Dr. Jenny Talbert

Dr. Jenny Talbert The Fat Chiropractor

When 21% of patients report searching for a new doctor after experiencing weight stigma, we have a healthcare crisis.Wei...
10/14/2025

When 21% of patients report searching for a new doctor after experiencing weight stigma, we have a healthcare crisis.

Weight bias among medical professionals is well documented across every specialty you can think of. Physicians, nurses, dietitians, therapists. (I’ll add chiropractors to the list as well)
This bias shows up in real ways: providers spending less time with patients, ordering fewer tests, and patients straight up avoiding care because they know what’s coming.

Research looks at how weight stigma in healthcare creates actual barriers to getting quality care. The problems are everywhere: equipment that doesn’t fit, providers who aren’t trained properly, and attitudes that lead to worse outcomes.

Healthcare should be safe and accessible for all bodies. When providers blame everything on weight without doing their job and actually examining you, that’s not evidence-based medicine. That’s harm.

10/13/2025

It took me about 3-4 years to get comfortable using the word “fat,” and honestly, I didn’t figure it out on my own. I learned from fat activists who had been doing this work long before I even knew it existed.

I started reading books by fat authors who used the word so casually and proudly that it made me realize it didn’t have to be this scary, shameful thing. I filled my Instagram feed with people who looked like me and who talked about their fat bodies without apologizing. Slowly, through seeing it used over and over in a neutral way, it started to feel less like an insult and more like just another descriptor.

Our community reclaimed this word. We took it back from the people who used it to bully us and turned it into something that doesn’t have power over us anymore.

That doesn’t mean everyone is comfortable with it yet, and most people outside of fat liberation spaces still find it offensive.

If this word is still hard for you to use, that makes total sense. You can say “larger body” or “higher weight” instead, which are great alternatives that don’t pathologize our bodies the way medical language often does.

Also, you may have to ask someone if they prefer using a different word before you use fat to describe them.

But for me, learning to say fat comfortably has been one of the most freeing parts of my journey, and I’m so grateful to the activists and authors who showed me it was possible.

Weight stigma is hurtful and hazardous to health.The research is clear: experiencing weight discrimination increases mor...
10/12/2025

Weight stigma is hurtful and hazardous to health.

The research is clear: experiencing weight discrimination increases mortality risk by 60%, raises stress hormones, and triggers a cascade of mental and physical health issues. The cruel irony? Many conditions blamed on body size may actually be caused by weight stigma itself.

When we understand that stigma—not body size—drives many health issues, we can shift toward truly supportive, evidence-based care.

10/10/2025

Your silence speaks volumes.

When patients shame themselves and we stay silent, they interpret our silence as agreement. This reinforces their negative beliefs and makes them less likely to seek healthcare.

By gently redirecting, we interrupt the shame cycle instead of being complicit in it.

But here’s the problem - most providers don’t have actual scripts for dealing with these conversations. So we end up saying nothing, or worse, saying the wrong thing.

If you want the scripts that help you navigate these moments with confidence, I’ve got you covered.

Download my free resource in my link in bio 👆

10/07/2025

I don’t have an ethical solution to intentionally shrink someone’s body, so I’m not going to regularly offer it as a solution in my office.

Here’s why:

The health-promoting behaviors that sometimes lead to short-term body size changes—like adding more fruits and vegetables, increasing fiber, and moving your body—are what actually improve health outcomes. But here’s the thing: not everyone will experience weight loss from these behaviors, AND THAT’S OKAY. They can still experience all the health benefits.

The data tells us that 95% of intentional weight loss efforts fail long-term, and 2/3 of people will regain more weight than they started with. We’re setting people up for a cycle of failure and harm.

Important—
Everyone has full autonomy over their own body. I recognize that sometimes people feel they have to pursue weight loss to access other necessary care, and that’s a failing of our healthcare system, not of individuals. You get to make whatever choices feel right for you.

My approach focuses on sustainable, health-promoting behaviors that benefit everyone—regardless of whether body size changes or not.

10/06/2025

We’ve ALL been here.

Patient comes in having the WORST body image day. They’re absolutely tearing themselves apart, talking complete trash about their body, and you’re sitting there like...

Do I have an actual helpful response? Or am I about to fumble through some generic “you’ll be okay” nonsense?

Yeah, I thought so.

That’s why I created a freebie with 5 ready-to-go scripts for the most common scenarios that walk through your door - complete with weight-neutral advice that actually helps.

Because we need to do better than awkward mumbling.

Comment SCRIPTS below and I’ll send it your way 👇

I’m willing to bet most of your model patients in chiro school looked pretty similar. Young, athletic, able-bodied. And ...
09/30/2025

I’m willing to bet most of your model patients in chiro school looked pretty similar. Young, athletic, able-bodied.

And there’s nothing wrong with learning technique on our classmates, but when you get into real practice and suddenly don’t have the tools to work with people in larger bodies, older adults, or patients with disabilities - that’s a problem.

