The hottest Weight Stigma Substack posts right now

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Top Health & Wellness Topics

Things to Stop Saying/Doing To Fat Patients At The Start Of Their Appointments

Weight and Healthcare • 639 implied HN points • 25 Jan 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Weight Stigma Medical care Self-Advocacy Inclusivity Body positivity
  1. Patients should not be told they are too big for equipment; it's the equipment that's too small.
  2. Facilities should proactively have gowns in all sizes for patients, rather than suggesting they wear two.
  3. Healthcare workers should avoid giving unsolicited food advice and respect patients' choice to refuse routine weigh-ins.

BMI Limits - Healthcare Held Hostage For A Weight Loss Ransom - Part 1

Weight and Healthcare • 559 implied HN points • 15 Feb 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Healthcare Weight Stigma Medical Procedures Mental health
  1. BMI limits in healthcare deny procedures to individuals based on their weight, attributing higher risks to higher weight individuals.
  2. These BMI limits perpetuate weight stigma by focusing on weight-based denials instead of improving care for higher-weight individuals.
  3. Patients can face denials of needed surgeries until they reach a certain weight, leading to dangerous delays and potentially fatal consequences.

When Doctors' Education Is Really Pharmaceutical Industry Marketing - Part 1

Weight and Healthcare • 579 implied HN points • 04 Feb 23
🏥 Health Politics Pharmaceuticals Medical education Weight Stigma
  1. Doctors' education can be heavily influenced by the pharmaceutical industry, leading to potential biases in medical practices and treatments.
  2. Some educational conferences and seminars for doctors may actually be marketing events by pharmaceutical companies, promoting certain medications or treatments.
  3. It's crucial for doctors to be aware of potential conflicts of interest and maintain objectivity in their approach to patient care, especially in fields like weight management and diabetes.

Novo Nordisk Gets Caught In Shady Marketing Practices - Part 2

Weight and Healthcare • 379 implied HN points • 01 Apr 23
🏥 Health Politics Pharmaceuticals Ethics Corporate Influence Weight Stigma
  1. Novo Nordisk engaged in shady marketing practices involving funding prominent organizations, healthcare professionals, and academics to promote their weight loss drug without proper disclosure.
  2. The Observer investigation revealed that Novo Nordisk spent millions on payments, sponsorships, and grants to shape the obesity debate and influence healthcare policy decisions.
  3. Experts like Professor John Wilding and Jason Halford were found to be actively supporting Novo Nordisk's drug Wegovy while having substantial financial ties with the company, raising concerns about conflicts of interest.

Navigate Medical Weight Stigma By Creating an Appointment Action Plan

Weight and Healthcare • 519 implied HN points • 07 Jan 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Medical care Weight Stigma
  1. Creating an appointment action plan can help navigate medical weight stigma by keeping the focus on your goals and needs during the appointment.
  2. Including specific goals, symptoms, concerns, questions, and any relevant data in the action plan can help guide the conversation with the healthcare practitioner.
  3. If the practitioner steers the discussion to weight and weight loss, assertively redirect back to the topics outlined in your action plan to stay in control of the appointment.
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The Problem With Weight Stigma Research

Weight and Healthcare • 459 implied HN points • 18 Jan 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Weight Stigma Fat Activism Research
  1. Weight stigma research is often based on the idea that fatness is bad and should be eradicated, influenced by profit interests from the weight loss industry.
  2. Weight stigma in research sometimes suggests weight loss as a solution to oppression, erasing the experiences of those at the highest weights and promoting harmful weight bias.
  3. Erasure of experiences of highest-weight individuals in research impacts healthcare practices and treatment outcomes, highlighting the need for weight-inclusive perspectives in research.

Resources to Fight BMI-Based Denials for Gender-Affirming Procedures

Weight and Healthcare • 279 implied HN points • 03 May 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Weight Stigma Healthcare access
  1. High BMI should not be a barrier to gender-affirming surgeries. Research shows that BMI-based denials are not supported by evidence.
  2. Weight stigma plays a significant role in BMI-based denials for healthcare. Advocating for informed consent and shared decision-making is crucial.
  3. Studies indicate that BMI alone should not preclude individuals from undergoing gender-affirming surgeries. The focus should be on providing access to care and respecting individual choices.

