International list of fat-friendly medical professionals

A fat friendly professional does not necessarily avoid mentioning a client's weight, but he or she avoids making an issue of it, avoids lectures and humiliation, and respects the client's wishes with regard to weight discussions.

If a client asks not to be weighed, the request is acknowledged without complaint and taken into account automatically on future visits. (Note: there are a few cases where weighing is necessary, for example, when administering certain medications, chemotherapy, or anesthesia.)

If weight sometimes contributes to a problem, the professional may mention this, but also considers other diagnoses and recommends tests to determine the actual diagnosis if appropriate. If weight loss is a recommended treatment for a problem, the fat friendly professional may mention this, but at minimum will also recommend and prescribe other treatments. A fat friendly professional accepts a client's wish not to use weight loss as a treatment.

Ideally, the professional's office has available armless chairs, large blood pressure cuffs, large examination gowns, and other equipment suitable for fat people. If not, the office acknowledges the importance of such items when told.

Some fat friendly professionals believe that fat is not unhealthy. Others may believe that fat is unhealthy, but may acknowledge that weight loss doesn't work or is dangerous and/or that the client has a right to direct his or her own treatment.