Doctors React to Controversial Cosmo Cover 

I just realized....I’ve never seen a plus size male model.

I was obese for 23 years. I have changed my lifestyle, lost 75lbs and kept it off. By every measurable and subjective metric, I am healthier and happier. I can also confirm that fat shaming doesn't help. It is simply hurtful.

"I don't think being aware of the health consequences of obesity is the same as fat-shaming." Well said, doc.

As someone who was obese and is now overweight, and working on a healthier lifestyle daily. I've noticed less aches and pains, I don't get sick as often anymore, and I have far more energy than I used to. Being healthy is a huge part of self-love, I want to feel my best so I have to give my body the best.

She says it all right at the start "I dont think being aware of the health risks of being fat is fat phobic" As a fat person I agree with this statement 200%

I am obese, however I've been bike riding (road) everyday for the past 5 months and lost 40 lbs. I feel much better about myself, sleep more efficiently and stand straighter. Edit: recently started doing calisthenics to avoid squirrel wing skin

YES. I’m 250lbs. I KNOW I’m a bigger girl. I’m confident in the body I’m in. But I KNOW that it has attributed to my current health issues. I don’t get offended when I’m told I need to lose weight at the doctors to help myself. Because it’s true.

As a type 1 diabetic, I would really appreciate if they would specify that they're talking about type 2 diabetes. Type 2 has a chance of reversal with lifestyle changes. Type 1 is an autoimmune disease that currently has no known cure. Type 1 and 2 are almost completely different diseases in terms of symptoms and lifestyle.

The fact that a doctor is accused of being "fatphobic" because he encourages everyone to be healthy. We have crossed into the twilight zone clearly.

I was obese and the only thing I can say is: Being healthy is part of loving yourself. The more I exercised and ate healthier, the more I felt comfortable with myself and helped me a lot with my self-love

Body positivity is accepting the flaws in you that cannot be changed, not embracing own bad habit Edit : people seem to think im just straight up fat shaming. If someone is obese or overweight because of a medical condition then that falls under the flaws that cannot be changed. People are just so dense and defensive for no reason.

Something that is overlooked and not often talked about is how much people of bigger sizes are misdiagnosed by physicians (I'm talking in general, not about Dr. Mike). In my country (Spain) a case gained media attention, a girl went to the doctor to ask to be derived to a psychologist because she was having suicidal thoughts and the doctor who treated her refused to sent her because "she was sad just because she was fat and she was going to waste the psychologist's time". The whole exchange was recorded by the victim because it had happened to her before so she went prepared and it became viral here. Following this case a famous body positivity influencer compiled testimonies of people who experienced fatphobia at the doctor and it became viral as well. It was so heartbreaking, I was in tears by the end of it. People's relatives dying because the doctor refused to give another solution to their symptoms other than "lose weight" and they ended up dying of cancer and other illnesses. Obesity is not healthy but obese people deserve the same medical treatment as skinny People without the medical bias of weight.

Fat is not synonymous with ugly, but it is also not synonymous with healthy. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

I’m chubby, and I stand by “Loving yourself is healthy but I am responsible for loving myself CORRECTLY.” I am responsible for being active, eating correctly but also let myself enjoy the little things, being a dessert or a healthy smoothie.

Thank you for addressing food deserts and the socioeconomic roots of obesity. It can also be very difficult to eat a healthful diet when we get inconsistent messages about nutrition from various sources--e.g., "low fat" items that are full of sugar and salt, constantly changing guidelines from the government, huge and hugely funded ad campaigns from various lobbies. It is hard work to find the truth among all the noise.

In the Netherlands we have a totally different health system. We have different companies which you can choose from, and they all have 'packages'. You can choose a package based on your health, and your child's health as they are insured with you. You can choose the 'base package' or, if you have specific health problems, you can choose a package that addresses those kind of treatments and doctor/specialist visits as well. Even the dentist is included. We don't change health insurance if we change a job, because it's a 'private' choice, it doesn't come with the job but with life. You pay a fee each month and for some procedures you pay a part of the cost, but most is covered.

