A better understanding of "healthy"

We all have our own beliefs about health. We all have bodies and lifestyle practices. There's an underlying worry- if we are not healthy then we are unhealthy and at risk for gaining weight. This is where weight stigma comes in.

The truth is that research does not find normal weight, overweight or obesity to have this clear association to health and avoidance of early death. So why is weight associated with health?

Weight changes can happen as a side effect when a health problem is addressed (like when lifestyle changes are made to improve cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, increased fitness measures/resting heart rate, those sort of things).

It makes sense to connect what we see. Losing weight by changing some habits looks like a clear consequence of improved health but this is the misconception. In fact, the body’s job is to keep weight stable and prevent significant weight loss. Losing weight could leave the body vulnerable to malnourishment, illness or death, and so it is wise to protect against recurring weight loss. Some people will have experienced this as having more difficulty losing weight after every diet. This is one of many ways the body compensates for weight change.

About weight stigma

So what is weight stigma and how does it relate to me, you ask? Weight stigma affects the way our society perceives it’s overweight and obese peers.

This stigma is shown to manifest as bullying or openly passing judgement on individuals to lose weight.

The stigma promotes a mentality that a person’s size is “their fault” when weight loss is unsuccessful or not sustained.

Weight stigma affects hiring. People affected receive lower salary and are perceived to have lower education.

The stigma affects the education system as teachers view larger students as lazier, not as smart or may not offer more attention when compared to their peers.

Weight stigma is associated with depression, lower self-esteem, binge eating, and more weight gain, contributing to worse health.

Weight stigma is like a catch 22. We worry for ourselves and our loved ones who could be stigmatized for their weight by then perpetuating the stigma in shaming, blaming and bullying a person’s body size to change. These methods are the essence of the problem.

Taking weight out of the equation. What do research studies show?

Let’s look at what the research looks like when implementing health strategies without diet or weight-oriented results:

A large study compared 2 approaches for health improvement: one was a weight-loss oriented approach the other was a non-diet approach to health improvement. This study found that the non-dieting group were able to reduce cholesterol and blood pressure levels. It also showed participants had higher levels of self-esteem and reported high rates of self-efficacy in maintaining their health. You may find it interesting, as I do, that those who were in the weight-loss oriented group regained their weight, reported low self-esteem and low self-efficacy in health management.1

Basically, refocusing goals from weight loss to mindfulness (the Health at Every Size approach and the non-diet approach mentioned above) was shown to help people make lasting health improvement. Some concepts of a non-diet approach include recognizing short-term body signals, like hunger and fullness, and further problem-solving to manage the body's short term nutrition needs. These fundamentals of eating have to do with trusting the body and eating in a flexible manner that values pleasure, and honors and respects different social situations and eating options. Other concepts include finding joy in moving the body and finding activities that are fulfilling to you and your life.

Let's not forget to mention that body acceptance plays a significant role. Body acceptance means changing the mindset of restriction and undeserving to one that is compassionate and deserving. Here is an opportunity to give to ourselves, honor our needs, and even make time for tedious acts of self-care.

Body acceptance is about telling ourselves we deserve health. Failed diets, weight gain or un-sustained weight loss are not evidence that we can't do it. In fact, it's the negative default statements we tell ourselves when we feel failure that really stay with us. What I mean is, it may be a matter of food-policing and self-deprivation that prevents us from making actionable behavior change. A self-fulfilling prophecy or self-sabotage you might consider it.

How do you contribute to weight stigma? Do you know your own critical voice?

Have you ever examined your language about yourself or what you say around food? For some, it's astonishing how much conflict and negativity the mind comes up with when faced with food. "Don't eat that, you'll eat too much", "You shouldn't still be hungry", "I know I'm full but I'll be good tomorrow". It's like someone bossing you around wagging their shame finger at you. I don't know about you, but I never learned anything or felt good about myself when someone told me what to do. In fact, this sounds like a set up for rebellion. Maybe that sounds familiar. "I ate it, and yeah I did eat too much- Don't tell me what to do!", "I'll show you, I'm so hungry I grabbed a candy bar- I showed you!", "Nope, not being good today either- leave me be!"

By changing the way we talk about ourselves around food, and even the things we don't say out loud, we can make a profound impact on our actions. What if all the negative statements I changed to positive ones. "Try some, see if you like it", "I am still hungry so I will find something to eat that is satisfying", "I know I'm full. I can always have more later if I get hungry again." Imagine the actions that follow this monologue. I expect they would be more respectful, more kind and even more deliberate!

We could be giving ourselves the attention and care that we deserve by exploring our own body acceptance. For discussion on this topic, you can refer to another post Giving ourselves permission with food.

Challenge weight stigma by becoming informed:

* Learn about resources including the Health At Every Size & the Body Positive Movement as well as Be Nourished to learn more.

* Become aware of speaking down about physical appearance. Observe your language when you speak about the body, health and weight.

* Take notice of your own weight concerns and how you contribute to diet culture.

* Speak up about body discrimination. Create communities where this topic is discussed and share this information with people or find support groups through the Body Positive Movement.

* A great resource to read and learn more about this topic is Health At Every Size: The Truth About Your Weight by Linda Bacon.

1 Bacon, 2005. Size acceptance and intuitive eating improve health for obese, female chronic dieters. J Am Dietetic Assoc. 2005 Jun;105(6):929-36.