Here are some of the comments I’ve witnessed from people over the time I’ve been involved promoting the Ashamed movement.

“Just get off your fat ass and exercise. There. Problem solved.”
“Fat parents should be ashamed of themselves”
“Fat children should be shamed because they are fat. Maybe that will encourage them to stop eating so much food and get some activity. Shame has a purpose, you know.”
“These parents are abusing their children by feeding them so much food. They should be thrown in jail. They are creating a big problem that we are all suffering from. How dare they!”
“I can’t believe how stupid all you people are! Don’t you see what these parents are doing to their children? They are killing them!”
“I have never been overweight. I will never be overweight. A healthy lifestyle is now, and for the most part always has been, at the core of my life. So I cannot relate.”

 

*sigh*

I can tell you one thing. When overweight people hear these things…all they hear is hate.

I also fear there are many misguided people who believe the Strong 4 Life billboards are having a positive impact. Well, maybe in creating controversy, but I’m not sure there is anything beyond that. If the purpose behind these billboards are to reach the overweight population with a message that will create change, I’m not sure they are reaching that goal. What I AM sure of is they are preaching to the choir…and that’s about it.

If it was really that simple we wouldn’t have an epidemic on our hands. What we are seeing in the United States is the cycle of obesity. It’s prevalent, overwhelming, and has many psychological factors to it that most people just don’t understand or are not educated about. If the solution was so easy, we wouldn’t be facing a future where the children of this generation are expected to live a shorter lifespan than their parents. And the Strong 4 Life campaign wouldn’t feel the need to spend over $50 million in the State of Georgia, a state where they have the 2nd largest population of childhood obesity.  I don’t have a problem with the goals of Strong 4 Life. I have a problem with their tactics. I have a problem with the first phase of their “Awareness” campaign. It perpetuates a culture of overt “weight bias” and creates an environment where overweight children are shamed instead of supported. This is problematic when you understand what type of tactics are effective in combating obesity and what tactics are not.

Let me take you back for a second. Let’s talk a little bit about obesity and how complex it is psychologically. Not only can I speak from first hand experience because I used to be morbidly obese and grew up an obese child, but I  oversee an obesity prevention campaign for families called Mamavation. I know first hand what works and what doesn’t. So take a trip with me for a second.

Most of the time an overweight person doesn’t want to be overweight. In fact, they would do anything to become “skinnier” and not have to deal with the social stigma and other physical side effects of being overweight. Now wanting something and accomplishing something are two entirely different things.

Consider for a second the differences between losing weight and quitting smoking:

• When the smoker puts down the cigarette, the following day they are a non-smoker. Not true for an obese person. You can start something today, but it takes months and years to become an “average” weight person. The evidence of their “problem” follows them around and is there for everyone to see for a very long time.
• When the smoker decides to quit smoking, they simply stop using the product. Not true for an obese person. They must use the very thing daily that is causing them harm.
• Ostracizing and stigmatizing smokers in society has been very effective in curtailing smoking in the United States, especially in California where I live. Basically, that means creating an environment where they treated with scorn and shuffled to the side, given special places to smoke that are away from the general public, raising taxes on their cigarettes, and making them “undesirable” in general has been very effective. This is not the case with obesity. For instance, obese children that experience a high level of weight bias (bigotry and scorn by others because of their weight) actually turn to food more and leave the house less. Therefore, they isolate themselves and turn to food even more as a companion. Not the desired effect.
• There are lots of  people who actually suffer from eating disorders that are overweight and obese. Some of these disorders have been carried with them since childhood. (I’m also someone who has an eating disorder that was carried over from childhood.) Eating disorders are not something you can just switch off overnight. They take years to get under control and some people (like me for instance) never reach a moment when they are not obsessing over food.

You simply cannot treat obesity prevention like you would smoking cessation, alcoholism or drug addiction. It’s just not the same. The psychological factors are very different. They are complex and so far using a bully pulpit or trying to shame people into better health has been ineffective. Shame will always be ineffective.  Obesity carries with it a myriad of factors that you may not be aware of. One of the most prevalent road blocks to combating the obesity epidemic is weight bias. What is weight bias? It’s basically means treating someone differently than you would someone else based on their weight. Weight bias is prevalent in our society. It’s socially acceptable. It’s actually the last form of socially acceptable bigotry that we have. It’s so prevalent in fact that Yale University studies it and has created a special video about “weight bias” and its effect on children in the home and in school. Please take a moment to watch this video. If you haven’t seen it before, some of the things you will learn in this video may shock you. But either way, the only way for us to get a the root of obesity is to understand more about the people it effects.