Ghosts of Diet Culture Present

Weight and Healthcare • 459 implied HN points • 28 Dec 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Weight Loss Body positivity Health Impacts Diet Industry Weight Stigma
  1. Diet culture thrives on evil marketing seasons like the holidays, New Years Resolution season, and swimsuit season, making billions of dollars convincing people to try unproductive weight loss methods.
  2. Intentional weight loss often fails in the long term, leading to weight regain and potential negative health impacts like increased mortality, yet the diet industry continues to profit massively from repeat business.
  3. Weight stigma is a real issue, impacting individuals regardless of their body positivity, and many still believe in the myth that weight loss leads to better health despite evidence showing otherwise.

Does this Study Really Say You Can't Be Fat and Fit?

Weight and Healthcare • 459 implied HN points • 17 Dec 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Fitness Medical Research Weight Stigma Body positivity
  1. The study did not conclusively show that you can't be fat and fit, despite initial media headlines suggesting so
  2. Exercise provided health benefits for people of all sizes, indicating that activity can be beneficial regardless of body size
  3. The study's recommendation for weight loss as a primary health policy target lacked strong evidence and overlooked the impacts of weight stigma and weight cycling

Ghosts of Diet Culture Yet to Come

Weight and Healthcare • 419 implied HN points • 31 Dec 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Diet Culture Weight Stigma Healthcare Industry Fat Activism Body positivity
  1. Push back against the diet industry's attempts to frame higher weight as a chronic health condition.
  2. Refuse to participate in and call out the co-option of anti-weight stigma language by the diet industry to sell products.
  3. Support creating a culture shift away from harmful diet culture practices and work towards stopping the weight loss industry.

Ways We Might Be Unintentionally Participating In Weight Stigma and Diet Culture

Weight and Healthcare • 399 implied HN points • 01 Oct 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Weight Stigma Diet Culture Fat Activism Healthcare Self-reflection
  1. Complimenting Weight Lost can reinforce harmful beliefs and set people up for disappointment when weight is regained.
  2. Supporting Inequality by expecting fat individuals to change themselves for healthcare tools is harmful and unfair.
  3. Avoid hypocritical behavior and Blaming Fat Bodies, healthcare practitioners should practice weight-neutral health for all patients, regardless of size.

Is It Anti-Weight Stigma or Diet Industry Propaganda – A Handy Guide

Weight and Healthcare • 559 implied HN points • 28 May 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Weight Stigma Diet Industry
  1. Be cautious of articles that medicalize body size, they may be diet industry propaganda rather than anti-weight stigma.
  2. Watch out for articles quoting individuals profiting from weight loss - they might be pushing diet industry agenda.
  3. Be wary of content that suggests weight loss as a solution to weight stigma, as it could actually be diet industry propaganda in disguise.

No, We Shouldn't "Try Anything For The Obesity Epidemic”

Weight and Healthcare • 439 implied HN points • 24 Aug 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Obesity Healthcare Industry Weight Stigma Health Inequality
  1. Fat people should not be treated as an epidemic - the concept is harmful and profit-driven.
  2. There is a lack of research on long-term efficacy or harm of interventions imposed on fat individuals.
  3. Fat people deserve ethical, evidence-based healthcare focused on supporting their bodies, not punishing them for being fat.

The Vague Future Health Threat Mistake

Weight and Healthcare • 459 implied HN points • 03 Jul 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Body positivity Healthcare Weight Stigma Research
  1. The Vague Future Health Threat (VFHT) is a problematic argument used against weight-neutral health, combining healthism and fatphobia.
  2. Health issues should not be used to threaten, taunt or insult someone and attributing all health problems to body size is scientifically invalid.
  3. Intentional weight loss methods often lead to weight cycling, with potential negative impacts on health, and the VFHT is not a valid justification for fatphobia.

