Shake off the stigma!

Stigma is horrible, yet it is all too common in our society.

Anyone who does not fit the ideal “norm”, including those who are overweight, frequently suffer stigma.

Any of you who are or have been overweight, will have undoubtedly suffered stigma at some time with the common and misguided belief that it is your own fault.

Additionally the stigmatisation of overweight people is often thought justifiable, due to the ill-informed notion that if someone is made to feel bad about their weight it will motivate them to adopt healthier behaviours.

News flash, it doesn’t.

Some of the effects of stigma include:

• Feelings of shame, hopelessness and isolation
• Reluctance to ask for help or to get treatment, due to fear that health professionals will populate the stigma
• Self-doubt - the belief that you will never overcome your health issues or achieve what you want in life

The view that being overweight is a matter of personal responsibility is the prevailing message in the media. This perpetuated view is of course dangerously over-simplistic and just plain wrong.

Unfortunately some healthcare professionals still attempt to use stigma as an incentive to get people to lose weight which does not work.

Making people feel guilty and ashamed about their health does not motivate them to get better; these are not constructive emotions.

Anyone following our work at Real Life Medicine will know that the real cause of being overweight is hormonal dysregulation, caused by a mismatch of our genetics and the modern food environment. The treatment is to change your diet to eating low carbohydrate real foods, which will tame your hormones and allow for sustainable weight loss.

Weight gain is not due to sloth or gluttony. It is your hormones.
Instead of feeling ashamed and guilty, I encourage each and every one of you to shake free of the stigma!
Literally, jump up and down right now!
Say it!
“It’s my hormones!!”
Say it again!
“It’s my hormones!!”
Jump up and down right now and scream “It’s my hormones!!”

Be real.

In health,

Dr Mary

Real Life Medicine