THE SILENT STRUGGLES

Yesterday, a 44-year-old man living with a weight of 182 kg broke down in tears during the consultation.

He did not cry because he was in any kind of physical pain. He cried because he felt utterly helpless—and scared. He cried because he could no longer breathe easily or walk without difficulty. Breathing and walking are basic, right? He cried because he felt he was failing as a father and as a husband, unable to support his wife and children the way he wanted to.

Every attempt to lose weight had ended in defeat. He felt like he was a burden on everyone. He felt that his life was over.

This is the hidden weight of obesity. It’s the part no one sees.

People living with obesity carry years of silent suffering. They are constantly mocked, judged, and dismissed. They are labelled as lazy, irresponsible, or lacking willpower. They live an entire lifetime with smirks, unsolicited advice, or silent disdain.

And yet what we see in our clinic is that most of them have tried—tried harder than we can imagine.

Here lies the paradox: society expects them to “do something” about their weight but offers little understanding of the disease or support. Instead, it adds layers of #shame, making an already difficult journey even more difficult.

It expects them to fight a complex battle alone and also pins the blame on them at every step of the way.

Obesity is more than a physical condition—it’s a complex and deeply emotional experience. What people with obesity often need is not more advice, but more #empathy.

Sometimes, just being treated with kindness and understanding can lift more weight than any scale ever could.

©️Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker

PS- Image is AI generated