fat-shaming

After being on the road for some conferences and workshops related to my business, Wayza Health, I’m glad to be back to share all the amazing learning I did with fellow coaches! I do sometimes encounter vitriol when I talk about health at every size, though it’s usually online. So it caught me off-guard to have such an encounter in person. It’s that interaction, as well as the conversation with other women that followed, that prompted me to engage on this topic today: the weight-centric health paradigm we all live in. Our society equates weight with health and I want to address why this persistent attitude prevails and why it’s a fallacy.

The World Health Organization regularly publishes information that shows increasing obesity rates globally, and those graphs are used to make weight a public health and social issue. Of course, those graphs are also based on BMI which we all know is a useless tool that I’ve addressed many times on this podcast. We live in an obesogenic environment and studies that are often quoted are incomplete or don’t factor in other key factors. We also seem to have this unshakeable belief that weight loss is as simple as calories in, calories out or energy intake and energy expenditure. Nothing is that simple, certainly not weight. So what I want to do in this episode is address all these beliefs and counter them with facts and studies that prove, sometimes, the exact opposite of the “weight is the issue” outcome that most people cling to. Join me as I unpack the weight-centric paradigm and examine some truths about bodies and health.

About Dr. Michelle Tubman

Dr. Michelle Tubman is a physician and health coach. She helps women ditch dieting and thrive at any size. For the longest time she believed that weight loss was the answer to all her problems. But decades of yo-yo dieting and restriction left her miserable, unhealthy, and exhausted. Now she teaches women how harmful dieting can be and shows them the way to true health and wellness.

As a physician specializing in both emergency and obesity medicine, with additional training in nutrition, eating psychology, and coaching, Michelle can tell you with certainty that dieting is dangerous. Studies associate compromised health more with yo-yo dieting than higher body weight. Yet, everywhere you turn, shrinking your body is hailed as the solution. Women don't need to change. Attitudes do. So let's stop self-shaming, speak out against sizeism, and fiercely champion unconditional self-celebration!

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

• “What’s Wrong With the ‘War on Obesity?’ A Narrative Review of the Weight-Centered Health Paradigm and Development of the 3C Framework to Build Critical Competency for a Paradigm Shift” by Lily O’Hara and Jane Taylor, May 16, 2018
• Ignaz Semmelweis and ‘the Semmelweis Reflex’

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Learn more about Dr. Michelle Tubman and Wayza Health:

• Website: www.wayzahealth.com
• Follow me on Facebook and Instagram

I sat down on a gorgeous August afternoon to record this episode about a book I had delayed reading until recently. And this book is “The Body is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-love” by Sonya Renee Taylor. I had it on my bookshelf. I just didn’t read it. I think the reason I didn’t is because Sonya talks about something called body terrorism and the term put me off. But she describes body terrorism as just the systems and structures that are in place in society to maintain the marginalization of people. So I read it, as I said, and the way she confronts fat-shaming and implicit bias has given me a lot to think about. I wouldn’t say Sonya takes a gentle approach, she’s direct, but this book has resonated with me now and I want to talk about it.

Sonya talks about systemic sizeism in culture and systemic discrimination but she also really emphasizes the fact that a lot of the work in addressing this has to start with ourselves. That’s not necessarily a fun thing to read, you know? But Sonya uses what she calls “radical self-love”, which goes way beyond self-compassion or loving your body, to take us into a place where we intuitively understand how valuable and worthy we are. We dismantle the implicit bias within ourselves and turn it around by fundamentally understanding our worth. So I’m exploring the four pillars that Sonya talks about that help bring us to a place of radical self-love. I’m going to talk about those four pillars - taking out the toxic, mind matters, unapologetic action, and collective compassion - and what it looks like to actually put these into action in daily life. I hope you find this as challenging and beautiful as I did.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• “The Body is Not An Apology: The Power of Radical Self-love” by Sonya Renee Taylor

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Learn more about Dr. Michelle Tubman and Wayza Health:

• Website: www.wayzahealth.com
• Follow me on Facebook and Instagram

From her roles in a semi-autobiographical sitcom in 1996 (Life's Work) to The Parent Trap to Abbott Elementary, Lisa Ann Walter has played a lot of different kinds of strong, brassy women. And even though standards of beauty and acceptance in Hollywood are always changing, those winds haven't always blown in her favor. But what makes an icon iconic is her unwavering commitment to being her own unmistakable self.

