Our mission is to offer weight-loss content that is based on honesty, research, and insight into what you can realistically achieve while trying to reduce weight in a healthy way. We believe it's critical for you to understand that the biological link between health and excess weight isn't clear—and that your BMI or weight on the scale isn't a reliable indicator of health. Learn more about the effects of diets and diet culture on physical and mental health.
Now is that wonderful time of year when we're set to be inundated with diet ads on Instagram, and it's up to you to sort through the clutter. Making the decision to reduce weight and modify one's lifestyle is a very personal one. Diet culture clichés, fatphobia, and the push to adhere to whatever body type is fashionable to make it a hard, difficult, and often perplexing endeavor. So, before you make any adjustments to your diet (as in what you eat, not an eating plan), or your life, you should understand the complexity of weight and weight reduction.
According to Kimmie Singh, RD, founder of Body Honor Nutrition, a Health at Every Size (more on that in a minute) private practice, the first step is to consider how your life might change if your weight changed. Rather than obsessing over the number on the scale or the way you look, write down what a healthy lifestyle means to you. Chronic disease management, maintaining a sense of personal hygiene, engaging in actions that promote mental and physical health, and cultivating healthy relationships are all examples of this, according to Singh.
It's important to understand that losing weight or having a smaller body does not equate to being healthier. Linzy Ziegelbaum, R.D., founder of LNZ Nutrition, thinks that weight loss isn't necessarily necessary for good health. "Varied people have different 'healthy' weights, medical history, and medical demands," says the author. So, no, "weight loss" and "better health" don't go hand in hand.
That long-overdue understanding transformed many health professionals' perspectives on weight and health, spawning the Health at Every Size (HAES) movement, which advocates for size acceptance and promotes long-term lifestyle improvements such as balanced nutrition and physical activity wherever possible.
The realistic approach to accepting HAES begins with unlearning diet culture, which can be difficult AF because it is so deeply embedded in our everyday lives and has been for far too long (thanks, body-shaming tabloid covers, trend diets, and fatphobia). Recognize the influence of diet culture on your connection with food, health, and body. To help remove the lifetime of diet culture BS we've all been spoon-fed, Singh suggests looking for books, articles, or podcasts on themes like anti-dieting, HAES, body acceptance, and intuitive eating.
The truth is that criticizing someone (or even yourself) for their weight does not help them (or you) lose weight. Fatphobia and weight stigma inflict significant harm to all people. We will all be happier and healthier if healthcare professionals, dietitians, and society focus on preventative healthcare (such as frequent checks), behaviors, and physical and mental health (rather than body size).
Second, attempting to lose weight as quickly as possible almost never works out. "Many people who lose weight quickly do so in an unhealthy manner," Ziegelbaum explains. Cutting out entire food groups (such as refined carbs or dairy), severely limiting calories (1,200 calories per day is NOT enough), and overexercising have all been shown to have a negative impact on mental health and contribute to disordered eating behaviors, according to Ziegelbaum. "Having a healthy relationship with food requires experiencing pleasure and satisfaction," Singh explains. So, at the conclusion of a night out, don't be scared to eat your favorite Flaming Hot Cheetos (IYKYK) or a slice of greasy pizza.
Plus, if your primary goal is to lose weight quickly, you may feel like a failure if it doesn't happen as quickly as you had intended. Isn't it clear how this mindset undermines everything?
Finally, the healthiest method to reducing weight is to focus on building food and activity routines that are accessible and pleasurable to you. Maintaining a healthy weight involves eating nourishing foods that make you feel invigorated, taking some exercise every day, sleeping at least eight hours each night, and finding strategies to reduce stress. This method allows you to achieve your goal without feeling deprived or unhappy.
We asked women to submit their weight-loss methods, such as balanced eating and activity adjustments, that have helped them maintain their weight over time. It's perfectly fine if their advice doesn't work for you.
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