Good Health Without Shame

A number of news stories and social media items over the last few days are dealing with the concept of fat shaming. From the young Christian newlywed who gently responded when Reddit users made fun of her new husband's weight, to the #NoOneBody campaign to fight the emphasis on ultra-skinny/perfectly toned models in advertisements in the UK, there are times when it seems like the body positivity movement and the all too real obesity epidemic are at cross purposes. We don't think it's quite the case. For starters, fat shaming has never made anyone healthier; there's nothing good about making people feel bad about themselves.

Moreover, as to our work in work in weight loss medicine, it's worth pointing out that, first and foremost, bariatric surgery has never been intended to be a cosmetic procedure. In fact, while patients may find that they like their appearance better once they have lost their weight, relatively few of them end up with the kind of "beach bodies" we see on TV every night. It's not about looking perfect (whatever that means) and it's all about being healthy.

The fact of the matter is that, whatever shape we are in, we should feel as good about ourselves and our appearance as we can, and this includes people who might medically be defined as obese. It's just an unfortunate fact of life that obesity, particularly in its more severe forms, has a large number of physical consequences that can shorten a life and drastically reduce its quality. Our goal at Dr. Feiz and Associates is simply to make it more possible for patients to maintain the healthy lifestyle they need to have the longest, best life possible. There's definitely nothing to be ashamed of in that.