Welcome to the second in a four-part series exploring some of the common myths and misunderstandings about the Health at Every Size (HAES)® approach to health and wellness. Read the introductory post to the series here, where I share an overview of HAES® and some of my own journey saying goodbye to diet culture and embracing the revolutionary and empowering HAES® approach to weight and health. In this post we will consider the first of three myths or misapprehensions that people often have about Health At Every Size®: everyone is healthy regardless of their weight. This misconception can cause people dismiss HAES® out of hand because they decide it does not give full and proper consideration to health and wellbeing. Let’ set the record straight.
When we practice Health at Every Size®, it is acknowledged we can be at a weight that is not right for us. But the question that the HAES® approach asks us to critically reflect on is how do we know? How do we know if our body size is right for us, or if it is problematic for our health and wellbeing? I’ve found it helpful to think of this in terms of our natural weight, the weight we are at when we feel comfortable, connected and vibrant in our body. This natural weight is not predetermined by a body-fat percentage or a number on the scale. It is not a number we can look up. Rather, our natural weight is how much we weigh when we are taking care of ourselves to the best of our ability and resources, and have an easy and enjoyable relationship with both food and exercise. It is a weight that is individual to us.
What is wonderfully radical about the HAES® approach is that it supports people in making the best choices they can for their health choices regardless of size as apposed to a way to control their size. This is because dieting, or intentional efforts to lose weight are often futile and can be harmful to health and wellbeing. If we remove the goal of weight loss from the choices we make about food and exercise, we can better trust our health and wellbeing efforts are sustainable over the long run. This is the path of our body finding its natural weight.
Healthy at every size doesn’t mean everyone is healthy regardless of size, rather it means that every can take care of themselves and improve their health and wellbeing, no matter what they weigh. The goal isn’t to disregard our weight. Being aware and tuned into changes, especially sudden shifts in our body size is important as they can be an indicator of a health concern. However, the traditional approach to weight and health encourages us to think of weight as the central and all-encompassing indicator of our wellbeing, and this myopic approach to body size has not served us well. HAES®, as a wholistic approach to health and wellbeing acknowledges that weight is just one of many factors that shape our health.
Thanks for reading! The next post in this series, will look at another common myth: The Health At Every Size® message is that people shouldn’t be concerned about nutrition and activity.
**The myths and misconceptions explored in this blog series are found in the HAES curriculum offered by the Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH) and can be found here: https://haescurriculum.com/
Sydney is a body image therapist providing online counselling grounded in Health at Every Size principles. Heal body shame by reclaiming Body Sovereignty and once again experience peace, trust and respect in your body. To learn more about Sydney and her approach, check out: www.sydneybell.ca or send an email: sydney@sydneybell.ca