Tag Archives: dangerous

Doctor Posts Joke Video Demonstrating Stigma That Kills People. Where’s the Hippocratic Oath When You Need It?

So apparently Dr. Terrible is getting a run for his money in my all time list of creeps. Meet Dr. Irresponsible and Dr. Hatemonger.

So yesterday, a number of people told me about a video posted on Kevin MD that was horrible beyond the normal bonds of horrible. (Sorry, no power on earth will compel me to link to that ish. Some things deserve exactly zero clicks.) And the first thought that came into my mind is, “This video is going to kill people. Literally. People are going to see this video and they are going to not go to the doctor and they are going to die.”

You see this video, created by Waqas Khan or (Who calls himself Dr. I Am Sorry) was one of the most nightmare cases of bigotry, prejudice and racism I have seen in a long time. (Again, not willing to give clicks here. Google it if you must.) In this video (which is part of a series of videos of unrestrained bigotry by the way) we see Miss Fatty going to the doctor. In this short video we get to see all of the following tropes played out:

Fat people are slow.
Fat people are pushy.
Fat people eat nothing but junk food.
Fat people are completely incapable of understanding what they are eating.
Fat people are lazy.
Fat people have done nothing to try to lose weight.
Fat people are stupid.
Fat women will never find a man.
Fat people believe that there is a magic pill that will make them thin.
Fat people are guaranteed to get diabetes.
Fat people understand nothing about their bodies or their health.
Fat people never exercise.
Fat people don’t do anything their doctors tell them to do.

Oh and by the way, did I mention that Ms. Fatty is African American? So all those stereotypes, yup, you can apply them ALL to African American women while you’re at it. And you can add:

African American Women are fat.
African American Women are bossy.

A lot of this is punctuated by soliloquies by Dr. I Am Sorry. (Or “Dr. You Should Be Sorry and I Predict Will Be Soon” as I call him) spouting anger and bile and vitriol and bigotry towards his imaginary non-compliant patients that make it clear he has nothing but disgust and hatred towards them.

Okay. Now let’s get to the killing people part.

We know from several sources, including the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity that weight stigma among American medical professionals is rampant. In one study 24 percent of nurses reported being repulsed by obese patients and 12 percent preferred not to touch fat patients. In another study, 48 percent of nurses reported being uncomfortable treating fat patients and 31 percent reported a preference for not having to care for obese patients at all. Yet another study involving doctors found that two-thirds reported that their obese patients lacked self-control, and 39% stated that their obese patients were lazy.

Prejudice towards obese people in medical settings is well documented and you can bet that patients are aware of it. Naturally for some fat people, this awareness makes them more fearful about going to the doctor. In some cases it makes them delay going to the doctor or avoid going to the doctor altogether. In one study, over 12 percent of women said they canceled or delayed doctor appointments due to concerns about how they would be treated regarding their weight. In this same study, embarrassment over weight and concerns about how the doctor and staff would treat them was cited as the number one reason among women for cancelling or delaying appointments. It is also well documented that when people delay or stop going to the doctor, they get sicker and they die sooner.

So we have a situation where:

Doctors, nurses and medical students have a demonstrated bias against fat people.
Fat people are aware of this bias.
The awareness of this bias causes fat people to delay or avoid going to the doctor.
The number one prescription of doctors for people is weight loss even though there is no medically proven (outside of amputation) method to achieve this for most patients–at least not long term, and the weight loss “cure” suggested by doctors is more likely to leave patients sicker, sadder and fatter than before.

And the solution suggested by these two “doctors” is to create (Dr. Waqas Khan) and publicize (Dr. Kevin) a video that shows a fat African American woman actively demonstrating every stereotypical view that medical professionals typically hold about African American women and fat women while simultaneously demonstrating the medical profession’s hatred and disgust towards these very patients? How is this not convincing even more people of size not to go to the doctor? How is this not eventually killing people who have decided not to go to the doctor? How is Hippocrates not jumping out of his grave to take away their medical licenses?

It’s time for doctors to realize that holding a lot of unsubstantiated and biased views about people of size is lazy, unethical, dangerous and deadly. And it is way past time for doctors to realize that posting a pile of hate that pours lighter fluid on an already painful and problematic situation for a little click bait is beyond irresponsible–it can be fatal.

In short, shame on you doctors. Shame. On. YOU.