Be supportive to obese people Don’t be supportive of becoming obese.

The fact that dr. Mike invited someone that’s more knowledgeable on this topic, shows how seriously he takes this subject and wants to make sure people get a good education about the subject. He knows the limits of his knowledge and wants to make sure people get the right information through the right person. Thank you so much for that!!

I’ve lost over 200 pounds through diet and exercise. It’s taken me over a decade to do it. I can honestly say, it got a lot easier and the weight came off faster when I could afford good, nutritional foods. I think there is a HUGE correlation between access to nutritional foods and weight loss. When it’s cheaper to get a Big Mac than it is to buy fresh fruit and veg, there’s a huge problem. I very clearly remember one of my earliest birthdays after I started striving to have a healthier lifestyle- all I wanted was a white peach. A fresh piece of fruit. That single white peach was $2.97. And the peach wasn’t even that big, maybe 4 bites total. I didn’t get it, but do you know how much a GALLON tub of ice cream was? It was $1.99. That same concept was across all the food choices- if you wanted fresh, you were paying 2-3 times more. Yes, you can get canned or frozen and it’s nearly as good. But that wasn’t the case in my area- the canned foods were usually either expired or had tons of sodium or other additives, and the frozen foods were usually either expired, damaged, or freezer burned. As far as bariatric surgery goes, I was never offered the option until I was actually under 250 pounds, and by then, they still wanted me to pay $5000 (and that was with insurance) and lose another 50 pounds to prove that I was a good candidate.

It really is sad that legitimate health professionals who have no hatred in their hearts and simply want others to be as healthy as they can be being ignored and ridiculed for simply offering their expertise.

It’s not an easy topic. I’m overweight and I’m in no place to judge other people. But I’m also not going to pretend that I’m as healthy now as i would be if I weight 70lbs less.

I really like the “body neutral” movement. Like, it’s our body, we don’t have to LOVE it all the time but we don’t have to hate it either, we just have to accept it and take care of it.

I’m glad Dr. Mike pointed out the underweight that was so popular in prior years. Due to a major health condition, it was IMPOSSIBLE to be taken seriously because it was like “oh lucky you, at a size 2..” when that’s super dangerous for me. If it wasn’t for the health condition having destroyed my GI system over 10+ years being ignored, I would probably be healthily “overweight” today. I think we need to reevaluate what a healthy weight means, because we’re all made differently💜

you know what i like? how he got a bariatric doctor who is ALSO a obesity researcher so she is knowledgeable on the subject

“Overweight is not healthy, but don’t hate yourself because of it”. -Body positivity.

It's not "Every weight is healthy." It should be "Love your body."

Ive never struggled with obesity, but I started getting more serious about my health. It wasn’t until I learned to love myself and my body for what it was that I was consistent with my health journey. That’s why I get so angry with people who go into the DM’s/comments of bigger people, who are bothering no one, and harass them about their weight. You aren’t “concerned for them”, you’re a bully who wants to justify your harassment of someone. Having low self esteem made me treat myself worse, not better

I've struggled with weight issues after my second child. I tried everything and finally decided that the doctors was not looking at the whole picture and started cuting foods out of my diet that were "healthy" I went to being gluten free first and then went meat free almost 1 year ago. I seen huge improvements and lost almost 40 pounds in a years time. Switched doctors who looked past my weight and seen a lot of other things that needed to be addressed like EDS and PoTS. She found my adrenal gland was also not working correctly. None of these had anything to do with my weight. Having a doctor who listens to you is the biggest issue many over weight people face.

I'm fat and a few years ago when I lived in the Midwest I ran a body acceptance group for big women. My message was and still is *"WHEN, IF AND UNTIL you lose weight you must take care of yourself"* Exercise, eat balanced diets, date, dress nice, see yourself as beautiful. What annoys me is people that push the narrative being obese is good. There are too many fat women that believe as long as they look good they are fine. Men tell them they accept them so they are fine. No. We all, fat or thin should strive for overall healthy lifestyles.

