Notes From The Fatosphere: 2019

Tuesday, 31 December 2019

Poem For A Diet-Free New Year

If you are renewing your resolution to diet diets, or if you’re tempted to give dieting one more last try, then I wrote this for you! (Video has captions and the full poem is in the description.)

If you’re curious, it took Bu two and a half takes to fall asleep, this was take four!

CREDITS
Written by: Ragen Chastain

Poetry Consultant: Lesleigh Owen

Bu’s Costuming Assistant: Julianne Wotasik
Bu’s On-Set Assistant: Lesleigh Owen

No Bu’s were harmed in the making of this video, though he did get a good nap.

Based on the original work “A Visit From St. Nicholas”
by: Clement Clarke Moore
©Ragen Chastain 2019

Was this helpful? If you appreciate the work that I do, you can support my ability to do more of it with a one-time tip or by becoming a member. (Members get special deals on fat-positive stuff, a monthly e-mail keeping them up to date on the work their membership supports, and the ability to ask me questions that I answer in a members-only monthly Q&A Video!)

Sick of diet talk? Want to tell fatphobes to take a hike? Want to explain how important fat-friendly seating is? There are songs for that. Jeanette DePatie and I have collaborated on some revamped holiday songs that we are releasing between now and the new year! Below is a playlist of the songs we’ve released so far. If you want to make sure not to miss future videos, you can subscribe to my YouTube channel!

Like this blog? Here’s more cool stuff:

Wellness for All Bodies Program: A simple, step-by-step, super efficient guide to setting and reaching your health goals from a weight-neutral perspective. This program can be used by individuals, or by groups, including as a workplace wellness program!
Price: $25.00 ($10 for DancesWithFat members – register on the member page)

Body Love Obstacle Course

This e-course that includes coaching videos, a study guide, and an ebook with the tools you need to create a rock-solid relationship with your body. Our relationships with our bodies don’t happen in a vacuum, so just learning to see our beauty isn’t going to cut it. The world throws obstacles in our way – obstacles that aren’t our fault, but become our problem. Over the course of this program, Ragen Chastain, Jeanette DePatie, and six incredible guest coaches will teach you practical, realistic, proven strategies to go above, around, and through the obstacles that the world puts in front of you when it comes to living an amazing life in the body you have now.
Price: $99.00
($79.00 for DancesWithFat members – register on the member page)

Love It! 234 Inspirations And Activities to Help You Love Your Body
This is filled with thoughtful advice from the authors Jeanette DePatie, Ragen Chastain, and Pia Sciavo-Campo as well as dozens of other notable names from the body love movement, the book is lovingly illustrated with diverse drawings from size-positive artist Toni Tails.
Price: $9.99 softcover, $7.99 Kindle, ($6.95 + free shipping for DancesWithFat Members)

Non-Members click here for all the details and to register!

Book and Dance Class Sale! I’m on a journey to complete an IRON-distance triathlon, and I’m having a sale on all my books, DVDs, and digital downloads to help pay for it. You get books and dance classes, I get spandex clothes and bike parts. Everybody wins! If you want, you can check it out here! (DancesWithFat Members get an even better deal, make sure to make your purchases from the Members Page!)

Book Me! I’d love to speak to your organization. You can get more information here or just e-mail me at ragen at danceswithfat dot org!

I’m (still!) training for an Iron-distance triathlon! You can follow my journey at www.IronFat.com .

If you are uncomfortable with my offering things for sale on this site, you are invited to c heck out this post.

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December Again

Reviewing old posts tells me that in December 2010 I was unemployed and job hunting. Now I’m unemployed and not job hunting. In a lot of ways I’m resting now, catching up on day to day. I’ve been cooking again. I’ve been sorting through clothes and fighting my “but I might never find this again and what if my body size changes?” reactions to actually part with some of them. And, of course, I’m working with a specialist on why I’m so short of breath all the time.

