Taylor was diagnosed with sleep apnea six months ago and told the only real solution was weight loss. Like so many fat people, they've tried every diet imaginable—keto, Weight Watchers, calorie counting—and watched their weight cycle up and down for years. When a friend introduced them to intuitive eating and the anti-diet movement, it felt revolutionary. But the what-ifs started creeping in. What if I just keep eating and never stop? What if this damages my health? What if everyone saying "just lose weight" is actually right, and I'm the one who's wrong?
In this episode, I walk through Taylor's very real, very valid fears about ditching diets for good—because when you're fat, choosing to stop pursuing weight loss isn't just giving up dieting. It's accepting you may never access the privileges thin people get automatically, from medical care to airplane seats to basic dignity. I talk about why these fears are legitimate, what the evidence actually says, and why fat people need other fat people—not thin allies—to navigate this journey.
Don't forget to order your copy of the Stop Dreading Doctor's Appointments toolkit here.
Got a question for the next podcast? Let me know!
Connect With Me
We've been told our entire lives that losing weight will prevent health problems. But where did this belief come from? In this episode, I trace the shocking history of how insurance companies, pharmaceutical funding, and arbitrary statistical cut-offs created the mythical illness we now know as "ob*sity" crisis. From Quetelet's obsession with the "average man" to the International Ob*sity Task Force's pharmaceutical funding, I expose how we've been working off logical fallacies for over a century. There's no evidence that being fat causes health conditions, no evidence of a "healthy weight for height," and no evidence that weight loss improves health outcomes. It's time we stopped treating statistical artifacts as medical truth.
Don't forget to order your copy of the Stop Dreading Doctor's Appointments toolkit.
Got a question for the next podcast? Let me know!
Connect With Me
In a healthcare system that routinely dismisses, blames, and denies treatment to fat patients, it's easy to doubt whether choosing to stay fat is the right decision. But here's the truth: you deserve a doctor who listens, believes, and validates you—regardless of your size. You have the absolute right to refuse to be weighed, to refuse weight loss, and to demand treatment without prerequisites. The ethics are clear, even when the reality feels impossible. This episode is your reminder that you're making the right choice, and that the fight for dignified healthcare is both justified and winnable.
Make sure to get your copy of the Stop Dreading Doctor's Appointments toolkit.
Got a question for the next podcast? Let me know!
Connect With Me
Casey is a passionate, well-meaning therapist who believes in weight-inclusive care but freezes when clients bring up medical concerns. They've learned about anti-diet principles through Instagram and podcasts, but lack the medical knowledge to counter doctors' weight-focused advice. When a client receives a devastating diabetes diagnosis with the usual "lose weight" lecture, Casey wants to help but secretly wonders if the doctor might be right. Add in family pressure about their own weight, hostile colleagues questioning their approach, and the constant fear of professional consequences - and you have a dedicated professional caught between their values and their limitations. In this episode, I explore why therapists like Casey deserve support, not judgment, and how we can bridge the gap between good intentions and confident, evidence-based practice in the fight for weight-inclusive healthcare.
For anti-diet and healthcare professionals, it's time to stop second-guessing your weight-inclusive approach, and get the research, tools, and professional certification to confidently counter medical weight bias:
✓ Complete 12-module professional certification program
✓ Lifetime access to expanding evidence library
✓ Professional Directory listing for client referrals
Got a question for the next podcast? Let me know!
Connect With Me
Weight loss doesn't improve your health—and I'm tired of having to prove it. While doctors continue pushing weight loss as a cure-all, the evidence tells a different story. The Look AHEAD Study followed 5,000 diabetics for 10 years and found that weight loss didn't prevent heart attacks or strokes. Similar studies show no long-term benefits for diabetes, arthritis, blood pressure, or fatty liver disease. Yet fat patients are still forced to advocate for basic medical care while being blamed for conditions that have nothing to do with their weight. It's time for healthcare professionals to stop putting the burden on patients and start practicing evidence-based, weight-inclusive care.
For anti-diet and healthcare professionals, it's time to stop second-guessing your weight-inclusive approach, and get the research, tools, and professional certification to confidently counter medical weight bias:
✓ Complete 12-module professional certification program
✓ Lifetime access to expanding evidence library
✓ Professional Directory listing for client referrals
Got a question for the next podcast? Let me know!
