Dr. Sameer Murali struggled with weight throughout his childhood and college. He's made a career out of helping others facing the same challenges.
When Dr. Sameer Murali meets patients for the first time, he asks, “Why do you want to lose weight? Why is this important to you — right now?”That’s how Murali learns what challenges he will face — and how he can best assist — on his patient’s journey to better health.
That’s why his first appointment with patients is an hourlong consultation. Topics include health history, mental health, anxieties, nutrition and peer support. He often tells patients, “Whatever your struggle, I believe it has a very deep root. That’s what my story has revealed to me.”When he shares his own story, patients often tell him they are relieved to be treated by someone who understands. “It gives them hope and courage.”Murali’s parents immigrated from India in the 1970s, and Murali was born in Oklahoma.
Murali began to gain weight. His pediatrician asked him to lower the figure on the scale but never outlined how. But after two months, he would come home and start gaining back the weight he’d lost. In the U.S., there was access to junk food, including chocolate milk and pastries.. He continues to see this today, as certain neighborhoods lack access to healthy foods.Practicing obesity medicine