I’m tired.
Tired of the divisiveness that permeates our society. Tired of the way we “other” people to make ourselves feel better. We fear those who are different rather than taking the time to understand them.
I often write about weight stigma because I’m ready for change—for myself and for the incredible individuals I work with who are hurting deeply in a world that systematically marginalizes them.
Have you ever truly listened to someone in a larger body share their experience of simply trying to live? Have you allowed them to speak without interjecting and without trying to soften their truth? Understanding begins when we let people own their stories.
Believing stereotypes about fat people harms everyone. When we internalize the notion that being fat is “the worst thing that can happen,” we wage war against our own bodies, harbor hatred toward those who embody our fears, and perpetuate a cycle of discrimination, eating disorders, and division.
And I’m so, so tired of the pain this causes.
The Truth About Body Size and Health
We’re taught that being fat is detrimental to health—a message reinforced by media, family, and medical professionals. But research doesn’t support this simplistic view.
What if health isn’t as closely tied to body size as we’ve been led to believe? What if the guilt and shame we feel for not conforming to a narrow body ideal are misplaced?
Let’s debunk nine pervasive myths about body size. It is time to challenge these myths to be liberated from self-blame and to help us appreciate our bodies for their incredible work of keeping us alive. Constantly battling our bodies is no way to live.
Before we dive in, let’s clarify some terminology. I use terms like “fat,” “person of size,” and “larger-bodied” to discuss these topics. Words like “obese” and “overweight” are problematic and considered slurs by many fat activists. They will only show up in this blog when we are speaking of medical research and terminology. I also use “straight-sized” to describe individuals who can find clothing in standard department stores.
Myth 1: Being Fat is a Personal Choice
Fact: Many Factors Lead to Our Body Size — Nearly All of Them Are Out of Our Control.
For decades, we’ve been told that weight is a simple equation: calories in versus calories out. The belief is that anyone can achieve a straight-sized body with enough effort.
This perspective blames individuals for their size, suggesting that larger-bodied people make poor choices. It ignores the complex interplay of factors that determine body size, including:
- Genetics: Accounts for 30-70% of body size variation.
- Age: Metabolism and body composition change over time.
- Race/Ethnicity: Cultural, genetic, and socioeconomic factors intersect.
- Health Conditions: Certain medical issues and medications affect weight.
- Socioeconomic Status: Influences access to nutritious food and healthcare.
- Environment: Availability of safe spaces for physical activity.
- Stress and Trauma: Chronic stress can disrupt hormonal balance and metabolism.
- Sleep: Poor sleep quality impacts our health in a myriad of ways.
- Dieting: Restrictive diets often lead to weight gain over time.
When we buy into the myth that being fat is a choice, we perpetuate weight bias and ignore these complexities. This mindset harms people of all sizes by promoting fear, discrimination, and hate.
Fat Experiences
Aubrey Gordon wrote a moving article about her experience of joining Weight Watchers at the age of 11:
“But more than that, I learned that all of my actions, accomplishments, and failures would forever be broken, their light refracted through the prism of my body. The personal stories of group members and our group leader alike made it clear that their happiness, relationships, and our very sense of self hinged on their ability to become thin. As a child in a room full of adults, these weren’t just individual stories. They were object lessons, frightening foreshadowing of my future life if I stayed fat. Any future relationship that failed would be squarely my fault, a natural result of living in a body that was categorically undesirable. Social failures, too, would be understood as a direct result of the size of my body. Every aspect of my life, character, and relationships would be measured against the yardstick of my soft and growing body.”
She finishes off with:
“But what hurts more is the painfully ubiquitous narrative that our bodies are to blame for our failures, even in children who are just learning multiplication. Diet advertisements and weight loss shows constantly invoke willpower and work ethic, despite research from sources like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that about 75 percent of our health is determined by social determinants like where we live, what kinds of discrimination we experience, where we access health care, and our income level. But instead of adapting their approach, the diet industry showcases stories of people whose whole lives seem to have fully transformed following weight loss. Instead, they fall back on the same tired and ineffective narratives: that any incompleteness in fat people’s lives owes to our size. That fat bodies are a necessary failure, even as 70 percent of Americans have BMIs that are higher than recommended. That having a fat child is an inherent failure, a disease in desperate search of a cure. And that children as young as eight years old need to learn the shame and failure of their bodies, to prime them for a lifetime living in a world that reviles their shape.”
