Abbott Labs, 108–109
Academic and clinical reputations, 114
Achievement, of women, and social pressure, xxiii
Adipose, 98
Advertisements/advertising, xv, 132, 141–142, 152
body image and, 124
body satisfaction, research on, 135
deceptive, and weight-loss products and gimmicks, 179–180
deceptive, by diet companies, 40–41
exposure to, and body dissatisfaction, 134–135
for medical weight-loss treatment, 96–97
Truth in Advertising Act 2014, 133
upward comparison and, 204
African American girls, 145
African American women, 30, 62, 145
Agatston, Arthur, 81
Alice in Wonderland syndrome, 131, 131n
Allison, David, 16, 37, 99, 110, 111
Allison, Michelle, 91n
Alter, Craig, 119
AMA. See American Medical Association
“The Amazing Mackerel Pudding Plan: Classic Diet Recipe Cards from the 1970s (McClure), 34n
American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, 113
American College of Endocrinology, 113
American College of Physicians–American Society of Medicine, 101
American Heart Association, 45
American Medical Association (AMA)
Committee on Science and Public Health, 102–103
obesity classified as disease by, 102–103
American Psychological Association, 45
American Public Health Association, 98
Amylin Pharmaceuticals, 109
“An Epidemic of Obesity Myths,” 45n
“An Open Apology to All of My Weight Loss Clients” (Higgins), 90–91
Andres, Reubin, 15
Aniston, Jennifer, xxii
Anorexia, 4, 51–54, 81–82, 130, 135, 170–171
anxiety, eating disorders, and, 6
changing language around, 170n
fat and, 92–93
fear of food and, 92–94
genetics and, 6
overweight/obese and, 5
perfectionism and, 6
as physiological and psychological disease, 81
recovery from, 4–6
recovery from, social aspects of food and, 74
recovery from, story of, 4–5
school-based health eating initiatives and, 54
theory of why some people develop, 74–75
Anxiety
eating disorders, anorexia and, 6
See also Body anxiety
Anxiety disorder, 8
Anxiety drugs, 13
Appetite
hunger and, neurobiology of, 5–6
internal sense of, reconnecting with, 188
Aristotle, 17
Armstrong, Lance, xxi
Artificial sweeteners, 13
Astrup, Arne, 110
Attia, Peter, 25–26
Avena, Nicole, 114
Averill, Lindsey, 164–165
Babies
appetite of, mothers’ fear of, 75–76
instinctive eating and, 183
Bacon, Linda, 14, 189–190, 196–197
Baker, Sarah, 156
Bariatric doctors, weight bias among, 116
Bariatric surgeons, 95–96, 101
Bariatric surgery, 110, 112, 172–173
childhood obesity and, 47n
complications from, 99
cost of, 100
long-term success rates, 99–100
for overweight/obese children and teens, 47n, 181
profit from, 96
for teens, 47n
types of, 99–100
Bariatric surgery practices, 105
Bates, Kim, 142
Beauty
body image and, 124–126
cultural norms and, 126–146
environment and, 130
inner beauty detector and, 204
nature and, 126
nurture and, 130
Beauty culture
and children and teens, research on, 142–145
children and teens and, 142–146
internalizing the unattainable thin ideal and, 144–145
longing to be thought attractive and, 148
Beauty ideals
change over time, 150–152
over the last hundred years, change in, 128–130
The Beauty Myth (Wolf), 151
Becker, Anne, 135
BED. See Binge eating disorder
Being Nourished, 192
Being okay with not being thin, idea of, xvi–xvii
Bekelman, Justin, 102
Beyoncé, 132
Binge eating
stress and, 62
weight cycling and, 61–62
Binge Eating Disorder Association, 163
Binge eating disorder (BED), 163
Biochemistry, 26
Bircher, Johannes, 8
Bisexual women, 157
Bisphenol A (aka BPA), 12
Blackburn, George, 116
Blake, Christine, 144
Blood pressure, 23. See also Hypertension
BMI (body mass index), 151, 196
cancer and, 116
in the 1920s vs. 2014, 128
BMI chart for adults, xx, 7, 9–12, 10 (chart), 17, 30
accuracy of, 9–10
categories, 197
categories, and mortality, 14–15, 40
categories, change in, 11–12, 105
correlation and causation, and mortality, 27
original intent of, 10
statistics, 11–12
BMI chart for children
weight categories, change in, 46–47
Boden Institute of Obesity, Nutrition, Exercise & Eating Disorders, 194
Bodies, change in words we use to talk about, xx
Body anxiety, xviii
men and boys and, xix
Body dissatisfaction, 201 (box)
boys and, 133–134
from childhood to adulthood, 133–134
exponential increase in, 133–134, 145
exposure to advertisements and, 134–135
girls and, 133–134
marketing and, 134
older vs. younger women and, 151
television viewing and, 135–136
Body dysmorphic disorder, 131
Body image
advertising and, 124
beauty and, 124–126
changeable thoughts and perceptions of, 130–131
cyberbullying and, 137
dieting and, story about, 129 (box), 139–140 (box)
exercise and, 204–205
feminism and, 151–152
ideal body weight and, 124–126
judgments, bullying, and insults about, 138
marketing and, 141
media and, 136–139
men and, 130
new technologies and, 137–138
obsession with, xxiv
photoshopping and, 132–134
positive vs. negative, 149
