‘Sorry mate, you’re probably a bit too fat to be able to do any of this’: Men’s experiences of weight stigma and its implications

This study explores men’s experiences of weight stigma with a sample of men attending a weight management programme. Men’s understanding of stigma, including its sources, their responses to it, and its impact, were discussed using focus groups. Findings from a thematic analysis indicate that weight stigma undermines men’s masculine sense of self. Weight stigma becomes a social threat – real or imagined - that entails negative psychosocial outcomes, impeding men’s participation in social activities, including weight loss. With adequate social support, a men-only weight management programme is perceived as a safe environment where the men recovered their impaired self-concept. We suggest that weight stigma should be considered in the design of men’s weight management interventions, to generate a more compassionate approach to weight loss.