Myth 2: Thinness Equals Health
Fact: Body Size is Not a Definitive Indicator of Health
The assumption that thinness equates to health is pervasive, yet research indicates that body size is not a definitive indicator of health. Health is multifaceted, encompassing physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
Additionally, we do not know how many adverse health outcomes related to size are the very real consequences of living with weight stigma, being denied medical care due to size, and the many other ways that our society ensures that fat people know they are not wanted or welcome.
Scientific Evidence:
- A study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology highlights that weight-related stigma contributes to physical and psychological harm, leading to discrimination in various settings, including healthcare.The Lancet
- Research in BMC Medicine emphasizes that weight stigma can drive the “obesity epidemic” and harm health, suggesting that societal attitudes towards weight can be more detrimental than weight itself.BioMed Central
Fat Experiences
Roxane Gay, in her memoir Hunger, shares her experiences living in a larger body and the societal pressures she faced. She discusses how her weight became a focal point for others, overshadowing her health and well-being.
“Fat shaming is real, constant, and rather pointed. There are a shocking number of people who believe they can simply torment fat people into weight loss and disciplining their bodies or removing their bodies from the public sphere. They believe they are medical experts, listing a litany of health problems associated with fatness as personal affronts. These tormentors bind themselves in righteousness when they point out the obvious—that our bodies are unruly, defiant, fat. It’s a strange civic-minded cruelty. When people try to shame me for being fat, I feel rage. I get stubborn. I want to make myself fatter to spite the shamers, even though the only person I would really be spiting is myself.”
Myth 3: Body Mass Index (BMI) is an Accurate Measure of Health
FACT: The BMI was created by a statistician to find the average size of white European men–it is not an accurate measure of health.
BMI is a widely used metric that fails to account for muscle mass, bone density, overall body composition, and racial and sex differences.
Notably, the BMI was not initially used as a measurement of health. It was created by a mathematician and statistician who wanted to understand the average white European male. It only became a measure of “health” when life insurance companies got hold of it to set their prices for coverage.
Scientific Evidence:
- A study in PLOS ONE indicates that weight stigma can negatively impact patient-provider interactions, suggesting that reliance on BMI may contribute to biased healthcare practices.PLOS
Fat Experiences
Tara shares an all-too-common story of having her symptoms blamed on her weight. Those symptoms weren’t being thoroughly investigated, and she was assumed to have poor health based solely on her BMI.
“I was upset by the doctors who called me lazy and insisted that I must be eating cake and candy all the time. They couldn’t believe that someone as active and health-conscious as I could carry the weight that I do. But as I said before, I don’t give up. So, I went to a cardiologist. I thought my fatigue and weight might be linked to my heart since I wasn’t getting diagnosed with anything else, and heart disease runs in my family, along with obesity.
“The cardiologist told me, “Weight isn’t my specialty, but I can tell from your test results that you exercise and eat healthy. Your heart is in excellent condition. If you keep this up, I won’t need to see you for ten years. I have no idea why you carry this weight.”
Myth 4: Weight Loss Always Leads to Improved Health
FACT: Health is Multifaceted & Individual
While weight loss can have health benefits for some, it is not a guaranteed path to improved health for everyone. Moreover, the methods used to achieve weight loss can sometimes be harmful.
The truth is not all weight loss is healthy. We lose weight for a variety of reasons including health challenges, grief, and lack of access to food. Assuming that weight loss is always going to result in improved health diminishes the very difficult circumstances that people go through. It reduces their experience to assumptions about their life based on their body.
