As the name suggests, Asher is a doctor who happens to be fat. And whilst neither of those two things define them as a person, it is probably the reason you ended up here today. They started this website in June 2020 as a weight loss blog. At the time they were deeply entrenched in diet culture and restricting their calorie intake as a means of bringing their BMI down to a more “acceptable” level. A lot has changed since then.
Fat people experience discrimination every single day. From the classroom to the boardroom, there is no escaping anti-fat bias. Once Asher understood the way in which this was impacting the healthcare profession, they could no longer keep silent. They now consider themself a GP by day and fat activist by night. They are campaigning for an end to medical weight stigma so that everyone can access fair and equal healthcare irrespective of the number on the scales.
Do you want to connect with Asher?
How would you react if someone told you that most of what we are taught to believe about healthy bodies is a lie? How would you feel if that person was a medical doctor with over 20 years experience treating patients and seeing the harm caused by all this misinformation?
Whether you’re a person affected by weight stigma, a healthcare professional, a concerned parent or an ally who shares the belief that people in larger bodies deserve better, Asher Larmie and the team at ‘The Fat Doctor Podcast’ welcome you into the inner circle.
The Weighting Room is a monthly interactive series focusing on weight inclusive care. Each episode focuses on a particular condition or topic and Asher spends the first half the session presenting the evidence in an easy to digest format.
The second half is dedicated to questions and answers. Whilst it is a live event, once you are registered you can ask questions in advance and once it has ended, you can watch it whenever suits and as often as you like.
Previous episodes have included PCOS, joint pain, weight loss surgery and type-2 diabetes.
For those that want to support Asher’s work, you can become a patron for as a little as the price of a cup of coffee. All tiers offer the same benefits which include live interactive virtual meetings with Asher, which they lovingly refer to as “the Weigh In”.
You also get a direct line of communication through DMs, and the opportunity to help steer the future of the Fat Doctor Podcast and campaign work.
Asher releases all their blog posts, updates and announcements on their Patreon account first, a week before the general public has access to them.
If you find yourself asking what you can do about weight stigma, how you can access fair and equal healthcare in a larger body, or where you can find information about health and health conditions that doesn’t focus on weight loss, then #NOWEIGH was created for you.
Asher launched this webiste on the 8th February 2020. It is a labor of love, born out of their desire to advocate for those who struggle to advocate for themselves. There are a number of free downloadable resources, a library of information for both people AND their health professionals, and a collection of lived experiences.
Do you want to work with Asher?
Asher has been a guest speaker at universities, conferences, and private training events. They have also been featured in various newspapers, magazines, on the radio and on television. As a GP with almost 20 years of medical experience, they are available for expert comment or interview on a range of topics. They can also write a feature article, act as a spokesperson for a PR campaign, consult for organisations or speak at an event. Please direct inquiries to their agent Victoria Marconetto-Tyson.
Asher also offers weight stigma training for healthcare professionals, employers and organisations who are interested in tackling weight bias, stigma and discrimination. Training can be booked directly through this website.