"I don't think that being aware of the consequences of obesity is the same as fat-shaming". THIS, THIS, THIS! EDIT: Since this has blown up a bit, I'm going to add my two cents to the reason why this quote stands out to me. If I have a friend who is struggling with drug abuse, alcohol dependency, or food dependency, I'm going to call them out on it and encourage them to be better. If I have a friend who is obese or severely underweight, I'm going to confront them about it. I have a friend who is underweight I have to remind to eat all the time because she forgets-- it's not shaming her and she appreciates it. Likewise, if I have a friend who is at an unhealthy weight, I'm going to suggest they chose the healthier option or the smaller portion. I'm going to push them to choose physical activities over sedentary, and I'm not going to be afraid to tell them it's because I'm worried about their health ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

This is so tired to hear this. i remember my family specially criticizing me when i was teen because they tought i was fat but not medically obese. Now, in my late 20s, i eat well, i do exercise and i'm healthy and they still citicize me because i'm thin. Anyway everyone will always judge you, from everything. What matters is about yourself and self secure and being healthy to yourself not others✌️

As a bariatric patient myself, I find this video incredible insightful, but also relatable. I lost and gained back 100 pounds.... twice in 7 years. Since my surgery 4 months ago, I'm down 95 pounds, and I no longer need my blood pressure meds. My energy levels are steadily increasing, and I find I can do things so much easier in this version of my body. Bariatric surgery was definitely not the easy way out: the preop work is long, the recovery is painful and difficult, and I'm still getting used to how my body interacts with food. But it's a tool, the best tool I now have for managing my weight and my health.

I have anorexia nervosa, and I'd like to bring something to this: being underweight can have just as many (if not more) health complications as being overweight, but they are approached with different attitudes. My family and friends saw my obsessive exercise and starvation habits as "healthy" and "tenacious". I eventually had to be hospitalized and went through extensive recovery to reach a normal BMI, and even then my family believes it "couldn't have been that bad" because I was never "put on a feeding tube". Even though I have permanent health complications from it. Later on, I was on the heavier end of normal due to a medication I was on (125lbs. Still within normal BMI range for 5'2", but I was still working out a lot, so muscle mass figures in too). I got a LOT of comments of "concern" from family, partners, and even random friends-of-friends about my weight and how I "let myself go". Also "positive" comments about "being chubby, but that's okay!"... And it's weird to be called "chubby" when you're fit and average. Due to a lot of sociological factors, regular people have warped standards for what constitutes a "healthy weight", especially from person to person. Sometimes fit people don't "look" fit. Sometimes someone doesn't look as skinny as you're used to seeing them. Sometimes you can't get an intrinsic understanding about someone's health versus how they look without first getting some VERY invasive information about their medical history. But that's strictly for the doctor's office!! My PCP doctor seemed to be the only person who was actually HAPPY with my body, having the context of my recovery, blood work, blood pressure, etc. I think the movement should be interpreted as being less about "don't worry about your weight" and more about "we should stop worrying about OTHER people's weight. They could be healthy - that's between them and their doctor". Isn't it annoying to doctors when people who have no understanding of any medical practice give unsolicited health advice? I think if we view it from that mindset - leaving this issue to the doctor's office - it makes more sense. We should change the language of this movement from "THIS is healthy" or "THAT is healthy" to "mind your own business, ask your doctor."

It's so difficult to speak about obesity without accidentally upsetting someone or seeming fatphobic so I think this interview was carried out very well and was objective. Thanks Dr. Mike!

I think the concept that you can love the way your body is AND at the same time be obese and acknowledge that it comes with increased risks and it would be a good idea to change your lifestyle... is a pretty high level concept that is somewhat difficult to communicate to the masses and I don't expect most people to get it without significant education. Displaying and writing about different body types in magazines may be a step in the right direction, but only a small step.

Thank you so much for this well rounded conversation! This is the best conversation i have ever seen or listen to this topic.

We need to talk about how unhealthy people are still worthy of respect and dignity. Fat people deserve respect not because they can be healthy, but because all people deserve respect, regardless of health.

