The dominant culture in our society favors those who are thin and dehumanizes those who are fat. We are constantly reminded of this on a daily basis. There is an entire 150 billion-dollar industry worldwide that exists because of faphobia and weight stigma. Add in approximately $3 billion for stomach amputation or stomach alteration surgery otherwise known as weight loss surgery globally. There is no escaping that people are afraid of fatness. Fatphobia: Fear of fat, fat people, and/or fatness.
Read MoreWhile there is research to support that weight stigma is a risk factor for binge eating disorder, it doesn’t appear that medical professionals or administrators are taking action to reduce weight stigma. There continues to be a high rate of implicit bias within medical professionals. A recent study focused on the weight bias within eating disorder treatment professionals which shows that they are not immune from a high rate of implicit bias like other medical professionals.
Read MoreI really did think that each time would be different. I really thought that I would fall into the 5% of people that would be able to maintain significant weight loss long term. I wanted to be anyway. I did NOT want to accept that I was just your average person who couldn’t maintain weight loss over time.
Read MoreIt was easier to put up with my chronic foot pain, than to deal with a new specialist who might stigmatize my body and receive substandard care.
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