Scientific Evidence:
- Research in Social Science & Medicine found that interpersonal weight stigma increases stress and negatively impacts wellbeing, leading to maladaptive eating behaviors.ScienceDirect
- Researchers have found that focusing on weight leads to worsening health outcomes, including causing harm to the cardiovascular system. “There is considerable evidence that the focus on weight and weight loss is linked to diminished health.”
Fat Experiences
Chronic dieting leads to malnutrition, which carries with it serious consequences for our health. Aubrey Gordon had such an experience:
“No matter my symptoms, no matter the needs I stated, everything was attributed to being fat. Even when I lost weight, my health failed. Bloodwork showed that I had become anemic, dangerously short on iron, and low on essential vitamins. Despite being a middle-class, college-educated woman, I was undernourished. Because the focus of weight loss is never nutrition, just burning off as much fat as possible, as quickly as possible. Anything that didn’t do that was an abject failure.” https://www.yourfatfriend.com/home/2018/5/10/on-tough-love-and-your-fat-friends-health
In addition, people who have been stuck in a lose-weight-gain-weight cycle for long periods can suffer from mental health and disordered eating, if not a clinical eating disorder.
Myth 5: Dieting is an Effective Long-Term Weight Management Strategy
FACT: Weight Loss Alone is Not a Long-Term Solution, as 90% of People Gain the Weight Back
Most diets fail to produce sustainable weight loss and can lead to weight cycling, which is associated with various health risks.
Virginia Sole-Smith wrote in her excellent book, “Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture,”
“Diets don’t work because they require us to live in a constant state of war with our bodies. “Whenever you restrict food intake, you’re going to run up against your own biology,” explains Dr. Sharma. “It doesn’t matter what program you follow. As soon as your body senses that there are fewer calories going in than going out, it harnesses a whole array of defense mechanisms to fight that.” When we’re dieting, our bodies try to conserve energy, so our metabolism slows down, the result being that you have to eat even less to keep losing weight. That becomes an increasingly difficult project because our bodies also produce more of the hormones, such as ghrelin, that trigger hunger. There is even some evidence that the bacteria in our guts respond when we eat fewer calories, shifting their populations in ways that will send more hunger signals to our brains.”
Scientific Evidence:
- No causal evidence shows the link between higher body weight and disease or premature death (O’Hara, 2006; O’Hara, 2018; Hunger, 2020).
- Empirical evidence does not support BMI as a measure of an individual’s health (Nuttall, 2015).
- “There is considerable evidence that the focus on weight and weight loss is linked to diminished health (Tylka, 2014).”
- Dieting causes long-term weight gain in 95-98% of participants (Tribole, 2017).
- 1 in 4 dieters progress to a clinical eating disorder (number likely higher as many never get diagnosed) (Brooks, 2022).
- Healthcare focused on weight intensifies stigma and leads to increased internalization of shame, and worsening health outcomes (Brown, 2022; Phelan, 2015; Rubino, 2020; Wu, 2018).
Fat Experiences
TV star Matt McGorry shares his experience fighting his body to meet today’s impossible standards. He grew up a “chubby” kid and started dieting and exercising in junior high to avoid the bullying that was everywhere because of his body.
Later, as an adult, his disordered pattern continued:
“I upheld this “normal” by restricting my food intake to maintain what I deemed low body fat levels, despite almost always feeling that I was losing this unwinnable game. I convinced myself that what I called “eating with moderation” or “being healthy” or “ditching bad habits” was about health. I was clueless about the impact all of this was having on my actual health, not to mention my happiness or ability to thrive as a person. As it often is in our culture, the facade of “health” was a smokescreen for what was, primarily, about looking a certain way.”
After discovering HAES and Intuitive Eating, Matt shares the following:
“I’ve gained weight since I decided to love, and heal my relationship to, my body. And people notice. They comment that I’ve gained weight since they last saw me on TV, tell me I shouldn’t “give up on myself.” They give me unsolicited advice at the gym (which never would’ve happened when I was leaner) and talk about their restrictive diets, their juice cleanses for “health.” It’s exhausting to feel like I have to prove my worthiness — and the worthiness of other people in larger bodies — when people make assumptions about me, my health, and my wellbeing. It’s beyond frustrating to be subjected to other people’s diet plans — which is commonplace at the gym — when I’m summoning all the courage I have to make peace with myself and allow myself to gain weight as part of my healing.”
