Obesity Matters Parlons Obésité

Obesity Matters Parlons Obésité Obesity Matters is an education and advocacy group committed to promoting game-changing dialogue No judgment. No shame. Your story matters. Your health matters.

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Obesity Matters | Parlons Obésité is more than a nonprofit—we're a global bilingual community built by people who understand weight struggles firsthand. Just real support, real education, and real change. Why Join Us?
• UN Award-winning programs
• 10M+ lives reached globally
• Evidence-based resources & expert guidance
• Safe space for all sizes, all stories, a

ll journeys

Founded by advocates who've walked this path, we share personal experiences, coping strategies, and tools to help you advocate for better healthcare—for yourself and your loved ones. YOU matter. Let's change the conversation on obesity—together. Join us | English & Français

Why can our bodies change, even when we feel like we're doing everything "right"?Weight is influenced by far more than w...
08/25/2026

Why can our bodies change, even when we feel like we're doing everything "right"?

Weight is influenced by far more than willpower. Genetics, hormones, metabolism, appetite and different stages of life can all shape how our bodies regulate weight.

Join us on September 2 for a fascinating conversation with Dr. Emilia Huvinen.

We'll explore:
• The role of genetics in weight regulation
• How hormones and metabolism influence our bodies
• Why perimenopause and other hormonal changes can affect weight
• Why understanding the biology of obesity can help move us away from blame

We're also delighted to celebrate the English language launch of Dr. Huvinen's book, Hungry Genes? Understanding Obesity Without Blame.

📅 September 2, 2026, 12 to 1 PM EDT
🎟️ FREE registration: https://ow.ly/wiRq50ZFiOa

Your body isn't simply a matter of willpower. Come discover the science behind why it changes.

Obesity and cancer: a connection we need to talk about, without blame or fear.An important and informative piece from Fi...
08/23/2026

Obesity and cancer: a connection we need to talk about, without blame or fear.

An important and informative piece from Firstpost explores an often overlooked part of the obesity conversation: excess adiposity is associated with an increased risk of at least 13 types of cancer.

But association does not mean inevitability, and obesity should never be reduced to a number on the scale or a lack of willpower.

The biology is complex. Excess adipose tissue can influence:
• Chronic inflammation
• Insulin resistance and metabolic health
• Hormonal regulation, including estrogen
• Immune function and cellular processes

The article also raises an important point for South Asian populations: metabolic risk and visceral fat can occur at lower BMI levels, meaning BMI alone may not tell the whole story.

Waist circumference, fat distribution and measures of metabolic health can provide additional information, another reminder that health is about much more than weight or BMI.

And what about GLP-1 medications? While improving weight and metabolic health could potentially influence the risk of some obesity-related cancers, the evidence is still evolving. These medications are not currently established as cancer-prevention therapies.

Perhaps the most important takeaway: cancer prevention shouldn't simply become another reason to tell people to “lose weight.”

It should be another reason to improve access to evidence-based obesity care, physical activity, nutritious food, appropriate screening and healthcare that treats people with dignity and compassion.

Obesity is a complex chronic disease. Understanding its biology helps us move the conversation from blame to better care.

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Et si ton appétit n'était pas un problème à régler ? 🤔Dans cet atelier interactif, le nutritionniste Benoît Boulanger pr...
08/22/2026

Et si ton appétit n'était pas un problème à régler ? 🤔

Dans cet atelier interactif, le nutritionniste Benoît Boulanger propose une réflexion solide et accessible sur les signaux de faim et de satiété. Reconnu pour son approche inclusive, intuitive et non restrictive, il nous invite à laisser de côté les règles rigides pour explorer l'alimentation non restrictive, une approche centrée sur la confiance envers nos besoins internes. Une discussion franche et inclusive pour mieux comprendre notre relation à la nourriture et retrouver une forme de liberté alimentaire.

Inscrivez-vous gratuitement à notre série d'ateliers Santé & Bien-être et connectez avec un réseau solidaire de pairs dans un environnement sans jugement tout en développant des outils pour votre bien-être physique et psychologique.

