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>> Matt: Happy Monday, people, welcome to Sourcefed.
I’m Matt Lieberman.
Who wants to get real for a minute?
Raise your hand if you’ve ever said or heard the following phrase: “Hey, dude or girl,
I love you, no offense, but you’re gaining weight.”
::I raise my hand::
It’s innocent enough, a phrase maybe said out of concern rather than any kind of malicious
instinct, towards someone you care about, a friend, a family member, or even a public
figure that you identify with.
You care about their health!
How can you not?
We just want to give them a little push in the right direction.
We wouldn’t want them to get fat.
Maybe they don’t even know that they’re gaining weight!
They should know!
I’ll let you in on a little secret:
We know.
It’s like telling your friend who smokes cigarettes, “Hey, cigarettes are bad for
you.”
If there is a single person left on the planet who isn’t aware of the dangers of smoking,
they’re probably living in some kind of Truman Show bubble.
We know that we’re fat.
We can see the changes on our bodies, how our clothes fit, and how people look at us.
I’m not even that fat right now, but I used to be.
And even the smallest comments hurt.
It’s a reminder that we have failed to conform, and that we may be in danger because of our
failings.
It’s fat-shaming, even when meant altruistically.
So here’s the thing.
According to a new study published in the research journal Obesity, negative reinforcement
about one’s weight actually causes an average weight gain of .95 kilograms, or just over
2 pounds, a year, while people who receive no such comments lose an average of .71 kilograms,
or about one and a half pounds a year.
The study was conducted over four years with 2,944 people, ranging from citizens of “normal”
weight, to the morbidly obese.
Weight discrimination was found across all weight classes.
Even about 1% of those who weighed “normally” experienced it, versus the 36% of morbidly
obese people who experienced weight discrimination.
Dr. Sarah Jackson, the lead author of the study, writes, “Our results show that weight
discrimination does not encourage weight loss, and suggest that it may even exacerbate weight
gain…Previous studies have found that people who experience discrimination report comfort
eating.
Stress responses to discrimination can increase appetite, particularly for unhealthy, energy-dense
food.
Weight discrimination has also been shown to make people feel less confident about taking
part in physical activity, so they tend to avoid it.”
So what have we learned?
Everyone has, at some point or another, felt bad about their weight, or their body.
But here’s the thing: Everyone is different.
There is no normal.
Love yourselves, love each other, love your bodies.
You’re all beautiful.
Oh my god.
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