Just because you're 'thin' doesnt mean you're healthy, but being obese is definitely not a sign of immaculate health

Thank you Doctor Mike! I certainly don’t want to be shamed, but I don’t want to be enabled either. There has to be a balance and our Doctors need to be free to discuss how our weight affects our health. I am morbidly obese and cannot seem to lose the weight and that has taken a toll on me.

Socioeconomic factors of struggling to losing weight or being overweight are one that I wish was talked about more

Saying obesity is healthy is an over-correction to fat shaming. While fat shaming is emotionally harmful, saying being fat is healthy is physically harmful which is just as bad.

I think that the body positivity movement is "every body deserves respect no matter the size and shape because they hold people in them" and not "every weight ever is healthy and obesity doesn't matter" A lot of people tend to overlap the two

I don’t think Dr. Mike is “fat phobic” - I think he’s just science driven. I will say that I don’t think he relates to, or empathizes with the emotional experience of obesity though. I say that because I struggled with obesity, and as for myself, and (I think) every obese person I’ve met, we don’t look at a picture of a plus sized model and think “Oh good, I won’t bother then”. You don’t “encourage” people to become obese. If anything, from what I’ve seen, it starts at a very young age and seems to run in families. This isn’t something that society either fails to demonize extensively enough to shame people into changing, or else, is excessively supportive to the fact that people who wouldn’t be obese, or people who are already obese, become a chronic statistic. It’s a real problem, and that’s the problem - because we don’t treat it that way. Like depression, we act as though you “just have to fix your lifestyle a bit” and you’ll be fine. That’s the problem I have with Dr. Mike’s perspective on this one. He acts like obesity is a very serious health concern, but then also acts as though people are just being careless or they should be more responsible. Like anyone who hasn’t struggled with obesity, he doesn’t seem to appreciate the fact that many of these obese people are either victims of some serious health issues, or they’re victims of addiction. You wouldn’t tell an alcoholic to be more responsible and make healthy choices…you would treat them with compassion and try to help them overcome the psychological distress that reduced them to alcoholism.

The way she answers and nuances. What an incredible genius. I love her. Need more of her sharing her knowledge.

Note how she says, "... have obesity" rather than "are obese". Great way to identify the issue, and not categorize the person.

I'm 68 years old and for my entire life, I've been a prisoner of my own self. I have paid the price with heart disease, crippling arthritis, mental health issues. Right now , my weight is good, but I fear it won't last. My entire life has been a living hell with weight issues. Please take care of yourselves don't be ashamed of who you are, but time does catches up with us all. Find a doctor, who will work with you, be honest and non judgemental. Lastly love yourselves.

Just knowing that there are options out there gives me hope . Like mentioned in the video ,I too have tried everything but my weight doesn't come of . This video gave me hope . Thank you Dr. Mike!

Great conversation! Just a few months ago I discovered Dr. Jason Fung who also talks a lot about Bariatric Surgery (as well as other methods) to reverse type 2 diabetes! Amazing to see more of this type of discussion. The notion that this disease is a chronic and progressive disease is going to be a thing of the past! 😁

Love this. Dr. Salles dropping truth!

Body positivity means our bodies come in all different shapes, sizes and colors, and we should love and care for ourselves no matter what. It doesn’t mean that we encourage horrible habits, and ignore legit medical advice. Why is this so hard to grasp?

A very well done video! I truly wish people would look at the long-term health side of weight loss versus just viewing it as aesthetic. Health concerns were what drove mine. I’m 5’2 and I got up to 204 lbs and 44% body fat, and I had the harsh realization that outside of feeling depressed from insecurity, I was exposed to so many health risks and sad declining fitness levels. I knew I needed to lose a significant amount of weight, and I needed help. I hired a health coach who helped me overhaul my diet and establish good habits and regular exercise. In the past 10 months, I’ve lost 60 lbs and 14% of my body fat. My fitness level now surpasses what it was in my teen years and most of my friends’. Just seeing my weight and body fat back in the low-risk/healthy range was the most important to me. Losing weight is hard, but potentially taking years off your life/causing your body pain, damaging your quality of life and limiting activities you can do is WAY HARDER. Only 7 more lbs to my goal weight. Highly encourage anyone in that position to ask for help. It’s worth it.

