There is a great post by Tara Parker-Pope about a new study showing that, around the world, fat stigma is increasing.
With the increasing focus on obesity this finding isn’t very surprising. But it is disturbing.
Unfortunately, we know that initiating behavior changes out of shame do not lead to optimal outcomes in long-term sustainability.
More stigma will result in greater numbers of individuals trying to lose weight because they feel shamed and embarrassed about their size, which will just create more cycles of stopping and starting, not lasting change.
To break this cycle we have to remove the focus on weight and instead place it on what types of things people can do to improve the quality of their daily lives, regardless of how much one weighs. The reality is the same behaviors that people do to lose weight also impact our energy level and how we feel. Which endpoints do you think are more compelling on a daily basis?
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