Anonymous Doctor

Patient comes in, high blood pressure, BMI of 47.

"I don't know why I keep gaining weight."

"You need to exercise and eat better."

"I don't have time to exercise."

"What hours do you work?"

"8:00 until 11."

"Fifteen hours is a long day."

"No, not 11 at night. 7 until 11 in the morning. I work the breakfast shift."

"And what do you do the rest of the day?"

"I sit on the couch and watch TV."

"All day?"

"I'm lazy."

"And you're wondering why you're gaining weight?"

"This is what I've always done."

"And now it's catching up to you. You definitely have time to exercise. You need to exercise."

"How about starting this summer?"

"How about starting today?"

"I don't want to."

"I don't have a lot of answers for you if you're not willing to try exercising and eating right."

"Diets don't work."

"But we can try and find a plan that can work specifically for you. It needs to start with more movement though. You can't sit on the couch watching TV for 12 hours a day."

"I go to bed by 9."

"Okay, for ten hours a day."

"I'm old."

"You're 39. That's not old."

"It feels old."

"It feels old because you sit on the couch all day, and you weigh almost 300 pounds."

"What if I make it a New Years Resolution?"

"For next year? It's only March!"

"That'll give me time to used to the idea."

"You need to start changing things now."

"I don't want to."

"Then there's not a lot that I can do."

"I told my friends you wouldn't do anything."

"What did you expect me to do?"

"I don't know. Nothing. Doctors are useless."

"What would you like me to do for you?"

"You tell me."

"I don't have any answers if you're not willing to change your lifestyle."

"I'll think about it."

"Okay, at least that's a start."