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world obesity day 2026: 8 billion reasons to act—one story at a time
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vicki-anne rodrigue (left) and charlotte loggie (right) are sharing their lived experiences to move the conversation around obesity from stigma to understanding.
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today we recognized world obesity day. this year’s theme is “8 billion reasons to act on obesity” and we know that the real power lies in the individual stories behind the stats. at healthing, we believe the best way to break down the stigma surrounding obesity is to stop talking about “the public” and start listening to you.
we asked you to share the personal motivations that drive your health journeys—from the fight for fair medical treatment to the simple goal of being active with your kids. your responses remind us that obesity isn’t just a clinical diagnosis; it’s a lived experience. these are your stories, your challenges and your reasons for changing the narrative.
vicki-anne rodrigue, waves of change for obesity
vicki-anne rodrigue is a human resources professional, psychotherapist, mental health advocate, and proud member of the obesity connect community, a community of individuals with obesity that has been brought together by obesity canada. she has lived with obesity as a chronic illness for most of her life.
from childhood onward, she internalized the message that her body was something to fix. years of dieting, relentless exercise, medications, and bariatric surgery followed—alongside stigma, shame, and discrimination in medical, academic, professional and faith spaces. even after dramatic weight changes, the bias remained.
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through education and lived experience, vicki-anne came to understand what science confirms: obesity is a complex, chronic disease shaped by biology, genetics, environment, and lived experience — not a failure of willpower.
on world obesity day, vicki-anne will swim two kilometres in one hour (3–4 pm est) at the françois dupuis recreation centre (2263 portobello drive, orléans, ontario) as part of waves of change for obesity, an initiative sponsored by obesity canada.
her goal is to raise $5,000 to support research, improve treatment options, and challenge weight bias across canada.
you are invited to come cheer her on in person, watch online, share on social media, and consider making a donation to obesity canada.
stroke by stroke, she is working to change the narrative — so that people living in larger bodies are met with evidence-based care, dignity, and compassion.
charlotte loggie, miramichi, nb
from my teen years to my mid-30s, i struggled to stay in the “overweight” category of the bmi which was presented to me at every doctor’s appointment. i was given no advice or plan at these doctor’s appointments, so i cycled through several fad diets in my 20s and 30s (dr. stillman’s quick weight loss diet, the scarsdale diet and weight watchers…six times!), losing and gaining the same 20-30 pounds, never able to maintain enough of a weight loss to leave the “overweight” classification.
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when i was classified as “morbidly obese”, from age 40 onwards, following my second pregnancy, i knew that my weight was totally out of control. i started trying every diet program i could access. floundering in a sea of diets, online advice, and various weight loss schemes, i could never truly access the information i needed to understand why certain people deal with obesity all their lives.
i met with a registered dietitian once a month for three years to see if i could make a permanent change to my weight. during this time, i discovered the ketogenic diet and for the first time in decades, saw my weight drop. i lost 65 pounds in 18 months, following keto, but it was only a brief victory.
the strict restriction of carbohydrates acted like another cyclic diet pattern. after an ever-increasing struggle to stay with the program, my body fought back, trying to preserve its fat stores, rather than releasing them, and my weight crept relentlessly up again. i became “keto-resistant” to various resets and restarts. even my dietitian gave up, emailing me “obesity is a chronic condition and a lifelong struggle. it rarely goes away for good.”
reading “food junkies” by dr. vera tarman led me back to re-reading dr. jason fung’s “the obesity code” and trying to make sense of sugar addiction and insulin resistance. while dr. westman’s “end your carb confusion” enlightened me as to hyperinsulinemia, his prescription-strength keto recommendations were difficult for me to implement since my body was so resistant to the 20 gram carbohydrate limit demanded by the keto diet.
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in “food junkies” i discovered theresa wright, rd, and started reading her book “the sane food solution”. here is where i found clarity in the middle of all the noise.
starting in november of 2025, i took sugar in its obvious forms (chocolate, baked goods, and ultra-processed foods) out of my diet. i got through christmas without chocolate or sweet desserts, and since then have followed theresa wright’s suggestions for daily nutrition. i have lost 12 pounds since i began implementing her suggestions, and feel more energized and in control. i journal my food every day and look for support online from healthing, obesity canada and facebook groups such as quit sugar, and sugar free for life support group: i’m sweet enough.
obesity is a chronic disease, but the awareness level of many health professionals needs improvement. most are helpless to offer suggestions or practical help; they usually resort to outdated information like “eat less, move more” or “watch your caloric intake”. in my 70 years, i have only met with two doctors who actually understand the chronic nature of obesity, and had practical suggestions and knowledge of how to live a healthier, less obese life. one of these doctors told me i should be followed by a physician every three months. the other finally explained metabolic syndrome to me. both of these physicians have retired from active practice, and are no longer available to me or others who would benefit from their expertise.
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the scarcity of weight loss management/obesity specialists in smaller, more rural provinces like new brunswick, is huge. for me to have the work of a registered dietitian and nutrition therapist who is based in philadelphia, pennsylvania to lean on and learn from is important, and has helped me immensely, but i shouldn’t have had to go to such lengths to get appropriate knowledge and information.
my end goal is to improve my health as i move into my 70s, and lose some of the excess body weight i carry. i know that dropping sugar from my diet is a significant step forward, but i have to be vigilant every day, read labels, plan my meals, and keep in touch with online resources such as healthing.ca.
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