This weekend I attended a conference called, “Rethinking Obesity, a compassionate and collaborative approach to weight concerns.” I leaned so much about addressing weight problems and attitudes surrounding them in America.  Over the next few blog posts, I will be sharing some gems I picked up. I hope what I learned can help the way you think about your self, and what think about fat.

*First of all I want to stress that more and more research is coming out regarding health and weight. I by no means have all the answers. I only know what to do with the information I have learned. Even I am learning and growing in my practice regarding how to address weight issues.

The Problem:

There are serious negative attitudes, stereotypes, stigmas, prejudice, and discrimination regarding weight or people who are over weight. We have these attitudes in both the health care field, and in everyday life. These negative feelings create a sense of blame or intolerance for kids and adults who suffer from being over weight. When blame is passed it only creates negative emotional effects in people.

A Study of obese women showed that the women delayed seeking preventive services from health care workers because they felt disrespected, embarrassed, and staff had negative attitudes.

A great story told at the conference. An ad for a gym read, "Would you rather be a mermaid or a whale this summer?" A woman replied to the company, "Whales are always surrounded by family, migrate to awesome places, and eat healthy fish. Mermaids are women who couldn't walk, couldn't have babies, are portrayed as self-centered, would smell like fish, and don't exist in real life, I would rather be a whale. " (Click the photo to read the whole story)

What we as a society should know & do:

• Our negative thought are not going to help a person be healthier. They only make it worse. A person who struggles with weight already knows that about themselves, we don’t need to remind them. They don’t forget.
• Know that behavior changes come from positive interactions.
• We (me included) need to be more sensitive and supportive.
• Let us all consider what emotional costs people go through and not add to them with our own judgments.
• Recognize the difficulty of loosing weight.
• Know and recognize your own attitude about weight.
• Encourage healthful behavior changes rather than numbers of pounds lost.

The Bottom Line:

Lets change our way of thinking….

Lets stop the old way of thinking: “loosing weight is the only way to be healthy. How can you lose weight?”

Lets Start the new way of thinking: “How can I support you, love you, respect you, and create a healthy environment where you feel safe, and can gain health?”

In health, 

Tara Arnold, RN