The Unintentional Harms of Weight Loss Recommendations

Weight loss messages are omnipresent in our society. Individuals hear messages about weight loss from the media, friends and family, grocery stores, schools, gyms, and often most of all, health care providers. In this presentation, participants will learn why the recommendation of weight loss by healthcare providers is harmful to patients. The evidence regarding the relationship between the recommendation of weight loss and weight stigma, weight cycling, eating disorders, and health will be presented. Evidence based practices of weight inclusive care will be presented and the complicated, nuanced topic of what to do when patients want to lose weight will be discussed.