When my doctor questioned my weight gain

My doctor was concerned about my weight gain. The concern was mild, but he kept circling back to the same question: was I sure this was what I wanted?

I do not think the question was wrong to ask. Asking is part of the job, and for a different patient on a different day it might be the right question. It still landed hard. When gaining on purpose is something you have had to work toward, "are you sure" can sound a lot like "you should not."

Saying it out loud

So I explained. This was not an accident. I was working with a nutritionist. There was a plan. I felt better than I had in years, which seemed worth saying twice. I had not rehearsed any of it, which is probably why it came out like a list.

Explaining my own plan always sounded simple when I imagined it. Doing it in the actual room, while someone kept asking if I was sure, was harder. Believing in my goals at home is easier than stating them plainly to my doctor.

Nothing about the conversation changed the plan. The nutritionist stays. The plan stays. What changed is that I had finally said all of it out loud to the one person I had been bracing to justify it to.

I left feeling uncomfortable, and I also left knowing I had stated the plan clearly. I get a say in my body and what health means for me. I will keep going to appointments and answering the questions honestly. I will keep gaining on purpose, with help, because it is working.