To think that “fatphobia” is sometimes just discomfort with the truth about health?

[MeasuredOnyxSwan]

Not always but sometimes. We’ve turned every health comment into oppression. When did personal responsibility become offensive?

Good question! Hmm haven't decided yet, but might do Thai curry

How about you?

I do agree that shaming or oversimplifying any health issue, including eating disorders or obesity, helps no one. My frustration is more about how difficult it’s become to discuss any aspect of health without it being read as moral judgement. I will say that you’ve summed up really well how empathy and honesty both matter, and how easy it is for people to swing too far one way or the other.

Haha, no salad here, promise it’s all substance. But since you asked, I might actually have one for dinner.

As a former fat person, I can assure you that GP’s do tell fat people to lose weight. In fact, a fat woman going to the GP about an entirely unrelated health issue is at a high risk of the entire focus of the appointment being weight-related.

By contrast, i dont think this would happen to a smoker. Yes, their smoking would be raised if they sought advice on (for example) asthma - but it wouldn't be raised if they were seeking treatment for a broken ankle.

The above may not apply to a fat man (I dont know).

But, as a woman, I get so much better health treatment now my BMI is in the optimum range. My health isn't noticeably better - but i think thats because i was quite young when i was fat. I know it would have caused mobility issues for me as i aged.

👏

Exactly this.

Ops like this are like:

MirrorTigerDarkness "Oooooo touched a nerve did I 😅😅😅😅"

"Just wanted to open the conversation cos i just...sniff.. cannot... discus....in real life 🥺🥺🥺"

(ps: i mare up the mirror tiger darkness username. Apologies to anyone actually called that. Anyone may use it...for a small fee for my intellectual property)

Oh how this made me giggle. As a doctor I talk a lot about patients unhealthy habits & believe me, it’s just as hard to talk about smoking and alcohol as it is about weight. Possibly harder, sometimes. people can know something is bad for them and still make that choice. And food is genuinely complex, as we still have such a limited understanding of the underlying mechanisms of overweight.

If a friend was fat I’d never mention it, but if a partner was I would if it was getting to be physically unattractive for me. Not horribly of course but I couldn’t ignore it.

I think its perfectly fine to have an understanding of the link between weight and health and to have concluded that being OW is not good for health. I mean, this is not news, is it? It's been the official position of the medical profession for decades.
This however is not the same as lay people who are not OW being so often compelled to discuss and repeat it with reference to people who are OW.
If weight isn't impacting your health and life, why the preoccupation with other peoples? Because when something that's nothing to do with your life leads to a compulsion to opine about it, it does beg the question, what is your motivation? And some conclude its 'fatphobia'.

Are you trying to say that “you” can no longer talk about health when it comes to weight because believe you me, “we” never stop hearing about it.
I cannot open social media without hearing about what I should or shouldn’t be eating or doing. Where is this world where nobody talks about weight and health because just occasionally I would like to hang out there for a while.

What I don’t understand is why anyone is unhappily fat now weight loss injections exist. Do they not work for some people?

People are far more aware of their own weight than anyone else is, so they don’t need people to comment on it. Once you realise that, you can relax about policing it. The health information is available to everyone.

They're incredibly expensive and not widely prescribed.

I agree that medical facts about weight and health aren’t new or shocking, what I find interesting is how the discussion around them has become emotionally charged. I don’t have a personal preoccupation with other people’s weight, it’s more that I’ve noticed how even neutral observations can get read as judgement or hate. I think you’re right though, motivation and tone matter a lot in how these conversations land.

They're too expensive for many people. Not everyone is entitled to them on the NHS. I'm currently paying 180 per 4 weeks for mounjaro and hopefully will get an NHS prescription for wegovy after a 9 month wait but its not guaranteed. I can't afford to fund mounjaro for much longer.

Have you seen the price of them now? They’ve increased ridiculous amounts.

Fatphobia is not a thing. I say this as a formerly morbidly obese, now just obese, person. WLI are not fatphobia. Eating healthily and losing weight are not fatphobia.

There is no denying that the UK has a burgeoning obesity crisis. I worked at very popular high street bakery for a couple of years and it became blindingly obvious exactly why we have this crisis!!
Its true that people do have medical conditions that can lead to obesity but for the most part its because some people eat way too much crap and do minimal exercise.
That's the top and bottom of it

They do work for some people but not everyone can access them, afford them or tolerate the side effects. And even for those who do, they’re not a magic switch, they still require long-term changes and can have complications. I think that’s part of why these discussions stay so charged: the solutions exist but they’re not equally available or sustainable for everyone.

Aren’t they about £150 a month? That’s hardly very expensive.

And criteria for prescription is being obese with a health condition, right?

Overweight tax payers have been supporting anorexics and bulimics health care for decades
What a ridiculous statement! The costs of treating anorexia is peanuts compared to that of obesity.

Also. There’s some random assumptions on this thread. Weight loss injections working by “reducing food noise”?!? I mean they do that, too, but that’s not the mechanism - which is why they are diabetes medications.

”responsibility” is also a fascinating concept. It’s to some extent, nonsense as well. And if you’re confused about what I mean, have a proper read up about the interactions between weight, epigentics and the physiology of metabolism. It’s genuinely fascinating and plop it all in the middle of the complexity of public health policy and it’s starts to explain why “personal responsibility” for overweight is such a dog whistle phrase.

only if using a one off discount code. The highest doses are closer to £300z

£150 a month is a lot of money to some people.

You need more than just being overweight and another health condition in order to get them prescribed. Iirc, it's at least 3 other conditions

Fatphobia is always about the person expressing that opinion and their own insecurity. It is never concern for someone's health.

@Movingtodarkestperu,please read my posts again. I am in no way condoning anyone who fat shame obese people. It's horrible behaviour and totally counter productive. I see it when obese people join my gym, especially at the start of the new year. It takes so much courage and strength to come and start exercising. I can see their discomfort and fear of judgement on the face of many. If our eyes cross, I hope I manage to convey how amazing I think it is that they are here. If I hear someone making a comment, I do challenge them. It's only happened twice, young men, idiots. I told them they were ugly inside and they were to ones who should feel shame.