After talking with Lisa, Jordan has one quick thing about Fast X (and especially Jason Momoa).

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With Jordan Crucchiola and Lisa Ann Walter

Are you an accidental fat-shamer?

On July 1, Pinterest released a press release banning weight-loss testimonials, products and before-and-after pictures.  Pinterest isn't the only company to move in that direction; online, the debate rages: If you're selling nutrition and fitness coaching, are you body shaming? Or helping people get what they want?

It's a complex subject, so Two-Brain Radio host Mike Warkentin brought in an expert, psychotherapist Bonnie Skinner.

In this episode, she explains how triggers — like before-and-after pictures — work, the difference between self-worth and weight, and how gym owners can use language to clarify exactly what they're selling.

Links:

Drink O2
Level Method
Gym Owners United

Timeline:

2:17 – What’s the problem with before-and-after pictures?

4:19 – What happens beneath the surface when someone looks at your ad.

6:33 – “Nobody can make you feel anything.”

9:25 – Self-efficacy and self-improvement. 

10:59 – The messages we’re sending our brains.

13:19 – How to connect with people without triggering shame.

16:57 – How to advertise weight loss.

20:53 – Responding to backlash. 

23:26 – How to use before-and-after pictures responsibly.

26:16 – What are you actually selling?

31:54 – All about reframing. 

Fat – it’s the age-old ‘hot’ topic, but it’s a sensitive one too. Why? Because there are still incredible stigmas around being overweight and obese and it’s about time that we deal with it. 

Fat is not only vital for our evolutionary existence, when it’s in balance it contributes to a health daily life. But when it gets out of balance, it seems to almost control us. In today’s episode I talk with Dr. Mariette Boon. She is a doctor and researcher who studies fat – she literally wrote the book on it (click here). We cover everything from why fat is important to the serious societal and health implications of fat-shaming and stigmas about overweight and obesity. Of course, you’ll hear from the Dutchometer, Merijn Soeters. 

To buy a copy of Mariette’s book – click here: https://g.co/kgs/J6uGfK 

We're celebrating our 15 episode milestone. (Yay, us!)

This week, Tre’vell and Jarrett turn their attention toward the audience for a special FANMail episode of FANTI.  We'll read and discuss some of your emails and tweets about the show so far. Fanti is not just a podcast about the complicated and complex relationships we share with pop culture. It's a show about holding each other accountable, even when it's difficult. That's why we decided to give you all the floor and address some of the good, the bad and the always constructive feedback we've been receiving. 

But before we get started…

DIS/Honorable Mentions 

This week, Jarrett has an honorable mention to Ms. Tracey Pickett, founder of Hairbrella. The company just sold its first million in revenue. 

An honorable mention also goes out to David Makes Man, the OWN show received a Peabody nomination. Congrats to the entire team!

Lastly, Jarrett would  like to give an honorable mention to Piers Taylor and Caroline Quentin from the extremely binge-worthy series The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes. You can stream it now on Netflix.  

Tre'Vell has an honorable mention for all of the Obamas who still find impressive ways to sidestep the foolishness and keep it classy. 

An honorable mention is in order as well to IG's @BlackMoviePosters created by cultural creator Tre'vell themselves! That's right, Tre'vell gets an additional shout out.

Tre'vell has a side eye and dishonorable mention to the corporations who have put dollars over advocacy now that Pride Week has been canceled from Ms. Rona.

If you would like to support a LGBTQ organization you can start here.  

Episode Notes:

Go ahead and @ us

Email: FANTI@maximumfun.org

On Twitter: 

@FANTIpodcast

@TreVellAnderson

@JarrettHill

@Swish   (Producer Laura Swisher)

IG:

@FANTIpodcast

@Jarrett Hill

@rayzon (Tre’Vell)

FANTI is produced and distributed by MaximumFun.org

Laura Swisher is the senior producer.