James Fell takes to task people who fat-shame and refuse to see the science behind fitness and health.
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Ug. Another Jillian Michaels fat-shaming wannabe. I am so not impressed.
His name is Steve Siebold, and he had his chance to tell his side of the story. I reached out to him and told him I had some tough questions about his approach. I never heard back. And so, we’ll just have to go with his own words and declarations from sources other than an exclusive interview to rip apart his outdated drill sergeant approach to shame people into weight loss.
I’d heard of him months ago, shook my head, and then promptly forgot his name until he was recently the subject of an article in the Vancouver Sun that I understand also ran in numerous other Canadian newspapers that was entitled “Fat people told to swallow the truth.”
Siebold, who unfortunately seems to be getting a lot of press, tells people to “comply or die,” showing that he understands little about human motivation and what actually works. Here’s the opening paragraph to the Sun story:
“Steve Siebold doesn’t think he is the most hated man in America, but his stance on obesity has generated pushback that ranges from disdain to death threats. His message is simple, but not popular: Obesity is not a disease, it is a choice and there are things you can do to change it.”
I don’t hate him, but I am frustrated by his lack of understanding, because he’s not helping.
…There is ample evidence to show a person who is physically active on a regular basis and eats a quality diet can still be “overweight” or even “obese” and live a long life.
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First, let’s look at what he got somewhat right.
What he got right is pushing back against part of the message from the fat acceptance movement. The perils of being overweight have been overblown, in many circumstances. However, there are those within the fat acceptance movement who proclaim that there are zero health consequences associated with obesity. In some circumstances, this is true. It is possible to be both fat and fit. However, the reality is that obesity often IS associated with negative health markers.
Dr. David Katz, Director of the Yale Prevention Research Center and one of the wisest men in the field of weight management, wrote an excellent article on this subject that I highly recommend you read. In it Dr. Katz provides an insightful analysis of the health consequences of obesity.
Again, you can be fit and fat, but it is also a reality that obesity – especially higher levels of obesity – is a potential health problem. It is important to note that there is ample evidence to show a person who is physically active on a regular basis and eats a quality diet can still be “overweight” or even “obese” and live a long life.(1)
“Exercise trumps a lot of other bad behaviors,” Dr. Michael Joyner, a physician-researcher and expert in exercise physiology at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota told me. “Large people who are very physically active are only at a slightly increased risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease compared with those who are lean and fit.” It’s worth noting that Dr. Joyner also said that those who are large and sedentary are at a two to four times risk.
So that’s the part Siebold gets somewhat right. He understands that severe obesity can be dangerous, and those who would deny this are kidding themselves. I intend to write a more in-depth article on this subject in the future, but the problem with the fat acceptance movement is that they went from battling bigotry against the overweight (a good thing) to some factions perpetuating the myth that obesity is perfectly healthy. Again, it is possible to be healthy and obese, but that’s the exception, not the rule.
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Okay, enough of that ass covering. Let’s get to where Siebold is dead wrong. Speaking of being dead, Siebold says obese people are gonna die. Soon. His book is Die Fat or Get Tough. And no, I won’t link to it. He also has a program called “Fat Loser.” Great. Way to motivate, Steve.
It’s the tired, tough love approach, except there seems to be very little love and a lot of “This is all your fault so get your fat ass in gear or you’re gonna die you pathetic blob.” (Not an actual quote, but the spirit is there.)
Here is the marketing message at the top of the Die Fat or Get Tough homepage:
This book pulls no punches. If you’re emotionally sensitive or easily offended, this book is NOT for you!
If you’re FAT, this book is going to rattle your cage and make your blood boil!
And it should. Get ready for a 2,000 volt cattle prod to your consciousness. If the feel good, easy way to weight loss was working, you wouldn’t be FAT!
Yeah, so prepare to be yelled at and shamed, fatty, because Steve is going to kick your ass. Apparently getting you angry from being insulted and offended is the way to motivate people. Who knew?
Back to the Sun article: it outlines how Siebold examines the differences in thinking between fat and fit people, and there is some good information there, such as “Fat people eat for pleasure, fit people eat for health.” Well, that’s an oversimplification, but there is truth to it. I would expect there are some valid points in his 100 other “differences in thinking between fat people and fit people.”
But valid or not, the delivery is the problem. Shame, guilt and fear do not motivate.
Before getting into that, however, I want to examine this marketing claim Siebold makes: “If the feel good, easy way to weight loss was working, you wouldn’t be FAT!”