Connect With Me
Some healthcare professionals are nice. Some would go so far as to call themselves “body positive" or “HAES aligned”. But being pleasant doesn't make you safe for fat patients. There's a crucial difference between practitioners who are steadfastly kind while perpetuating harm, and those who actively work to counter medical weight bias. In this episode, I expose why often times anti-diet isn't enough, how well-meaning professionals can cause more damage than obvious bigots, and why fat people are trapped in an endless cycle of seeking help, getting weight loss advice, and avoiding care until they're desperate. I challenge anti-diet practitioners to move beyond good intentions and actually do the work to become weight-inclusive. Plus, I debunk the dangerous myths about anaesthesia safety that are used to deny fat people surgery.
Want to learn more about anaesthesia? Then check out my masterclass today!
Got a question for the next podcast? Let me know!
Connect With Me
Jordan's seven GP visits for debilitating period pain, fatigue, and pelvic symptoms should have led to an endometriosis diagnosis within the first appointment. Instead, every symptom was blamed on weight, leaving them dismissed, traumatized, and untreated. In this episode, I expose how medical fatphobia intersects with misogyny to deny fat people proper gynecological care, and why being fat makes you fundamentally unsafe with most doctors. Through Jordan's story, I reveal the devastating reality that fat patients face when seeking help for legitimate medical conditions.
Like the sound of the Consulting Room? DOORS OPEN TODAY AND CLOSE ON THE 29th AUGUST. Find out more here.
Got a question for the next podcast? Let me know!
Connect With Me
Society has conditioned us to believe that our weight reveals everything about our character, intelligence, willpower, and worth as human beings. From childhood, we're taught that fat bodies represent moral failure, laziness, and unworthiness of love or respect.
In this raw and powerful episode, I dismantle the extensive list of harmful stereotypes we've internalized about ourselves and call out healthcare professionals who perpetuate discrimination. I explore how these beliefs shape our relationships, our sense of self-worth, and our right to exist fully in the world—and why it's time to reject these lies completely.
Find out more about the weighting room and become part of a one-of-a-kind community
Got a question for the next podcast? Let me know!
Connect With Me
Medical autonomy is supposedly a fundamental pillar of healthcare - the right to make informed decisions about your own body without coercion. But as I discovered in a conversation with my husband Junior, a fat dentist, this principle simply doesn't apply when you're fat. In this episode, I expose how the medical profession systematically denies autonomy to fat patients, exploring the difference between theoretical rights and practical agency, and why doctors can get away with withholding treatment until you lose weight. I also introduce The Weigh Forward - my new service to help fat patients fight back against medical discrimination through formal complaints and advocacy.
Got a question for the next podcast? Let me know!
Connect With Me
Riley's doctor recommended bariatric surgery as the solution to their health concerns, but when Riley came to me for advice, I realized they hadn't been told about the real risks. From anastomosis leaks with 15% mortality rates to spontaneous bowel perforations years later, the complications of weight loss surgery extend far beyond what most patients are counseled about.
In this episode, I walk through the evidence-based risks that every patient deserves to know before making this life-altering decision, because informed consent requires the whole truth. If you or someone you know is considering weight loss surgery, then be sure to send them a link to this episode!
References:
Got a question for the next podcast? Let me know!
Connect With Me
Health and weight are two completely separate things that we've been taught to view as synonymous. While society insists that being fat is inherently unhealthy, the evidence tells a different story. In this episode, I break down why genetics, not lifestyle choices, primarily determine our weight, how weight stigma actually causes poor health outcomes, and why fat people often have better medical outcomes than thin people. I challenge the fundamental assumption that body size equals health status and explain why perpetuating this myth isn't just wrong—it's literally killing people.
Got a question for the next podcast? Let me know!
Connect With Me
During my supposed break, I wrote a 45-page booklet called "Jenny Needs a New Knee, But She's Too Fat to Get One"—complete with 29 clinical references proving that denying joint replacements based on weight is medically unjustified and harmful. Coz that's what people do during their time off, right?
Instead of moving on to the next project like I always do, I'm trying something different and terrifying: staying put. In this vulnerable episode, I explore my lifelong pattern of pivoting when things get uncomfortable, the childhood trauma that drives my need to run, and why I'm fighting every instinct to abandon this work when fat patients desperately need advocates willing to stick around for the long haul.
Check out the eBook Jenny Needs a New Knee, But She's Too Fat to Get One
Got a question for the next podcast? Let me know!