research on, 132
self-acceptance and, 148
self-esteem and, 149
self-loathing and, 148
smartphones and, 136–137
social comparisons and, 204
social identity and, 131–132
social media and, 136–137
teens and, 148–150
thin, fat, and normal, 123–124
Body mass index. See BMI
Body types, deemed attractive in our culture, 157
Boggiano, Mary, 44
Bolin, Anne, 150
Boys
body anxiety and, xix
body dissatisfaction and, 133–134
BPA. See Bisphenol A
Bray, George, 108
Breaking Free from Emotional Eating (Roth), 187 (box)
British Grazia magazine, 157
British Journal of General Practice, 7
British women, 134
Brumberg, Joan Jacobs, 170n
Bullying, 138
about weight, 76
cyber-, 137
by parents of children and teens with weight issues, 169–170
by peers, coaches, and teachers, 169
weight bias and, 164
Burgard, Deb, 160, 188–189, 196
Callahan, Daniel, 53, 144, 168, 200
Calle, Eugenia, 27
Calories, xxv, 5, 20n, 35, 38, 50 (box), 60, 64, 72, 74, 77, 78–79 (box), 84, 86, 91, 100, 103, 109 (box), 110, 140 (box) 159, 161–162, 183, 185, 194, 201
Campos, Paul, 46–47
Cancer, 18–19, 22, 36, 48, 63, 116, 177
Carnethon, Mercedes, 29–30, 31
Causation, definition of, 22
Causation and correlation. See Correlation and causation
CCF. See Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF)
CDC. See Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF), 45n
Center for Medical Weight Loss, 96–97
Center for Weight and Eating Disorders (UPenn), 56
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 11, 46
Chastain, Ragen, 189
Cheerios, 23
Chemical contaminants, 12–13
Chewing diet. See Fletcherism
Childhood memory, of eating, 67–68
Childhood obesity/overweight, 46–56
bariatric surgery for, 47n, 181
categories on BMI chart, 46–47
definitions and cutoff points of, change in, 106 (table)
end-justifies-the-means thinking and, 52
fear as motivator and, 54
Georgia ad campaign on, 52–53
health and, 50–51
humiliation and, 50–51
increase in weight and, 1980 and 2000, 47
medical neglect, foster care and, 47, 47n
pediatricians and, 51–52
school-based health eating initiatives and, 53–54
self-loathing and, 53
shame and, 53 (see also Shame/shaming)
stigma and, 53 (see also Weight stigma)
weight-loss drugs and surgery for overweight/obese, 47n, 181
See also Obesity; Obesity/overweight
Children
bariatric surgery for, 47n, 181
beauty culture and, 142–146
body dissatisfaction in, 133–134
calorie intake of, 84
diabetes types 1 and 2 and, 117, 118–119, 120
dieting and, harmful effects of, 48–49
eating disorders and, 48, 53–54, 55 (box), 56
eating disorders and, pediatricians and, 52
eating disorders and, school-based health eating initiatives and, 54
mothers’ fear of appetite of, 75–77
mothers’ ways of discouraging overeating by their, 76–77
national diet for, 93
obsession with weight and, xx
weight and bullying and, 76
with weight issues, and parents’ bullying, harassing, and teasing, 169–171
weight-loss drugs and surgery for overweight/obese, 47n, 181
Children’s Defense Fund, 45
Cholesterol, heart disease and, 78, 80, 83
Cholesterol levels, 8, 23, 31, 37 (box), 57, 185
Chou, Wen-ying Sylvia, 137
Chronicle of Higher Education, 162
CK, Louis, 156
Clinical and academic reputations, 114
Clinton, Hillary, xxiii
Coaches, bullying by, 169
Community, among people considered fat, 168
Competent eating, 184–186, 188–189, 200, 202
internal sense of appetite and, 188
research on, 185
See also Healthy eating
Conflicts of interest. See Financial conflicts of interest
Conventional wisdom, on health-weight relationship
strategies for change and, 202–205 (see also Healthy eating)
Cooper, Kenneth, 26
Correlation, definition of, 21–22
Correlation and causation
mortality-exercise-disease relationship and, 27
weight-disease relationship and, 21–22, 23–26
Cosmopolitan magazine, 128
Craig, Paul, 98
Cravings, 91
Culture/cultural norms
beauty and, 126–146
preference for thinness and, 6
weight and, feelings about, 199
weight and, pushing back against, 178
Cyberbullying, 137. See also Bullying
De Beauvoir, Simone, xxiii
Death, obesity and, 45–46
The Death of Humane Medicine and the Rise of Coercive Healthism (Skrabanek), 2
The Devil Wears Prada (film), 159–160
Diagnoses, increase in, and medicalization of obesity, 100
Diehl, Mekayla, 128
Diet books, 39
authors of, and conflicts of interest, 113–114
Diet companies, deceptive advertising by, 40–41
Diet drugs. See Weight-loss drugs
Diet food, oxymoron of, 89n
Diet industries, failures of, 41
Diet programs, 36, 191. See also specific programs
Diet supplements, 179
side effects and, 180
Dietary guidelines for consumption of fat, carbohydrates, cholesterol, sugar, and salt, 80–81, 83–84
average age for girls to start, 34
becoming heavier over time and, 41, 42–43, 44
body image and, story about, 129 (box), 139–140 (box)
children and (see Children: dieting and)
decrease in, xxv