Life goes on. :)

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Ring In The New Year With A Love Song To Your Body

Jeanette DePatie and I did a series of revamped holiday songs dedicated to things like the importance of fat-friendly seating, telling the food police to keep their thoughts to themselves, and telling fatphobes to GTFO. This song is about ringing in the New Year with a reminder that your body is amazing, and that the new year doesn’t need a “new you” because current you is just fine. (Keep watching after the new song to see all the songs in our series!)

Did you like it?

If you appreciate the work that I do (of the funny song-parody and serious activism varieties!) you can support my ability to do more of it with a one-time tip or by becoming a member. (Members get special deals on fat-positive stuff, a monthly e-mail keeping them up to date on the work their membership supports, and the ability to ask me questions that I answer in a members-only monthly Q&A Video!)

Like this blog? Here’s more cool stuff:

Body Love Obstacle Course

Non-Members click here for all the details and to register!

Book Me! I’d love to speak to your organization. You can get more information here or just e-mail me at ragen at danceswithfat dot org!

I’m (still!) training for an Iron-distance triathlon! You can follow my journey at www.IronFat.com .

If you are uncomfortable with my offering things for sale on this site, you are invited to c heck out this post.

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Monday, 30 December 2019

Absolutely Nothing Justifies Fat-Shaming

No Justification for fatshaming It happened (again) in a progressive Facebook group that I am in. Someone posted a picture of a fat woman wearing a pro-donald shirt with William Barr’s face photoshopped over hers. The ensuing thread was a pile of fat-shaming hot garbage.

When I pointed it out, I was met with a couple attempted justifications. The first being that it was just a photoshop gag. Pro-tip, if a “photoshop gag” involves a fat person being fat-shamed, then it’s not just a photoshop gag, it’s also a fat joke. See also: fat suits.

The other attempt at an excuse was the one that I hear most often, that people are “angry and frustrated” and “need to vent” blah blah blah.

This is bullshit. You are either against fat-shaming, or you support it. If you claim to be against it but then you participate in it, then guess what – you support it. You don’t get to say that it’s ok if you do it because you are angry, or frustrated, or because the person you are fat-shaming is objectively terrible, or for any reason.

The idea that something fatphobic (or racist, or transphobic etc.) that is said in anger somehow doesn’t count as fatphobic (or racist, or transphobic etc.) is complete, total, utter nonsense. If you fat-shame when you’re angry, you’re fatphobic and you need to fix it. (Similarly, if you hurl racial epithets when you’re angry, you need to fix your racism, and if you deadname trans people you don’t like, you need to fix your transphobia, etc.)

Fat-shaming is wrong. There is never any excuse or justification that makes it ok. Nope, not even that one. Or that. There’s none. Seriously.

It’s really not complicated – if you say that you don’t believe in fat-shaming, then you have to take a pass on fat-shaming. If you’re not willing to do that, then congratulations, you’ve just identified an area for some self-work around your own fatphobia. Please get on that as soon as possible for all of our sakes. Thanks in advance.

Like this blog? Here’s more cool stuff:

Body Love Obstacle Course

Non-Members click here for all the details and to register!

Book Me! I’d love to speak to your organization. You can get more information here or just e-mail me at ragen at danceswithfat dot org!

I’m (still!) training for an Iron-distance triathlon! You can follow my journey at www.IronFat.com .

If you are uncomfortable with my offering things for sale on this site, you are invited to c heck out this post.

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Sunday, 29 December 2019

New Year’s Resolutions That Aren’t Diets

New Year Stop Manipulating Body Size Last year I wrote a piece about failed New Year’s Resolutions. Now, another Resolution season is almost upon us, and I find myself reflecting on one of the most commonly failed New Year’s Resolutions — weight loss. Even for those who manage to lose weight, almost everyone will gain it all back, with the majority gaining back more than they lost.

Trying to make major life changes at the end of a holiday season that can leave us broke and physically and mentally exhausted is difficult enough and sets us up for failure.

But what’s the alternative?

