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Obesity/Weight

A Case for Shaming Obese People, Tastefully by Lindsay AbramsShould social pressure and vigorous government action be used to curb the rates of obesity in America?
Amy Winehouse: how an eating disorder factored in her deathAmy Winehouse lived hard and died young, notorious for drug and alcohol abuse. There was also a significant eating issue – a binge and purge cycle – which was never addressed in her therapy and rarely talked about.
Are medical students aware of their anti-obesity bias?Medical students have a significant implicit anti-fat bias and two-thirds of those with this bias are unaware it exists. How might this impact the care they, and others in the healthcare community, deliver?
Can Doctors See Beyond Patients’ Weight?A sibling shares his account of his sister's weight loss, the commentary and judgment that accompanied it, and the terrible outcome of its aftermath.
Clinical care for Obesity and Diet Related illnesses needs more attention to Societal Determinants of HealthArticle from NEJM website about how despite rates of obesity starting to level off overall, the lowest income and minority populations continue to show a sharp increase. A focus on those factors as contributory needs to be a part of the discussion.
Doctors Don’t Like Fat PeopleThe overwhelming belief that patients struggling with overweight/obesity do so out of a weakness in willpower still prevails in the medical community.
Everything you know about obesity is wrong15min read – A description of obesity, weight bias, fat shaming, and a bunch of the consequences from it. A popular article, not a research article, but a comprehensive look at the topic.
Fed Up by Katie Couric, Laurie David, & Stephanie SoechtigIs everything we’ve been told about food and exercise for the past 30 years dead wrong? In this documentary, Katie Couric and Laurie David challenge our views on food and believe that watching their film will change the way you eat forever.
Filling the Void by Dr. Peter Vash (NOTE: JAMA login required)In this short article, Dr. Vash provides us with the story of a young woman with obesity and her underlying struggles, which he only learn through compassionate long-term patient-physician relationship, ultimately leading to physical and mental healing.
How Sleep Loss Adds to Weight Gain by Anahad O’ConnorLosing sleep causes a change in the way the brain responds to fattening food and sweets causing people to eat more and gain weight.
Leave Fat Kids AloneThe “war on childhood obesity” has only caused shame.
Money Replaces Willpower In Programs Promoting Weight Loss by Yuki NoguchiShould overweight and obese workers who do not exercise pay higher premiums? What about those who have a normal BMI but eat poorly? Fundamentally, can financial incentives and disincentives help people become healthier and if so, should they be employed?
My battle with anorexiaDave Chawner talks about his experience being anorexic
Obesity and the US Militarya look at the obesity crisis as it affects military members and military families
Obesity is a National Security Issue: Lieutenant General Mark HertlingLieutenant General Mark Hertling addresses the issue of obesity as a national security issue.
Obesity Is Found to Gain Its Hold in Earliest Years by Gina KolataExperts say the results of a major 2014 study may reshape approaches to combating the nation’s obesity epidemic, suggesting that efforts must start much earlier and focus more on the children at greatest risk.
Obesity: Can we stop the epidemic?A Harvard Public Health School look at the complexity of obesity and how we, as a medical community, try to address it.
Parents Should Avoid Comments on a Child’s WeightWhat do you do when you see your child gaining weight? How do you address it? Studies show that commenting on weight directly – although tempting – is not the answer.
Project ImplicitA series of implicit association tests that offer insight into our implicit biases.
Report: COVID-19 Exacerbates Obesity, Health Inequity in StatesMississippi had the highest rate of obesity in 2019 while Colorado was home to the lowest rate of obesity, according to a recent report.
Rewind the FutureA provocative video by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta that offers one (perhaps over-simplified) perspective on where unhealthy eating habits begin.
ShameIn this thought-provoking blog post on A Better NHS, this General Practitioner explores shame and its slient ubiquity. He covers a myriad of topics including shame in ageing, shame in medical professionals, and shame in obesity. Most importantly, he discusses why shame matters.
Shamed, Flamed, Harassed: What It’s Like To Be Called Fat Online by Anna NorthA 2014 study on social media interactions that discuss weight demonstrates that the most prevalent theme is derogation and stigma against overweight people with a disproportionate number of the posts criticizing women.
Spotting eating disorders at the gymGym employees are often in the position of spotting people who have eating disorders or are at risk, but approaching those people is not as easy as it may seem. A look at the conundrum of the overexerciser.
Story Time – What’s it Like Being So Fat?Synopsis: People ask me questions related to my size all of the time. So I thought I could answer them here in this story time video, talking about my personal experiences of a lifetime struggling with obesity.