Sincerely Yours,

Jeanette DePatie (AKA The Fat Chick)

Biggest Loser: Part Two Corrective Guide Based on Exercise Science

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If you are doing as the advertising suggests and watching the latest season of The Biggest Loser with your family, you may have seen some stuff that is pretty disturbing. In the first episode, we’ve got folks falling off treadmills, needing emergency medical attention and the usual Biggest Loser Barf Fest. We’ve also got trainers yelling, screaming, insulting and bullying contestants in the hopes of helping them get in shape. But as I suggested yesterday, this is “reality” television. And a lot of the techniques you see on this show are the exact opposite of what we are taught as fitness professionals. A lot of that stuff is just plain wrong. And some of it is downright dangerous.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, there is just so much misinformation about health and fitness on this season of The Biggest Loser, I just can’t fit it all into one blog post. So here on Thursday Theater day, I bring you part two. (Click on the photo above to see a short YouTube clip for this week’s Thursday Theater). Let’s talk just a little bit more about what you and your kids might have “learned” on the show and why it’s a really bad idea to make it part of your fitness practice.

4. The best way to motivate somebody to get fit is to yell, scream, curse at them, and bully them.

There’s an awful lot of evidence out there that bullying, yelling, screaming, shaming, cursing at and frightening people is a terrible long term strategy for motivating them to get and stay in shape. People tend to be drawn to things that give them pleasure and shy away from things that cause them pain. Being publicly shamed is extremely painful for most people. In addition, there is ample evidence that people stick to exercise longer if they are intrinsically (internally) motivated rather than those who are extrinsically (outwardly) motivated. So a person who identifies herself as an exerciser and works out because of the benefits she sees for herself (and also happens to enjoy the workout) is far more likely stick to exercise than someone who is motivated by shame and fear, especially if that shame and fear is applied by someone outside of themselves. After all, what are you going to do when there isn’t a crazy mean lady who gets paid millions of dollars to scream at you every day. Eventually you have to do it by yourself. And you’ll have a much better chance of doing it yourself if you’ve built up the inner strength and self-esteem to be your own cheerleader.

And lest you be tempted to bully your kids into losing weight, let me tell you right now that this is likely to backfire. Recent evidence indicates that kids being bullied from any source, be it school playgrounds, teachers, coaches and parents is likely to make kids engage in healthy behaviors and may make them gain more weight in the long run. Not to mention the fact that kids who are bullied tend to have lower grades and poorer school attendance. Being bullied frankly messes kids up, sometimes permanently. If your kid is being bullied at school because he is fat, the last thing you should do is be another bully in his life.

5. It is normal, feasible and desirable for a person to lose 10, 15 or over 20 pounds in one week.

When I was studying to be a personal trainer, I learned that there are two ways to lose 20 pounds in one week–dehydration and decapitation. The weight loss levels on the Biggest Loser are not reasonable or sustainable by most people. Furthermore there have been some suggestions that the length of a “week” (as long as 15 days) as well as hydration levels (including dehydrating contestants to the point of urinating blood) are manipulated to make it look like contestants are losing more weight. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health, suggests losing no more than 1/2 to 2 pounds per week. They suggest you may lose a few more pounds in the first 3 weeks of a program, but should not try to sustain weight losses at that level for more than two or three weeks without serious medical supervision.

Rapid weight loss can lead to a variety of health problems including gallstones, dehydration, dizziness, depression, and loss of lean muscle including heart muscle. If you goal is health, the last thing in the world you want to do is lose lean muscle mass. And losing muscle mass in your heart can be seriously dangerous.

Long story short, it’s not really safe or sustainable to lose more than two pounds per week at home.

To sum up, The Biggest Loser is a commercial television show on a for-profit network. Press releases, promotional video and pompous rhetoric aside, their main goal is to make money. Television shows make money by having better ratings. Losing 1/2 pound per week in a rational sustainable way may be the healthiest option, but it makes for lousy TV. Please take these facts into consideration as you watch the show, and decide whether or not to use anything on that show as a guide for your own health practice. Because what makes for good TV may not make for a healthy body. Please let common sense be your guide.

Love,

The Fat Chick

P.S. If you are upset that The Biggest Loser has chosen to take on “childhood obesity” this season, consider signing our petition here.

If you’re looking for sensible and rational assistance for your exercise efforts, consider joining The Fat Chick’s Personal Training Programs. If you sign up before January 14, you can try any of my training programs for just $25. We’re also offering special training groups on the Fit Fatties Forum starting at just $10 per month!

There is a lot of very detailed and specific information about how to build a safe and pleasurable exercise regime found in my book The Fat Chick Works Out! (Fitness that is Fun and Feasible for Folks of all Ages, Shapes, Sizes and Abilities). You can pick up an autographed copy for just $16.95 (plus S+H) on my website.