Thanks Dr. Mike for this video. I myself suffer from being obesity and haven't been able to shed the weight. I've already been working with a nutritionist and I was surprised that I've gained weight, as opposed to losing it. This is really demoralizing. Will be discussing other options with my doctor.

why don‘t they ever put someone with a „normal“ healthy medium sized body on a cover?

I am obese and am regularly ashamed of how I look. A few years back, I walked to a local bar to meet friends. I felt great that day, I had won Greatest Slimmer award with my weight loss group. I'd dropped more than 40lb in a few months. That was all ruined when a car of guys drove past and called me some really ugly words associated with my weight. I turned round, went home and didn't leave me house for weeks. Even now, I won't go out unless it's dark out so I can't be seen. I've even had to convert to working from home. Thanks to Doctor Mike's advice and views, I have recently started a weight loss journey with advice from my GP. Please be kind to people who are obese. Support them, be kind, take time to listen to their personal stories - many of us are struggling due to things in our past. I was abused, in every way you can imagine. It has an impact! I became an emotional eater when I used to be incredibly healthy, active and athletic. Don't add to the pain, be part of the foundation that gives us strength.

One thing I never hear addressed is the surgery that's required after the weight is lost to remove the large amount of saggy skin and tissue that no amount of exercise will ever get rid of or tighten up. I'm a massage therapist and I've massaged a few people who've had bariatric surgery. It's like they're wearing a huge human suit. You can literally feel their thinner bodies under it all. If insurance won't pay for the surgery to lose weight they're definitely not going to pay for what they consider cosmetic surgery to remove all the extra saggy flesh.

Honestly, I think the simple fact of seeing a fat person talk about having a healthy relationship with exercise is a landslide in the right direction. When you're struggling with obesity (especially during your childhood or teenage years), exercise and sports can be downright traumatic. Adults in your life, will use it as punishment for gaining weight and peers will bully and stigmatize you everytime you attempt to exercise in public. Sports is supposed to be fun, for god's sake! Difficult, sure, but fun! So, for the love of everything good, let's normalize exercise and sports at every size

I like his interview style a lot. Let’s the expert finish their complete thoughts, with meaningful probes that help trigger detailed answers. Great interview.

It's because we have "sick care" not health care". We treat illness, very little preventative care.

I just had gastric bypass surgery on 8/18/22. I had to accept the body I’m in, and love myself before I was ready to make the decision to have the surgery. I’m having some unexpected problems, but doing what I can to get through it. I’m excited for this new life. My primary is fantastic too. He knows that I am well aware of my weight. He never pushed, and I ended up making the decision to do the bypass on my own. He was super supportive of it, of course.

A very nuanced conversation. Thank you

I heard someone say once: Loving yourself includes loving and treating your body well. So if you want to love your body, treat it well.

I think people forget, health and weight is not exactly tied to morality. You are not a bad person if you are fat. You are still worthy of respect and love.

the thing is we all are so positive and so supportive ,though the msg is right to love ourselves no matter of our size but we forget that eating healthily and exercising daily is not because we are unhappy with ourselves but simply because keeping our body healthy is also a kind of self love. And the size is more about your body shape which is kind of what you are born with.

What an important conversation. Thank you!

Doctor Mike, you may not read this comment in the sea of comments you get in your channel but I just want to thank you for tackling this topic with respect and objectivity as it should be. I have overweight and I've been trying to reduce it for years. Last year I joined a gym with a nutritional program that's meant to re-educate the eating habits. So it doesn't count calories, but instead it measures what of each food group we eat. And it works. Sadly with the never ending lockdown here in Germany the gyms have been closed for more than half a year. I miss going and chatting with the fellow members and trainers as we work out. This pandemic is also taking a toll on all of us psychologically. Germany has been closed for so long, there are so many restrictions out there, it's depressing to even go out to the street for a walk. Every day is Groundhog day, if you know what I mean. That also affects people's weight. We wrongly tend to search for endorphin and dopamine in snacks or things that can give us a shot of fleeting joy. I do notice that some doctors tend to berate over-weighted patients, and that's a big reason to be reluctant to even seek medical assistance. Maybe they do it unconsciously... I wish more people in the medical world talked about this like you have in this video.