Connect With Me
A third of NHS areas are denying hip and knee replacements based on BMI alone—not for medical reasons, but purely to save money. In this episode, I expose how the medical establishment openly admits these discriminatory policies lack evidence while pushing profitable weight loss interventions instead. Meanwhile, actual surgeons and researchers confirm what we've known all along: this is financial discrimination masquerading as healthcare.
Have you been denied a knee replacement because of your BMI? Get your free, customizable template here.
The Newspaper article by Rebecca Thomas is "Obese patients denied knee and hip replacements to slash NHS costs"
The Journal Article is: Pavlovic, Natalie et al. “The effect of body mass index and preoperative weight loss in people with obesity on postoperative outcomes to 6 months following total hip or knee arthroplasty: a retrospective study.” Arthroplasty (London, England) vol. 5,1 48. 1 Oct. 2023
Got a question for the next podcast? Let me know!
Connect With Me
Coming out as fat is harder than coming out as transgender, at least in our experience. When performer and cabaret artist Ross Anderson-Doherty refused to pursue weight loss as medical treatment, their healthcare became a weapon of punishment rather than care. In this raw conversation, we explore how medical fatphobia intersects with transphobia, classism, and ableism to create devastating trauma that nearly destroyed one person's will to live. Ross's journey from medical neglect to triumphant revenge reveals the urgent need to recognize healthcare discrimination as the trauma it truly is.
You can catch Ross performing at the Cabaret Supper Club in Belfast. Be sure to follow them on Tik Tok and Instagram - you’d be a fool not to!
Got a question for the next podcast? Let me know!
Connect With Me
Medical weight stigma creates dangerous catch-22 situations for patients seeking care. In this episode, I share Cameron's story of developing gallstones after weight loss surgery, only to be denied treatment because their BMI was "still too high."
In this episode, I expose how rapid weight loss can trigger gallstone formation and how medical professionals often ignore evidence-based care when treating higher weight patients. I challenge the "lose weight to get treatment" narrative while offering practical advocacy strategies for navigating a biased healthcare system.
Today’s journal article was Gregori, Matteo et al. “Day case laparoscopic cholecystectomy: Safety and feasibility in obese patients.” International journal of surgery (London, England) vol. 49 (2018)
For free resources on the management of galbladder disease head to noweigh.org
And don't forget to check out my masterclass on gallstones
Got a question for the next podcast? Let me know!
Connect With Me
The obsession with calculating the "cost of ob*sity" to society reflects our troubling tendency to commodify human life and health. In this rather ragey and explosive episode, I expose how a widely-cited figure of £98 billion was manufactured by pharmaceutical interests to sell weight loss drugs.
I challenge the notion that we "owe" society a debt of health and explore how weight stigma, not weight itself, drives depression and poor health outcomes. Through a rather provocative thought experiment, I reveal the absurdity of reducing human experience to economic calculations and argue that tackling stigma, not eradicating fatness, is the real path forward.
Today's journal article was: Stevens, Serena D et al. “Adult and childhood weight influence body image and depression through weight stigmatization.” Journal of health psychology vol. 22,8 (2017): 1084-1093. doi:10.1177/1359105315624749
Got a question for the next podcast? Let me know!
Connect With Me
Medical trauma is more than an abstract concept—it's a physical reality that impacts millions of people daily. In this episode, I share my transformative experience at a gender identity clinic, contrasting it with previous healthcare encounters that left me hypervigilant, tense, and bracing for judgment.
I explore how our bodies physically store medical trauma—in our gut, our muscles, our posture, and even our skin—creating patterns that repeat with each new medical encounter. For fat people and those with other marginalized identities, this trauma compounds exponentially.
This episode invites listeners to recognize medical trauma's physical manifestations while questioning a healthcare system that continues to perpetuate harm despite decades of evidence.
Got a question for the next podcast? Let me know!
Connect With Me
In this episode of The Fat Doctor Podcast, I'm joined by Elle Bower Johnston, a breathworker, rest teacher, and somatic trauma resolution practitioner who describes herself as a "body witch." Our conversation explores the intersection of trauma, embodiment, and healing beyond traditional therapy.
Elle explains trauma as "when our body-mind experiences something that it can't digest in the moment - either too much too fast, or not enough over too long." While our protective mechanisms (fight, flight, freeze, and fawn) are natural responses to threats, trauma occurs when these responses get stuck and can't complete.
We discuss how systems of oppression create ongoing trauma, particularly for marginalized bodies accessing healthcare. Elle shares how our bodies develop protective mechanisms that may have been necessary for survival, but can become limiting patterns later in life.