👉 Lien d'inscription: https://ow.ly/gJ2A50ZCMxF

When does comprehensive care become a barrier to care?A new consensus statement from EASO, EFAD and ECPO, published in T...
08/21/2026

When does comprehensive care become a barrier to care?

A new consensus statement from EASO, EFAD and ECPO, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, outlines nutritional, functional and psychological considerations for people using incretin-based therapies, including GLP-1 medications.

The goal is important: people using obesity medications should have access to the support they need to protect their health, preserve muscle and function, manage side effects and support their overall wellbeing.

But Yoni Freedhoff raises an important question: could an ideal model of multidisciplinary care inadvertently make treatment harder to access?

Dietitians, exercise professionals and psychological support can all add tremendous value. But with millions of people potentially eligible for treatment, access to these professionals is far from universal.

Perhaps the answer isn't medication OR comprehensive support.

Perhaps we need a more scalable continuum:
🔹 Essential screening, monitoring and guidance through primary care
🔹 Accessible nutrition, movement and wellbeing education
🔹 Group, virtual and community-based supports
🔹 Specialized multidisciplinary care when an individual's needs warrant it

The goal should be to support people receiving treatment without creating additional gates to receiving it.

At Obesity Matters, this is a conversation we believe is worth having: What does comprehensive, patient-centred obesity care look like when we also make accessibility and real-world capacity part of the equation?

What do you think? Should multidisciplinary support be the standard for everyone using obesity medications, or should the level of support be tailored to individual needs and access?

⚠️ Important warning: Retatrutide is NOT approved for human use.You may have seen the name retatrutide appearing online ...
08/19/2026

⚠️ Important warning: Retatrutide is NOT approved for human use.

You may have seen the name retatrutide appearing online or across social media, often promoted as the “next” obesity medication.

But there’s something everyone needs to know:

Retatrutide is still an investigational medication. It has not been approved by Health Canada, or any regulatory agency in the world, for human use.

Lilly Canada is warning that illegal and unapproved versions of retatrutide are being promoted and sold. Because there is currently no approved retatrutide product available to consumers, anything being marketed as retatrutide outside an authorized clinical trial should raise serious concerns.

Retatrutide is showing promise in Phase 3 clinical research for obesity and related conditions. But promising research does not make unapproved products safe or legitimate.

At Obesity Matters, we understand the hope that new treatment options can bring, especially when access to evidence-based obesity care remains challenging.

People living with obesity deserve safe, regulated and evidence-based treatment options and clear, trustworthy information about the medications they are considering.

Innovation in obesity treatment is exciting. Safety, evidence and informed decision-making must move alongside it.

Please share this message. Someone may be hearing about retatrutide without realizing that it is still investigational and no approved version is currently available.



AI-generated image for illustrative purposes only. It does not depict the actual medication.

💙 On relaie avec fierté ce projet porté par nos partenaires du CoActiv'lab (UQO).Derrière chaque apparence corporelle, i...
08/18/2026

💙 On relaie avec fierté ce projet porté par nos partenaires du CoActiv'lab (UQO).

Derrière chaque apparence corporelle, il y a une personne et une histoire qui méritent d'être entendues.

L'équipe souhaite créer une pièce de théâtre participative et des capsules vidéo pour faire entendre la parole des personnes de toutes les diversités corporelles et culturelles qui ont déjà senti qu'on les jugeait ou qu'on les résumait à leur corps plus large.

Et si ce projet devenait aussi le vôtre? Il sera construit avec les personnes concernées, pas pour elles.

⏱️ Sondage anonyme, 2 minutes, avant d'aller plus loin :
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/U3uJM5fK0j

Des questions? [email protected]

Merci de partager!

08/18/2026

Focus on the stair in front of you, not the whole staircase." That's the mindset Alissa Steinberg brought to her 19-second nutrition wins with Gina Livy, and it's exactly the energy she's bringing to our next Wellness Workshop.