Also remember that a little exercise adds up to a lot over time. And exercise is more fun when you do it together. So you might want to consider adding your exercise totals to our Fit Fatties Across America program. We’re pooling all of our exercise minutes and miles as we make our way across the country. We went 167 miles in the first few days of the program, and we’re hoping to reach St. Louis this week! Make sure to enter your exercise data by noon on Friday to count towards this week’s totals!

Biggest Loser: A Corrective Guide Based on Exercise Science Part 1

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If you were unfortunate enough to have watched the season opener for The Biggest Loser this year, you saw some very frightening and confusing things. You saw people vomiting. You saw people falling off treadmills. You saw kids on the show with accompanying tinkly happy music being told that they should stand up to people who bully them. You saw not one but three “fitness coaches” screaming at, hollering at, spitting at, disparaging and yes, bullying the adult contestants. You saw a contestant being home for losing a “measly 15 pounds” in one week. You saw paramedics coming to pick one of the contestants up. All in one episode.

When it comes to the modern Roman Coliseum, this season opener takes the cake! One was thrown to the lions. One was carried off on a stretcher. And several fell during battle. And while this makes absolutely delicious material for snark, I want to take a moment out and do a little damage control here. Because this year, the producers claim to be taking on the “challenge of childhood obesity”. This year, they want you and your kids to watch the show together to learn about a healthy lifestyle. And that, my dear friends, is a big, BIG problem. Because a lot of what they depict on that show, is the exact opposite of what we are taught as fitness professionals. A lot of the stuff on that show is just plain wrong. And some of it is seriously dangerous. So let’s talk a little bit about what you and your family may have “learned” on that show and why it’s not a good idea to apply those ideas to your own fitness practice.

1. It’s a good idea for folks who are completely sedentary to start with exercise sessions that are several hours long, provided there are fitness trainers there to scream at them.

Exercise science seems pretty clear on the fact that accelerating rapidly from no physical activity to a lot of physical activity is a bad idea. Starting out with sessions of several hours puts a person at greater risk for injury, burnout and sudden death. So where should sedentary adults begin? Here’s what the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has to say:

Therefore, for a person who has been sedentary for some time for whatever reason, the initial dose of activity should be at a relatively low intensity, of limited duration, with the sessions (also called bouts) spread throughout the week. An example of this approach would be a walking program with sessions of 5 minutes of slow walking, 5 to 6 days per week, with the bouts performed at various times throughout the day (e.g., 3 times per day). As the person adapts to this amount of activity, the bout duration could be slowly increased to 10 minutes, and as exercise capacity begins to increase, the walking speed could be increased…

The US Department of Health and Human Services also cites various studies that indicate “when individuals increase their usual amount of physical activity the risk of injury is related to the size of the increase. ” So starting out with several hours of exercise at a time, can increase chances for musculoskeletal injury. Furthermore moving exercisers from a completely sedentary life to long bouts of vigorous exercise can be very hard on the heart. Moderate, gradually increasing exercise programs are generally quite safe. Yet each year about 75,000 Americans suffer heart attacks during or immediately after exercise. Studies show that these victims are most often sedentary men over age 35 who were either at risk for heart disease or had heart disease and then exercised too hard and too fast for their fitness levels. (American College of Sports Medicine 2006). So if you are sedentary and haven’t exercised in a while, be safe. Start of slowly and don’t ramp your fitness levels more than 10% per week.

2. In order to get a really good workout, you should ignore pain, dizziness and other symptoms that are normally associated with distress in your body.

On the show, contestants are told to “push through” physical symptoms like pain, dizziness, and weakness. However, sports science indicates that these symptoms are important messages that can warn of a serious problem before it occurs. According to the Mayo Clinic, shortness of breath, coughing and wheezing are possible signs of an asthma attack, and light-headedness, irritability, dizziness and confusion are possible symptoms of heatstroke, a potentially fatal condition. Other causes for irritability, dizziness and confusion could be dehydration, a dangerous dip in blood sugar or even the onset of a coronary event. For those of us exercising alone or at home, exercise danger signs are an important early warning system that should not be ignored. Here are some of the generally accepted exercise warning signs:

1. Feelings of dizziness or light-headedness

2. Feeling tightness in chest, trunk, back or jaw

3. Extreme breathlessness

4. Unusual fatigue

5. Nausea

6. Loss of muscle control

7. Allergic reactions–hives or rash

8. Blurred vision or changes in consciousness

If you are exercising and experience any of these symptoms, it means you should stop exercising. If these symptoms persist, it is important to seek medical attention.