The conversation moves beyond cognitive understanding to explore embodied healing. As Elle notes, "You can't think your way through" trauma - we need approaches that engage the multifaceted aspects of our bodies: physical, emotional, energetic, and relational.
In a world disconnected through capitalism and colonialism, Elle suggests that rest isn't just about lying down or taking a bath - it's about reconnecting with something larger than ourselves. This might be as simple as noticing the seasons changing or feeling gravity's pull on your body. These small moments of connection become pathways to true rest and healing.
This episode invites listeners to honor the wisdom in their protective responses while exploring gentle ways to expand beyond them, finding rest and embodiment in a world that often disconnects us from our bodies and each other.
You can learn more about Elle through her website.
Got a question for the next podcast? Let me know!
Connect With Me
In this episode, I explore the journey of Robin, a 45-year-old art teacher navigating a high cholesterol diagnosis and the frustrating world of weight-centric healthcare. Through their story, I break down the actual science of heart disease risk factors (spoiler: weight is the least of your concerns), explain the difference between primary and secondary prevention, and reveal how the medical establishment's obsession with numbers obscures more important social determinants of health. I also dissect the evidence (or lack thereof) for dietary and lifestyle interventions, highlighting how medication decisions should be based on informed consent, not fear.
This episode asks: What if doctors treated us as whole people instead of just collections of numbers?
This week's journal article is: Ras, Rouyanne T et al. “LDL-cholesterol-lowering effect of plant sterols and stanols across different dose ranges: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled studies.” The British journal of nutrition vol. 112,2 (2014): 214-9. doi:10.1017/S0007114514000750
Got a question for the next podcast? Let me know!
Connect With Me
Our worth as human beings is not determined by our health status. In this powerful episode, I challenge the pervasive narrative that ties personal value to health metrics and physical ability. I explore how healthism is deeply rooted in capitalism, racism, ableism, and colonialism, creating harmful hierarchies even within marginalized communities.
Drawing from my own personal experience with chronic illness and analyzing problematic media representations of 'fat but fit' bodies, I make the case that every person is equally valuable, regardless of their health or ability to contribute through productivity.
This episode asks: What if we collectively rejected the notion that health determines our worth?
The Guardian Article is “‘Plot twist - I’m still a fat person!’: meet the people proving you can be fit at any size” by Sarah Phillips, Sun 29th March https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/mar/29/im-still-a-fat-person-meet-the-people-proving-you-can-be-fit-at-any-size
The journal article is: Metabolically Healthy Obese and Incident Cardiovascular Disease Events Among 3.5 Million Men and Women
Got a question for the next podcast? Let me know!
Connect With Me
Medical moralism has transformed heart health from a medical issue into a moral judgment. When we label cholesterol as "good" or "bad" and patients as "compliant" or "non-compliant," we're not practicing medicine - we're passing judgment.
In this episode, I expose how the "lose weight or die" narrative serves financial interests while ignoring the real social determinants of health. I ask whether our obsession with metabolic markers has become a moral measuring stick rather than genuine care, and challenge listeners to question whether health status should ever define human worth.
This episode's journal article is "Evidence for the Association Between Adverse Childhood Family Environment, Child Abuse, and Caregiver Warmth and Cardiovascular Health Across the Lifespan: The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study.”
Got a question for the next podcast? Let me know!
Connect With Me
We’re doing things slightly different this week (it is episode 13, after all). As a 44-year-old doctor who recently discovered I'm autistic, I'm sharing my personal journey of self-discovery for Autism Awareness Day. In yet another deeply personal episode, I walk through the signs I missed in myself while recognizing them in my kids, how I've been masking my whole life, and why I'm now embracing a more authentic way of living and working.
I also explain why I'm done trying to build a business the neurotypical way and how I'm restructuring my work to avoid burnout while still continuing to create content I love. If you've ever wondered about late-diagnosed autism or are feeling burnt out trying to follow other people's rules, this one's for you!
Got a question for the next podcast? Let me know!
Connect With Me
In this episode, Dr. Asher Larmie speaks with fellow weight inclusive GP Dr. Molly Moffat about creating safe feeding environments for neurodivergent children that goes beyond conventional nutrition rules. They explore how diet culture and neurotypical expectations harm autistic individuals, while sharing personal stories of parenting neurodivergent children and navigating healthcare as autistic doctors themselves. Dr. Moffat offers transformative insights on helping children develop healthy relationships with food by prioritizing emotional safety over nutritional perfectionism.
