Recently, I saw an article about a woman who was angry because her doctor had fat shamed her. He apparently had told her, “You need to lose weight. You are no longer healthy.” She said it made her feel hurt and shamed.

And I was enraged. Why?

Because she was not being fat-shamed whatsoever.

If your doctor tells you, “You need to lose weight because you are no longer healthy,” that is not fat shaming. That is a medical professional trying to help you live longer. If your doctor told you that you had a bad heart and that it was harming your health, would you say he was “heart shaming?” No.

Let’s make one thing clear: fat shaming is a thing. And I will be the first to say it’s a thing because I have experienced it firsthand, both as a victim and a witness. Fat shaming is when somebody mocks your body or treats you as if you are less than them because of your size. Body shaming, in general, is a real problem in our society, and I always speak up whenever I see somebody being body shamed.

However, shedding light on the health problems associated with obesity is not fat shaming. As a matter of fact, it’s helpful. And the dangers of obesity should not be ignored. I am not talking about having a little extra bit of weight. I am talking about the type of obesity that affects your quality of life.

And being obese does affect your quality of life. It leads to problems such as high blood pressure, trouble walking, joint pain, heart disease and even adult onset diabetes. You can't ignore the health risks associated with obesity.

I get it. Weight is a sensitive subject. But there is a right and wrong way to talk about it. And it needs to be talked about. We can kindly and gently encourage the people we love to make healthier choices without fat shaming them. And just because we encourage somebody to lose weight for their health, does not automatically mean we are fat shaming them.