The problematic story of how weight become associated with health.

To find out how we got here, we've got to go into the past...

Larger bodies were deemed 'uncivilized' long before the medical and scientific communities began to label them as a health risk.

The correlation of weight and health started with the growth of the slave trade, European philosophers began cataloging physical traits they saw in different societies.  In an attempt to create some sort of 'evolutionary hierarchy', they labeled fatness as a marker for 'savagery' because it appeared more often in people of color, while thinness appeared more often in white people, men, and aristocrats.  Thus began the racist, classist, and sexist roots of weight stigma. 

Doctors, up until early 19th century, had seen weight gain as a natural process of aging.  But feeling increasing pressure from their patients who decided they needed to lose weight, and an emerging insurance business that started the use of the BMI scale (created by an ASTRONOMER almost 200 years ago) to categorize people as normal, overweight, or underweight, weight loss recommendations began. 

 Things got worse when in 1910 World War I caused international food shortages, which led to the creation of the Food Administration.  The FA's job was to get people to conserve their food consumption; their motto was "Victory over Ourselves", a reminder that it was morally imperative to limit your food intake for the survival of the republic.

 Fatness was now considered a moral failure in addition to being a trait of the lower and less 'civilized' class.

 During this period of time when food was heavily wrapped up in morality, the field of nutrition science- and what we consider 'healthy eating' still today- began to emerge.

 Weight Stigma and Disease

Most headlines- and plenty of Dr.'s out there- are quick to draw the line between a higher BMI and an increase in disease.  But the truth is, there are too many factors (racial and socioeconomic disparities, genetic factors, and much more) that aren't being studied or considered when looking at the numbers of people in larger bodies and the CORRELATION of disease...correlation does not equal causation.

There ARE lots of studies that reveal the hard truth.  Weight stigma ALONE- discrimination based on weight- has been linked to an increase in both physical and mental-health issues such as:

• Being prescribed weight loss instead of getting necessary testing and treatments
• Being denied health care coverage because of a high BMI which prevents people from seeking treatment, causing higher rates of disease
• People refusing regular medical care for fear of facing discrimination, causing higher rates disease 
• An increase in mental health issues such as depression and disordered eating
• An increase in weight gain as people who feel weight discrimination eat MORE
• An almost 60% greater chance of being physically inactive

Eating 'clean' is a diet by another name.

What you eat is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to living a healthy life- a piece that I think health and fitness professionals put far too much emphasis on. 

 I've trained hundreds of clients over the years, and the most common conversations we have revolve around what to eat and what not to eat.  Food rules- even if done in the name of being 'healthy'- create a cycle of restriction, an unhealthy relationship with food, and create the loss of your body's power to know what it wants, needs, and how much.

 A study in 2015 found that  "a person in a smaller body with a lot of weight based self-loathing may actually be at greater risk for poor health outcomes than a person in a much larger body whose learned to accept their size and fight back against weight stigma". 

 So often in an attempt to eat 'clean' or promote 'gut health' we over exercise and cut out foods we don't need to.  This actually creates gastrointestinal issues like bloating, constipation, and IBS symptoms.  Not to mention headaches, fatigue, and other symptoms that we attribute to gluten,dairy, or 'processed' foods instead of all the things we're NOT eating.  This often looks like Orthorexia- a form of disordered eating that focuses on the supposed health of a food as opposed to its calorie content- and is the most under-reported and prevalent form of restriction that I come across. 

I've spent plenty of time here myself.

I've also spent plenty of time here as well.  After I recovered from years of in and out phases of both anorexia and bulimia, it seemed like the right step.  Focusing on health instead of calories?  That's what I need.  But the truth is, it's a slippery slope...it's easy to get wrapped up into eating for your 'health'.  It can become obsessive and equally restrictive and take you down a path to even deeper disordered eating.  And at the end of the day, the wellness diet still has intentional weight loss at it's core.  So, just another weight loss diet.

What being healthy means to me now.

If I haven't made it clear by now, let me spell it out clearly; there's way too much focus on weight when we're looking at a person's health- and not enough focus on the mental aspects of it.

 But when we're talking specifically about food and exercise, these things stand out:

• Have you found a movement practice that you enjoy?
• Do you have access to the equipment and/or safe space to meet your movement practice?
• What is your relationship with food?  Do you like the way you eat?
• Do you have access to these foods?
• What is your relationship with your body?
• If you're trying to lose weight, do you have the right information when it comes to the success rates of intentional weight loss?  Do you have a clear picture as to what your WHY is?

Listen, I know that no matter what research comes out, weight loss will always be a goal for many.  Obviously, it's your body and your choice,  and if you're my client, I support you.  Period.  I just want you to know that the number on the scale is not the defining marker of health.  But also, I may not be the right coach for you.  I would much prefer that you find a coach aligned with your needs- and one that you can relate to. 

As a genetically thin, white, cisgender, straight, and able bodied person, I am unfortunately the most visible face in the fitness game (and I recognize all the unearned privilege that comes with that).  I'm very aware that people don't always see me as relatable.  I'm in FULL support of finding a trainer that makes you feel represented and understood- and I'm totally fine if that's not me!

 What I REALLY want for you is what I want for myself- to be able to move freely and without pain. To feel strong in your body.  To have the energy to do the things in life you want to do, and do them without fear of injuring yourself.  To slip and fall and NOT twist your ankle or injure your shoulder when your dog pulls you unexpectedly.  And all of that can be done without shrinking your body. 

When it comes to fitness, remember this:

 Lifting heavy things or being able to run for distance is accomplished by focusing on strength and endurance- there is no size requirement to accomplish either.

And pursuing health?

Although we have science telling us what society refuses to acknowledge, it does not have to involve weight loss.

NOTE: I relied heavily on the research done so thoroughly by the sources listed below.  If you are interested in learning about Intuitive Eating and want more info about weight and health studies, I've added some additional resources as well.

BOOKS:

Fearing the Black Body, by Sabrina Strings

Anti-Diet, by Christy Harrison, MPH, RD  (My absolute favorite book on this topic.  She also has a fantastic podcast and website as well)

Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness, Da’Shaun Harrison

What We Don’t Talk about when we Talk about Fat, Aubrey Gordon

The Body is not an Apology: The power of Radical Self-Love,by Sonya Renee Taylor

Intuitive Eating 4th Edition & The Intuitive Eating Workbook, by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch

WEBSITES:

asadah.org

christyharrison.com

isabelfoxenduke.com

haescommunity.com

sizediversityandhealth.com   

intuitiveeating.org     

danceswithfat.org

thefuckitdiet.com

immaeatthat.com

SOME OTHER PLACES TO LEARN: INSTAGRAM

@sonyareneetaylor

@foodsciencebabe 

@moemotivate

@jessicawilson.msrd

@chrissyking

@yrfatfriend

@your.latina.nutritionist

@therdnutritionist

@v_solesmith