Molly works as an NHS GP and Doctor in Community Paediatrics, as well as a workshop facilitator for the social enterprise Body Happy Org. She is both neurodivergent herself and a parent to neurodivergent children. Molly offers support to families whose children experience feeding differences, and to adults who want to improve their relationship with food. She practices through a neurodiversity-affirming, weight inclusive lens celebrating both diversity of bodies and diversity of minds.
Got a question for the next podcast? Let me know!
Connect With Me
In this episode, I dive into Charlie's story, who develops Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH) in their early thrities. Charlie's journey reveals the terrible reality of weight stigma in healthcare - from delayed diagnosis to being blamed for their condition, and ultimately being prescribed weight loss instead of effective treatment. I also get pretty fired up discussing how the medical establishment continues to prescribe weight loss for IIH based on a single terrible study with just 25 participants who were essentially starved on 425 calories a day!
If you'd like to learn more about IIH and weight-inclusive approaches to healthcare, head to noweigh.org for my free resources. My IIH Masterclass which is available now to all Masterclass members (£40/month). I also referenced my upcoming book and No Weigh program where I cover the evidence that everything you've been told about weight loss is a lie. And don't forget to grab a free ticket to my Fat Joy Celebration happening on Friday, March 21st at 5pm UK time (1pm Eastern, 10am Pacific) - we'll have a virtual potluck, dancing, and celebration of fat community!
Got a question for the next podcast? Let me know!
Connect With Me
In this episode, I tackle the simple but revolutionary idea that if we can't control our health (and we can't), then we shouldn't be blamed for it! When healthcare professionals blame patients, patients stop trusting us and start avoiding care. That's dangerous! This week I offer some straight-talking advice for both doctors (ask better questions!) and patients (call out the blame when you feel it!). Let's take the shame out of healthcare and remember that illness isn't a personal failure and when all else fails, chose compassion over judgment, folks. Every time.
RESOURCES MENTIONED: 👉 Unshrinkable Course (£25): Learn the science behind why weight loss is unsustainable 👉 Masterclass Membership: Evidence-based health education without weight stigma 👉 No Weigh Membership: Monthly chapters challenging weight-centric healthcare 👉 Weight Inclusive Wednesdays: Join our confidential Zoom sessions (2nd Wednesday monthly, 5pm UK) 👉 Free Healthcare Script: Download my guide for navigating difficult conversations with doctors 👉 No Weigh Newsletter: Get weekly evidence-based content delivered to your inbox
The aritcle quotes in this episode is " Veenendaal, M V E et al. “Transgenerational effects of prenatal exposure to the 1944-45 Dutch famine.” BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology vol. 120,5 (2013): 548-53."
Got a question for the next podcast? Let me know!
Connect With Me
Taylor's story: What if everyone else is right and we're wrong?
38:25
The Weight Loss Lie: A History of Medical Mistakes
36:02
You Deserve Better: The Fat Doctor's Reassurance on Your Right To Healthcare
40:51
Casey's story: When good intentions aren't enough
32:02
Weight Loss Doesn't Improve Your Health
30:24
When 'nice' isn't enough: The search for truly safe care
38:41
Jordan's Story: When Endometriosis Gets Blamed on Being Fat
37:40
My Weight Says Nothing About Who I Am
29:47
Fat People Are Not Entitled to Autonomy
32:09
Riley's Story: The Bariatric Surgery Risks Nobody Talks About
37:19
Your Health Is Not Determined by Your Size
33:22
Why I Can't Move On: Staying Put When I Want to Run Away
31:55
Fat People Are Being Denied Surgery for Money (Say It Isn't So!)
48:48
Coming Out As Fat with Ross Anderson-Doherty
1:17:25
Cameron's Story
49:58
Challenging the Economics of Fat Bodies
50:55
How a Positive Consultation Changed Everything For Me
48:49
Healing Trauma with Elle Bower Johnston, Body Witch
58:54
Robin's Story
46:14
My Health Does Not Define My Worth
41:22
The Lose Weight or Die Narrative
38:31
Unmasking My Autistic Self
49:16
More Than Just Carrots with Dr Molly Moffat
1:01:27
Charlie's Story
53:01
Stop Blaming the Patient! (Why Healthcare Needs More Compassion And Less Judgment)
39:19