‘They are cancer contractors’ – Steve Miller’s words for Brits who are ‘coming out as fat’

The fat acceptance movement aims to encourage overweight people to be happy with their bodies, even if they are a large size, but Steve Miller – a weight loss guru – has slammed this way of thinking.

The health expert says that those who embrace the new trend of “coming out” as fat are simply making themselves vulnerable to cancer at the tax payer’s expense.

“It’s like you’re being a cancer contractor, because you are saying to people I acknowledge I’m fat but I’m proud of it,” Steve explained.

“We know there are a number of cancers that can be triggered when you are fat, we know the health consequences, arguably you are promoting bad health.”

An academic paper titled “Coming Out as Fat, Rethinking Stigma”, examined  “the surprising case of women who ‘come out as fat’ to test and refine theories about social change, social mobilization, stigma, and stigma resistance.”

The idea of “coming out” as fat has been promoted in other places too, including on the website Everyday Feminism, which published an article titled “4 Ways to Come Out as Fat”.

The piece encouraged people to embrace the word ‘fat’ and the author wrote: “The more you say it, the more comfortable you will get with it (…) If you want to get really adventurous, purchase a “Fat” necklace.”

Steve believes this is a very damaging mentality and an inappropriate use of the phrase.

He said: “It’s not like coming out saying I’m gay – there’s nothing you can do about it if you are gay.”

He claims that those who “come out” as fat are burdening society – as well as encouraging others to do the same.

“They are sharing that message and giving permission to people to be proud and die early – but also saying this to the tax payer who fronts the bill for the NHS.”

Steve refuses to accept that people who are overweight a “big boned” or just cannot lose the weight.

The NHS suggests using your body mass index (BMI) calculator to work out if you’re a healthy weight.

BMI is a measure of whether you’re a healthy weight for your height.

The NHS writes on its website: “BMI isn’t used to definitively diagnose obesity, because people who are very muscular sometimes have a high BMI without excess fat. But for most people, BMI is a useful indication of whether they’re a healthy weight, overweight or obese.

“A better measure of excess fat is waist circumference, which can be used as an additional measure in people who are overweight (with a BMI of 25 to 29.9) or moderately obese (with a BMI of 30 to 34.9).

“Generally, men with a waist circumference of 94cm (37in) or more and women with a waist circumference of 80cm (about 31.5in) or more are more likely to develop obesity-related health problems.”

If you or someone else has developed an eating disorder you can talk in confidence to an adviser from the eating disorders charity Beat by calling their helpline on 0346 634 7650 or find your local eating disorder support service on the NHS website.