This personal essay by Georgiann Davis chronicles a lifelong and often traumatic journey with medical weight-loss interventions, driven by societal and medical fatphobia. Beginning with a stomach stapling surgery at age 14, followed by a sleeve gastrectomy as an adult, and now the reluctant use of GLP-1 medication (Wegovy), the author argues that these treatments have been prescribed based on body size (BMI) rather than actual health indicators. The essay details the severe physical and psychological consequences of these procedures, including a damaged relationship with food and the harmful cycle of weight loss and regain. Davis critiques the "diet industrial complex" and the medical system for perpetuating weight stigma, highlighting that this bias—rooted in racism—causes measurable harm. Ultimately, she calls for a paradigm shift in healthcare to treat fat patients as whole people, prioritizing fitness and well-being over thinness at all costs.
A Lifelong Battle Against Medical and Societal Fatphobia
Childhood Medical Intervention: At age 14 and weighing 367 pounds, the author underwent a stomach stapling procedure after a doctor warned she would be "bedridden by 20." This highlights the aggressive medical approach taken to her weight at a very young age.
The Harmful Aftermath: While the surgery led to a 100-pound weight loss, it turned eating into a painful cycle of vomiting. The author became a "medically induced bulimic," dependent on soft foods and unable to tolerate most fruits and vegetables, demonstrating that the procedure made her thinner but not necessarily healthier.
A Cycle of Surgery and Stigma: In 2017, weighing nearly 390 pounds, she underwent a second surgery (sleeve gastrectomy). This decision was fueled by relentless societal pressure and public shaming, where strangers felt entitled to comment on and judge her body.
Modern Interventions and Internalized Fatphobia: At 44, despite having good lab results, her doctor recommends GLP-1 medication (Wegovy) based solely on her BMI. She reluctantly takes it, acknowledging the decision is shaped more by a desire to escape judgment and her own internalized fatphobia than by a genuine health concern.
Critique of Weight-Loss "Cures": The author points out that both surgery and GLP-1 drugs often fail long-term, leading to "weight cycling" (losing and regaining weight), which is linked to negative health outcomes like heart disease—the very conditions these interventions are meant to prevent.
Systemic Bias in Medicine: The essay argues that the medical system is flawed, relying on the inaccurate BMI metric and perpetuating anti-fat biases. This weight stigma itself is harmful, causing patients to delay care and triggering stress responses that worsen health.
Fitness, Not Fatness: Citing research, the author emphasizes that fitness is a far better predictor of long-term health than body size. Fat people can be fit and healthy, just as thin people can be unhealthy.
The Racist Roots of Fatphobia: The author notes that fatphobia is rooted in racism, historically used to differentiate white bodies from Black bodies, rather than in legitimate health science.
A Call for Fundamental Change: The essay concludes with a call for medical systems to recognize weight stigma as a source of harm. Doctors must be trained to treat fat patients with respect, use inclusive language, and focus on holistic health rather than treating thinness as the ultimate goal.