LIVING WITH OBESITY DOESN’T HAVE TO BE A ONE-PERSON JOURNEY
Menare not seeking help for obesity as much as women
Ian Patton has a lot to say about living with obesity.
Not only as the Director of Advocacy and Public Engagement at Obesity Canada, but as someone who has lived with the chronic condition since childhood. He has spent much of his career researching and lecturing on the subject.
One thing that became clear to Patton over the years is the disparity between men’s and women’s attitudes in this area. “Men are not seeking help or asking questions nearly as much as women,” he said at a recent talk he gave entitled Obesity is Not for Wimps.
In fact, in his work with different support groups, only 20 per cent of members are men, he said. “It’s an even smaller percentage of active members.”
And when Patton had his gastric bypass surgery, “I was one of only three men in a group of about 40 to 50 people at orientation.”
Patton was always one of the bigger kids throughout childhood. “Weight was an issue as far back as I remember.”
As a male who was inclined to athletics, his size worked in his favour in some ways. “I was encouraged to use my size to my advantage in sports. I excelled in hockey, football, rugby and wrestling, which i nsulated me from the bullying and trauma that others might face in their childhood. On the one side, I was picked on and bullied for being fat. On the other, I gained positive reinforcement through my success in sports.”
His sports activities stopped suddenly while he was in graduate school at Western University, when he suffered a back injury during wrestling. “I went from two- and- a- half active hours a day to nothing. My weight skyrocketed even more.”
With that came numerous health issues including severe hypertension and sleep apnea. “I was constantly feeling unwell. At my lowest point I kept thinking that I was dying.”
As a PHD candidate specializing in obesity, his condition even undermined his credibility. “Here I am presenting myself as an expert in the subject, yet I was morbidly obese myself. The implied judgement was a challenge.”
Like many struggling with obesity, he had tried on multiple occasions to lose weight through diet and exercise, but would only gain it all back. The hardest part for Patton was finally admitting to himself he needed help.
“I was too stubborn to admit it. I was raised to believe that men don’t ask for help and I should be able to do it myself. For the longest time I refused to recognize it was a chronic disease and just kept making myself sicker.”
The birth of his first son was a major turning point. “I was pretty far gone and sick at that point, and was well over 350 lbs. I realized with having a kid, I was now responsible for a family and needed help.”
The first step was gastric bypass surgery in 2014. With that, the role within Obesity Canada changed f rom student volunteer to patient advocate.
As both a researcher and patient, he has learned a great deal about obesity and its impact on patients. The most important is that obesity often requires a combination of approaches.
When he started gaining weight again after his surgery, he turned to additional supports including cognitive behavioural therapy and anti- obesity medications. He also read books on food addiction and brain interactions with the body.
One significant hurdle common to many dealing with obesity is the inability to stop thinking about food. “I had an uncontrollable drive for food that became all consuming after my surgery. I had to learn what was going on with my body and my brain and how food affected that.”
Anti- obesity medications, combined with a reduced calorie/ physical exercise regimen, helped him control his appetite. “It has been life altering because it helped me control my ‘food brain’.”
“There is no single right answer because there are lots of different reasons why people gain or have trouble losing weight.” Says Patton. “The most important thing to recognize is that obesity is as much of a chronic disease as diabetes or hypertension and needs a treatment framework that works for that individual.”
Today Patton often spends time in his role advocating for change within the healthcare community as well as patients. “People think all doctors know everything about the body, but obesity is not something that is taught in medical school. Encouraging education on all sides is key.”