Every year people make the life-changing, life-affirming decision to stop waging a losing war with their bodies and get off the diet roller coaster. However, when it’s time to make their resolutions, they often get stuck with a pretty basic question — if not weight loss, then what?

The good news is when we decide to stop spending our time, money, and energy trying to manipulate our body size, a whole world of possibilities opens up.

Here are some ideas to kick off the New Year by ditching dieting and creating a revolution in your own life.

One of the best places to start your revolution is to resolve to stop participating in negative body talk, starting with your mouth. When you have a negative thought or utterance, replace it with something (anything!) positive.

Decide to start and end every day by appreciating your body. Maybe put a note on your bathroom mirror or the ceiling above your bed that reminds you to bookend your day thinking or saying something like, “You’re a great body and I appreciate you” or “Thanks for everything you did for me today!”

While you’ve become wise to the ways of the diet industry, they are still out there duping people. And they’re good at it — to the tune of over $60 billion a year. They use plenty of that money to pummel us with a ceaseless barrage of marketing.

To avoid being tempted back into the weight loss equivalent of three-card Monty, you can resolve to create a quick phrase and say it to yourself (or out loud if you want to) every time you hear a message meant to make you feel bad about yourself or sell you a diet. My mantra is “Hey, that’s bullshit!” I have heard from other people who use phrases like “Never again, diet scum” and “Nope! Nope! Nope!” It can be anything that helps remind you to appreciate and support your body in a way that dieting won’t allow.

If you are choosing goals that support your health, first remember that health is not a barometer of worthiness entirely within our control or guaranteed under any circumstance. So, focus on setting goals around behaviors you can control rather than outcomes you can’t.

While you’re at it, consider making them additive (start getting body work, work on creating stronger social connections, drink an extra glass of water, eat a serving of vegetables, or get an extra hour of sleep at night etc.) rather than restrictive (like saying that you’ll never do/eat/be [whatever] again). If you’re looking for support in weight neutral-discussions of fitness, you can check out the Fit Fatties community on Facebook.

Also, remember to cut yourself some slack – making resolutions that don’t have any flexibility for the realities of life is just setting ourselves up to fail.

Like this blog? Here’s more cool stuff:

Body Love Obstacle Course

Non-Members click here for all the details and to register!

Book Me! I’d love to speak to your organization. You can get more information here or just e-mail me at ragen at danceswithfat dot org!

I’m (still!) training for an Iron-distance triathlon! You can follow my journey at www.IronFat.com .

If you are uncomfortable with my offering things for sale on this site, you are invited to c heck out this post.

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Saturday, 28 December 2019

How to Deal When Your Friends Go On Diets

no diet talk It’s New Years, which means that people close to you – family, friends, co-workers etc. – will very likely be going on diets.

For those of us who have managed to get ourselves off the diet roller coaster, this can be an especially tough time. Not only are we being bombarded with ads to try to convince us to try (again!) at something that we know doesn’t work, but also (because we live in a fatphobic society,) people who are attempting to manipulate their body size can often expect – and feel entitled to – our support. Even though, for those of us who are fat, this amounts to someone telling us all about why they don’t want to look like us and how excited they are about the things they are going to do to try to make that happen.

How you choose to deal with someone who wants to talk about their diet with you is entirely up to you (and may include factors like how much energy you want to put into this, the power structure of the relationship, your personal beliefs around familial relationships etc.)

What I think is important to understand is that, while people who want to attempt to diet are allowed to make choices for their own bodies (as we are allowed to choose not to diet,) that does not mean that we have to be there to listen to and support their attempt.

I say this because, if we’re not careful, fatphobia will convince us not only that we are somehow obligated to support people in their body manipulation attempts, but also that they don’t have to support us, or respect our boundaries around our choice not to attempt to manipulate our body size. That’s bullshit. Our choice not to diet, and our desire not to hear diet talk are valid and should be respected.

