Personal Stories of Medically Supervised Weight Loss

Symposium Editors: TBD

Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics will publish a collection of personal stories from individuals who have tried to lose weight with the guidance and oversight of healthcare professionals. This might include using prescription weight-loss medications, meal replacements or very-low-calorie diets, weight-loss surgery, and more. We are looking for stories that explore important aspects of medically supervised weight loss, such as feeling heard and respected by healthcare professionals, balancing medical guidance with personal goals, and navigating the emotional and practical challenges of weight loss. While medically supervised weight loss programs can help people manage complex health issues like diabetes, high blood pressure, and sleep apnea, ethical and personal questions often arise. These include questions about access, cost, stigma, safety, motivation for weight loss (e.g., health, cosmetics, or social pressure) and how much to medicalize obesity and weight loss.

We seek stories from individuals who have experience with medically supervised weight loss. We want true, personal stories in a form that is interesting and easy to read. Please share this invitation and guide sheet with individuals who may be interested in sharing their stories.

In writing your story, please consider these questions:

• What circumstances led you to start a medically supervised weight loss program? Were there specific medical conditions, events, or lifestyle concerns that influenced this decision?
• What challenges did you face in finding or accessing care? Did you encounter any barriers (such as costs, waitlists, stigma, or skepticism)? What was helpful in navigating the process?
• What aspects of the care you received felt especially helpful? Did you encounter anything that concerned you or felt dismissive or harmful?
• How did the cost of care, insurance coverage, program fees, or other financial constraints affect your choices, your ability to stay in the program, or the kinds of treatments offered?
• What emotional or psychological reactions did you experience (such as hope, shame, frustration, pride, or relief). How did the program either support or overlook these feelings?
• What advice would you give to patients, healthcare providers, or policymakers about improving medically supervised weight loss programs?

You do not need to address each of these questions—write on the issues that you think are most important to share with others. If you are not a writer, tell your story in your own words and our editorial staff will help you.

If you’re interested in submitting a story, we ask youfirst to submit a 300-word proposal—a short description of the story you want to tell. Inquiries or proposals should be sent to the editorial office via email: narrativebioethics@gmail.com. We will give preference to proposals received by July 22, 2026. If your story is invited, we will ask you to submit it within 6 weeks of the invitation. Final stories are 4 – 10 double-spaced pages or 800 – 2000 words.

For more information about the journal Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics, the guidelines for authors, and privacy policies, visit our webpage at: http://nibjournal.org/submit/guidelines/

We plan to publish 12 stories on this topic in our print edition; additional stories may be published as online-only supplemental material. We also publish 3 – 4 commentary articles that discuss the stories that are published in the journal. To see a finished symposium, please visit Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics’ page on Project MUSE and click on the unlocked, open-access issue.

Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics is indexed in PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and PhilPapers.
The journal is published by the Johns Hopkins University Press and is available in print and electronically to over 1,200 institutional subscribers via Project MUSE.