If I’m being honest, after I’d had time to process, I was thankful for the reality check. I could have easily continued to gain weight until it finally did cause a problem if someone I trusted hadn’t gotten serious with me.

Could it have been done better? Absolutely. Would it have only made matters worse for me if I had body image issues? Definitely yes. Is it unhelpful coming from non-health professionals? Totally.

Realizing I’d gained that much weight forced me to reckon with the reasons why it was happening: in my case, I had switched to a desk job and never made up for the lack of activity by exercising in my free time. I was also depressed and eating my way through it. Addressing those issues did lead to a body less likely to succumb to a few weight-related diseases, and I think that’s cool. (Also, it was the “final straw” to get me to really tackle my mental health issues, which I’m super grateful for.)

But doctors need to get better at these conversations. If it hadn’t been for the body positive movement, I could have left that office more deeply depressed, started eating more, and made it worse.