“You can’t hate yourself happy. You can’t criticize yourself thin. You can’t shame yourself worthy. Real change begins with self-love and self-care.” — Jessica Ortner
In the health world there is much debate about weight loss.
With the "Health at Every Size" (HAES) movement gaining popularity, many fitpros are aligning themselves with one side of the weight loss coin or the other.
Those who promote their services to help clients lose weight are being categorized as insensitive, judgmental or superficial.
While others are actively discouraging and/or shaming people who want to pursue weight loss goals, saying "you're perfect just the way you are!".
Can't there be a voice somewhere in between?
Psst...It's mine. 🙋🏼♀️
First, let's clarify a common misconception about the HAES movement:
It's health at every size NOT healthy at any size.
It's a statement that no weight should be pathologized and that the pursuit of health can be made by EVERYONE, regardless of their weight.
Also, that the pursuit of health can be made WITHOUT a simultaneous pursuit of weight loss.
A HAES approach puts the focus on behaviors rather than outcomes.
It encourages its participants to work with the skills and resources available to them and promotes acceptance and appreciation of one’s body, even if you’re overweight.
If you've been a reader of mine for awhile now then you know that I'm a big believer in self love and acceptance as being a necessary first step towards any lasting change.
I'm also a big believer in choosing goals that fit within the context of YOUR life and reflect YOUR values and/or concerns.
The HAES movement throws up a big middle finger to "fat shaming" and the societal pressures that say "If you aren't thin, you aren't worthy".
To which I say,
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 However, I do have an issue with the argument that weight doesn't matter.
Body weight is strongly correlated with the risk of various diseases such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes.
However, there are numerous other indicators in these diseases including blood pressure, blood sugar, blood fats, and inflammation.
HAES supporters have argued that you can be overweight and still be considered “metabolically healthy” if these other risk factors are normal.
Unfortunately, there is very little research to support this statement and quite a bit that debunks it.
A recent study compared metabolic risk factors (elevated blood pressure, elevated triglycerides, low HDL-cholesterol, hyperglycemia and elevated waist circumference) against body mass index (BMI) over 520,000 people across an average of 12 years.
According to this research, even for those with normal blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels, simply being overweight increased the risk of heart disease by 28 percent. Which brought researchers to conclude "that there is no such thing as being healthy obese”.
Ok, but surely those with the highest metabolic risk factors weren't just overweight, they were also inactive and ate poorly, right?
Actually, no.
Even when adjusted for age, smoking, physical activity, Mediterranean diet score, energy and alcohol intake, increased waist circumference and BMI still correlated with increased risk of coronary heart disease.
So unfortunately, when it comes to heart health, weight (and size) does matter.
Raised BMI is also a major risk factor for:
Musculoskeletal disorders (such as osteoarthritis)
Some cancers (including endometrial, breast, ovarian, prostate, liver, gallbladder, kidney, and colon)
And diabetes (almost 9 out of 10 people living with diabetes have a BMI above 25, which is considered overweight)
So, I'm siding with the evidence that weight IS a contributing factor in your risk for disease.
However, I NEVER want someone to feel like they need to lose weight to be happy.
Because you can be healthy, thin and MISERABLE.
I also never want a client to feel shame because of their weight OR to feel stigmatized because they want to lose weight.
As a coach, I want people to understand that they have the right to lose weight, if they want to, and that I am here to help them through that process.
I also want to offer support to those who are struggling with their sense of self worth as a result of the prevalence of diet culture.
We all deserve love, respect and nourishment — regardless of size.
However, I think it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that there are many people who want to lose weight and that it is possible to do so from a place of self love, rather than shame, guilt or disgust.
The Health at Every Size philosophy offers a valuable and needed perspective that your weight is not the ONLY thing that matters in terms of your health nor does it reflect your value and rights as a human being.
Improvements in health behaviors (such as choosing healthy foods, being physically active and practicing a positive mindset) WITHOUT weight loss can still help you be healthier at your current weight.
Plus, making steps towards a healthier AND happier you at your current size may also be a bridge to being a healthier and happier you at a healthier size in the future.
But, if you’re overweight, the reality is that losing weight will likely decrease your risk of various diseases, especially if you go about it in a sane and sustainable way.
So, whether you want to lose weight or not, I am here to support YOU and your right to choose your own goals for YOUR body, without stigma or judgement.
But, if you DO want to lose weight, understand that there is a better way than what traditional "diet culture" sells us.
And it starts with self love AND self autonomy.
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