diminished executive function and, 43
dollars spent on weight-loss products and, 36
food cues and, 43–44
harmful effects of, 90, 145, 190
health-weight relationship and, lies about, 31
ineffectiveness of, 65
infants and, 56
metabolism and, 64
physiology and, 44
process, prose, and cons of, 41
reasons for, 36
repeated, negative physical and psychological consequences of, 34
research on, 37, 39–40, 41, 43–44, 48
as risk factor for binge eating and obesity, 34
set point (aka settling points) theory and, 41–42
statistics, 33
story about, 37–38 (box), 49–50 (box), 78–79 (box), 85 (box)
stress of, 43
teens and (see Teens: dieting and)
therapy and, story about, 109 (box)
while dying, 154
yo-yo (see Weight cycling)
Dieting stories, 158
Dietitians, 91
Diet(s)
New Year’s resolution and, xxii
twelve-hundred calorie, 90–91
Diminished executive function, dieting and, 43
Discrimination. See Weight bias
Disease
categories, definitions, and cutoff points and, change in, 24
health-weight relationship and, lies about, 21–31
obesity classified as, by AMA, 102–103
overweight-obesity and, 21–31
through history, 128
weight gain as early symptom rather than cause of, 25–26
See also weight-disease relationship
Disease-exercise-mortality relationship
correlation and causation and, 27
Disease-weight relationship, 21–31
chicken-and-egg question regarding, 25–26
correlation and causation and, 21–22, 23–26
Disordered eating
fear of, 77
statistics, 72
teens and, 48
“Distress and Eating: Why Do Dieters Overeat?” (Polivy), 43–44
Djulbegovic, Benjamin, 112
Doctor-medical industry relationship
financial conflicts of interest and, 113–114
perks and, 107–108
Doctor-owned clinics, 101
Doctor-pharmaceutical company relationship
financial conflicts of interest and, 107–111
Doctors
doctor-owned clinics and, 101
dwindling medical salaries of, 101
financial conflicts of interest and, 101–102
health, weight, and malpractice and, story about, 20 (box)
medical weight-loss treatment and, profits from, 96–97, 100–101, 104–105
medicalization of obesity and, 94
overvaluing of thinness by, 115–116
rudeness by, 191–192
subsidiary services and, 101, 102
threats and warnings about weight by, 3–4
weight bias among, 114–115
weight bias among, story about, 28 (box), 118–119 (box)
weight stigma and, 58
The Don’t Go Hungry Diet: The Scientifically Based Way to Lose Weight and Keep It Off Forever (Sainsbury-Salis), 113
Dove “Evolution” video, 132
Downward comparison, 204
Drugs
anxiety, 13
psychotropic, 13
See also Weight-loss drugs
Duchess of Windsor, on being “thin enough,” xxi–xxii
Dying, dieting while, 154
Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating (Willett), 114
Eating
utilitarian perspective on, 73
the way we eat and the way we think about, 84
See also Healthy eating
Eating disorders, xxii–xxiii, 72
anxiety, anorexia, and, 6
children and (see Children: eating disorders and)
factors that contribute to, 51
fat and, 92–93
fear of food and, 92–94
good food/bad food and, 92–93
restrictive menu of people with, 177
story about, 55 (box)
See also Children: eating disorders and
Eating disorders program (Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children), 54
Eating well for health, story about, 201 (box)
EDCs (endocrine-disrupting chemicals), 12–13
health-weight relationship and, 89–90
Eisenhower, Dwight, 103n
Empowerment, 200
Ending the Food Fight: Guide Your Child to a Healthy Weight in a Fast Food/Fake Food World (Ludwig), 87
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals. See EDCs
Environment, beauty and, 130
Environmental toxins, 14
Epigenetic factors, 14
Ernsberger, Paul, 40
Escher, M. C., 195
Esquire magazine, 134
Etcoff, Nancy, 126
Europe, obesity in, 11n
Exercise, 12
body image and, 204–205
health-weight relationship and, 26–28, 30
physical and psychological benefits of, 63
weight loss and, 63
Exercise-mortality-disease relationship
correlation and causation and, 27
Fabrey, Bill, 183
Fantasy, of being thin, 192, 194
Fast foods, as weight scapegoat, 87–89
Fasting Girls: The History of Anorexia Nervosa (Brumberg), 170n
Fat
eating disorders and, 92–93
heart disease and, 83
need for, 92–93
Fat, xxi
Fat acceptance movement, 189
Fat-bashing, xx
Fat is unhealthy, truth about statement, 3
Fat-shaming, 177. See also Shame/shaming
Fat talk, 154–159
who benefits from, 157–158
Fat!So? (Wann), 189
Fattitude (documentary), 164–165
Fatty liver disease, 25
FDA, 23
Fear
of being fat, and weight bias, 161, 165–166
as motivator, and childhood obesity/overweight, 54
nutrition education and, 93
obsession with thinness and, 176
of our power, 199
the way we talk about weight and, 46
Federal Trade Commission, 40–41, 133
Feminism, body image and, 151–152
Festinger, Leon, 203
Fiji, 135–136
Financial conflicts of interest, 112–114
academic and clinical reputations and, 114