The “feel good” way IS the way to sustainable weight loss. It’s positive reinforcement, where the stimulus of healthy behavior needs to be reinforced via the response of immediate good feelings.
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He’s half right. The “easy” way – meaning the Dr. Oz miracle pill way, or other crap associated with Weight Loss Inc. – is not effective. However, the “feel good” way IS the way to sustainable weight loss. It’s positive reinforcement, where the stimulus of healthy behavior needs to be reinforced via the response of immediate good feelings. Being shamed, insulted and forced to suffer is not the way to build up a positive effect with lifestyle change.
In fact, shaming people about their weight has the opposite of the intended effect.
A 2012 study by researchers in the Department of Psychological and Brain Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara, found that people who experience stigma over their weight experience elevated stress, which reduces self-control, which in turn can lead to weight gain.(2) In a 2013 paper published in PLoS ONE, researchers from Florida State University were more damning, asserting that not only does stigmatizing obesity lead to poorer mental health outcomes, but the authors stated that, “Rather than motivating individuals to lose weight, weight discrimination increases risk for obesity.”(3)
Again, when obesity is stigmatized, it causes weight gain.
Fat shaming leads to extreme dieting, depression, eating disorders and more. TV show host Wendy Williams told me her parents called her fat all the time when she was growing up, and it led to decades of disordered eating.
Saying, “Eat less, move more” to an obese person is like saying, “Spend less, earn more” to someone living in crushing poverty. We live in an obesigenic environment, and despite what Siebold thinks, people are not obese by choice. Being lean is a choice in most cases, and a damn tough one to follow through on.
Here is an important thing to remember: Everyone is different. Some people are fat and fit; some are lean and unhealthy. And yes, for some their weight is a health issue. Some people are unhappy with their weight; others don’t care. Regardless of anyone’s situation, it is no else’s place to judge.
But that’s what Siebold is doing. He’s going around judging and shaming, and thinking that it is helping.
It is not helping. It is maligning. It is creating the opposite of his intended outcome by further perpetuating negative stereotypes about the obese and doing psychological damage.
You can’t move forward in a positive way towards healthy lifestyle change from a starting place of such a negative mindset. A mantra of “must workout or I’ll die” coupled with “must eat healthy or I’ll die” is unsustainable.
For the odd masochist Siebold’s drill sergeant approach can work, but for the majority of the population a more caring, gentle hand that is compassionate and understanding is the only way to encourage lasting change.
Positivity is the best path to self-improvement.
NOTE: Portions of this article were originally published in my article about fat shaming here.
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Originally appeared at SixPackAbs.com
REFERENCES
- Timothy Church et al., “Exercise Capacity and Body Composition as Predictors of Mortality among Men with Diabetes,” Diabetes Care 27, no. 1(January 2004): 83–88; Peter Katzmarzyk et al., “Metabolic Syndrome, Obesity and Mortality,” Diabetes Care 28, no. 2 (February 2005): 391–97; Chong Do Lee et al., “Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Body Composition, and All-Cause Cardiovascular Disease Mortality in Men,” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 69 (March 1999): 373–80. Gail Marchessault, “Obesity in Manitoba Adults,” University of Manitoba Faculty of Medicine, October 2011.
- Brenda Major et al., “The Psychological Weight of Weight Stigma,” Social Psychological and Personality Science 3 (November 2012): 651–58.
- Angelina Sutin and Antonio Terracciano, “Perceived Weight Discrimination and Obesity,” PLoS ONE, 8(7) (July, 2013): e70048.
Photo: Flickr/ MilitaryHealth
The worst problem with fat-shaming – and any sort of categorical shaming – is that it hurts people who may not be able to do anything about their condition. So by stigmatizing them and undermining their standing in the community, you just add to what they are already suffering. There are medical conditions that cause obesity or increase the chances of obesity from a normal diet. There are medical conditions that make it hard to do the sort of exercises that would increase your metabolism. Many of these diseases are hidden. Vascular disease makes it hard to walk far. Arthrits… Read more »
James. Fat AND Fit? I’m having a hard time with that. Obesity in study after study indicates higher risks for heart disease, cancer, autoimmune disorders, and the list goes on. I do not advocate for or agree with the fat-shaming style of Mr. Siebold. I do think we absolutely need to help people to love themselves right now–no matter what weight they are. That’s a great starting point for creating the self-care that will lead to eating the food that will help to heal our bodies and to get more active because it simply makes us feel good, lowers our… Read more »