The Problem Isn’t Just BMI: How Weight Bias Is Harming Kids in the Exam Room

If you’ve ever felt confused, judged, or overwhelmed by how weight is discussed at your child’s doctor’s visits? Whether your child is in a larger body, a smaller body, or somewhere in between this episode is for anyone who wants to raise healthy kids without harmful messaging.

I’m joined by Dr. Tommy Martin, a physician, educator, and passionate advocate for reframing weight and health conversations with compassion and clarity. Together, we explore why BMI was never meant to guide pediatric care, how weight bias shows up in medical settings, and what parents can do to protect their child’s body confidence without ignoring health.

We dive into:

• Why BMI was never meant for individual kids and how outdated growth charts still shape care today
  

• The lasting harm of weight bias in healthcare, from missed diagnoses to internalized shame as early as age 3
  

• How to reframe conversations around health without numbers or labels and practical ways to advocate for your child
  

To connect with Dr. Tommy Martin follow him on Instagram @dr.tommymartin, check out all his resources at https://link.me/dr.tommymartin

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00:00 – Intro: Why weight conversations in pediatrics matter 02:10 – Meet Dr. Tommy Martin and his backstory 04:50 – Growing up in a larger body and the roots of weight stigma 06:45 – Subtle messages kids absorb at the doctor’s office 09:00 – Hurtful comments from family, peers, and culture 13:45 – Dr. Mona’s story: Smaller body, different pressure 15:30 – The impossible standards of body image 17:00 – Why pediatricians weigh kids and how Dr. Mona reframes it 18:30 – Dr. Tommy’s patient-first approach to weight discussions 21:45 – What BMI gets wrong (and how it still shows up) 25:20 – The harm of casual body comments 27:00 – Genetics, hormones, and the science of food noise 30:00 – The stigma and science behind GLP-1 medications 33:00 – How Dr. Mona talks to families about elevated labs without shame 40:00 – Why she never sets weight goals for kids 43:00 – Helping kids fuel for function, not aesthetics 46:00 – Modeling healthy habits in everyday life 48:00 – Weight bias in healthcare and missed diagnoses 50:00 – Long-term harm of labels like “obese” or “underweight”

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