Health vs. weight is a debate many of us have, mainly internally … and it’s one that often happens subtly, but can have huge effects.
High calorie does not mean unhealthy.
Low calories does not mean healthy.
A “small” body does not mean someone is healthy.
A “large” body does not mean someone is unhealthy.
Although seemingly innocuous, haphazardly interchanging “healthy” with “weight (loss)” has led us to question ourselves, our health, and our worthiness when we are in any other state than trying to manipulate our bodies and lose weight. I hope you guys are picturing my eye roll happening right now 🙄🙄🙄🙄
There’s a constant emphasis in all forms of media about eating fewer calories, eliminating “pesky” hunger, and subtle ways to burn more “without having to workout”.
… If we want to stop diet culture from insidiously contributing to the belief that we’re broken beyond repair just because of a number on the scale, we have to dramatically shift our mindset.
I acknowledge that as a small-bodied lean white woman (being blonde doesn’t help either 🤷) I have to fight for ‘credibility’ on this topic, but there’s a fire inside of me that refuses to let my “privilege” stop me from talking.
That “fire” is the part of me, despite my privilege, that fell down the same ugly ass rabbit hole of weighing in every day – never satisfied with the number.
I was fixated on eating precisely 15 almonds as a snack because I read that’s ‘a portion’, avoiding carbs at all costs, and only eating lean meats… because… if I didn’t, and that number were to rise, what would that mean? Who would I be?
Regardless of OUR own individual needs, the diet messages are absorbed in all of our brains, either consciously or unconsciously. Just like how no one ever told me to lose weight, yet the fear of weight gain was instilled in me.
Which makes me wonder: when we think about health, why do we not consider things like anxiety and mental health?
Why do fail to prioritize sleep and hormones? Why do we scare people into exercise after a holiday or before bikini season and not talk about how good exercise feels on our body and can contribute to longevity? (BEING ON EARTH IS REALLY GOOD MOTIVATOR, DON’T YA THINK??)
Here are some new truths to absorb:
⭐I can be healthy and not want to lose weight.
⭐I can be healthy and not try to “maintain.”
⭐I can be healthy and not actively try to avoid weight gain.
Doctors, health professionals, and media are focused solely on weight when we need to be talking about other factors that affect our health that elevate our lives. Monitoring a number on the scale can’t do that.
Improving healthy behaviors can be done by eating more veggies and whole foods, stress management, drinking more water, and getting enough sleep. Lifestyle changes and shifts are sustainable and can make us feel better in all the ways.
There are even studies that support that obsessing over weight after being told to lose weight for health improvement is far more likely to worsen heavier people’s wellbeing. Yet, most of America still leaves their doctor’s office with the same advice: you’ve got to lose weight.
We give the metal thing on the floor far more power than it deserves.
Starting to untangle the difference between health and weight starts with understanding why the scale can sabotage your health to begin with.
