Bernie Salazar guests with an update on how he is changing the conversation with his primary care doctors.
He’s better at boundaries and aiming to keep the focus on medical needs, but the doctors still clearly struggle to understand what it means to provide weight inclusive medical care.
He shares his labs with me again because he still wants my “input” (read: validation) that he is justified in his full commitment to practicing Body Kindness and never dieting again.
We hope you find this conversation and links below helpful. They are some of our best resources you may need for doctors visits.
(Content Note: We recorded 12/19 but delayed the launch planned for early March due to COVID-19 chaos.)
Here’s a summary of what we discussed:
- I went to this new doctor visit with more confidence. I shared what I was looking for in a Dr./Patient relationship. I was honest about where I felt I was.
- I am so tired of being talked at instead of having constructive conversations with medical doctors. I realize nothing will change until I speak up.
- I’m changing as a person and asking for more in my visits. I am able to communicate what I need with respect. I am looking for a partnership in regards to my health rather than someone telling me what I should or shouldn’t be doing.
You’ll also get a replay of our first conversation about Bernie’s return to doctor visits after years of avoidance due to weight stigma and shame he experienced. This remains one of our most popular episodes.
Helpful Resources
Body Kindness episodes
Episode 124: Eliminating weight stigma from medical care with Jennifer Gaudiani MD, author of Sick Enough
Body Positivity and Fat Activism (series)
Articles and Blogs
What if Physicians Stopped Weighing Patients (MD who doesn’t weigh patients interviewed)
What to Say at the Doctor’s Office with Ragen Chastain
Everything You Know About Obesity is Wrong
Training and Education
National Association for Advancement of Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) official guidelines for healthcare pros working with fat patients (brochure). Other downloadable brochures and toolkits are available, including for fitness pro, child advocacy, school curriculum and more.
Peer-reviewed curriculum designed for teaching health professionals and university students about the Health At Every Size® model.
Catch up with the whole Learn & Grow series here!
About Bernie
Bernie Salazar is a recovering chronic dieter and former contestant on Season 5 of NBC’s The Biggest Loser. Realizing that you can’t hate yourself healthy, Bernie has been a student of the body kindness philosophy for over three years. You can follow his journey to self-acceptance on the Body Kindness Learn & Grow series where, under the guidance of his mentor and friend Rebecca Scritchfield, RDN he’s worked to unpack both his experience on and off the Biggest Loser. Finally embracing that his true, happy and healthy self was always meant to have a fat body, he encourages others to practice body kindness and work to heal our relationships with ourselves.
Most recently, he’s co-founded Uniting Soles, a shoe company with a conscious, where he is working to unite souls with Soles. Witnessing first hand how providing a person a helping hand, can help to transform their current situation; Bernie is committed to serving others. No longer able to stand idly by as families are being separated at our southern borders, he’s co-founded Uniting Soles to assist organizations in reuniting families and to provide aid to those groups fighting for immigration law reform and family reunification.
Connect with Bernie on Instagram: @berniesalazarofficial @unitingsoles
Follow his journey on the Body Kindness Learn & Grow series.
Learn more about Uniting Soles at unitingsoles.com
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