diet-book authors and, 113–114
doctors and, 101–102
doctors-medical industry relationship and, 113–114
doctors-pharmaceutical companies relationship and, 107–111
medical journals-medical industry relationship and, 110–111
medicalization of obesity and, 105–111
pharmaceutical companies-research/researcher relationship and, 112–113
research and, xxx
researchers-medical industry relationship and, 105–111, 113–114
Financial disclosures, by pharmaceutical companies, 108–109
Fisher, M. F. K., 71–84
“5 Things I Miss About Weighing More Than 300 Pounds” (Coffey), 146
Flegal, Katherine, 11, 14–15, 16–18, 21, 25, 31, 40, 103, 190
Fletcher, Horace, 39n
Fletcherism (aka Chewing diet), 39n
Food
abundance of, 71–72
confused, screwed up, and anxious about, 72–73
fear of, and eating disorders, 92–94
fear of, harmful effects of, 90
how we feel about, 72
miracle, 73
nutritional wisdom and, 73
recommendations of USDA, 93
social aspects of, 74
unhealthy, 12
weight scapegoats and, 87–89
Food cues, dieting and, 43–44
Food industry, 89n
Foster care, childhood obesity and, 47, 47n
Fox, Rachel, 162–163
Framingham Heart Study, 24–25
France, 89n
Freedhoff, Yoni, 114
Frisén, Ann, 149
Fruits and vegetables, 88
Galen, 97
Garner, David, 41
Gastric bypass surgery, story about, 172–173
General Mills, 23
Genetics, anorexia and, 6
Georgia ad campaign on childhood obesity, 52–53
Glamorous and beautiful, thinness as, 5
GlaxoSmithKline, 109
Gomez-Nicanor, Claudialee, 117–120
Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health (Taubes), 83
Good Morning America, xxii
Google searches, xxi
Great Britain, 133
rates of obesity in, 16
The Great Starvation Experiment: Ancel Keys and the Men Who Starved for Science (Tucker), 81n
Guisinger, Shan, 74–75
HAES (Health at Every Size) movement, 189–197, 200, 202
advocates of, 190
as social justice movement, 189–190, 196
as weight-neutral, 190
Harassment
by parents of children and teens with weight issues, 169–170
by teens, 138
Harding, Kate, 189
Harvard’s Project Implicit test on weight bias (implicit.harvard.edu), 199
Hatred
violent, and weight bias, 164–166
See also Body hatred
Health
changing concept of, 141
childhood obesity/overweight and, 50–51
definition of, 7–9
human behaviors judged by how we think they affect, 2–3
medical definitions of, 8
perfect, 141–142
underlying assumptions about, 22
weight as proxy for, 182
weight loss and, 57–59
Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight (Bacon), 189
Health at Every Size movement. See HAES movement
Health care quality, weight bias and, 117–120
Health professionals. See Medical professionals
Health-weight relationship, xxv–xxvi
as complicated issues that are not the same for everyone, 203
conventional wisdom and, challenge to, 200, 202–205 (see also Healthy eating)
conventional wisdom and, strategies for change, 202–205
de-emphasizing of weight and, 182
definitions and cutoff points and, change in, 24
example of discussion about, 1–2
with focus on health, story about, 201 (box)
healthy eating and, 183
mortality and, 27
new strategies for, 182–183 (see also Intuitive eating)
obesity paradox and, 29–31
poverty, stigma, endocrine disruptors, pollutants and, 89–90
research on, 24–31
stigma and, 31
stress and, 30–31
thinking critically about, 203
weight as proxy for health and, 181, 182
weight cycling and, 59–62
Health-weight relationship, lies about, 9–31
dieting and, 31
disease and, 21–31
mortality and, 14–21
obesity increase in United States and, 9–14
Health-weight-stigma relationship, 166–167
Healthism, 2–3
Healthy eating
story about, 201 (box)
See also Competent eating; Intuitive eating; Normal eating
Heart disease, 18–19, 21, 23–25, 27, 59
fat and cholesterol and, 83
obesity paradox and, 29
Heber, David, 114
Height, 12
Height and weight charts, 97
Height to weight ratio. See BMI
Hemochromatosis, 20 (box)
Herbalife, 109–110
HFCS. See High-fructose corn syrup
Higgins, Iris, 90–91
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), 87, 89, 90
Holmqvist, Kristina, 149
Homosexuality, as mental disorder, classification of, 103n
Hormones, obesity and, 64
Houston Chronicle, 44
Hoven, Ardis, 104
Huffington Post, 90
Human behaviors, judged by how we think they affect health, 2–3
Humiliation, childhood obesity/overweight and, 50–51
Hummel, Dennis, 124–125
Hunger and appetite, neurobiology of, 5–6
Hutchinson, Woody, 128
Hypertension, 24
definitions and cutoff points of, change in, 106 (table)
Ideal body weight, 124–126
Identity
among people considered fat, 168
weight bias and, 161
See also Social identity
Implicit test on weight bias (implicit.harvard.edu), 199
Infants, diets for, 56
Inner judgment, xx
Inner monologue, deflecting and redirecting, xxvi
Insel, Thomas, 51
Instinctive eating
babies and, 183
See also Healthy eating
Insulin resistance, or weight gain, which comes first?, 26
