Monitoring weight and body shape, often in the name of health and feeling better, is so pervasive in our culture that is rarely questioned. It is now the norm, and those who don’t monitor their bodies' are suspected of not caring for themselves. I am concerned that the opposite may be true. That monitoring weight and body shape may not always be a sign that people care for themselves.

We live in a world of unexamined fat prejudice and size prejudice, especially against women. This results in a bias that influences researchers, impacting how research is carried out and interpreted. We end up with questionable research that few people question.

There are two forms of eating that can feel out-of-control: deprivation-driven eating and emotional eating. Most people think that out-of-control eating is mostly emotional. Actually, it is far more likely that ‘over’eating is deprivation-driven.

Body checking is a plague on the modern individual. Reflective surfaces have become the enemy. From the glass panes on passing cars to our cell phones (the REAL metaphorical ball-and-chain!) to the poorly lit changing rooms in our favorite shops, we are forced to view ourselves to the point of being even beyond what might be comfortable. However, when it becomes too much, uncomfortable - vulnerable, even - we start to no longer see ourselves staring back at us.

Everyone knows you can pick a number on the scale, change your food and exercise and get to that weight and stay there, right? Yet no scientific research exists which shows this this is possible. A quick look at the research and what you can do.

Sadly, some of the worst fat shaming comes from those who we pay to help us -- medical professionals. These well-meaning (or not) professionals have been reported to make negative comments about a patient’s weight, pressure patients to lose weight, and even dismiss worrying symptoms as mere byproducts of body size. While this is not only bad medicine, it is highly irresponsible.