Reader Question - What's the Difference Between Fat Activists and the Diet Industry?

Weight and Healthcare • 459 implied HN points • 08 Jun 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Body positivity Diet Industry Weight Stigma Fat Activism Healthcare
  1. The main difference between fat activists and the diet industry is their ultimate goals: Fat activists aim to end the weight-centric paradigm to affirm and accommodate fat individuals, while the diet industry seeks profit and perpetuates harmful practices.
  2. Fat activists focus on making information accessible without money as a barrier, prioritizing helping people over profit. In contrast, the diet industry prioritizes profit margins and is willing to take risks that harm fat individuals for financial gain.
  3. The approach to health by fat activists is grounded in thorough research, whereas the diet industry often pathologizes body size, creates misleading studies, and makes errors in correlation vs. causation analysis.

We Must Stop Using Weight As A Proxy For Health

Weight and Healthcare • 319 implied HN points • 12 Oct 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Weight Stigma Health Misinformation Body positivity Health Advocacy
  1. Using weight as a proxy for health perpetuates stigma, especially against fat individuals and those with multiple marginalized identities.
  2. Weight is a poor indicator of health on an individual basis, as people of the same weight can have different health statuses.
  3. Using weight as a proxy for health can lead to subpar healthcare practices, promote stereotypes, and mislead individuals about their health needs.

If You're Thinking About Offering Advice to a Fat Person About Their Health...

Weight and Healthcare • 399 implied HN points • 06 Jul 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Body positivity Mental health Physical health Weight Stigma
  1. Before offering health advice to a fat person, make sure they asked for it.
  2. Only give advice if you are a true expert with accurate, evidence-based information.
  3. Consider if your concern for their health goes beyond just their body size and if you are actively working to improve social determinants of health.

Compassion for Fat Patients Doesn't Replace Actual Healthcare

Weight and Healthcare • 379 implied HN points • 20 Jul 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Obesity Healthcare Compassion Weight Stigma
  1. Compassion is important, but it should not replace evidence-based healthcare for fat patients.
  2. Believing that being in a higher-weight body is a health condition rooted in weight stigma is problematic.
  3. Fat patients deserve compassionate, ethical, evidence-based healthcare that supports their health without focusing solely on body size.

Understanding Weight Stigma in Healthcare Practice

Weight and Healthcare • 279 implied HN points • 19 Oct 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Weight Stigma Healthcare Research
  1. Weight stigma in healthcare is pervasive and harmful, affecting fat individuals at every level and it is rooted in racism and anti-Blackness.
  2. Different forms of weight stigma and bias exist, including intrinsic and structural biases, and these can lead to inequalities in healthcare access and treatment.
  3. Healthcare practitioners often display high levels of bias, which can harm higher-weight patients, and lack of accommodation for fat patients is a common issue that impacts their access to healthcare.

Questions for Healthcare Practitioners to Ask Themselves about Weight Bias

Weight and Healthcare • 339 implied HN points • 06 Aug 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Weight Stigma
  1. Healthcare practitioners should be aware of implicit weight bias that may affect their patient care.
  2. Avoid making assumptions about higher-weight patients' eating and exercise habits when providing recommendations.
  3. It's important for healthcare practitioners to offer unbiased, evidence-based care to all patients, regardless of weight.

Stop telling fat patients to “just try” a too-small blood pressure cuff – Weight Stigma in Practice

Weight and Healthcare • 379 implied HN points • 25 Jun 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Weight Stigma Healthcare
  1. Using a too-small blood pressure cuff on fat patients can lead to inaccurate readings, potentially causing misdiagnoses of high blood pressure.
  2. Healthcare professionals should ensure they have properly-sized cuffs and appropriate training to provide accurate care for fat patients.
  3. Fat patients should be proactive in advocating for themselves during medical appointments to ensure proper blood pressure measurements are taken.