Insults, 138
International Body Project, 135
International Congress on Obesity (Bethesda, MD, 1973), 98–99
Intuitive eating, 189–197, 200, 202
story about, 187–188 (box)
See also Healthy eating
Israel, 133
Japan, 57
Jaw wiring, 99
Jenny Craig, deceptive advertising and, 41
Jolliffe, Norman, 98
Journal of Pediatrics, 26
Journal of the American Medical Association, 15
Judgment, 6
body image and, 138
inner, xx
story about, 167 (box)
weight bias and, 165–166
Junk food, as weight scapegoat, 87–89
Katz, Dana, 107
Katz, David, 114
on heart disease, fat, and cholesterol, 83
Keys equation, 83
Kirby, Marianne, 189
Klish, William, 44–45, 45n, 46
Lab animals, 14
Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding. See Lapband surgery
Lapband surgery (laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding), 99–100
Latinos, 152
Latner, Janet, 170
Lavie, Carl, 29–30
Lesbians, 157–158
Lieberman, Viridiana, 164
Life expectancy. See Longevity/life expectancy
Livingston, Jennifer, 164
Longevity/life expectancy, weight epidemic and, xviii, xxix–xxx, 44–45
Louie (TV series), 156
“Loving My 300-Pound Body Keeps Me Thin” (Coffey), 147
Ludwig, David, 47, 47n, 87–88, 114
Lunden, Joan, xxii
Mad Men (TV series), 141
Majdan, Joseph, 189
Manganiello, Joe, xxii
Marketing
body dissatisfaction and, 134, 135
body image and, 141
photoshopping and, 132–134
Matlins, Seth, 133
McCarthy, Joe, 103n
McCarthy, Melissa, 152
McCaskill, Claire, 179–180
McClure, Wendy, 34n
McGovern, George, 8
McGovern committee. See US Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs
McKinley, Nita Mary, 99
Media, 152
body image and, 134–139
literacy, 134
Media panopticon, 136–137
Medical device manufacturers, 105
Medical industry
financial conflicts of interest and, 105–111
See also Bariatric surgery practices; Medical weight-loss programs; Pharmaceutical companies
Medical industry-doctor relationship
financial conflicts of interest and, 113–114
perks and, 107–108
Medical industry-medical journal relationship, 110–111
Medical industry-researcher relationship
financial conflicts of interest and, 105–111, 113–114
Medical journals. See Medical industry-medical journal relationship
Medical neglect, childhood obesity and, 47, 47n
Medical professionals
weight bias among, 114–115, 159–160 (see also specific medical professionals under Weight bias)
See also specific medical professionals
Medical students, weight bias among, 115
Medical weight-loss programs, 105
Medical weight-loss treatment
doctors profits from, 96–97, 100–101, 104–105
surgical, 99 (see also Bariatric surgery)
See also Bariatric surgery
Medicalization of obesity, 94, 102–105
correlation-but-no-causation and, 103
financial conflicts of interest and, 105–111
increased diagnoses and, 100
standardization for reimbursement and treatments and, 104
Medicare
coding office visits for, 104–105
obesity/weight-loss treatment and, 39, 96, 97
Men, xxiii
body anxiety and, xix
body image and, 130
weight bias against, 117
Mental disorder, homosexuality as, classification of, 103n
Mercado, Arlene, 117–120
Messages and images
barrage of prescriptive, xix
that fat is bad, 65
dieting and, 64
factors that influence, 84, 86–87
pleasure from food and, 86–87
weight cycling and, 64
Methodology, xxix–xxx
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, 97
Miller, Geoffrey, 161
Miller, Marisa, 125–126, 125 (photo), 126–127, 130
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 113
Miracle foods, 73
Misery-loves-company syndrome, 160
Miss America pageants, 128
Monroe, Marilyn, 98, 128–129, 150
Moral panic, 158
Moral virtue, human behaviors judged by how we think they affect health and, 2–3
Mortality
control of, 22–23
health-weight relationship and, 27
health-weight relationship and, lies about, 14–21
overweight and, 40
See also Weight-mortality relationship
Mortality-exercise-disease relationship
correlation and causation and, 27
Mortality-weight relationship, 14–21
research on, 16–18
risk factors, 19–21
smoking and, 18
Moscow, 137–138
Moss, Kate, 132
Moss, Michael, 89
Mothers
fear of appetites, of babies and children, 75–77
ways of discouraging overeating by their children, 76–77
Muennig, Peter, 166–168
Mullainathan, Sendhil, 43
Muscle pain, statins and, 4
“Myths, Presumptions, and Facts About Obesity,” 110
NAAFA. See National Association to Aid Fat Americans
Naked Statistics (Whelan), 18
National Academy of Sciences, 101
National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA), 182
National Association to Aid Fat Americans (NAAFA), 182
National diet, for children, 93
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 25
National Institutes of Health (NIH), 41, 46, 105
National Obesity Forum, 16
National Obesity Society, 98–99
National Weight Control Registry, 59
Nature, beauty and, 126
Nestle, Marion, 13
