Meggie Holden, MDA, RD, LD, CEDS

Approach to care

• What does it look like for you to provide care to patients in larger bodies? How is, or isn’t, your approach different from how you care for patients in smaller bodies? If you work with children, how is or isn’t your approach different when working with children?

  I am very curious about each client's individual experience in their body. Specifically with clients in larger bodies, I like to discuss if/how their body size has impacted how they have navigated their life. I like to listen to understand each client's individual perspective and experiences. We discuss how weight stigma has impacted their life. I do use a different approach with my clients in larger bodies because I don't want to make assumptions or dismiss how they feel living in a larger body.

• What is your perspective on how weight is or is not related to health?

  I don't think weight is directly related to health. I like to focus on the behaviors that impact health, not numbers.

• Finish this sentence: “Fat people are…” 

  able to do the things and live the lives they want - no matter their body size.

• How do you, your clinic, and the healthcare system you work in use BMI (i.e BMI cutoffs for accessing certain services, BMI on charts and printouts, etc)? Is this flexible?

  I typically do not use BMI in my clinic. The only time I may use BMI is when I am determining goal weights for weight restoration - sometimes looking at the BMI growth chart for an adolescent can be helpful in determining goal weights.

• If a patient declines to be weighed, how do you and/or your staff proceed?

  I am happy to not weight clients if they do not want to be weighed.

• If a patient declines to discuss weight loss, nutrition, and/or exercise, how do you proceed?

  I want to focus and discuss what my client feels is important. I don't focus on weight loss at all in my practice.

• What does the physical accessibility of your office space look like? What kinds of accommodations are present for people in larger bodies? Are there things you wish were in place that are currently not? 

  I am currently only doing virtual appointments.

• What do you do to allow fat people to feel comfortable and welcome in your office? 

  Again, I am only doing virtual appointments. But in my practice I do not focus on weight and I practice Health at Every Size principles.

• If you’d like to use this space to talk about any identities (gender, race, size, sexuality, etc.) you hold and how this relates to your care, please do so.