As you learn in this video, putting overweight children in an environment where there is more weight bias does NOT help them become healthier. It has the opposite effect. The same actually goes for adults. When you stigmatize someone about their weight, they retreat to isolation and food.

Let’s consider for a second what DOES work. Obesity is combated with empowerment. The simple premise is obese people have been victimized by weight bias for so long they lose a sense of power. Some obese individuals suffer from depression, anxiety, social isolation, lack of self confidence, self hatred, remorse about who they are, etc. In order to become healthier, they must gain that sense of power back. For the vast majority of people, the process of gaining back that power is not had through shame. Shame perpetuates the problem. The only way to gain it back is though support, resources and the right motivation.

I’m about to toot our own horn. The Mamavation community has overseen over 1,500 lbs. lost under it’s leadership. Our community is a place where there is a lack of weight bias, plenty of support, resources, and motivation. In this community women have thrived and have become healthier. By succeeding in small goals, they have gained a sense of how powerful they truly are. And once people get a taste of success, they continue to want it, which is why women have continued to not only challenge themselves with activity but have lost weight as well. They have also shared their experiences with their families and have brought them slowly over to a healthier lifestyle. Our community is not a judgmental one. Nor do we have an ideal “weight” that we shoot for. The idea is health. We don’t expect people to “eat tree bark” within the first week. In fact, “tree bark eaters” (a joke btw) take years of learning before they are ready. Everyone is at their own pace, but are all united in one common theme–saving their families from the cycle of obesity. Women are accepted at 120 lbs. and at 350 lbs. All are the same.

Here are some basic concepts we live by in Mamavation:

1. No one is perfect. That means we all have good days and bad. We accept that about ourselves and don’t expect it from ourselves or each other. (In fact, I joke that if you are perfect, I’m kicking you out because you will just annoy me.)
2. When we fall from grace, we pick ourselves back up without victimizing ourselves. Overweight people have a tendency to be very hard on themselves with degrading self talk, especially when their weight is concerned. This forces them to rethink their thoughts and start pushing ahead even when they feel like a failure. After doing this a couple of times, they see the value in stopping the self victimization. Self hate talk is self victimization and it only succeeds in creating more failure.
3. We go at a snail’s pace. That means NO ONE is allowed to take on too much change than what is “doable” in ones schedule. The purpose here is to not overwhelm yourself. Challenge yourself, but not in a way that you can’t keep up the pace.
4. We are constantly challenging ourselves. We are constantly striving to do more and never become complacent.
5. We implement changes within our families at a snail’s pace. Changing habits for yourself is one thing, but changing habits for a family is crazier. When it comes to other people, slow is best.
6. Mom needs to change herself in order to change her family. We hold that role modeling behavior is the strongest power we have to motivate change in our family. Be who you want first and then slowly alter them. But always be the example.
7. If the children are overweight, NEVER draw attention to their weight. Instead focus on the nutrition and activity level of the ENTIRE family. Stigmatizing a child is a recipe for disaster.
8. Your weight does NOT define who you are. You define who you are. This helps women gain a sense of freedom from their bodies. They always feel like they are trapped in a body that is not their own. When you start thinking about yourself beyond your body’s limitations, you begin to see how much power you truly have. You define things. You are powerful.

After reading all this, I want you to take a good look at this image.

I see three things in this picture that make me unhappy.
1. I see a negative portrayal of an overweight girl.
2. I see a heavy weight bias message.
3. I see a little girl that is unhappy with herself because of the way she looks.

What does this image communicate to children?
1. If you are overweight there is something wrong with you
2. When people make fun of you because of your weight, they have a right to because there is something wrong with you
3. If you see another child like this, there is something wrong with them.

I did my own little experiment with this image and my six year old son tonight. I originally didn’t want to show him these ads, but tonight I wanted to test what would happen to a young mind. What I heard come out of my own baby’s mouth disappointed me.

Me: What do you see darling?
6 Year Old: I see a fat girl
Me: What else do you see?
6 Year Old: That girl is ugly.
Me: Do you want to be friends with this girl?
6 Year Old: No mommy, I don’t.
Me: Would you feel the same if it was a little boy?
6 Year Old: Yes mommy I would.

My own son came away with a negative impression of overweight children after seeing this ad. It really surprised me because one of his little girlfriends is overweight and he has never said anything about it.