Alternatives to Common Weight Stigma-Based Phrases in Healthcare

Weight and Healthcare • 339 implied HN points • 23 Jul 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Weight Stigma Patient Care
  1. Apologize for lack of accommodation in healthcare settings and explore alternative solutions with the patient.
  2. Patients have the right to refuse routine weigh-ins if not medically necessary, emphasizing informed consent and individual comfort.
  3. Weight-neutral approaches should be considered in healthcare, avoiding weight-stigmatizing language and interventions.

How to Spot the Dangerous "Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner" Approach to Weight Stigma

Weight and Healthcare • 259 implied HN points • 05 Oct 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Weight Stigma Fat Activism Body Image Healthcare Industry
  1. Identifying the 'Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner' Approach to Weight Stigma involves recognizing when people suggest fat individuals pursue weight loss despite claiming to be against stigmatizing.
  2. Spotting those promoting anti-weight stigma may involve noting if they pathologize higher-weight bodies, claim weight stigma hinders weight loss efforts, or suggest weight loss as a solution to stigma.
  3. Vigilance is required to discern genuine anti-stigma advocates from those affiliated with the weight loss industry or who only reference pseudo-anti-stigma work.

The Pure Folly of Claiming Weight Loss Is An Anti-Weight Stigma Measure

Weight and Healthcare • 239 implied HN points • 29 Oct 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Weight Stigma Fat Activism Diet Industry Health Risks Lobbying
  1. Promoting weight loss as an anti-weight stigma measure is harmful and misguided.
  2. The weight loss industry often tries to frame weight loss as a solution to weight stigma, but it is not a genuine anti-stigma action.
  3. Misinformation sponsored by the weight loss industry can lead to misunderstanding about fighting against weight stigma.

Reader Question - What Does It Mean For Weight To Be A Risk Factor?

Weight and Healthcare • 299 implied HN points • 03 Aug 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Fat Activism Health Studies Weight Stigma
  1. A risk factor for a health issue increases the risk but doesn't necessarily cause it. This distinction between correlation and causation is crucial in understanding health impacts.
  2. Research often neglects to consider factors like weight stigma, weight cycling, and healthcare inequalities when discussing the health impacts of being overweight, leading to inaccurate conclusions.
  3. Using verbiage like 'risk factor for' should prompt questions about causality and the influence of other societal factors like racism, highlighting the importance of critical analysis in interpreting health information.

Novo Nordisk Brings Medical Drama Stars Into their Fatphobia-for-Profit Scheme

Weight and Healthcare • 379 implied HN points • 02 Feb 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Weight Stigma Fat Liberation Health Risks
  1. Novo Nordisk is promoting the idea that existing in a larger body is a disease requiring treatment, possibly for profit.
  2. Collaborations with organizations and TV shows are used to push harmful messages about weight and health.
  3. The campaign uses the language of fat liberation but ultimately sells fat eugenics, risking fat people's lives while falsely promising health benefits.

Emergency Contraception and Higher Weight People

Weight and Healthcare • 299 implied HN points • 14 May 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Reproductive Health Weight Stigma Inclusivity Medical Research
  1. Emergency contraception pills like Plan B may be less effective for higher-weight individuals, with higher weights potentially leading to decreased efficacy or even complete ineffectiveness above 176 pounds.
  2. Ulipristal acetate (Ella) pills, though requiring a prescription, have shown to be more effective than Levonorgestrel options for emergency contraception, especially for higher-weight individuals.
  3. Copper IUDs are the most effective emergency contraception method and show consistent efficacy regardless of weight, making them a recommended choice for higher-weight individuals.

Is the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Choosing Weight Stigma Over Science?

Weight and Healthcare • 359 implied HN points • 23 Feb 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Nutrition Weight Stigma Science Research Guidelines
  1. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is being criticized for favoring weight stigma over scientific evidence in their guidelines for higher weight individuals.
  2. The guidelines recommend weight loss interventions for higher weight people, emphasizing body size over actual health outcomes.
  3. The guidelines are accused of ignoring research showing the failure of traditional weight loss methods and promoting weight stigma, raising questions about the motives behind these recommendations.