I completely stand against body shaming, either it’s skinny shaming or fat shaming. But being on either one of these extremes is not healthy. But people on these extremes need help and support, not bullying and shaming.

This was the most logical conversation I have ever seen about this topic.

Great video, very good points made. I think the only thing that wasn’t really mentioned is how much more needs to be done to educate and enable young people. Over the last decade or so, I think a lot of things were happening with school lunch programs and trying to get children thinking more about how to eat healthy….I’m not sure what the status of those programs are now. I know that one chef in particular, Jamie Oliver, very very passionate about this. Would love if you might pursue this topic further.

Remember that you can't hate yourself into a version of yourself that you would love better.

Can you do an episode on depression? The potential causes, the different ways of thinking that come with it, and how to break away from negative thought patterns, etc ...

Love that you brought an expert. Her ideas are great

I support being positive to the point of common sense. I was called fat at 5’9, 140 lbs. I hated myself, and thought I was ugly. That was a perfectly healthy weight for my height! It lead to a lifetime of weight issues.

My dad just broke the 100lbs weight loss mark after his bariatric surgery. He is working out and moving and feeling happy with himself. I am eternally grateful for that medical innovation. I have been scared my whole life that my children wouldn’t be able to meet my amazing father.

There's always a thin line. Though we don't want body shaming, accepting the FACTS that obesity is harmful needs to be in their train of thought as well.

I think it's "Health" and not "Healthy" for HAES. I think that makes a big difference in how I view it. I struggle as an obese person with an ED and it sucks for doctors to only see my physical appearance and tell me that all my issues would go away if I just lost weight. It's frustrating and just makes you feel worthless because you can't look like a photoshopped Instagram model.

Thank you for clarifying this.

The way I see it is that it’s “healthy” to see people of bigger shapes and sizes to be seen doing exercise and healthy activities. Edit : I am overweight myself so I understand what it’s like to be fat. It’s just in the pictures they are clearly in active wear and one model is in a yoga pose. In general you don’t see fat people working out represented in mainstream media. In my opinion that is good as it encourages people to exercise. As we know that is good for not only your physical health but your mental health. Factually being obese is bad for you and I’m not taking away from that. It’s just being in a healthy weight range is not attainable for everyone as there are so many contributing factors to someone’s weight. The least we can do as a society is be inclusive and encourage everyone to engage in “healthy” activities. Ps Thank you for all the engagement x

My sister DIED because she was morbidly obese. The doctors were TOO KIND to her and she didn't feel that her weight and comorbidities would ever be FATAL. Now her three preteen girls have to grow up without their mother. Doctors have to tell obese people the truth about how deadly being morbidly obese can be. 😭

I loved this video, I just wish you’d clarify you’re talking about type two diabetes. I lost 7 stone and still need insulin 4 times a day because I’m type one 😅

Oh my God. People having a sensible conversation!

Thank you for this video. My husband suffered from a stroke two years ago and he over eats a lot and has to lose about 100 pounds. Being overweight is such a hard topic for the general population. I try to encourage him to eat healthy, blah blah blah, but it just turns to him accusing me of calling him fat. His memory is really bad and actually FORGETS he eats and just constantly snacks throughout the day. He constantly begs me to take him to McDonalds, Popeyes, etc.... which I refuse and it leads to arguments etc. Dr. Mike.. any tips to help someone like this lose weight?

It makes me angry and sad when popular plus size celebrities get shamed to death when they decide to work out and be healthy for themselves, so many of their fans (whom are maybe over-weight and struggling) looked to them for validity and get angry when they want to loose the weight. People should just encourage others to do their best and be supportive of what happens, but its disgusting that some people would rather see their idols unhappy and unhealthy just to make themselves feel better.

