Kate's Fat City

Jeffrey Friedman (biology)

2006-01-21T04:12:00.000-05:00

Jeffrey Friedman is an obesity researcher at Rockefeller University, and discoverer of leptin, a hormone vital to fat regulation. He couldn't really be called a fat acceptance advocate in that he believes fat is a looming public health crisis, however he is strongly critical of the current war on obesity as steeped in exaggeration and born out of fundamental misunderstandings of the biology of fat. He is also a passionate critic of and welcome ally against stigmatization.

Listen to Jeffrey Friedman:

Lecture at Howard Hughes Medical Institute on the biological basis of obesity and outlining his views. Direct Link to Video (RealMedia) or Web Page (Fat acceptance purists, be warned: he spends the first 10 minutes sounding the usual doom and gloom alarms about the "obesity epidemic." But trust me, if you keep listening this lecture is well worth your time).
Interview on WNYC's Leonard Leopate Show. Direct Link to Audio (RealAudio) or Web Page

Must-Reads by Jeffrey Friedman:

Editorial in Science from 5/'05, entitled "War on Obesity, not the Obese" attacked the medical establishment's increasingly indefensible/alarmist position that fat people must become thin through diet and exercise. Dr. Friedman lucidly outlined the biological mechanisms regulating fat storage and preventing long term weight loss. An exerpted and simplified version can be found here. (the full text of the original is no longer available for free from Science. However, the article can be found in Best American Science and Nature Writing 2004.)
In follow-up to that article he was interviewed by Ira Flatow of NPR's Science Friday - the transcript of which can be found here. This is a fascinating and lucid elaboration of his position and the science behind it. I strongly encourage everyone to read this transcript!!!
His views were also outlined in a June 2004 a New York Times article by Gina Kolata (Registration may be required, or use bugmenot to help access the page. The text can also be found here.)

Paul Ernsberger (biology)

2006-01-21T04:11:00.000-05:00

Paul Ernsberger, M.D. is a Professor of Nutrition at Case Western Reserve University and was one of the first researchers to publicly support the fat acceptance position.

Here he is as a lone voice cautioning about the dangers of weight loss surgery on NPR's Science Friday (he's up against two weight loss surgeons). Jeffrey Friedman is interviewed briefly but only to discuss advances in leptin research and is not part of the main discussion. Direct Link to Audio or Web Page

Paul Campos (politics)

2006-01-21T04:10:00.000-05:00

Paul Campos is Professor of Law at the University of Colorado at Boulder and author of The Obesity Myth. Has been one of the most vocal and public critics of the medical establishment's war on obesity.

Listen to Paul Campos:

Speech at Boston University from October 2003 Direct link to video (Quicktime Format)
Interview on KPCC Jerry Mantle Show from 4/20/05 Direct link to realaudio Link to Web Page
NPR's On Point Debate (Panel with Greg Critser and Eloise Gonzalez) from January 2003 Direct Link to Audio (Paul Campos' segment begins 26 minutes into it) Link to Web Page
On a panel in the Time/ABCNews Summit on Obesity from June 2004 (Does an excellent job as the sole voice of reason arguing the fat acceptance position. Link to Video Link to Web Page
On Wisconsin Public Radio's To the Best of Our Knowledge Direct Link to Audio (Paul Campos' segment begins about 15 minutes in) Link to Web Page

Lynn McAfee (activism)

2006-01-21T04:08:00.000-05:00

Lynn McAfee is long time fat-acceptance activist and one of the original members of the Fat Underground, one of the earliest fat acceptance groups, founded in 1972.

On Weekend America Radio Show 7/31/04 (short) Direct Link to Audio or Web Page Link
On NPR's Talk of the Nation as part of a panel on obesity from 12/18/01 Web page link

Marilyn Wann (activism)

2006-01-21T04:07:00.000-05:00

Marilyn Wann is author of Fat!SO? (which also has it's own web site). You can listen to her short essay on the radio show Weekend America 7/31/04 (2 minutes)

Direct Link to Audio

Web Page Link

Joanne Ikeda and Glen Gaesser (biology)

2006-01-21T04:06:00.000-05:00

Joanne Ikeda is a nutritionist at UC Berkeley. Here she delivers a lecture on fat acceptance to a nutrition class at Berkeley. Direct Link to Video or Web Page

Glen Gaesser, Ph.D. is an exercise physiologist at the University of Virginia and author of Big Fat Lies. A longtime proponent of focusing on fitness rather than obessing over weight. I haven't been able to find any interviews or other multimedia online, and would love to be able to post some if anybody knows of any.

Size Matters

2006-01-21T04:05:00.000-05:00

Size Matters is a radio show targeted at people of size that makes its most recent show available on the web. Older shows can be purchased. I've just recently stumbled upon this and haven't listened to it much, but it looks very interesting.

ISAA (activism)

2006-01-10T04:09:00.000-05:00

The International Size Acceptance Association, Founded and Directed by Allen Steadham. Has produced some great internet audio programs and is really taking advantage of new technologies to get the word out. There are three relevant sets of podcasts.

Podcast without Measure (PODWOM) -hour-long podcast radio programs. Currently there are five and they're well done, entertaining and insightful conversations on fat, fat discrimination and fat acceptance.
ISAA Pods - short audioblogs by Allen Steadham related to size acceptance and ISAA
The ISAA Rapport preceded PODWOM. There were 10 programs between 2002 and 2005 which you can download all of them from this site.