On behalf of our representatives in the anti-weight based bullying/Keep Mrs. Obama off The Biggest Loser campaign -- Lizabeth Wesely-Casella (bingebehavior.com) and Chevese Turner (BEDA) and me, I’d like to thank you all for your support and lighting fast response surrounding the First Lady and her appearance on the Biggest Loser.  Lizabeth and Chevese had a meeting at the Whitehouse on 11/12/13 with the director of the Let’s Move! Campaign as a result of our efforts.  They found out that though we weren’t be able to prevent the First Lady from appearing on the weight stigma bonanza The Biggest Loser is because the show was filmed months ago and will be aired as scheduled 11/12/13, the meeting would never have happened without the campaign and the speed with which supporters moved.   That said, Lisabeth and Chevese spent a good deal of time with the Director of the Let’s Move! Campaign discussing the reasons why our community is so against that TBL appearance and other options that would be more appropriate to further the Drink More Water! and Let’s Move! messages in the future.  We got there too late for this season but you can bet that next season they will make a fully informed decision! 

Beyond discussing TBL, Lisabeth and Chevese engaged the staff in a surprisingly long conversation about weight stigma.  They left feeling positive about the opportunities ahead for an open and educational dialog and we look forward to working with the Office of the First Lady providing weight stigma information, resources and solutions.   

Again, thank you for your support and for the work we’ll do together regarding weight stigma in the future.  Together, we can change the conversation and stop discrimination!

Warmly,