Me: If you see a little girl OR little boy that looks like this mommy wants you to be their friend and be very nice to them. In fact, if you see someone like this being teased by others because of how they look, I want you to stop it.
6 Year Old: Why mommy?
Me: Because if you treat this little girl badly, she will become very sad and she will never become healthier. But if you treat her nicely and be her friend, she will grow to love herself. Mommy used to look just like her.
6 Year Old: *look of confusion*
Me: Can you treat children who look like this with the same type of love you would other children?
6 Year Old: Okay mommy.

*hangs head in shame*

You may want to try this experiment with your own children to see what they say. I’m sure my child will not be the only one who answers this way. Now tell me, even my own son came away from this image with a negative view of overweight children. He was actually given weight bias by it. How is this helpful to solving the obesity epidemic? If MY own child came away not wanting to be friends with this girl, how do you think children in Georgia are reacting to it? Not helpful. Not helpful at all.

When it comes to nutrition, advice can be all over the place. I’ve also noticed some Dietitians can be all over social media for engagement purposes to help people and others, not so much. So I’ve compiled a list of Dietitians that I think are very engaging, welcoming, honest, and people we can trust. Make sure to follow them because I’m calling them part of “Mamavation’s Favorite Things”…yeah, just like Oprah.

1. @InspiredRD

Alysa is a devoted wife and mother of two and still finds time to cater to the dietary needs of the Mamavation Moms.  She’s also quite crafty in her free time but her real passion is Challenging us all to Life Life Inspired.  Recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease and is traveling this new path with the same openness and honesty we’ve come to love about her. A plethora of information and recipes as well as other insightful posts can be found over at InspiredRD.com.

 
2. @DavidGrotto 

Dave has been in the nutrition field for over 25 years ranging from owning and operating his own natural food store, becoming a registered dietitian, becoming a broadcaster and also proudly serving as a National spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. He is now the founder of Nutrition Housecall LLC and has written multiple books on Nutrition. You can also find him each week at Real Nutrition Community for WebMD

3. @ScritchfieldRD

Rebecca Scritchfield, MA, RD, LD, ACSM Health Fitness Specialist provides elite nutrition expertise in Washington, D.C. A registered dietitian with a specialty in performance nutrition and weight management (no dieting!), Rebecca knows what it takes to get results. Also the creator of Me First – a Daily Reminder to Take Care of YOU.

4. @InglesDietitian

Leah is the Corporate Dietitian for Ingles Markets and writes regularly for WNC Parent Magazine and Sophie Magazine.  She  has been a Registered Dietitian with the American Dietetic Association since 1996 and joined Ingles Markets as the corporate dietitian in 2000.  Through Ingles Markets, you can find delicious recipes and even Ask Leah questions regarding health, nutrition, diets, allergies or Ingles products.

5. @TobyAmidor

Toby is the founder of Toby Amidor Nutrition where she provides nutrition and food safety consulting services for various entities. She is a nutrition expert for FoodNetwork.com where she writes for their Healthy Eating Blog and helps develop content. Toby is also the nutrition advisor for FitStudio (powered by Sears) where she oversees the nutrition content and contibutes nutrition articles to the FitStudio community.

6. @JaniceBissex

Janice is one of two registered dietitians behind The Meal Makeover Moms where she’s on a mission to help busy families eat better.  Janice also co-authored  No Whine with Dinner: 150 Healthy, Kid-Tested Recipes from The Meal Makeover Moms and The Moms’ Guide to Meal Makeovers, Improving the Way Your Family Eats, One Meal at a Time. The books highlight a simple food philosophy that kids -– even picky ones — will eat nutritious food without complaint as long as it looks and tastes great

7. @LizWeiss

Liz, the mom of two boys, understands, through years of personal experience, the daily challenges parents face when mealtime rolls around.  She co-authored No Whine with Dinner: 150 Healthy, Kid-Tested Recipes from The Meal Makeover Moms and The Moms’ Guide to Meal Makeovers, Improving the Way Your Family Eats, One Meal at a Time with Janice and is the other dietitian behind The Meal Makeover Moms.

7. @JoyBauer

If Joy looks familiar, she should.  Joy is America’s favorite and most trusted nutrition expert. As the nutrition and health expert for The TODAY Show, Joy’s mission is to improve the health of our nation and she believes it’s never too late or too early to reap the benefits of healthy living.  Author of Your Inner Skinny, Joy provides advice and information over at JoyBauer.com

8. @MaryHartleyRD

Mary takes an individualized approach to counselling her clients on their nutritional needs.  She does not endorse any one particular diet, but instead, takes into consideration their current state of health, lifestyle and preferences.This allows her to offer a personal touch for her clients that she sees through her Brooklyn, New York practice.  She also has an entertaining,  no-nonsense approach that has endeared her to various PR firms and the media where she has played the role of the ‘professional nutrition expert’ writing and talking about nutrition on TV and radio in addition to being the official Dietitian at Diets In Review.