Neumark-Sztainer, Dianne, 48, 52
Neurobiology, of hunger and appetite, 5–6
New England Journal of Medicine, 79
financial conflicts of interest and, 110–111
financial disclosures and, 110–111
New Year’s resolution, diet and, xxii
New York Times, 26, 132, 137, 159, 160
Newark Star-Ledger, 106
NHANES. See National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
Niger, 150
NIH. See National Institutes of Health
Normal eating, 185–186. See also Healthy eating
Not-disordered eating, 72
Nurses, weight bias among, 115
Nurses’ Health Study, 25
Nurture, beauty and, 130
Nutritionists, 91–92
Nutrition/nutritional science
dietary guidelines for consumption of fat, carbohydrates, cholesterol, sugar, and salt, 80–81, 83–84
education, fear and, 93
low-fat, 83–84
national policy on, 80
weakness of, 78–84
weight and, 79–84
Let’s Move! campaign, and weight as proxy for health, 47, 182
Obesity
as a shift in language, 98
classified as disease, by AMA, 102–103
disease and, correlation-but-no-causation between, 103
in Europe, 11n
medicalization (see Medicalization of obesity)
mortality and, correlation-but-no-causation between, 103
public dialogue about, xxi
in United Kingdom, 16
in United States, 9–14
See also Childhood obesity; Obesity/overweight
as diagnosis, xx
Obesity epidemic
longevity/life expectancy and, 44–45
The Obesity Epidemic (Gard), 45
The Obesity Myth (Campos), 46
Obesity treatment, 39, 109, 117
profits from, 100–101
weight loss reframed as, 100
See also Medical weight-loss-treatment; Weight-loss treatment
Obesity/overweight
disease and, 21–31
environmental toxins, viruses, and epigenetic factors and, 14
increase in, theories regarding, 12–14
mortality and, 40
statistics, 11
See also Childhood obesity/overweight; Obesity
Obsession
with body image, xxiv
with thinness, fear and prejudice and, 176
with weight, xviii, xix–xx, xxiv, xxvi
with weight, in ancient Greece, 97
with weight, in early twentieth century, 97–99
with weight, teens and children and, xx
Oldani, Michael, 107
Olshansky, S. Jay, 15
The Oprah Winfrey Show, 179
Optifast, 40–41
Orexigen Therapeutics, 108
Orthorexia (eating “clean” or “healthy”), 93–94
story about, 94
Overeaters Anonymous, 94
Overweight, xx. See also Childhood obesity/overweight; Obesity/overweight
Overweight terminology, 98
Panic-dieting, xviii
Parents
of anorexic children, 170–171
of children with weight issue, bullying, harassing, and teasing by, 169–171
PCBs, 12
Pediatric obesity, 56
Pediatricians
childhood obesity/overweight and, 51–52
eating disorders and, 52
Peers, bullying by, 169
Peretti, Jacques, 89n
Perfect health, 141–142
Perfectionism, anorexia and, 6
Perry, Katy, 132
Personal weakness, being overweight as symbol of, xxiii
Pesticides, 12
Pew Charitable Trusts, 101
Pharmaceutical companies, 16, 105
financial disclosures by, 108–109
Pharmaceutical company-doctor relationship
financial conflicts of interest and, 107–111
Pharmaceutical company-research/researcher relationship
financial conflicts of interest and, 112–113
suppression, funding, and influencing of research and, 112–113
PHD (London-based media agency), 141–142
Philadelphia magazine, 200
Photoshopping, body image, marketing and, 132–134
Physical image, judgment about, 6
Physiology, dieting and, 44
Pi-Sunyer, Xavier, 105–106, 107
Piper, Sally Gifford, 132
Polivy, Janet, 43–44
Pollan, Michael, 73
Pollutants, health-weight relationship and, 90
Pollutants, persistent organic, 12–13
Popenoe, Rebecca, 150n
Poverty, 12
health-weight relationship and, 30–31, 89–90
Power, fear of, by women, 199
Pozzilli, Paolo, 127–128
Prediabetes, 24
Pregnancy, 35
Prehypertension, 24
Prejudice, obsession with thinness and, 176
Princeton Weekly Bulletin, 107
Privilege
thinness and, 161
weight bias and, 161
Proceedings of the Royal Society, 14
Processed food, as weight scapegoat, 87–89
ProLinn Diet, 39n
Psychologists, weight bias among, 115
Psychosurgery. See Stereotactic surgery
Psychotropic drugs, 13
Public dialogue, about obesity, xxi
Puhl, Rebecca, 76, 114–115, 117, 168, 169, 176
Quality of life, weight epidemic and, xviii
Queen bee syndrome, 159–160
Quetelet, Adolphe, 10
Redbook magazine, 145–146
Regaining weight. See Weight regain
Reimbursement and treatments, standardization of, and medicalization of obesity, 104
Reputations, academic and clinical, 114
Resch, Elyse, 189
Research
on beauty culture, and children and teens, 142–145
on body image, 132
on body image and social comparisons, 204
on competent eating, 185
conclusions, financial conflicts of interest and, xxx
on dieting, 37, 39–40, 41, 43–44
on dieting and children, 48
on exercise and body image, 204–205
funding for, 9
funding from weight-loss industries and, 59
on health-weight relationship, 24–31
on health-weight relationship, and exercise, 26–28
on health-weight relationship, and obesity paradox, 29–31