And while this experience is exhausting, Matt feels the battle has been well worth the effort:
“I’ve gained quite a bit of weight. I mean, I’ve really let go. And as a result, my health has been impacted. I have a healthier relationship with my body than ever before. I’ve let go of internalized fatphobia, and all correlating notions that I have to look a certain way to deserve love, dignity, and respect. Yeah, I’ve really let go of the myths and bullshit around what my body is supposed to look like. And I’m more joyful, more free, and more fulfilled because of it.”
Myth 6: Exercising More Will Always Result in Weight Loss
FACT: Exercise Doesn’t Always Mean Weight Loss, There Are Many Benefits to Exercise We Miss Out on If We Simply Stop Exercising
Exercise has numerous health benefits, but it is not a guaranteed method for weight loss. Factors like genetics, metabolism, and hormonal balance play significant roles.
Additionally, just as we can have disordered relationships with food after years of dieting, disordered relationships with exercise are all too common.
If you are unable to take a rest or feel like you need to restrict when you miss a day of exercise, it may be time to examine that relationship more closely.
Many people stop going to the gym as they are subjected to unsolicited advice. Why would people want to be in a space where they are made to feel wrong or are patronized? Many give up if they do not lose weight, as we are constantly promised that exercise will automatically offer weight loss. They quit when they cannot see that weight loss, despite the many other positive benefits they may be experiencing.
Scientific Evidence:
- The Cyclic Obesity/Weight-Based Stigma model suggests that weight stigma operates as a stressor, increasing cortisol levels and promoting comfort eating, which can counteract the effects of exercise.ScienceDirect
Personal Story:
“We get plenty of chances to be inspired by professional athletes. But the media can create a stereotype of what an athlete is “supposed” to be. Yet athletes come in all bodies, ages, shapes and sizes, and everybody deserves to have role models that look like them. In this new series, we’ll introduce you to inspiring athletes who live outside those stereotypes.”
Bobbie Solomon has spent her life as a plus-size athlete and understands firsthand how narrow-minded the world is about what an athlete should and should not look like.
Solomon has spent her life as an athlete, and despite what the world says about exercising leading to weight loss, she has not fit that stereotype.
Solomon has made it her mission to make exercise a safer place for people of all shapes and sizes:
“Solomon hopes to make the sport more inclusive for larger athletes. She also encourages those who create events to have the mindset that sports are for “every body and every age.” She adds, “We must help people achieve what they desire and make them feel welcome.” Solomon also reminds more stereotypical athletes that participation in these events doesn’t need to come with a side of judgment. “Don’t assume that just because someone is bigger than what you normally see or older than what you normally see that they shouldn’t be there.”
Myth 7: Weight Stigma Motivates Individuals to Lose Weight
FACT: Weight Stigma Harms People Physically, Emotionally, and Mentally
Contrary to this belief, weight stigma often leads to increased stress, disordered eating, and avoidance of healthcare, hindering weight management efforts.
Shaming people for their outward appearance is never helpful.
Scientific Evidence:
- A study in Social Science & Medicine found that weight stigma increases maladaptive eating behaviors and negatively impacts well-being, suggesting that stigma is counterproductive to weight loss efforts.ScienceDirect
- “The war on obesity is actually a war on fat people, and the casualties from such a war are felt both personally and by the community (O’Hara, 2006).”
- “We need to be concerned about weight stigma because evidence now exists that weight stigma promotes poor health (Hunger, 2020).”
- Weight stigma can lead to “elevation in biomarkers associated with hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis reactivity, systemic inflammation, and type 2 diabetes mellitus (Mentee, 2023).”
- “The stress of weight stigma is also deleterious to mental well-being:
- […] associated with greater risk of mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders, elevated suicidality, heightened interpersonal sensitivity, social isolation, lower self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, and risky weight control behaviors (Mentee, 2023).”
