#119: How to Fight Back Against Weight Stigma with Ragen Chastain, Health At Every Size Activist

Food Psych Podcast with Christy Harrison

Christy Harrison, MPH, RD, CEDS

Health, Food, Bodypositive, Antidiet, Recovery, Fat, Dietculture, Weight, Eating, Positivity, Intuitive, Diet, Nutrition, Psychology, Mental Health, Health & Fitness, Body

4.7 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 28 August 2017

⏱️ 94 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ragen Chastain, the fabulous fat-acceptance activist, writer, and speaker, returns to dig into the dangers of weight loss surgery, navigating the healthcare system as a fat person, the problem with the current weight science and fatphobia within the medical community, why weight loss interventions can’t coexist with eating disorder recovery programs, and so much more. PLUS, Christy answers a listener question about how to deal with a friend who might have an issue with overexercise and body control.

Ragen Chastain is an internationally recognized thought leader in the fields of self-esteem, body image, Health at Every Size, and corporate wellness. She is a sought after speaker on the college, corporate, and conference circuits who has set the stage on fire everywhere from Google Headquarters to Cal Tech to the New England/New York College Health Association. She is the author of the blog DanceswithFat.org, the book Fat: The Owner's Manual, editor of the Praeger Anthology "The Politics of Size," serves on the Editorial Board for Fat Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Body Weight and Society, and frequently gives expert commentary on radio, television and in print. Ragen is a featured interviewee in the documentaries America the Beautiful 2 - The Thin Commandments, and A Stage for Size. She is an ACE Certified Health Coach, champion dancer and marathoner. She lives in Los Angeles with her partner and their adorable dogs and is training for her first IRONMAN triathlon.

To learn more about Food Psych and get full show notes for this episode, go to christyharrison.com/foodpsych.

Ask your own question about intuitive eating, Health at Every Size, or eating disorder recovery at christyharrison.com/questions.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Food Psych, a weekly podcast about intuitive eating, health at every size, and body liberation.
0:06.5	I'm your host, Kristi Harrison, and I'm a registered dietitian and certified intuitive eating counselor.
0:12.0	Join me as I talk with interesting people from all walks of life about their relationships with food and their bodies.
0:31.0	Hey there, welcome to episode 119 of Food Psych. I'm your host, Kristi Harrison, and today I'm talking with Reagan Chastain, the amazing fat activist writer and speaker for her second appearance on the podcast.
0:46.0	She shared her own personal story in her first appearance, which was on episode 58, so you can check that out after this to hear more about her journey.
0:54.0	Meanwhile, in this episode, we talked about the dangers of weight loss surgery, navigating the healthcare system as a fat person, the problem with current weight science and fat phobia within the medical community, why weight loss interventions can't coexist with eating disorder recovery programs, and so much more.
1:11.0	I can't wait to share it all with you in just a moment.
1:14.0	Today's listener question is from a listener named CL, who writes,
1:17.0	I'm transmask, I use they and them pronouns, and so is one of my good pals.
1:22.0	We often talk about body stuff because being trans kind of means you talk about body stuff, like tea at this dose feels like this, and when I wear this shirt, I get these looks, etc.
1:32.0	What I'm noticing with my friend is that as someone who is also dealt with food control stuff in his life, some of his gender dysphoria tends to get really wrapped up in body control.
1:42.0	Like he works out all the time and is really muscular, but I think he worries that if he lets any element of that slip, he won't be measuring up to some kind of manhood.
1:50.0	I also know that it's really tied up in his self-worth and anxiety around belonging and value, and I guess I just don't know how to talk to him about this.
1:58.0	Is it my place to say, have you considered that this might be more about control, or are you hurting yourself physically rather than rest because resting makes you anxious?
2:06.0	It's also hard because obviously hanging out with him makes me feel awful.
2:10.0	He's very much of the sort who's like, oh, of course that's fine for you to be fat, but I simply couldn't.
2:16.0	And I'm trying to explain to him that if he's going to be an ally, he can't be that way.
2:20.0	That he needs to work on his own shit so that it doesn't contradict his politics and make his fat friends a diminishing part of his circle of friends feel awful.
2:29.0	Is it possible he will never get this because he's so invested in a certain kind of body?
2:34.0	So thank you, CL, for this amazing question.
2:37.0	And before I answer it, just my quick, usual disclaimer that I am answering these questions in my capacity as an educator and for general educational and informational purposes only,
2:46.0	not in my capacity as an individual registered dietician, and these answers are not a substitute for individual medical or psychiatric advice.
	...

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