Health Resources
The Big Folks Health FAQ is no longer being updated, but it still has some useful information
In January 1998, the New England Journal of Medicine printed a landmark editorial on "Losing Weight--An Ill-Fated New Year's Resolution."
"Obesity, Health, and Metabolic Fitness" is an article by Glenn Gaesser, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Exercise Physiology at the University of Virginia. He challenges the concept that obesity itself is a major health risk, and cites many references for studies which have demonstrated that the conventional wisdom is not really based on the truth about the relationship between obesity and health.
"Asking if Obesity Is a Disease or Just a Symptom" is an article from the New York Times that questions the conventional wisdom that fat = unhealthy and weight loss = better health. Unfortunately, they've moved it to their archive where you have to pay $2.95 to see it, but you may find it worth the price.
In "Obesity Not A Personal Failing, But A Battle Against Biology" Jeffrey M. Friedman, M.D., Ph.D., that fatness cannot be easily explained as simply a breakdown in willpower.
And in "Junk Science About Obesity" Paul Campos takes on a myth that refuses to die: the idea that being fat kills 300,000 Americans a year.
Weighing Obesity is a well-researched and carefully-documented series of articles by Sandy Szwarc on the truth behind the "obesity crisis," in ten parts:
Dr. Dean Edell also weighs in here in this article "Women Get Heavier--And Healthier--As They Age"
Dr. Jonathan Robison is a health educator and exercise physiologist with a holistic, size-positive outlook. On his website he has some of his articles available for download, as well as information on some of the presentations he's given.
Duke University Medical Center reports in this article that fat people can improve their health through exercise alone, without losing weight.
Health At Every Size
is an approach to healthcare that argues against dieting and for maximizing health and fitness for people of all sizes. The East Bay Express did an article called Fat! Fit? Fabulous! on the movement and some of its proponents.
The Fat-Friendly Health Professionals List has dozens of healthcare professionals (physicians, naturopaths, nutritionists, chiropractors, physical therapists, acupuncturists, psychologists, massage therapists, and more) that some fat people have deemed fat friendly, or who declared themselves to be fat friendly.
Tips on Obtaining Good Health Care covers selecting a fat-friendly healthcare provider, communicating your needs, and finding other resources to educate you and your doctor about treating fat patients.
"Medical Care for Obese Patients: Advice for Health Care Professionals" is an article from the journal American Family Physician. It's very fat-positive and might be a good thing to print out and give to your healthcare provider.
The American Psychological Association also has a set of guidelines for therapists on How to be size-friendly.
First Do No Harm is a site aimed at health care professionals (but accessible to anyone) that offers an alternative approach for assisting clients with weight related concerns, from a size-accepting perspective. It makes a great case for a non-dieting, fitness-based approach. Recommend it to your doctor!
The Feminist Women's Health Center's site features a great article on Large Women's Health Experiences that is also recommended reading for all health care professionals.
NAAFA has some good brochures, including "Guidelines for Health Care Providers," "Declaration of Health Rights for Fat People," and "Guidelines For Therapists who Treat Fat Clients" that some people find helpful to give to their doctors.
A large number of fat people are diabetic--not, as we've long been told, because being fat causes you to become diabetic, but because certain genetic predispositions and metabolic conditions cause a tendency toward gaining weight and developing diabetes. There aren't many resources available yet to support fat diabetics who want to use a fat-accepting, non-dieting approach to dealing with their condition, but the few that are out there are good ones. A 1995 article in Radiance magazine titled "Diabetes: A Gentle Approach to a Tough Problem" describes the non-dieting approach taken by the staff of a clinic in Salinas, California.
The Healthy Weight Journal did a pair of special issues (January/February and March/April 1998) on "New Approaches for Diabetes." You'll have to get the journals in print to read most of the articles, but a complete list of the contents and the full text of their editorial "Nondiet therapy for diabetes" are available online.
Another great source of information and support is the Fat Diabetic's Support List. The list is for fat diabetics who don't believe in intentional weight loss. It is created as an area where fat diabetics can discuss their disease without fear of the "lose weight or die" attitude of some diabetics and medical practitioners and that is common in such other support areas such as misc.health.diabetes. The list's home page also includes links to further info on diabetes, and an archive of some of the best posts to the list.
And if you're lesbian, gay, bi, trans, intersex, queer, and/or questioning, and you're diabetic, or if you're a significant other, friend, family member, or ally of someone in there, then a fabulous, fat-positive site called Queering Diabetes is for you.
Another medical condition that many fat people suffer from is sleep apnea. The sa-sleepapnea mailing list is for size-accepting discussion of sleep apnea and related issues--diagnosis, treatment, maintenance, and so on. Discussion of weight loss as a treatment will be discouraged.
My husband Tony has put together a fat-friendly page on sleep apnea and other sleep disorders.
About.com's Plus-Size Pregnancy site is a great resource for parents-to-be and for those considering it.
PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a condition most often found among fat women, and being fat is a result of it, not the cause. Other conditions that are associated with PCOS include multiple ovarian cysts, irregular or absent menstrual periods, acne, high blood pressure, hypertriglyceridemia (high blood lipid), low HDL-cholesterol, elevated insulin levels, insulin resistance, type II diabetes, infertility, excess hair on the face and body, and thinning scalp hair. If you have more than one or two of these symptoms, the PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome Association's site has more information and a quiz to help you determine how likely you are to have PCOS. This site on Syndrome X (another name for PCOS, or perhaps a related set of conditions--it's not clear) has some additional information.
NAAFA's site has some good information on Fen/Phen and other diet drugs, including a registry for people who've taken them and are worried now about heart damage and other side effects.
I believe that anyone who is considering weight-loss surgery should know the risks before they decide. These sites offer some perspectives that you may not get from your bariatric surgeon.
Karen S. Smith's post to the fat acceptance list on Complications of Weight Loss Surgery
Pat's Weight Loss Surgery RNY Page
Why we never hear, why people don’t talk and why people don’t want to know...
Surgery for Weight Loss: Comparison of Risk and Benefit by Paul Ernsberger, Ph.D.
AlterNet.org: Fat Chance
Weight Loss Surgery Information Center
The Center for Laparoscopic Obesity Surgery's Complications After Weight Loss Surgery
HUGS International is a Canadian company founded by a registered dietitian. Their mission is "to challenge the myths of the diet industry by shifting the attitudes and beliefs of the public consciousness from the preoccupation with weight and size to an acceptance and appreciation of healthier living." Their site features books, videos and audio tapes, information on their workshops in various locations, an online chat area, and more, all presented from a non-dieting, size-accepting, health-centered perspective.
Overcoming Overeating is a somewhat controversial approach in the size acceptance community. Some people find it fundamentally flawed, but others say it's been a lifesaver for them, helping them to accept themselves as they are and get past unhealthy, compulsive eating behaviors. I don't know enough about them to judge, so you're on your own here.
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