"Honestly, the bar is so low. When I ask fat folks, ‘What could medical providers do better?’ they describe a visit where they just received healthcare — and that alone felt revolutionary."
— Vinny Welsby on Full Plate Podcast
If you’ve ever left a doctor’s office feeling dismissed, blamed, or deeply unseen because of your body size — this is for you. Because there’s a quiet kind of harm that happens when medical care becomes conditional, when bodies are treated as problems to be solved instead of people to be cared for.
And it’s not just hurt feelings — it’s missed diagnoses, delayed care, withheld interventions. and health outcomes shaped more by stigma than science.
This isn’t a personal failure. It’s a systemic one. And we need to talk about it.
This week, I’m joined by the brilliant Vinny Welsby (you might know them as @fiercefatty) for a conversation that is equal parts hilarious and deeply important. Together, we unpack the dangers of weight-centric care and the quiet — and not-so-quiet — ways anti-fatness infiltrates the medical system.
Vinny shares powerful insights from a recent study they conducted on weight stigma in healthcare, including staggering stories from patients who were harmed, delayed, or outright denied care because of their size. This is a conversation about medical trauma, structural harm, and the deep need for care that sees the whole person — not just a number on a scale.
Tune in this week for:
How Vinny discovered fat liberation—and the moment everything started to shift
What food, culture, and identity have to do with our bodies and our healing
The sneaky and not-so-sneaky ways anti-fat bias shows up in healthcare settings
Real stories of how fat folks are dismissed, harmed, or ignored in medical appointments
Why microaggressions in healthcare aren't "small" at all—and how they add up over time
Behind the paywall, we get into so much more, including:
What happens when people avoid care because of past trauma with providers
The dangerous myths doctors are taught about fatness and health
How weight stigma impacts health outcomes—and what the research really says about the link between weight and health outcomes
What it means to navigate medical spaces with self-compassion and agency
Hopeful shifts happening in healthcare—and what fat-affirming care can look like
Strategies for protecting your peace and advocating for yourself in the exam room
If you're someone who has put off appointments, avoided seeking help, or walked out of a clinic feeling like you weren’t really seen — you’re not alone. You’re not overreacting. You’re not being “too sensitive.” What you’re feeling is real. And it deserves to be taken seriously.
Whether you’ve experienced this firsthand, or you’re a provider wanting to do better, or you love someone who lives in a larger body — this episode is an invitation to listen deeply. To believe people. Because all of us deserve care that is respectful, evidence-based, and truly inclusive.
As a paid subscriber, you are able to hear this full episode.
Including the deeper conversation about research, medical trauma, and how to advocate for yourself when weight bias shows up in the exam room.
I also want to say thank you. Your support makes this work possible — the podcast, the writing, and the time it takes to have these honest, nuanced conversations.
I don’t take it for granted. I'm really glad you're here.
