I admit that I used to like Dr. Oz. I even had the DVR set to record him everyday. But I noticed a trend a few years ago that he was talking more and more about weight-loss, and especially all of the new "fad diets" out there. It bothered me, but not so much that I thought he was dangerous, I just though he'd gotten kind of monotonous. Now that I work exclusively with eating disorders, I have a completely different viewpoint on him. Granted, I am in a highly sensitive role here and the name "Dr. Oz" is basically the naughtiest of naughty words amongst any of my co-workers, especially the 7 registered dietitians I share my office space with. However, all I had to do was peruse the Dr. Oz website for 5 minutes, and this is what I found, all directly copied from his episode list.
Eat Your Way Thin
Oz-Approved 7-Day Crash Diet
Do I even have to explain whats wrong with this? I understand that his show is not geared towards people with eating disorders, but with at least 10 million Americans suffering from eating disorders, you'd think he'd be a little more careful about what he puts out there. 10 million is probably a low estimate, there are probably millions more who don't realize they have an eating disorder. In my experience, a lot of people work really hard to lose weight or maintain a weight that would actually put them in the underweight category, which is every bit as dangerous as being overweight. But a lot of people don't think they are underweight because they don't look super skinny (I used to be one of them for many years), they just don't realize that optimal weight is highly personal and based on childhood growth charts- not by social expectations.
I'm not saying Dr. Oz is evil or that he's triggering people with eating disorders on purpose, but the fact is that he is triggering them. He's even triggering people without eating disorders to develop one! This might sound like a stretch to those of you on the outside, but I have seen it time and time and time again. I have personally treated MANY people who say their eating disorder started when they decided to try a new diet they saw on Dr. Oz, or on a show similar to his. His promises are addicting! Try this new miracle drug, eliminate this food, eat more of this, do this cleanse…etc. It's hard to not get caught up in it, especially if you have poor body image to begin with.
Obviously, Dr. Oz is not the only one to blame. All you have to do is turn on the tv for 10 minutes, browse the magazines at the check-out aisle at Target, or listen to a group of women's conversation over lunch, and you will be exposed to the constant obsession American's have with weight loss. I used to be Guilty with a capital G of ALL of this. Thankfully, I am much more aware now of what I say and think about this topic. I am also much more picky and critical of what types of influences I expose myself to. I know I have some strong/harsh opinions here (I absolutely HATE the gluten-free trend…unless you have celiac disease or a real not based on weight loss intolerance) but my opinions truly do come from the damage I've seen these trends have on so many lives. Read this article for more.
I really don't have an Aha! moment for you here, I just had to get this off my chest. I just hope that people learn to watch Dr. Oz and similar shows about weight loss with a skeptical mind. It makes me so sad to see new patients come in because of this weightloss overload in the media. Just be smart people. As it turns out, there is no miracle here.
Well said, Katie :)
ReplyDeleteI second what Dawn said. Very well said!
ReplyDeleteHi! I just clicked over to your blog from the MN bloggers page on FB. I have to tell you that I absolutely agree with this post! I've always had a hard time with Dr. Oz's attitude. Being in such a role of influence, he does need to be careful about what he puts his name on. I really struggled with weight & eating in college and wasn't able to move past it until my now husband taught me how to properly eat & work out. I know now what MY body needs and am trying to teach very good things to my daughter. It is quite scary what the world tells people - especially women - about our bodies. There certainly is no magic way to be healthy besides working hard and eating what our bodies actually need. Great post!
ReplyDeleteAngela. @ themangomemoirs.com