But going down the fat acceptance path, as Arthur has suggested, isn’t the answer either. Telling people that there’s nothing wrong with being morbidly obese, or super-morbidly obese, might make people feel better in the short term, but won’t do much for their health in the long term.

And on a more nitpicky level, a quick Google check shows that Michelle Bridges is the trainer on the Australian version of TBL, not one of the American trainers.

Also, can you substantiate the point you made (in the longer version of this piece published on Online opinion) about BMI charts being sponsored by the manufacturers of Xenical? As far as I can remember, Xenical came on the market about eight or nine years ago, and the BMI charts have been around a lot longer than that.

Yes, we need to encourage good food and exercise for better long term health. Lets treat people properly no matter their size. It’s a pretty basic principle that needs to be applied. It starts by switching off the biggest loser.

I reckon a good response to ‘fat hate’ is what’s known as fat acceptance or fat activism.

For example, Kate Harding and co. are trying to make a dent on our twisted consciences here:

http://kateharding.net/faq/

Cheers