on heart disease, risk factors for, 24–25
on intentional weight loss and health, 57–59
key to understanding, xxx
on marketing and advertising, and body dissatisfaction, 135
on media and body image, 136–137
methodology and, xxix–xxx
misrepresenting facts and, 16, 21
obesity, profits and, 100–101
on obesity and stigma, 170
power and limitations of, xxix
on starvation and malnutrition, 81–83, 82n
on television viewing and body dissatisfaction, 135–136
on weight, and contradictory findings, xxix, xxx
on weight, health, fitness, and longevity, difficulty in understanding, xxix–xxx
on weight cycling, 59–62
on weight cycling and metabolism, 64
on weight-mortality relationship, 16–18
Researchers, weight bias among, 114–115
Researchers-medical industry relationship
financial conflicts of interest and, 105–111, 113–114
Research/researcher-pharmaceutical company relationship
financial conflicts of interest and, 112–113
suppression, funding, and influencing of research and, 112–113
Risk factors, 25
definition of, 22
definitions and cutoff points and, change in, 24
health-weight relationship and, 22, 23
weight-mortality relationship and, 19–21
Roth, Geneen, 187 (box)
Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, 100
Rudeness, by doctors, 191–192
Ryan, Donna, 61
Saguy, Abigail, 45, 99, 158, 160, 161–162
Sainsbury-Salis, Amanda, 114, 194–196
Salt guidelines, 79
Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us (Moss), 89
Satter, Ellyn, 75, 183–186, 189
Scarce-resources theory, 135
Schadenfreude, 204
School-based health eating initiatives, harmful effects of, including eating disorders, 53–54
Scientists, weight bias among, 162–163
Seacat, Jason, 138
Sears, William, 51–52
Self-care, meaning of, 198
Self-criticism, 147
Self-disparagement, 155. See also Fat talk
Self-esteem, 149
Self-loathing, xix
body image and, 148
childhood obesity/overweight and, 53
cycle of, 178
story about, 174–175 (box), 193 (box)
Self-objectification, older women and, 151
Self-trust, empowerment and, 200
Senate subcommittee on deceptive advertising, 179–180
Set point (aka settling points) theory, 41–42
Settling points theory. See Set point theory
Sexual harassment, 162
Shame/shaming, xvii, xix, xxiii, 53, 161, 162, 177, 200
cycle of, 178
work-related, story about, 173
Sharma, Arya, 114
Size discrimination, 183. See also Weight bias
Skinner, Asheley, 64, 78–80, 93, 117
Skrabanek, Petr, 2
Sleeve gastrectomy, 100
Smartphones, body image and, 136–137
weight-mortality relationship and, 18
Social comparison, 203–204
upward vs. downward, 204
Social identity
body image and, 131–132
See also Identity
Social justice issue, weight bias as, 168
Social justice movement
HAES movement as, 189–190, 196
Social media, 189
body image and, 136–137
Social networks, 137
Social pressure, achievement by women and, xxiii
Sony Pictures, 27
South Beach Diet, 81
Standardization for reimbursement and treatments, medicalization of obesity and, 104
Stanford’s Veterans Exercise Testing Study, 30
Starvation and malnutrition experiment, 81–83, 82n
Statins, muscle pain and, 4
Steinem, Gloria, xxiii
Stephens-Davidowicz, Seth, 132
Stereotactic surgery (aka psychosurgery), 99
Stigma. See Weight stigma
Stress
binge eating and, 62
dieting and, 43
health-weight relationship and, 30–31
obesity and, 167
Stroke, 25
obesity paradox and, 29
Subsidiary services, doctors and, 101, 102
as weight scapegoat, 87
Super Size Me (film), 44
Surgeons, 95–96
Surgery
for overweight/obese children and teens, 181
See also Bariatric surgery
Survival of the Prettiest (Etcoff), 126
Sweden, 86–87
Swinson, Jo, 133
Tajfel, Henri, 131
Taste buds, removal of, 86–87
Tatum, Channing, 130
Taubes, Gary, 83
Taylor, Elizabeth, 98
Teachers, bullying by, 169
Teasing, by parents of children and teens with weight issues, 169–170
Technologies, new, and body image, 137–138
Teens, xix
bariatric surgery for overweight/obese, 47n, 181
beauty culture and, 142–146
body image and, 148–150
calorie intake of, 84
disordered eating and, 48
harassment by, 138
obsession with weight and, xx
teasing about weight among, 168
weight and bullying and, 76
with weight issues, and parents’ bullying, harassing, and teasing, 169–171
weight-loss drugs and surgery for overweight/obese, 47n, 181
Television viewing, body dissatisfaction and, 135–136
Thailand, 86–87
Theracos, 109
Therapy for weight problem, 35, 192
story about, xv–xviii, xxv, 68–71, 109 (box)
Thin
being okay with not being, xvi–xvii
being too thin, 4
“Thin, fat, normal” class assignment, 123–124
“Thin enough,” xxi–xxii
Thin ideal, 144–145
“Thinner is always better,” 160
Thinness
cultural preference for, 6
as glamorous and beautiful, 5
obsession with, 176 (see also Obsession)
overvaluing of, by doctors, 115–116
privilege and, 161
Third-person effect, 106
Thyroid drugs, 97
Today Show, xxii
