As we head into the holiday season, we’re starting to think about the new year, and the resolutions that come with it. One thing tends to be synonymous with resolutions—weight loss. Living a healthy lifestyle is important, but we know now that the number on a scale doesn’t dictate being “healthy.” Historically, society has not embraced the mentality that health comes in all sizes. We’ve been led to believe losing weight equals good health, when in reality you can be very unhealthy or healthy at any size, shape, and weight.
Author Lindo Bacon founded Health at Every Size (HAES), a social justice movement that de-emphasizes weight loss as a health goal and changes the stigma around body size. The Eating Disorders team at Lindner Center of HOPE adopted HAES internally and are championing the movement in the local community. “Weight fluctuations over time, eating habits, exercise habits, and the presence of yo-yo dieting all account for a great deal of the association between weight and negative health outcomes,” says Elizabeth Mariutto, psychologist and clinical director of eating disorder services at Lindner Center of HOPE. “The movement is really working on helping people be aware of the impact of weight stigma on patients and helping them see that they don’t have to lose weight to get to a better place of health.”
Reframing goals to seek overall health with less focus on what the scale says is the ultimate resolution. Dieting and the pursuit of weight loss gives individuals a higher risk to develop an eating disorder. It’s more common than you might think. According to Harvard School of Public Health, nine percent of Americans suffer from eating disorders, which is nearly 29 million people, and Anna Ward, psychiatric nurse practitioner at Lindner Center of HOPE, says these estimates are a gross underestimate. “A lot of people are flying under the radar, and are even being praised for their eating disorders, because of society’s unfounded belief that smaller body sizes equate with health,” she says. Setting health goals can be a positive life change. Here are considerations to help guide your own health goals and things to keep in mind when interacting with friends, family, and coworkers.
Avoid commenting on others’ appearance
You look great can be enough fuel for someone to develop an eating disorder. Though it sounds positive, it ties self-worth to body weight and appearance. “It’s better to comment on personality, rather than appearance,” says Chelsey Zulia, eating disorders counselor at the Lindner Center of HOPE. “It’s better to say, ‘It’s so good to see you,’ or ‘I’ve missed your laugh.’ ”
Negative body image issues start early
Children as young as 3 years old adopt negative body image issues. Coaches who associate weight with sports performance, health teachers who share tips on how to track calories, and parents who put their children on a diet because they’re concerned about their weight can all contribute to children perceiving their weight and body negatively. “Something as benign as labeling certain foods as healthy and other foods as unhealthy, while people may have the best of intentions, can cause problems,” says Lindsey Flannery, dietitian at Lindner Center of HOPE. “Saying, we only have whole grains in this house or we don’t do sugar—those types of things are ingraining messages in kids so early that it deletes intuitive eating at a really early age.”
Weight can be a misleading point of reference
Medical doctors sometimes struggle with the big picture of health and, as a result, do their patients a disservice. Often doctors use the body mass index (BMI) metric as the indicator for a healthy weight. However, research shows that people of different body sizes can be healthy at whatever weight they are. Eating habits and exercise are not always thoroughly screened, and telling someone to diet is not only unhelpful, it’s harmful.
Focus on how you feel, not clothing sizes
Bloodwork, vitals, psychological well-being, and overall eating and exercise habits can be better indicators of health than what’s on the scale. “As much as we can stay away from numbers on a scale and even clothing sizes and instead focus more on how we are feeling, that’s a good first step,” says Ward. “It should really be about what your body needs and how it responds to movement and nutrition.”
Are you or a loved one struggling with an eating disorder?
Contact the Eating Disorders Team at Lindner Center of HOPE or visit the Lindner Center of HOPE website to learn more about treatment options.
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