How to Tell if You are Truly Concerned About Fat People’s Health

Weight and Healthcare • 219 implied HN points • 30 Jul 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Body positivity Weight Stigma Fatphobia Mental health Social justice
  1. Truly caring for fat people's health goes beyond body size and includes addressing weight stigma and oppression.
  2. Using stigmatizing language like 'ob*se' or believing thinness can magically solve health issues perpetuates weight stigma.
  3. Recommendations for intentional weight loss may often lead to harm and supporting anti-fatness contradicts true concern for fat people's health.

Inclusive Language For Higher-Weight People

Weight and Healthcare • 379 implied HN points • 03 Nov 21
🏥 Health & Wellness Body positivity Weight Stigma Fat Activism
  1. Obese and overweight are terms with harmful histories, rooted in racism, and should be retired.
  2. Person First Language may actually increase stigma for higher-weight people by implying shame in accurate descriptions of body size.
  3. Using neutral terms like 'higher-weight' and 'larger-bodied' is recommended to describe this population without pathologizing or euphemizing.

How to Explain Weight Stigma in Healthcare

Weight and Healthcare • 239 implied HN points • 23 Apr 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Weight Stigma Healthcare Inequalities Body positivity
  1. Healthcare facilities often lack accommodations for fat people, like suitable furniture and equipment, due to weight stigma.
  2. Medical weight stigma leads to fat patients receiving subpar care compared to thin patients with the same symptoms, focusing on weight loss over appropriate treatment.
  3. Fat patients may be denied necessary surgeries and offered weight loss surgeries instead, putting their health at risk for temporary weight loss.

Why We Should End Routine Weigh-Ins

Weight and Healthcare • 239 implied HN points • 06 Apr 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Body positivity Medical Practices Weight Stigma Healthcare Ethics Informed consent
  1. Routine weigh-ins at healthcare facilities can be harmful, especially for fat patients and those with eating disorders, leading to missed screenings and late diagnoses.
  2. The emphasis on weight by healthcare providers can overshadow addressing actual health concerns, and the practice may be fueled by profit motives in the weight loss industry.
  3. Healthcare providers should reconsider the necessity of routine weigh-ins, promote weight-neutral care, and provide options for patients to refuse weigh-ins.

Fat People, Healthcare, and Tax Dollars

Weight and Healthcare • 299 implied HN points • 31 Oct 21
🏥 Health & Wellness Body positivity Healthcare Weight Stigma Fatphobia
  1. Addressing weight stigma often involves countering the argument that fat people's healthcare is funded by tax dollars.
  2. Claims about fat people's healthcare costs being higher are overstated, and health issues are driven by factors like weight stigma and healthcare inequalities.
  3. It's important to challenge the flawed assumptions behind the 'fat people and my tax dollars' argument, which only serve to reinforce harmful weight stigma.

Getting the Healthcare That Thin People Get

Weight and Healthcare • 179 implied HN points • 30 Apr 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Healthcare Weight Stigma Inclusivity Research
  1. Question healthcare practitioners about treatment in thin individuals to receive equal, evidence-based care as a higher weight patient.
  2. Healthcare system needs a major paradigm shift to accommodate higher weight patients in terms of research, spaces, and training.
  3. Higher weight patients deserve research inclusive of all body sizes, accommodations in healthcare spaces, and doctors educated to work with diverse body types.

Reader Question - What About Those Jaw Locking Weight Loss Devices

Weight and Healthcare • 159 implied HN points • 25 May 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Weight Loss Body positivity Healthcare Ethics Weight Stigma
  1. Jaw locking weight loss devices are inhumane and unethical, regardless of their effectiveness in achieving long-term weight loss.
  2. Research shows that weight loss surgeries and extreme diets do not lead to sustained weight loss for most people.
  3. Weight stigma in healthcare can lead to harmful interventions and perpetuate inequalities in healthcare access.