You end up modifying on the fly, doubting yourself, and worst of all, your patients can feel it. They stop coming back.

What populations did you feel unprepared for when you started practice?

✨ In case you’re new here ✨I’m Dr. Jenny Talbert, a fat* chiropractor who spent years judging, shaming and blaming my pa...
07/01/2025

✨ In case you’re new here ✨

I’m Dr. Jenny Talbert, a fat* chiropractor who spent years judging, shaming and blaming my patients’ body size for their health conditions like I was taught in school.

I’ve always lived in a fat body and I was constantly trying to shrink and fit into the mold of the doctor I thought my patients wanted to see.

8 years ago, I woke up and realized I couldn’t diet anymore. I couldn’t try to shrink and be something that I wasn’t. So I started reading the research on the flaws in the weight-centric paradigm of health.

I started to live a more authentic life, and when I showed up authentically in my practice—stopped using stigmatizing language, actually treated their bodies with respect—everything changed. I created a safe and comfortable place for my patients.

You know what happened?

➡️ They trusted me more. They came back. They brought their friends.

Turns out, shame is terrible for business AND terrible for healing.

So now I do things differently:

I create spaces where fat bodies are welcomed, not judged. Where patients don’t have to brace themselves for weight loss lectures. Where the focus is on what their body needs, not what it weighs.

And you know what? My practice has never been better.

I’ve learned that:

➡️ Medical equipment that actually fits everyone isn’t optional

➡️ Your language can heal or harm in seconds

➡️ Most providers want to do better but don’t know how

➡️ Weight bias isn’t just mean - it’s dangerous

I’m here to share what works.

The real, practical stuff they don’t teach you in school. How to modify your space, what to say (and what not to say), and why some of your training might actually be harming patients.

Because every fat person deserves healthcare without shame. And every provider deserves to know how to give it.

Stick around if you want to learn:

➡️ How to create truly inclusive treatment spaces

➡️ Why weight-neutral care gets better outcomes

➡️ What your fat patients wish you knew

➡️ Real solutions that work in real practices

* I use “fat” as a neutral descriptor as used by the fat activist community

Comment below if you’re interested in learning more.

Happy Pride everyone!! 🌈
06/02/2025

Happy Pride everyone!!

🌈

When we meet up with someone we know, we have the habitual reflex to compliment their appearance. The ol’ “Hey there, ...
05/23/2025

When we meet up with someone we know, we have the habitual reflex to compliment their appearance. The ol’ “Hey there, you look {fill in the blank]!’

Of course, most of us are just trying to make this person feel welcome and seen but have you ever wondered how these types of comments can make people feel?

Why is this the first thing we do when meeting someone?

Well, our culture holds an unrealistic value on appearance, and when we positively compliment someone’s body we are upholding their cultural worth by more closely looking like the “ideal.”

I have been there when I lost a lot of weight, EVERYONE commented on my body and wondered “what I was doing.”

Even though I enjoyed the attention, I inadvertently started to associate my personal value with my looks. When my looks started to change (aka, gained weight) and I didn’t receive compliments anymore, it was a strange feeling.

On one hand, it was nice to not constantly be explaining my disordered eating but on the other, I wondered what people thought of me.

I’ve worked through these feelings and am doing really well now but lets all work on changing what we say when we meet up with friends and family.

➡️ You will never know if you are complimenting someone’s eating disorder, a medication change, grief, or a cancer diagnosis.

✅ Follow

I see it every day in my office: people between 45–55 who are suddenly dealing with shoulder pain for the first time.Mos...
04/29/2025

I see it every day in my office: people between 45–55 who are suddenly dealing with shoulder pain for the first time.

Most of them had no idea this was coming — and they definitely didn’t feel ready for it.

They wonder if they did something wrong. They think they’re alone.

But you’re not alone.

This is incredibly common. It’s part of how our bodies adapt and change over time.

The good news?

With the right care, strengthening, and movement, most people can feel *so much* better — and stay active and strong for years to come.

If you’re hitting that 50-year shoulder moment — you’re not broken.

The pressure to shrink yourself is real, especially when everything else feels out of control.I’ve been there.Leaving di...
04/27/2025

The pressure to shrink yourself is real, especially when everything else feels out of control.

I’ve been there.

Leaving diet and wellness culture almost 8 years ago wasn’t easy — there was grief, and there were so many moments of doubt.

But the peace I have now? The trust I have with my body? It’s worth everything.

You are allowed to take up space in the body you have *right now.*

You don’t have to earn belonging by changing yourself.

You already deserve care, joy, and connection.

If you’re feeling the pressure to shrink right now, you’re not alone.

And you don’t have to go back. 🌈

Address

Portland, OR

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 1pm
3pm - 6pm
Tuesday 9am - 1pm
3pm - 6pm
Wednesday 9am - 1pm
3pm - 6pm
Friday 1pm - 6pm
Saturday 9am - 1pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Dr. Jenny Talbert posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share via Email
Share on WhatsApp Share on Instagram Share on Telegram

Category