I don’t know who needs to hear this, but
diet companies are
lying to you.
As we start to emerge from COVID quarantine and diet companies rush to take advantage of ensuing fatphobia, here’s a quick reminder:
There isn’t a single study where more than a tiny fraction of people are able to maintain significant, long-term weight loss.
Almost everyone gains all their weight back, many gain back more than they lost.
Those are the facts. That’s why diet companies are required to put disclaimers on every advertisement – they are legally obligated to say “our products hardly ever work” every single time they talk about them.
Diets don’t work – not even if you call them a “lifestyle change” or a “healthy eating plan” or WW instead of Weight Watchers, or something else. Attempts to manipulate body size with food and/or movement almost always fail. (For more research around this, check out the HAES Health Sheet Site!)
Happily, Fat Acceptance and Health at Every Size give us real options for having a positive relationship with our bodies, food, and movement.
UPCOMING ONLINE WORKSHOP:
Overcoming Internalized Fatphobia
In this workshop we’ll learn how to uncover the fatphobic beliefs that we’ve internalized, understand how they are affecting us, apply practical options for dealing with them and, finally, learn how to make sure we don’t internalize new fatphobia in the future. We’ll learn how to stop fighting our bodies on behalf of weight stigma, and start fighting weight stigma on behalf of our bodies. There will also be a video of the talk provided, and an unlimited live Q&A (I stay until all the questions are answered!) so you are guaranteed to get the information you came for!
Details and Registration: https://danceswithfat.org/monthly-online-workshops/
*This workshop is free for DancesWithFat members – login info is on the member page
Become a member here!
Missed one of my workshops? You can still get the video here!
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Dances With Fat 
Great to see your post Ragen. I was getting worried.
On absolutes and numbers. I buy lottery tickets. See, I suck at math, so for my irrational plus-one of choice is I’ve chosen to dream in LARGE NUMBERS. The kind that end in trips to Paris and swimming pools. Not uber-wise, I agree, less irritating than, I’ll put my life, self-respect, artistic inspirations, relationships, self-worth on hold till I lose X number of pounds.
If I’m gonna waste money, I’d rather do it on a possibility OF winning, not a guaranteed TO fail.
A really smart sociopath would put these two things together. Hmmnnn… If I start a Lifestyle Improvement course, studio, blog, book, book on tape, tapes on book, program, retreat, institute, group, religion, coven, sect, tribe, series of VHS tapes, posters, t-shirts, hats, etc telling EVERYONE that ALL THE GOOD PEOPLE ARE THIS and ALL THE BAD PEOPLE ARE THAT and that I HAVE THE SECRET TO BECOMING, BEING and STAYING THE GOOD PEOPLE, and put a price tag on it, incorporate it, soon I’LL BE F%&^$N ROLLING IN CASH!
Thank you Ragen. I have a dr. appointment next week, and am taking the postcards you made with research and helpful phrases. For the last couple times I went in to the doc, I asked her assistant not to weigh me, and got no push-back at all. Without your support, it would never have occurred to me that I could even ask for that.Thanks so much for your advocacy.Susan Gutierrez
I think you are right on about self-representation. People get so used to the tropes of fat hate it can come as a shock to be pulled out of the running narrative. Shock away!
I can’t even begin to describe how much respect I lost for how many people when they looked at the worst pandemic of my lifetime and thought, “What a great opportunity to sell weight loss diets and pills and surgeries! =D Quick, re-tool our ad campaign to mention the plague, and don’t forget to really assault the self-esteem of people who gained weight during quarantine! They’ll be much less savvy about our BS than lifelong fats!”
It’s like I always say. The weight loss industry is just the tobacco industry with better publicity.
Excellently put, Lady R!
Thank you so much
Got a set of labs to do Monday and a requested “follow up” from Dr. I have growing anxiety over her phrasing. Things we need to discuss. Hmn, if I have a kidney issue. Is bariatric surgery gonna help? Really?…
Dr. is usually pretty laid back. Musta got the, “If they don’t ask (how to lose weight) don’t tell them. memo. But I know she is itching to adjust my attitude. Hmn, if fat patient is having health problems, I can hammer home the weight loss cure…
Hello Ragen,
SOOO looking forward to the next online workshop! It certainly speaks to me. I am a member. Can you tell me what I need to do to log into the workshop? I had some difficulty last time. Is a link sent before the workshop, or some other way? Thank you for your time. Dr. Metz is my doc. I LOVE that she is working with you. The health sheets that are printable and so helpful to take to a Dr office! Thanks AGAIN, Nan maule Lyttle
Hey there!
First of all, thanks a zillion for being a member! I’m so glad that you have Dr. Metz as your doctor, I am so grateful to have the chance to work with her!
The workshop login is located on the member page (https://danceswithfat.org/voluntary-subscription/member-deals/) You should have received an email from me around the 15th of last month with the password. If you can’t find it (or don’t feel like looking!) just email me at ragen at danceswithfat dot org and I’ll send it to you right away. Thanks again 🙂