111: Ob*sity

This episode is actually the second version of a rant I recorded based on a Facebook post I had a reaction to. I discovered I hadn’t had my mic turned on after recording the first version of the rant and despite feeling slightly better after voicing my feelings to all of you, I still felt compelled to share my thoughts. Which brings us to this version. The Facebook post in question was from a fellow physician who wrote that only 40% of Americans are considered obese. Her caption stating she learned the statistic during continuing medical education combined with my poor decision to read the comments got me very upset. It just reminded me again of how pervasive weight discrimination and fat shaming is in our culture, and also within medical culture. So I’m sharing my thoughts about it here.

The obesity referred to in the Facebook post was almost certainly defined using BMI because that’s how the medical world defines it. I’ve addressed all the problems with the BMI previously and even in June of this year the American Medical Association released a statement urging physicians to reconsider how they use BMI because of its history and racial implications involved with its use. So many things about the reference to obesity in the post got me riled up, and understanding the misuse of BMI is just part of it. It sparked a complicated reaction in me because I am a board-certified obesity medicine physician and though I don’t actively practice due to not believing in the interventions we’re taught to prescribe, until recently I was coaching weight loss. The unease I felt in responding to the post (I didn’t), and my offense at some of the comments inferring that people categorized as obese are disgusting, just combined into upset that led to this episode. So please join me as I break down again what is wrong with BMI, with the arbitrary categorization of obesity, with assuming weight indicates health, with not allowing for health at any size, and in examining my own personal feelings about my place in it all. I end with a promise to you, and myself, to strive for more courage in addressing these errant beliefs amongst my colleagues. 

About Dr. Michelle Tubman

Dr. Michelle Tubman is a physician and health coach. She helps women ditch dieting and thrive at any size. For the longest time she believed that weight loss was the answer to all her problems. But decades of yo-yo dieting and restriction left her miserable, unhealthy, and exhausted. Now she teaches women how harmful dieting can be and shows them the way to true health and wellness.

As a physician specializing in both emergency and obesity medicine, with additional training in nutrition, eating psychology, and coaching, Michelle can tell you with certainty that dieting is dangerous. Studies associate compromised health more with yo-yo dieting than higher body weight. Yet, everywhere you turn, shrinking your body is hailed as the solution. Women don't need to change. Attitudes do. So let's stop self-shaming, speak out against sizeism, and fiercely champion unconditional self-celebration!

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Learn more about Dr Michelle Tubman and Wayza Health:

• Website: www.wayzahealth.com
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