Toddlers, fear of obesity and, xix
“Too Fat to Be a Scientist?” (Fox), 162
Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, eating disorders program at, 54
Trans fats, 88
Tribole, Evelyn, 189
Truth in Advertising Act of 2014, 133
Tucker, Todd, 81n
Tulloch, Alistair, 7–8
Turlington, Christy, 133
Turner, Chevese, 163
Twain, Mark, 18
Twiggy, 151
children and, 118–119
bariatric surgery and, 100
BMI and, 25
chemical contaminants and, 13
definitions and cutoff points and, change in, 24, 106 (table)
guidelines, 113
obesity and, 23–24
obesity and, which comes first?, 120
obesity paradox and, 29–30
statistics, 120
weight gain as early symptom of, 25–26
weight loss and, 58–59
weight-loss treatment for, 120–121
obesity in, 16
United States
hunger in, 80
obesity in, 9–14
Upward comparison, 204
US Department of Agriculture, 190
US Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs (aka McGovern committee)
dietary guidelines for consumption of fat, carbohydrates, cholesterol, sugar, and salt, 80–81, 83–84
USDA, latest food
recommendations of, 93
Vegetables and fruits, 88
Venus of Willendorf, 125–126, 125 (photo), 126–127, 151
Video-sharing websites, 137
Viruses, 14
Wann, Marilyn, 189
Wansink, Brian, 73
Wass, John, 17
Weighing benches, 137–138
Weight
changing the way you think about, xxvi–xxvii
cultural norms and, pushing back against, 178
fact vs. fiction and, xxv
nutrition/nutritional science and, 79–84
obsession with (see Obsession: with weight)
as proxy for health, 182
the way we talk about, change in, 178
the way we talk about, fear and, 46
See also Health-weight relationship
Weight, health, fitness, and longevity
difficulty in understanding, xxix–xxx
among bariatric doctors, 116
among doctors, story about, 28 (box), 118–119 (box)
among medical professionals, 114–115, 159–160
among medical students, 115
among nurses, 115
among psychologists, 115
among researchers, 114–115
among scientists, 162–163
bullying and, 164
fear of being fat and, 161, 165–166
fighting back against, 162–164
Harvard’s Project Implicit test on (implicit.harvard.edu), 199
identity and, 161
judgment and, 165–166
against men vs. women, 117
privilege and, 161
quality of health care and, 117–120
as social justice issue, 168
violent hatred and, 164–166
Weight cycling (aka Yo-yo dieting), 34–35
binge eating and, 61–62
health-weight relationship and, 59–62
metabolism and, 64
See also Weight regain
Weight-disease relationship, 21–31
chicken-and-egg question regarding, 25–26
correlation and causation and, 21–22, 23–26
Weight epidemic, xviii, xxiv, 81
longevity/life expectancy and, 44–45
Weight gain
as early symptom rather than cause of disease, 25–26
fear of, 133
myth about, 84
or insulin resistance, which comes first?, 26
Weight-health relationship. See Health-weight relationship
Weight-health-stigma relationship, 166–167
Weight issues, sense of conviction around, 45–46
Weight loss
change in way people react to person with, stories about, 171–176
exercise and, 63
as a job, 161
maintaining, 181
reframed as “obesity treatment,” 100
weight suppressed and, 160–161
Weight-loss drugs, 97
for overweight/obese children and teens, 181
risks vs. benefits and, 111
side effects and, 179
Weight-loss industry, research funding from, 59
Weight-loss paradigm, 189
Weight-loss products and gimmicks
deceptive advertising and, 179–180
dollars spent on, 36
Weight-loss programs, 105, 176. See also specific programs
Weight-loss treatment
See also Medical weight-loss treatment; Obesity treatment
Weight-loss treatment, medical. See Medical weight-loss treatment.
Weight-mortality relationship, 14–21
research on, 16–18
risk factors, 19–21
smoking and, 18
Weight regain, 176–178
story about, 177–178
See also Weight cycling
Weight shaming, 162. See also Shame/shaming
childhood obesity/overweight and, 53
doctors and, 58
health-weight relationship and, 31, 89–90
physical repercussions of, 166–167
research on, 170
stigma-weight-health relationship, 166–167
weight bias and, 166–167
Weight suppressed, 160–161
Weight talk, as a code, xxii
Weight Watchers, 34, 34n, 35, 78–79 (box), 109 (box), 129 (box), 139 (box), 171, 185, 193
deceptive advertising and, 41
Weiss, Dara-Lynn, 49, 50–51, 57, 76
What’s Wrong With Fat? (Saguy), 162
Wheat, as weight scapegoat, 87
WHO. See World Health Organization
Willett, Walter, 17–18, 28, 61, 73, 114, 144, 200
Williamson, Marianne, 199
Winfrey, Oprah, 40
Wing, Rena, 59
Women
achievement by, and social pressure, xxiii
British, 134
fear of power by, 199
older, and BMI, body dissatisfaction, and self-objectification, 151
older, body image and, 151, 152
older vs. younger, and body dissatisfaction, 151
weight bias against, 117
Words we use to talk about our bodies, change in, xx
World Health Organization (WHO), 7, 8, 11n, 105
Yo-Yo dieting. See Weight cycling
YouTube, 164–165