Here are some options – you can do them individually or combine them:

Fair is Fair

If they get to talk about their diets, you get to talk about your choice not to diet – whether that takes the form of Size Acceptance and/or Health at Every Size and/or something else. They talk about their diet, you talk about not dieting. They claim a supposed health benefit of dieting, you talk about how that benefit is achievable without the risks of dieting. etc.

If they push back, let them know that you expect that you will respect and support each other equally, and if they can’t get onboard with the idea that your choice is equally valid, then this isn’t something that you can talk to each other about. Good news though, there’s plenty of other stuff to talk about!

Make Your Own Resolution

When someone starts in about their diet, say something like “My New Years Resolution is to stop being involved in diet talk – it’s harmful to me and others, so let’s talk about something else.” If they push back you can say something like “You are welcome to do whatever you want with your body, you’re just not welcome to talk to me about it. Let’s talk about something else.” You can certainly provide more explanation if you’d like but, again, you are not obligated. Your choice is valid and your boundary should be respected. The only reason that people think that they should be allowed to talk about weight loss anytime they want regardless of other people’s desired (or a group’s clearly stated rules!) is because our culture is built on fatphobia. You don’t have to buy into that.

So Many Reasons

You can let them know why you can’t support them. It could sound something like “Of course you are allowed to do whatever you want with your body, but I can’t support you in this because I know that dieting is based on and perpetuates fatphobia, fuels an industry that makes billions with a product that almost never works and often does harm, and can lead to disordered eating and eating disorders.”

No, With a Side of Support

The research tells us that, while almost everyone loses weight in the short-term, almost everyone gains it back long-term, with the majority gaining back more than they lost. Which means that everyone who encourages those who are losing weight in the short-term – including and especially by telling them how much better they look etc. – is actually going to be just one more voice making it worse when they are right back where they started, or heavier, before they know it. So you can let them know that you aren’t interested in hearing about their diet, but then add something like – “I think you are amazing and beautiful at any size.”

Just Snarky AF

I’m not saying that I recommend these necessarily, just that they are…options:

Oh jeez, please tell me that not-eating isn’t the most interesting thing you have to talk about.

Losing weight, huh? Well, my New Year’s Resolution is to learn to levitate, so we’ve got basically the same chance of long-term success!

If I have to hear about your diet, I’m going to tell you about my bowel movements, in vivid detail, with pictures. Or, we could talk about something else, totally your call.

Like this blog? Here’s more cool stuff:

Body Love Obstacle Course

Non-Members click here for all the details and to register!

Book Me! I’d love to speak to your organization. You can get more information here or just e-mail me at ragen at danceswithfat dot org!

I’m (still!) training for an Iron-distance triathlon! You can follow my journey at www.IronFat.com .

If you are uncomfortable with my offering things for sale on this site, you are invited to c heck out this post.

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Friday, 27 December 2019

Some “What Ifs” For Dealing With Fatphobia In The New Year

What if we didn't put up with body-shaming

The truth is that fatphobia should never happen, and we should never have to deal with it. If and when we do, we might have to take into account how much energy we have to fight, how much power the person engaged in bigotry has over us, or other factors – including and especially for people who are part of more than one marginalized community. So these what-ifs aren’t about deciding what we will do every time, but rather thinking about the possibilities

What if we didn’t put up with body shaming?

What if we interrupted body shaming whenever we heard it – not just about our own bodies, but about any body? You could say something like “My new year’s resolution is to stop participating in negative body talk.” (If this is happening before the new year, just add “and I’m starting early!”)

What if we didn’t allow a running commentary on our body/food choices/weight/etc.

People can think whatever they want about my body, but they can’t say it out loud if they want me to stick around. One of my favorite phrases for this is “I’m going to stop you there.” You can just leave it at that and change the subject, or you can add something like “I’m not interested in people’s opinions about my body/food/weight/etc. let’s talk about something else.”