3. Vomiting is a normal part of any vigorous exercise routine.

Actually exercise induced nausea is a fairly common complaint, but there’s no reason to see it as a badge of honor. In the past when questioned about this issue, Biggest Loser trainers suggested that the extremely high percentage of episodes of vomiting on the show are because the exercisers have a lot of toxins in their bodies. I can find no research to back this assertion. It appears the most common cause of exercise induced nausea (and vomiting) is again related to doing too much exercise at too high an intensity level too soon in an exercise program. There are other potential causes for exercise-induced nausea. A 4% drop in body weight from dehydration is enough to cause nausea and vomiting (a possible cause of the Biggest Loser Barf Fests). While eating large fatty meals close to exercise sessions can trigger this nausea, the severely restricted diets of Biggest Loser contestants make this an unlikely cause. In any case, exercisers should not see nausea and vomiting during workouts as a sign they are working hard enough, but rather as an opportunity to “fix” something in their training program that isn’t quite right. Try an even more gradual increase in exercise intensity and levels from week to week. Be sure to maintain a proper level of hydration. Try not to eat large meals before workouts. And consider changing your exercise mode (runners tend to have this problem more often than walkers or cyclists).

Frankly there’s too much misinformation and bad ideas in the Biggest Loser to detail them all in one post. So, I’ll take up this topic again in another blog post. In the mean time, please remember to let common sense into your exercise regime. And also keep in mind that exercise does not have to make you miserable. You can reap physical, emotional and spiritual benefits while engaging in exercise that’s fun, pleasurable and reasonable.

Love,

The Fat Chick

P.S. If you are upset that The Biggest Loser has chosen to take on “childhood obesity” this season, consider signing our petition here.

In Other News, Water is Wet: Research points out Biggest Loser Doesn’t Work

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Late last week, I got notice of a study that was conducted in Alberta, Canada that looked at how the television show “The Biggest Loser” makes people feel about exercise. It seems, despite the holier-than-thou rhetoric of the show’s creators, the show is more likely to turn people away from exercise than towards it. And you know what? I can’t say I’m even one tiny bit surprised.

The Biggest Loser depicts people going through hell in the name of losing weight. These people are berated and screamed at by a nasty drill instructor/piece of work. (I’ve heard rumors from insiders that she has a naturally fast metabolism and can eat a whole lot and still maintain that figure. So she makes sport of screaming at people less genetically blessed than she is. Nice.) Show participants are put through a dangerous program where they are worked until they are in extreme pain, vomit, and/or collapse from exhaustion and dehydration. Exercisers are often depicted weeping from frustration and pain. And so I ask you, does this look like fun? Does this look like something you want to jump up off the couch and try?

In my decades as a fitness instructor, I’ve learned a thing or two. And one thing I’ve learned is that if you want people to exercise, you need to show people that it is FUN. It needs to seem pleasurable and enjoyable. It needs to be accessible so people think, “I could DO that!” If it looks painful and shameful and miserable and dangerous, most people will not do it.

The study indicated that after watching just a short clip of The Biggest Loser people had a more negative view towards exercise than after watching the control clip (a segment from American Idol). There are varying hypothesis as to why this is so. Some researchers suggest that beginning exercisers might mistakenly believe that The Biggest Loser depicts “normal” exercise. And as I mentioned, it certainly doesn’t look pleasurable or fun.

The Biggest Loser is extremely successful at their actual (as opposed to their often stated) goal. It gets ratings. People watch. But do they watch to be inspired? I don’t think so. I don’t have a study to back me up on this, but my strong opinion is that The Biggest Loser is yet another example of the modern Roman Colosseum. People aren’t watching other people be torn apart by lions because they want to learn to run faster and be better lion tamers. People are watching other people be torn apart by lions because they want to feel superior, they want to feel in the right, and they want to feel better about themselves. Because no matter how bad the viewer’s day is going, at least he isn’t that guy with the wrong religion getting torn apart by lions.

Look, we need to see the Biggest Loser as entertainment and understand it within the context of voyeuristic entertainment. Any talk about it being a way to help people get happier and healthier needs to be shut down right now. It’s a blueprint for how to get disordered ideas around food and exercise. It’s a handy guide to how to get sick and injured while engaging in “healthy” behaviors.

This study is just one more small piece of evidence on top of the growing heap that proves you can’t shame people into being thin. So maybe it’s time we showed people fitness for what it really is, pleasurable, accessible, fun and great for every BODY. Let’s throw out the vinegar and share a little honey. Then maybe we can ALL enjoy the sweet, sweet taste of success.

Love,

The Fat Chick

P.S. Interested in finding a pleasurable way to integrate fitness into your life? How about trying my DVD “The Fat Chick Works Out”? It’s progressive (starting with just a 10 minute workout) and it’s super fun!