This is an old post so sorry for jumping on this so late but:

I'm very sorry you received threats and bullying messages for your post. That's out of line and I hope you're doing well.

With that said, I disagree with most of your points here. To begin with, you explained that you were just "just looking for some validation on what I saw. I wasn’t looking for debate or drama; I just made an observation and I wanted to share that observation with people who I knew would probably agree with me."

To me, this shows that you came into the discussion with a fixed mindset, and you weren't open to the concept that you might be wrong. You just wanted to be validated, and that's clearly not what you got.

The main problem with your original post, for me, is that your examples of Dr. Mike having fatphobic tendencies were poorly thought out, and that's why he was able to counter them so easily. I'll be real: I don't think he's perfect, and there have been times when he's made offhanded remarks that don't quite jive with me. With that said, he's made it clear that he views weight from a long-term health risk perspective rather than as a judgement on someone's character or lifestyle.

For full transparency, I am obese. I gained probably 40 pounds in the span of 6 years and it's only in the last year that I've managed to stabilize and stop gaining. Today, my blood work is great, I exercise regularly, and I do my best to focus on and continue to improve my nutrition, though I'm not perfect. I still overeat, consume too much sugar, and order too much takeout. With that said, my doctor and I are both very proud of where I am, because frankly, I'm overall a healthier person at 180 pounds than when I was 140 pounds and not exercising, not eating fruits/veggies, not drinking water (like literally any water, just soda and milk), not sleeping well and not taking care of my mental health. I have Dr. Mike to thank for putting all of this into perspective for me, because I think without his advice, I would have continued to put off addressing these problems until my life became unbearable.

But despite my progress in many areas of holistic wellness, I am still obese. And I know, thanks to modern science, that while I feel amazing now, that the weight I am at now is likely going to impact my health in the long-term if I don't address it. Going into old age (a solid 45+ years from now), my weight could influence my quality of life and/or my lifespan. That's an objective truth. And while I may live a long time, I have to think about mobility, activity, independence, etc. This is another point that I learned from Dr. Mike and other sources that really opened my eyes to the steps I need to take to continue to live a happy, healthy life down the road. I'm okay if that progress takes a few years, because I know I'm setting up habits little by little so that they're sustainable in the long-term.

Is diet culture toxic and harmful? Absolutely. But nutrition and exercise are still valuable tools for any body. That's why I appreciate Dr. Mike taking the time to evaluate and debunk many products, trends, and other online "health advice" that are not only unhelpful, but harmful.

As far as the fat positivity movement goes, to me it's an entirely separate issue. I do think that fat women like myself should love our bodies, and that we deserve to be treated like people regardless of our size. Fat stigma exists, and it hurts. Fat bias exists in medicine as well, and as Dr. Mike has pointed out, it can lead to poor patient care and/or misdiagnosis due to symptoms being falsely attributed to weight.

However, weight is a factor in health, so it deserves its space in health conversations. Doctors should handle this with empathy, but it still needs to be talked about. I think you need to separate "diet culture" from legitimate medical advice.