What if we didn’t buy into the thinner=better/healthier/prettier paradigm

This is a place where I think all of us can probably use some self-work. Our culture is utterly saturated with this myth and it can create fatphobia that is directed at others and/or internalized. (Often we can identify areas for work by our “buts” and our “as long as’s” for example, if we think “it’s ok to be fat but…she shouldn’t be wearing that” or “it’s ok to be fat as long as you’re healthy”) Bodies come in lots of sizes for lots of reasons and thinner bodies are not inherently better in any way, and adding healthism to fatphobia does not improve the situation.

What if we loudly defended our bodies, fixed a plate, then flipped a table and walked out?

This may not be your style and that’s completely ok. But know that it’s ok to defend your body (maybe like you would defend someone you love.) We each get to choose what we are going to allow and sometimes those choices are out of your hands, but it’s worth brainstorming the solutions that are the most “out there” including table-flipping, and leaving (with a plate, of course!)

If we want to dismantle fatphobia we need to keep asking “what if…”

Like this blog? Here’s more cool stuff:

Body Love Obstacle Course

Non-Members click here for all the details and to register!

Book Me! I’d love to speak to your organization. You can get more information here or just e-mail me at ragen at danceswithfat dot org!

I’m (still!) training for an Iron-distance triathlon! You can follow my journey at www.IronFat.com .

If you are uncomfortable with my offering things for sale on this site, you are invited to c heck out this post.

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Thursday, 26 December 2019

the HAES® files: Growing up Indian in a Diet Culture World

by Priya Payda (BSc Hons, MPhtySt)

In this blog, Priya talks about her upbringing in one of few Indian families in a small Canadian town, surrounded by diet culture. She discusses how cultural and familial influences contributed to the development of her eating disorder and negative body image, and how Health at Every Size® has helped her find a new path of self-acceptance.

The earliest memory I have of my long battle with body image issues is when I was eight years old. I was standing in front of my long bathroom mirror, side-on, sucking my stomach in. I realized then that I couldn’t make my body look like the women on TV, or my friends. That was just the beginning.

This is a story about culture, food, and family, and how all of those things influenced my relationship with my body. Growing up in an Indian family surrounded by white North-American diet culture was a unique experience. I was influenced by both my culture and by my family. I was a first-generation Indian girl living in a small Canadian town filled with Caucasian people. Today, I can see that, of course, I would never see myself reflected in any of these individuals. I would never look like the girls or women I saw every day. My body looked different. I also did not eat like them, and as I grew up, I started to blame my Indian “diet” for my body’s “flaws.” This idea was so engrained in my mind that when I moved out of my family home, I avoided my traditional Indian foods. Although I’m grateful I found a variety of new cuisines, I am saddened by how much stigma I put around my traditional food.

Bhen (Sister)

My first recollection of what a diet looked like was when my older sister went on the cabbage soup diet to look ‘good’ in her prom dress. I have vivid memories of her running home from school crying because people were making fun of the hair on her arms. I remember her grabbing her own stomach and saying, “who would want to have sex with this?” My sister modeled body dissatisfaction, and as I watched her, I learned to fear her body—and my own.

Bhai (Brother)

My brother was in a thinner body. I looked up to him because he was cool, confident and had no hint of self-doubt. He exhibited frequent fatphobia. He’d often warn my little sister and I about becoming big like the blueberry-girl in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory if we ate too much of something ‘bad.’

Mom

My mom was an Indian woman with modern influences. I loved her more than anything in the world. I valued her opinion so much, even when she’d kindly tell me I needed to ‘work out to get rid of my stomach.’ It hurt me to feel like I needed to change my body. My mom frequently dieted, just like my sister. She avoided eating “too many” roti and avoided making fried food like bhajiya (pakora), which I had enjoyed as a young child. Sadly, my mother and I dieted together and stopped eating the traditional foods that we used to enjoy.

And it all went down from there

This all became a recipe for disaster. I was surrounded by my thin, Caucasian, privileged friends and celebrity idols. I was afraid of social exclusion, and I felt defective. My family had normalized fat phobia and disordered eating. Later, in my quest to look like a “dainty goddess” for my wedding, I developed an eating disorder. I felt defective and worthless, but I didn’t know how to get help.

