep in mind that you can and should report this behavior. No one at any time should be made to feel shamed by a doctor, their staff or any medical professional for being fat. Also, in the example above, it was mentioned that a doctor may try to give medication that has a side effect of weight loss. If this medication is being given “off label” (a use unapproved by the drug manufacturer and/or Food and Drug Administration–in the United States) then it could be considered a violation of ethics and medical board rules if there is not a lot of studies supporting the safety and effectiveness of the off label use. In either of these case, report these issues to your state medical board and insurance company. If it is overtly egregious, you may want to seek legal counsel.

It can be a frustrating to find the right doctor and/or hospital. But if you are unhappy with the one you have or if you interview a provider you are uncomfortable with, then by no means should you settle. You are after all putting your life in their hands and you are the customer, so you have the power.