I ❤ how Dr. Mike carefully chose his words

I really like your channel and what you deliver but I would really appreciate if you could do an elaborate video on being underweight, its causes, consequences, ways to bring up weight to a healthier range, and so on. Thanks.

While no one should be shamed for body size, deluding people into thinking that body shape extremes of any kind do not have health consequences is a disservice and hurts patients and their loved ones. This includes people with obesity, anorexia nervosa, bodybuilders abusing PEDs and others. As physicians we are trying to get people to have the longest best life possible and things like this make it hard to help people. This video is well done, nice job Dr. Mike!

Basically what it SHOULD be is "this is beautiful" not "healthy"

I was ready for this video to be shameful and judgmental. I was so pleasantly surprised that this was a very positive and compassionate conversation. Thank you.

Beautifully explained and argumented!

I had a friend who claimed to be "completely healthy" aside from being morbidly obese. He was "completely healthy" until one day he noticed he was losing a lot of weight. He chocked this up to the high protein, low carb diet he was on, but noticed he was tired all the time. He visited the doctor to find he had stage 4 colon cancer. Despite the best treatment available, and that he was given longer to live, he died within a year. Could he have gotten cancer despite being morbidly obese? Absolutely, but research has found the risk for colon cancer among those that are obese is significantly higher than those that aren't.

I wish childhood obesity was a bigger part of this conversation. It was impossible for me to lose weight while under the care of my father. As an adult I've dropped my weight but it was incredibly hard because I was large for my entire life. I'm glad you brought up mood disorders, the number 1 thing that allowed me to lose weight was Bupropion for my depression.

When I was young one of my friends Mom was obese. She was such a kind and thoughtful person. When I got to know the person inside, there was no room for judgment. I'll never forget her. I guess that I don't understand the issue. If we get to know each other we could all be free.

Dr Mike. Appreciate your show. LIfestyle is critical. When is lifestyle determined? Primarily when you were a kid. Did your parents take you to parks, encourage an active lifestyle, discourage sugar, promote sports and activities as important. Did they discourage TV and screen time? These habits are set for a lifetime and difficult to overcome. I only have one real regret as a parent - that I did not promote even more activity among my kids. The consequences last for a lifetime. AND IT IS HARD AS A PARENT TO BATTLE. Sugar is constantly pushed on KIDS from every direction. People think that giving kids sugar is good for them! Adults handing kids cans of pringles to eat. IT IS CRAZY. Please focus some efforts on things parents can do to combat the societal pressure to eat more and exercise less! It is a matter of life and death.

At my highest weight of 160lbs at 5’4 I felt rough! I had sore knees, winded easily, fatigued... I’m down to 138lbs now from eating really well and exercising more regularly and my energy is insane! I get loving yourself where you’re at, but loving yourself means treating your body with respect and care. ❤️

I liked that the people on the magazine were being active.

It's costly to society too. The medical system pays for these people and they can't work as much.

Great conversation!

I can’t wait for the “responding to comments” video of people who purposely took Dr. Mike’s words out of context

As a plus size person, seeing people that look more like me on the cover of a magazine does not make me feel like I shouldn't try to lose weight or be more healthy. It is nice to see familiar body types. I still want to lose weight and be more active.

Its all about time and a place, constantly putting someone down for their weight with the intention of shaming them is wrong, at the same time telling someone who's overweight that they're healthy is also wrong. But also telling someone they're unhealthy when they never asked you is also rude.

This is a great convo. I was very obeise, I had a gastric band and ended up having 4 corrective surgeries. Barely lost 2 stone, in the pandemic I bought the 4 pillars book from Dr chatterjee and changed my food to natural and not processed. I lost 5 stone in that same time my band failed. I had it removed and they found scar tissue surrounded it and was cutting off my stomach so they removed it. Now I'm band free, post 18moth surgery of removal and still 5 stone down. I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, fibro and the 4 pillars improved my pain. I now know if I eat processed food my pain gets worse! My sister had tests in 2019 and she was told she was at risk for endo cancer so they did a stomach sleeve...she can barely eat a baby bell each day 12 wks post op! So not all surgeries are text book.