The next time you are tempted to point out someone’s size in an effort to “help” them, please consider that they already know how the world views them. The pain caused by weight stigma is harming them and us.
Fat people are aware of their size and how the world views them. Pointing it out and being cruel only worsens health.
Fat Experiences
Some examples of how weight stigma harms health can be found at weightissuesnetwork.org. Here are a few examples:
- “I walked out of the gym and some ladies having coffee snickered “ok, so she needs more than one class” just a touch too loud. I own a mirror- I know I’m fat, alas why I’m at the gym DUH!”
- “One of the doctors (foot & ankle) made a nasty remark about ‘fatties’. We were getting some new chairs for the waiting room. He commented, “they are for the fatties”. He went on to say “if they could control what they ate, they needn’t have to come to me and spend $20,000 on surgery”
- “I work in the health system. Sadly I have seen people attend for an interview and immediately they are judged on the basis of their weight. While nothing is said to their face, they are frequently culled out for some other minor reason. The thinking is that they are ‘not a good look’ for the service – regardless of how smart or qualified they are. I am constantly stunned by such narrow-minded and cruel attitudes can be”
- “I just think that sometimes the obesity stigma is so loud and so normal that it can overshadow the reality of the situation, which is that it’s actually really hard. I’ve only ever had the obesity conversation from a weight loss perspective, but if I’ve learnt anything it’s that the physical impact is nothing compared to the toll it takes psychologically, but nobody talks about it.”
Myth 8: Skinny Shaming and Fat Shaming Are the Same
FACT: People in Larger Bodies Navigate Systemic Oppression Every Day
While body shaming in any form is harmful, the societal impacts of fat shaming are more pervasive and institutionalized, affecting employment, healthcare, and social acceptance.
We believe we have the right to comment on other people’s bodies. Just look at the comments on any article about a celebrity, and there will be comments about their body size.
However, every time I give a presentation on weight stigma, a thin person raises their hand and tells a sob story about people saying things about their body.
I agree that this is not okay, but there is a distinct difference between someone saying something about a straight-sized person and the systemic oppression that is built into a society declaring war on a whole population in larger bodies.
Scientific Evidence:
- Research in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology highlights that weight-related stigma leads to discrimination in various settings, including healthcare, education, and employment.The Lancet
- Over the past decade, the prevalence of weight bias has increased in the United States by 66% and has been documented in employment, education, and health care settings.” (Alberga, 2019)
- “The project of sexism and racism to link fatness with laziness and unhealthiness harms everyone, but especially fat people. Rooted in disablism, fat people are treated as deficient and at fault for negative outcomes they may experience due to their bodies (such as health, bullying, or social isolation), rather than the environments that create these conditions. When people’s value is determined by the ‘productivity’ of their bodies, ‘health’ becomes a dangerous measure of one’s morals. The entire medical system is a nightmare to navigate for fat people, who are denied access to life-saving medicines and surgeries because doctors insist they will feel better if they just lose weight. The stigma is so pervasive that fat people are more likely to be denied jobs or convicted in a trial.” (Asher Firestone, The Systems of Oppression Behind Fatphobia)
Fat Experiences
In her memoir Hunger, Roxane Gay discusses the systemic challenges faced due to her size, including difficulties in accessing appropriate seating and clothing, and the societal perception of her body.
Gay writes: “It is a powerful lie to equate thinness with self-worth.”
Many people in large bodies avoid going to the doctor as they often are told to lose weight no matter what the appointment is about and are denied appropriate care as all their symptoms are attributed to their size.
“Many heavier patients report avoiding medical care for fear of mistreatment because of their size—just one of myriad ways weight stigma, or anti-fat bias, manifests in health care.”
This is how weight bias is built into the system. Fat people cannot safely fly or even walk into a waiting room and know that they will be able to sit comfortably. We make it abundantly clear that fat people are unacceptable in society.