Then I found my way back to myself

The cogs truly started to turn in the other direction when I heard a podcast about how “we need to love ourselves.” Somehow, I landed down a rabbit hole looking for books on body positivity and Instagram accounts. This eventually led me further down the rabbit hole where I found intuitive eating, and furthermore – Health At Every Size® (HAES®).

In the end, my family ended up being my biggest support after I told them about my eating disorder and how it had harmed me. After many hours with HAES®-informed health professionals, I have started to heal from a lifetime of body hatred. Although unique in itself, I’m sure this type of story is not a rare one. We are all influenced in some way from when we are young and learn things that may not be in our best interest from the people that we trust the most. And as we grow up, these ideas about diet culture become louder; we start to believe that the only way to be of value is to shrink ourselves. This is even more complex for those of us, like me, who are not white, but are surrounded by white beauty norms. I’m grateful that this journey eventually led me to the amazing world of HAES®. HAES® has opened my eyes to things that are so much more important in life than fitting into a box someone else made for me.

Priya Payda (BSc Hons, MPhtySt) is a Canadian, now living and working as a physiotherapist in Australia in the aged care sector. She values creativity and the opportunity to contribute to the world. She has used these values to advocate HAES® principles in her workplace, and recently she has started to create inspirational HAES®-related and body positive social media content in an aim to educate the public, as well as her friends and family. Outside of work, she spends time with her adoring husband, and aims to find time for creative expression through baking, hip hop dancing and learning new hobbies.

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Tuesday, 24 December 2019

It’s a Fat Woman With a Cupcake, and It’s Fine

Fat People and Cupcakes Snag Tights has been all over my Facebook recently. They have tights, pantyhose, and chub rub shorts in bunches of colors in sizes 2-32. There are things I could nitpick (I wish they didn’t equate having a smaller bum/tum with being “athletic,” or use “woman” when they could choose more trans and nb inclusive language) but they are a more size-inclusive company than most, and they have actual fat people in their ads, which I greatly appreciate. (Full disclosure – I have no affiliation with them and have had no communication with them, this is just me blogging.)

Today in a Facebook group I am part of, it was pointed out that they put out an ad that includes a fat woman with a cupcake. This is the ad:

The text says “”Finally – tights are pantyhose are comfy! Snags are designed for all-day comfort in a range of gorgeous colours. Sizes 2 to 34. Just $12.”

The picture is of a fat blonde woman in white undershirt with a chambray shirt over it, tied at the waist, a light brown skirt, with white tights and light brown chunky heeled boots. She has a cupcake in her hand.

Snag Tights Ad

The ad got some interesting (and by interesting, of course I mean fatphobic and healthist) commentary:

CM: As a plus size woman I appreciate the use of larger size models. However is it necessary that she be eating a cupcake in the picture?

So…we are only doing things in pictures that are “necessary” now? By whose definition? Is there some rule against simultaneous tights and cupcakes that I’m not aware of? More importantly, would this person have objected if the model had been thin? Because if (as I suspect) they would not have, that means that they are treating fat people and thin people differently which is… an issue.

Snag Tights reply:

Hi CM, this was taken at a cupcake party we held to celebrate the release of some new colors. It’s jsut a snapshot form the event, nothing is meant by the photo. Everyone had lots of fun, we don’t mean to offend anybody

Sounds legit.

RD reply to CM:

Right? “I am a large girl and I’m having a cupcake!” I’m not saying she had to have a salad but she’s a beautiful girl. Do you really need to put junk food in her hand to drive that “body positivity” point home? Hard miss.

Let’s break this one down:

“I am a large girl and I’m having a cupcake!”

As a large girl who enjoys cupcakes, I’m a fan of this sentence.

“I’m not saying she had to have a salad…”

Except, it seems like you kind of are? But let’s take you at your word. So…no cupcake, but also no salad. What could this fat woman eat that would meet your (apparently very narrow) requirements for fat people eating food?

…”but she’s a beautiful girl.”

