In this episode, we chatted with Dr. Mary Forhan, Scientific Director of Obesity Canada, about advocating for obesity and for ourselves. Read the five takeaways from the show below:
- The fight to end weight bias and weight stigma starts with you. Ask yourself how you feel about people with obesity and/or larger bodies. Reflect on these thoughts, self-criticize, and educate yourself to end any biases or prejudices that you may have recognized within yourself.
- Internalized weight bias is the internal dialogue one has that takes the outward, stereotypical messages about obesity and internalizes them to apply to yourself which can hold you back from accessing proper treatment and support.
- What is the difference between having obesity and living in a “large body?” Those who lead high-functioning and healthy lives, but fall in the BMI range correlated to obesity, are considered to have larger bodies. This isn’t directly an illness, disease, or health issue – whereas obesity is and has the ability to negatively impact your health.
- The Canadian Clinical Practice Guidelines are helping to support patients living with obesity and their journeys. These guidelines help to raise awareness of obesity and classify it as a chronic illness. They also are patient-informed, meaning that the medical teams who created the guidelines included someone living with obesity to better understand the disease and its impact.
- Weight bias can often lead to weight gain for those struggling with internalized bias. Their own thoughts about treatment prevent them from accessing the resources available for weight management, which progresses their health issues and delays proper care. It also can take a toll mentally and cause trauma.
For many people, diet and exercise alone are not enough to reach a healthier weight. There are now safe and effective non-surgical medical treatments that have been proven to help people be successful over the long-run. Talk to your doctor or check out our physician locator to find a doctor near you who specializes in the medical treatment of weight.
Get a weekly text to help you stay on track with your health goals! Click here to sign up.
This episode was sponsored by Novo Nordisk Canada. It was created independently by My Weight – What To Know with no influence from Novo Nordisk.