TEDMED 2013: Is the Obesity Crisis Hiding a Bigger Problem? By Peter AttiaDr. Attia’s perspective on obesity changed when he started to question his own anti-fat bias and assumptions. He now asks, and researches the answer to the question, “Is obesity the cause of insulin resistance or is it a symptom of a deeper problem?”
Tell Me I’m FatLet's change our perspective on how we view being fat.
The ACFT and the Problems with the Military’s Cult of Physical Fitness
The Easiest Way to Lose 125 Pounds Is to Gain 175 PoundsGain insight into one man's path to weightloss, and better understand the challenges, struggles, and barriers – psychologically and physically – to make this journey a success.
The Fine Line Between Educating and Shaming by Lindsay AbramsSlogans that stigmatize obesity don’t get their message across and may do more harm than good. In fact, considerable evidence demonstrates that individuals who feel stigmatized or shamed about their excess weight engage in higher calorie intake, unhealthy eating behaviors, binge-eating patterns, as well as avoidance of exercise. How can we be anti-obesity without being anti-obese people?
The Obesity Epidemic7 minute video on the obesity epidemic
The Problem with Skinny Mena look at weight from a man who has difficulty keeping weight on, and how the weight debate for women affects men and their self esteem
The Problem with Skinny ShamingA look at the difference between the bias against people who are "too skinny" vs those who are obese. They are not the same thing.
The Science of Weight Loss (and why diets don’t work) (1hr)In this podcast, Inquiring Minds' hosts Indre Viskontas and Kishore Hari interview Traci Mann, professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota and author of the new book Secrets from the Eating Lab: The Science of Weight Loss, the Myth of Willpower, and Why You Should Never Diet Again.
The Weight I Carry (10min read)The author shares an inside look on how he feels about the weight he carries, from the worry he has riding the subway to the way he plans which restaurants will have the right combination of tables and booths to seat him. He talks about what makes him eat and what makes him want to lose weight. It's gripping and honest. Worthwhile read.
The Weight of a Med Student’s Subconscious Bias by Joe PalicaMedical students have a significant implicit anti-fat bias and two-thirds of those with this bias are unaware it exists. How might this impact the care they, and others in the healthcare community, deliver?
Thriving in Scrubs: Doctor’s OrdersWhy is it so hard to take our own good advice about maintaining health? We talk to Barbara, an internal medicine physician about nutrition, and consider why doctors don’t take their own advice about sleep and exercise and other good habits.
Tiger Mom, Meet Diet Enforcer by Julie BosmanDara-Lynn Weiss, frustrated and concerned about her 7-year-old daughter’s weight, put her on a strict diet, wrote about it in Vogue, and then signed a book deal. Should she be condemned? lauded?, both? neither?
Understanding and overcoming the challenge of obesity in the armed forcesFrom recruitment, to readiness, retention, resilience, and retirement, obesity affects the military every day. Between 2002 and 2011, the rate of obesity among active duty service members increased by more than half. Maintaining the health and wellness of service members is critical for national security. But like many Americans, service members, veterans, retirees and their families need community support to maintain a healthy weight.
Weight bias in health careThis is a video created by UConn's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity dramatizing the types of biases – overt and otherwise – that often occur for obese patients in the healthcare setting.
Weight Stigma: Doctors Guilty of Prejudice Against Obese, Too by Lisa NainggolanHealthcare workers, even those who work at hospitals dedicated to research and treatment of obesity, are biased against those who are obese. The healthcare implications are obvious…and worrisome.
What I’d Say to My Fat SonMy weight was a target: My belly was socked, my boy breasts punched and twisted by older, stronger fingers, and torrents of daily verbal abuse were hurled at me. A first-person narrative about being an overweight child and what did and did not help.
Why do our brains get addicteda look at obesity from a biochemical perspective
Why is Georgia Shaming Fat Children?A bold ad campaign’s goal is to target childhood obesity – but is it actually targeting overweight kids?
Why is skinny shaming ok?Emma Woof discusses her perspective as a woman who is not overweight, although struggled with anorexia.
You Can’t Quit Cold Turkey by Tommy TomlinsonJared Lorenzen set the record for passing touchdowns at the University of Kentucky and later won a Super Bowl ring with the New York Giants. His last stop was with the Western Kentucky River Monsters, where at well over 320 pounds, he played quarterback. In this story and video, he shares his perspective on his challenges with weight.