I would like to end this section with this quote by Matt McGorry:
“When we in smaller bodies do not name or acknowledge our privilege in these conversations, we often erase these differences, lumping everything under the more palatable banner of “everyone struggles with body image.” This elevates the experience of those who already live in more privileged bodies, and distracts from the more severe consequences that anti-fat oppression has on those most marginalized by fatphobia: people in larger bodies.”
Myth 9: Fatphobia is the Last Acceptable Form of Discrimination
Fact: Bigotry is Still Alive & Well, Disguised as “Only” Weight Stigma or a Hyperfocus on Body Size
In a society that increasingly condemns racism, sexism, and other forms of prejudice, fatphobia remains a glaring exception. It is often dismissed as a matter of personal responsibility or health concern, allowing discriminatory attitudes and behaviors to persist unchecked.
Fatphobia is often socially sanctioned and is often claimed to be the last socially acceptable form of discrimination. However, that is untrue; we have not stopped other forms of discrimination, we are just finding more socially acceptable ways to stay biased. We do it by being openly hostile to fat people.
Aubrey Gordon Writes:
“Fatness is frequently used as a stand-in for poverty, even intellectual disability (Gordon, 2020).”
Overt racism, sexism, and classism are “falling out of favor” among white and wealthy Americans and being replaced by anti-fat bias. This change has “allowed disdain and bigotry aimed at poor people and people of color to persist, uninterrupted and simply renamed (Gordon, 2020).”
The Research:
- “Size-based health and beauty ideals made their way into the medical field through the eugenics movement of the 19th to 20th centuries and were validated using so-called “standard weight” tables. They became even more mainstream with the 20th-century tool to replace standard weight tables: body mass index (BMI). BMI, then, is a continuation of white supremacist embodiment norms, racializing fat phobia under the guise of clinical authority.”
- “According to Sabrina Strings, author of “Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia,” fatphobia has its roots in the transatlantic slave trade, in which colonists asserted that Black people were prone to gluttony and sexual excess and that their love of food caused them to be fat. European colonists claimed moral superiority, valuing moderation and self-control, which made them thin and, according to them, “the superior race.” By the early 1800s, fatness was considered a sign of immorality in the U.S., as well as racial inferiority.”
Fat Experiences
Dr. Sabrina Strings has written extensively on how the thin ideal has historically been used to portray whiteness and everything we consider positive in the media. At the same time, fat has been a stand-in for black and other marginalized identities.
Matt McGorry writes: “Fatphobia is why, in large part, we see stereotypes about fat people mirroring those of Black people, and why those who share both identities experience exponential levels of oppression. Stereotypes suggesting laziness, gluttony, overindulgence, lack of control, unintelligence, etc., are all used against fat people and people of color, particularly Black people. And like fat people, Black people suffer the consequences of these stereotypes when seeking medical help or guidance.”
A great example of how racism is showing up in these spaces is the mere fact that I could not find personal stories that are being shared by people in marginalized populations. This shows how the voices of those with marginalized identities are still being silenced.
The Need for Change
Addressing weight stigma requires a multifaceted approach, because as you can see from these myths, weight stigma is harming us all:
- Policy Reform: Implementing laws that prohibit weight-based discrimination in employment, healthcare, and other areas is crucial. New York Post+2Vox+2JSTOR+2
- Education: Raising awareness about the harms of weight stigma and challenging societal norms that equate thinness with worth.
- Representation: Promoting diverse body types in media and advertising to normalize and celebrate all bodies.
By confronting and dismantling the myth that weight stigma is acceptable, we move towards a more inclusive and equitable society for individuals of all sizes.
Conclusion: The Universal Harm of Weight Stigma
Weight stigma doesn’t just affect those in larger bodies; it permeates society, fostering a culture of judgment and discrimination that harms everyone. It leads to increased stress, avoidance of healthcare, and psychological distress, regardless of one’s size.
“When some bodies are held up as examples of what not to look like and who not to be, all of us suffer. It creates a culture of judgment and rejection, which leads to a world of hurt and shame. When there’s a single standard of what a good, moral person’s body can look like, all of us are trapped.” Aubrey Gordon
By challenging these myths and embracing body diversity, we can create a more inclusive and compassionate society. It’s time to shift the focus from weight to overall well-being, recognizing that health is multifaceted and not solely determined by the number on the scale.