Can someone please explain the use of “but” in this sentence? She’s a beautiful girl, with or without the cupcake, BUT what’s that got to do with it?

“Do you really need to put junk food in her hand to drive that “body positivity” point home?”

Do you really need to put body positivity in quotation marks? (Spoiler alert – you don’t – and it’s suspect AF if you do.) The fact that they are still using the term “junk food” tells me that this person is likely still bought into a disordered paradigm of food morality which may be where a lot of this is coming from.

I think that asking “Do you need [to give her a cupcake]” is getting dangerously close to the dreaded food police question “do you need to eat that.” No, I don’t, but I am, and I’m not soliciting outside opinions. If I want the food police, I’ll dial Pie-1-1.

These things can tend to make us fat people) uncomfortable because we are scared that they play into stereotypes. I’ve been there and made this mistake. I think it’s important that we understand that the actual problem is the stereotypes, and not whether or not we fit them. Not to mention that choosing our behavior so that we avoid fatphobes’ stereotypes is still allowing them to control us. Each person gets to decide for themselves, of course, but I’m not good with that, and I’m absolutely not here for suggesting that models and the people who hire them should be constrained by what fatphobes might or might not think.

Moreover, this kind of food policing hurts people of all sizes. Fat people shouldn’t have to appear in public only in ways that conform to some misguided notion of “health.” It is imperative that we not (including as a function of internalized oppression) engage in “good fatty/bad fatty” language that perpetuates not just fatphobia but also healthism.

In other words, let them eat cupcakes!

Was this post helpful? If you appreciate the work that I do, you can support my ability to do more of it with a one-time tip or by becoming a member. (Members get special deals on fat-positive stuff, a monthly e-mail keeping them up to date on the work their membership supports, and the ability to ask me questions that I answer in a members-only monthly Q&A Video!)

We did our holiday card as a video this year. Happy Holidays from me and my family to you and yours if you’re celebrating any. If you’re not, then happy December!

Need some fat-positive end-of-year cheer? Here’s a playlist of re-vamped holiday songs that highlight things like the importance of fat-friendly seating, singing the praises of our amazing bodies, and just saying no to giving unsolicited weight-loss gifts. Enjoy!

Like this blog? Here’s more cool stuff:

Body Love Obstacle Course

Non-Members click here for all the details and to register!

Book Me! I’d love to speak to your organization. You can get more information here or just e-mail me at ragen at danceswithfat dot org!

I’m (still!) training for an Iron-distance triathlon! You can follow my journey at www.IronFat.com .

If you are uncomfortable with my offering things for sale on this site, you are invited to c heck out this post.

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Monday, 23 December 2019

What “Board Certified in Obesity Medicine” Means to Me as a Fat Patient

Fat People Shouldn't Have to Deal with Doctors Who Will Happily Risk Our Lives Trying to Make Us Thin When a doctor chooses to brag about that particular certification, there are three assumptions I need to make in order to keep myself safe as a fat patient:

1. From the moment I walk into their office as a fat person, they are trained (and certified!) to see my body as a problem to be solved.

The word “obesity” was literally created to pathologize a body size. It’s very possible that they won’t be able to see past their weight bigotry (including their tendency to blame nearly anything on my size) to give me care for any health issue I may actually be having. By extension they may, without notifying me, suggest treatment options not because they have the greatest efficacy in dealing with my actual health issue, but rather because they believe that they might result in weight loss, or prevent weight gain. Similarly, they might withhold viable treatment options because they have a possible side effect of weight gain.

2. They are willing to risk my life and quality of life to make me thin.

They have willingly joined a branch of medicine which centers around the idea that it is completely acceptable to risk a fat patient’s life and quality of life for the smallest chance that we might get a bit thinner, and there is no guarantee that they will feel obligated to be clear about the risks because of the paternalistic nature of their specialty.

