Fat-shaming is a term used for the action of humiliating someone judged to be fat or overweight by mocking or making critical comments about their size. This causes low self-esteem in millions of people.

66% of Americans are overweight or obese and 1 in 3 children are overweight or obese. This can be defined as having a higher weight than considered normal. Adult's rankings can be determined through a tool called 'Body Mass Index'.

BMI is calculated like so:

For example, if I was 5 foot 0 inches and weighed 140 pounds, my BMI would put me in the overweight range.

Many people take BMI very seriously, but it is important to remember that a BMI calculator does not take into consideration if you are a male or female or your muscle tone.

As if a BMI calculator did not make people self-conscious enough, we have others making fun of those who aren't deemed as skinny.

Why do people fat-shame? When people discriminate against those who are heavy, they are not concerned about a person’s health or well-being. People make fun and ridicule those who are different, and sometimes more insecure than them.

Who are the majority of people who fat-shame? Thin, young men and women with low self-esteem, of course.

We see fat-shaming in the media every day. Much of the media shows skinny people as healthy and happy, and heavy people as sad and alone. However, young women have recently coined a new term called "the dad bod". The dad bod refers to attractive men with a beer belly. Why is the “dad bod” considered sexy, but women are looked down upon for not having a “thigh gap”? Why are men’s stores called “big and tall” but women’s are considered “plus size”? How did this become acceptable?

We are used to seeing skinny women on TV and in magazines. Even mannequins, reality shows and the Victoria's Secret fashion show have women with "the perfect image". We see the models who need to be under a certain weight and size in order to be considered.

What is this telling today's children? These young girls (and boys) will grow up thinking they need to look perfect. They will think being skinny is the perfect body type, and being skinny will get them things (and places). When a child becomes overweight, they feel embarrassment with low self-worth, which can lead to poor academic scores and psychological problems.

Body image affects self-esteem greatly. When you think you look good, you feel good. But what if you never feel like you look good? You're insecure and embarrassed.

In reality, the "average American woman" has a waist size of 34 or 35 inches and weighs 140 to 150 pounds, with a dress size of 12-14.

The problem is that women of the "average American" size aren't models. Many models we see in magazines and on TV are a size 0 or a size 2. This shows the difference between an American model and the American average. The women pictured above would be declined as models, because the American average is considered too large for a model. However, many children misconstrue models to be the average.

Weight can be determined by your environment, metabolism, family history, genetics, and habits.

Health problems can increase a person's weight, also. Some of these include Hypothyroidism, Metabolic syndrome, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Cushing's syndrome, as well as taking antidepressants, steroids, etc.

Being overweight or obese can cause health problems, as well. Some of these include Coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, gallstones, breathing problems, certain cancers, psychological problems and severe arthritis.

On July 13th, a brave friend of mine underwent a Hiatal hernia repair and full Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. When doctors checked her metabolism and did a full blood test, she was faced with the news that her thyroid was off and she has metabolic syndrome, with 5 herniated discs in her lumbar spine. This added to her diagnosis of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, which she became aware of at age 13 (80% of women with PCOS are overweight or obese).

Alexis first thought of surgery in November of 2015, when she couldn't fit on a roller coaster ride and couldn't walk without feeling pain. Before her surgery, she had to go to a cardiologist, have a nuclear stress test and EKG, go to a pulmonologist, have breathing tests and sleep studies, see a gastroenterologist, have an endoscopy as well as pass a psychological and physiological exam.

Her highest weight clocked in at 404, and all of her medical issues didn't allow diets alone to be an option. The surgery lasted an excruciating 5 hours and surgeons were able to effectively decrease the size of her stomach. She did not have any complications and since her surgery a month ago, her recovery has been going smoothly, she feels great and has already lost 40 pounds!

Alexis now wants to speak at conferences to inspire, support and encourage younger and older people thinking of gastric bypass surgery to alleviate their pain and help improve any medical conditions. (Alexis can be reached at Simplybeaded@yahoo.com)

Beauty has nothing to do with what size you wear. What should you do if you're being made fun of for your weight? Call these people out and do not tolerate such ignorance. Don't compare yourself to anyone else and don't worry what others say. What matters is how you see yourself and how you feel about yourself. Accept your body the way it is and if you don't like your body, know you have many options to make a positive change in your life. Obesity can lower a person's quality of life, so it is suggested to see a doctor to find out any preexisting medical conditions before dieting. Once you are cleared from these medical issues, set goals, start a diet, get active, go outside and have fun!

A very entertaining comedian and actor Gabriel Iglesias, also known as Fluffy, references his weight at all of his shows, and it's hysterical! He's a great example of a bigger person wearing the title of "fluffy" loud and proud!