Why this matters: “Ellen Maud Bennett died on 11 May 2018, because she was fat. Ms. Benett had been feeling unwell for several years and had repeatedly sought medical intervention. Each time, her symptoms were attributed entirely to her size, she was sent home with advice to return only once she had lost a significant amount of weight. She was offered no support or suggestions about her ill health beyond weight loss. When the root of her malaise was eventually identified as an inoperable cancer, Ms. Bennett was given just days to live.”
Our stigma is killing people and reducing the quality of life of the majority of the population (as the average size of Americans is now in the “obese” category.
Works Cited:
Alberga, Amanda S., et al. “Weight Bias: A Call to Action.” Journal of Eating Disorders, vol. 4, no. 34, 2016. https://jeatdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40337-016-0112-4. Accessed 18 May 2025.
Bennett, Ellen Maud. Ellen’s Story. Canadian Women in Medicine Blog, Accessed 18 May 2025.
BioMed Central. “Weight Stigma and Health: Evidence from BMC Medicine.” BMC Medicine, 2018, https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-018-1116-5. Accessed 18 May 2025.
Brooks, Ashley. “1 in 4 Dieters Develop an Eating Disorder: Here’s Why.” Eating Disorder Hope, 2022, www.eatingdisorderhope.com/information/statistics-studies. Accessed 18 May 2025.
Firestone, Asher. “The Systems of Oppression Behind Fatphobia.” Asher Firestone Substack, 2023.
Gordon, Aubrey. What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat. Beacon Press, 2020.
Gay, Roxane. Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body. HarperCollins, 2017, Accessed 18 May 2025.
Embodied Core Nutrition. “Wait, There Is More to Weigh in the Conversation About Weight.” IFNA, 2021, https://embodiedcorenutrition.com/wait-there-is-more-to-weigh-in-the-conversation-about-weight/. Accessed 18 May 2025.
Mentee, C. L., et al. “Biomarkers of Weight Stigma Exposure.” Social Science & Medicine, 2023. (Note: Exact URL not provided—confirm for citation integrity.)
National Eating Disorders Association. “Weight Stigma and Dieting Almost Killed Me.” NEDA, www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/weight-stigma-and-dieting-almost-killed-me-story-my-childhood/. Accessed 18 May 2025.
Nuttall, Frank Q. “Body Mass Index: Obesity, BMI, and Health: A Critical Review.” Nutrition Today, vol. 50, no. 3, 2015, pp. 117–128.
O’Hara, Lily. “Health at Every Size: A Weight-Neutral Approach for Public Health Practitioners.” Health Promotion Journal of Australia, vol. 17, no. 3, 2006, pp. 171–176.
PLOS ONE. “Weight Stigma in Patient–Provider Interactions.” PLOS ONE, 2022, https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0251566. Accessed 18 May 2025.
Phelan, Suzanne M., et al. “Impact of Weight Bias and Stigma on Quality of Care and Outcomes for Patients with Obesity.” Obesity Reviews, vol. 16, no. 4, 2015, pp. 319–326.
Rubino, Francesco, et al. “Joint International Consensus Statement for Ending Stigma of Obesity.” Nature Medicine, vol. 26, 2020, pp. 485–497.
Strings, Sabrina. Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia. NYU Press, 2019.
Tribole, Evelyn, and Elyse Resch. Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works. St. Martin’s Griffin, 2017.
Tylka, Tracy L., et al. “The Weight-Inclusive versus Weight-Normative Approach to Health.” Journal of Obesity, 2014, doi:10.1155/2014/983495.
Wu, Youfa, et al. “The Impact of Obesity Stigma on Public Health.” Lancet Public Health, vol. 3, no. 1, 2018, pp. e1–e2.
Weight Issues Network. “Lived Experience Stories.” Weight Issues Network, Accessed 18 May 2025.