3. They either don’t understand, or don’t care about, research.

They are willing to base their career on embarrassingly poor, shockingly shoddy research – so they either aren’t capable of understanding the issues with the research upon which their certification is based, or they don’t care. Either way it doesn’t bode well for their ability to practice ethical, evidence-based medicine. Not a good look.

So when a doctor tells me that they are board-certified in “obesity medicine” I have every reason to believe that I am sitting across from someone who doesn’t understand the basics of research, and who truly believes that it’s worth risking my life to make me thin (and who might choose their fatphobia over accessibility.) I have to continuously remind myself that everything they say to me is said through their filter, which includes the belief that my life is less valuable and more risk-able than a thin person’s life.

Sadly, since “obesity medicine” also tends toward corruption (see, for cample, the “Obesity Action Coalition“) I also have to wonder (and try to research) if this doctor is in the pocket of a company like Allergan or a pharmaceutical company that manufactures dangerous weightloss drugs, giving them a financial incentive to harm me.

Depending on where I live and what doctors are available to me, I may still need this doctor’s help. If that’s the case, then I’m going to have to be hypervigilant – researching everything they say and recommends – are they prescribing that medication because it’s actually the best thing for my condition? Or is it because weight loss (however small and temporary) may be a side-effect? Is that medication they suggested going to risk my health and life? Are they going to push me toamputate a perfectly healthy organ in a dangerous surgery that, if it doesn’t kill me, could leave me with horrific lifelong side effects? Are they going to withhold needed care until I comply with their desire for me to look different? I may have to lie to get the care I need.

The bottom line is that as a fat patient I have to worry about medical fatphobia with almost every healthcare provider (though, happily, the number of weight-neutral, Health at Every Size based practitioners is growing!) but I know that I can never trust a doctor who brags about being certified in “ob*sity medicine” to look out for my actual best interests. That sucks, but at least their certification gives me some warning.

Like this blog? Here’s more cool stuff:

Body Love Obstacle Course

Non-Members click here for all the details and to register!

Book Me! I’d love to speak to your organization. You can get more information here or just e-mail me at ragen at danceswithfat dot org!

I’m (still!) training for an Iron-distance triathlon! You can follow my journey at www.IronFat.com .

If you are uncomfortable with my offering things for sale on this site, you are invited to c heck out this post.

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Sunday, 22 December 2019

Inclusivity, Diversity, and Body Confidence in Fitness Spaces

Nobody is obligated to particpate in fitness (and running a marathon and having a Netflix marathon are morally equivalent. Today’s post is going to be about fitness. I know that can be triggering for some so feel free to just close this out and I’ll be back tomorrow to talk about something not fitness related.

Before I get into any of this I want to be clear that fitness (like “health” or “health behaviors”) by whatever definition you might be using is not an obligation, a barometer of worthiness, or entirely within our control. Participating in movement/fitness/sports/exercise does not make someone better than those who do not participate. As someone who has done both, I can tell you that completing a marathon and having a Netflix marathon are morally equivalent activities. My activism at the intersections of fat and fitness focuses on the fact that nobody is obligated to participate in fitness, but every body should be welcome.

So, about today’s video. I’m honored to be an official ambassador for NEDA (the National Eating Disorders Association) and I was doubly honored to be asked to participate in the first of a series of round tables hosted by NEDA and the Yoga and Body Image Coalition with Melanie Klein (co-founder of YBIC,) Dianne Bondy, Jivana Heyman, and Thalia González .

We discussed the issues of inclusivity, diversity, and body confidence in fitness spaces. Enjoy!

You can view it below, or at [https://ift.tt/34IMgyZ]

Like this blog? Here’s more cool stuff:

Body Love Obstacle Course

Non-Members click here for all the details and to register!

Book Me! I’d love to speak to your organization. You can get more information here or just e-mail me at ragen at danceswithfat dot org!

I’m (still!) training for an Iron-distance triathlon! You can follow my journey at www.IronFat.com .

If you are uncomfortable with my offering things for sale on this site, you are invited to c heck out this post.

via Dances With Fat https://ift.tt/2QaZPlx

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