The choice to have bariatric surgery is not made lightly. Any surgery is a serious endeavor, but for people who struggle with the disease of obesity, surgery may be the best way to lose weight and regain their health.

Having bariatric surgery has a huge impact on patients. Unlike some other surgical procedures, bariatric surgery represents a significant life change. After the surgery, patients must adhere to strict dietary changes to lose weight and stay healthy. For that reason, some healthcare professionals have suggested that bariatric support and therapy should be required after surgery.

Obesity is a disease, and for that reason, we might reasonably expect that patients who have the disease of obesity would be treated no differently than people who have other disease like cancer, emphysema, or multiple sclerosis. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Even though the medical profession acknowledges obesity as a disease, obesity stigma is a serious problem in healthcare.

Weight discrimination is a big problem in the United States and around the world. Every day, people who have the disease of obesity are being paid less, passed over for promotions, judged and made to feel inferior. That must change.

If you have experienced weight discrimination, you are not alone. Research shows that people who have the disease of obesity are 12 times more likely to face employment discrimination than those who are don’t.

If you struggle with your weight or with the disease of obesity, you might feel as though you receive unfair treatment in the workplace. You may also wonder if the things that happen to you are legal.

People who struggle with the disease of obesity may have a difficult time socially – and there’s a reason for that. Weight stigma is still socially accepted while other forms of prejudice are not.

Weight bias is one of the few social biases that is our modern society accepts. Most of us acknowledge that other forms of bias, including racial and gender biases, are outdated and ignorant – and yet our tendency to shame and punish people who are overweight continues. This attitude can make it very difficult to report weight bias when it occurs.

The prevalence of weight bias in our society is undeniable. It is considered by many to be the last socially acceptable bias – and that poses a real problem for people who have the disease of obesity. It places unnecessary barriers in the way of healing and acceptance.

Obesity is an often talked about issue on the rise, but what about weight discrimination? Weight discrimination has become a socially accepted form of bullying that must come to an end. In North American culture especially, weight bias is often overlooked and seems to be a socially accepted attitude. Regrettably, this makes individuals with obesity disease susceptible to discrimination in several different arenas including: the workplace, healthcare facilities, educational institutions, and even within social encounters.