Diet Culture, HAES & Activism - with Ragen Chastain

Ragen is a multi-talented writer, speaker, trained researcher, award winning dancer, elite professional athlete and self acclaimed lover of medals which has resulted in her completing a marathon. She is an inspirational and passionate thought leader in the fields of Health at Every Size, weight stigma and weight inclusive healthcare and fitness after being subject to size discrimination herself. Ragen’s incredibly articulate and research based answers resulted in us learning a lot in this chat. Hope you enjoy it too! 

Topics covered:

• How the diet industry operates.
• The harm of weight cycling/yoyo dieting.
• Definition of health and why you can’t judge health by looking at a person.   
• Why BMI is not a measure of health. 
• The activism work Ragen has been doing to try and change weight stigma in the healthcare system.
• How to advocate for yourself when you go to the doctors.
• How to achieve body acceptance and a positive body image.
• Advice for people who want to get involved in movement, but feel they could be judged. 
• Creating a positive relationship with movement and detaching it from an aesthetic goal. 
• Activism burn out and what we can all do to support HAES. 

Find Ragen here:
Instagram: @ragenchastain
Website: https://danceswithfat.org
Twitter: @danceswithfat

You can find us on social media:
Tallulah Self (editor and Producer)
Instagram: @tallulahself

Meg:
Instagram: @megsy_recovery
YouTube: Megsy Recovery
TikTok: megsy recovery

Safia:
Email: safia.s.muzaffar@gmail.com
Instagram: @safia_edrecoverycoach
Member of the Beyond Body Coaching team: https://www.beyondbodycoach.com

Please keep in mind we’re not medical professionals, and the podcast content reflects our own experiences and opinions, as well as that of our guests, so it shouldn’t be taken as medical advice. If you’re struggling with an eating disorder or disordered eating please reach out to a medical professional to discuss your own situation and get professional help with your own unique recovery.