For people living in larger bodies — weight stigma, healthcare that won’t look past the scales, and health on your own terms. No diet talk.
Almost everyone in a larger body has had the experience of going to a doctor about one thing and being told to lose weight instead. Or of being spoken to, dressed, seated, and treated differently on the basis of a number.
This category is about that experience. It isn’t a weight-loss forum.
What people talk about here
Weight stigma in healthcare — appointments where the actual symptom never got examined, and how to advocate for yourself in the room. Judgment from strangers, family and colleagues. Clothes, seating, aeroplanes, and the daily logistics nobody plans for. Wanting to feel healthier without making it about being smaller. Movement you actually enjoy. Medications and surgery, and deciding about them without pressure from either direction. And the long work of separating your worth from your size.
Related categories
- Body Image — how you feel about your appearance
- Eating Disorder — if food, restriction or bingeing is part of it
- Health — being taken seriously by doctors generally
Support beyond the forum
- healthdirect — Australian Government 24/7 health advice line. Call 1800 022 222.
- Butterfly Foundation — helpline for body image and eating concerns of any kind. Call 1800 33 4673.
- Beyond Blue — free 24/7 mental health support. Call 1300 22 4636.
- Lifeline — 24/7 crisis support. Call 13 11 14.
Posting rules for this category
- No numbers — no weights, sizes, BMIs, calories, or goal figures.
- No diet or eating plans, and no before-and-after photos.
- No advice about anyone else’s body, including encouragement to lose weight. Nobody here needs telling.
These aren’t squeamishness. Disordered eating is common among people who’ve spent years dieting, and this content is genuinely dangerous to some readers.
How to use this category
Health decisions are yours. Whether you’re pursuing weight loss, medication, surgery, or none of the above, you won’t be argued with here — and you won’t be asked to justify it.