9. @Elisazied

  Through her work as a nutrition consultant, author, writer, and spokesperson for more than 15 years, Elisa Zied has become a familiar, well-respected source for consumers and the media for accessible and accurate nutrition, diet, and lifestyle information.  Author of Feed Your Family Right and So, What Can I Eat? to name a few, she also has made appearances on  Good Morning America, The Early Show, Today Show, and various national and local programs.

10. @CherylForbergRD

Cheryl Forberg, RD, is a James Beard Award-winning chef, a New York Times best-selling author and pioneered nutrition counseling on The Biggest Loser as the show’s original nutritionist. Cheryl co-wrote the eating plan for The Biggest Loser, and as the show’s nutritionist for 12 seasons, continued helping overweight contestants transform their bodies, health and, ultimately, their lives. Flavor First: Cut Calories and Boost Flavor with 75 Delicious, All-Natural Recipes is her latest book.

11. @KeriGans

Keri Gans is a Registered Dietitian and has had a private practice in Manhattan for over ten years. Besides individual and group nutrition counseling, Keri spends time public speaking, writing and consulting. She is the author of The Small Change Diet which was published March 2011.

12. @Djblatner

Dawn is a trusted food & nutrition expert and has appeared in national media outlets such as The Dr. Oz Show, USA Today, Dateline, Newsweek, Cooking Light and WebMD. She is also the nutrition consultant for the Chicago Cubs, a food and nutrition blogger with USA Today and Huffington Post and a nutrition expert on the advisory board of Fitness magazine.  Dawn’s Food and Nutrition Philosophy is simple: “Wholesome and nourishing foods are magic. The right foods have the power to improve all the cells in your body to help you look healthy and feel strong and alive.”

13. @Andybellatti

Andy Bellatti, MS, RD, is a Seattle-based nutritionist who approaches nutrition from a whole-foods, plant-centric framework. He also takes a strong interest in food politics, nutrition policy, and deceptive food industry marketing tactics.  His blog, Small Bites, aims to deliver information on a variety of nutrition topics in a straightforward fashion free of hype, magic bullets, and quackery, while simultaneously pulling back the curtain on the food industry’s never-ending quest to pass off nutritionally-void food products as “healthful options”.

14. @Tspbasil

Based in Philadelphia, Deanna is a seasoned communications consultant and “food loving” registered dietitian specializing in nutrition and culinary projects. Partner at Teaspoon Communications, she has conducted hundreds of media interviews locally and nationally on a variety of topics ranging from healthy cooking tips to school nutrition.

15. @DietitianJanel

Is a registered Dietitian and currently works with Corporations designing wellness programs. Her nutrition experience includes maternal and family nutrition, weight loss, meal planning and preparation, food allergies and vegetarian/vegan nutrition.  You may have seen her at  events such as the Healthy Living Summit, FitBloggin’ and the POM Wonderful Blogger Harvest Tour and can find her blogging at Eat Well With Janel where she shares her passion for all things food.

16. @PlantDietitian

Julieanna, also known as the Plant-Based Dietitian, is a  mom of two who loves to inspire others about the benefits of plant based nutrition.  She is the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition, the co-author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Gluten-Free Vegan Cooking, and she is the VegNews Magazine nutrition columnist in addition to counselling clients from her Los Angeles, California-based private practice.

17. @JanetHelm

Janet is a writer, a Registered Dietitian, and a mom of twins.  She specializes in taking nutritional mumbo jumbo and translating it into something we can all understand.  Over at Nutrition Unplugged, she helps people cut through the clutter and focus on the fad-free facts about nutrition.  She’s been a media spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association as well as discussed the latest hot topics on nutrition on various TV outlets, including Good Morning America, Today, ABC News and CNN.

Congratulations to all the Dietitians who made it to Mamavation’s Favorite Things. If you would like to grab a banner in pride, you are welcome to do so.

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.mamavation.com/2012/02/top-17-dietitians-you-can-count-on-in-social-media.html" title="Mamavation" target=”_blank”><img src="http://www.mamavation.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/favthings2.jpg" alt="Mamavation" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.mamavation.com/2012/02/top-17-dietitians-you-can-count-on-in-social-media.html" title="Mamavation" target=”_blank”><img src="http://www.mamavation.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/favthings1.jpg" alt="Mamavation" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

If you have someone you would like to recommend for another post on Dietitians, please put their names and twitter handle in the comment section along with a reason why they are being nominated. Thanks!