Cravings aren't about willpower. They're shaped by your brain, your body, your emotions, and factors like blood sugar and insulin resistance. So what can we actually do when they hit?

Join Sandra Elia and Alissa Steinberg, RD, CDE, MHSc, for a live, practical conversation on working with your biology instead of against it. Real strategies, real recipes, no giant staircase required.

📅 August 19 at 12 PM EDT
🥒 Register now: https://ow.ly/rtpo50ZyNHp

How can activating AND blocking the same brain receptor both lead to weight loss?New research from the University of Cam...
08/18/2026

How can activating AND blocking the same brain receptor both lead to weight loss?

New research from the University of Cambridge, published in Nature Metabolism, may help explain this apparent contradiction.

In a study in mice, researchers examined the GIP receptor (GIPR), a target already involved in several current and emerging obesity medications.

They found that where GIPR is targeted in the brain may be key:

🔹 Activating GIPR in the brainstem reduced appetite and food intake.

🔹 Blocking GIPR in the hypothalamus appeared to remove a “brake” on fullness signals, producing weight loss through a different pathway.

This could help explain why obesity treatments that take seemingly opposite approaches to GIPR can both be effective and may inform future research into combining GIP-targeting therapies with GLP-1 and other treatments.

Importantly, these findings come from animal research, so they cannot yet tell us how these mechanisms will translate to people.

But the study reinforces an important and evolving area of obesity science: the brain plays a central role in regulating appetite, fullness and body weight.

As researchers better understand these specific brain circuits, the goal is to develop treatments that are more effective, work through complementary pathways and potentially have fewer side effects.



Note: We chose not to use the original article image, as cropped body imagery and measuring tapes can reinforce weight stigma. The image shown here was AI-generated.

2 days to go! 🧠🥒What can you actually do when cravings hit?This Wednesday, join Alissa Steinberg, RD, CDE, MHSc, and San...
08/17/2026

2 days to go! 🧠🥒

What can you actually do when cravings hit?

This Wednesday, join Alissa Steinberg, RD, CDE, MHSc, and Sandra Elia for an interactive Wellness Workshop exploring cravings, energy and insulin resistance.

And this won’t just be a conversation - Alissa will be doing live food and nutrition demos, showing practical ideas you can take from the workshop into everyday life.

🥒 Live, engaging demos
🧠 Better understand what may be driving cravings
⚡ Explore the connection between energy & insulin resistance
💡 Walk away with practical strategies you can actually use
💬 Bring your questions and join the conversation

FREE | Virtual | August 19 | 12–1 PM EDT

👉 Save your spot: https://ow.ly/rtpo50ZyNHp

Come curious. Leave with something you can try.

Could GLP-1 medications have a role beyond obesity and diabetes?Emerging research is examining their potential in polyen...
08/16/2026

Could GLP-1 medications have a role beyond obesity and diabetes?

Emerging research is examining their potential in polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS, formerly known as PCOS), a hormonal and metabolic condition affecting an estimated 1 in 8 women worldwide.

The article shares the experience of Charlotte Touzalin and her mother, Anne Schultz, whose years-long journey to a PMOS diagnosis highlights how difficult the condition can be to recognize and manage.

Dr. Melanie Cree of Children’s Hospital Colorado and Dr. Rana Malek of the University of Maryland Medical System discuss the emerging role of GLP-1 medications in PMOS, particularly in relation to insulin resistance and weight management.

Early findings are promising. Small studies are exploring improvements in insulin resistance, hormone levels, menstrual regularity and weight. However, more research is needed to better understand the longer-term benefits, risks and appropriate role of these medications in PMOS care.

The story also raises an important issue: access. GLP-1 medications are not currently approved specifically for PMOS, which can create insurance and coverage barriers.

As the evidence continues to evolve, this is an important area to watch, highlighting the complex connections between metabolic health, hormones, obesity and reproductive health.

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