The Health at Every Size movement (also known by it's acronym, HAES) has a mission to provide compassionate health care to ALL. Straight from it's web resource www.haescommunity.com :
"Health at Every Size® principles help us advance social justice, create an inclusive and respectful community, and support people of all sizes in finding compassionate ways to take care of themselves.
But first, let's start from the beginning. In 2010, before this was considered a "movement," Dr. Linda Bacon wrote & published the book Health at Every Size, which was based on her groundbreaking research to de-stigmatize our society's view on weight and health. If you try to order a copy of this book online, its description on Amazon says it all: "Fat isn't the problem. Dieting is."
Contrary to popular belief, HAES is NOT about foregoing all health and nutrition information - in fact it isn't even anti-weight loss! Let's dive into this a bit more:
Q: When a medical professional says they use or follow the "health at every size" approach, does that mean they're going to make and/or keep me unhealthy?
A: FALSE
Health at Every Size providers treat patients as individuals, (which if you ask me, should be the norm), rather than promoting a 'cookie cutter' version of health. They celebrate body diversity, and are aware it is impossible to determine a person's entire well-being & health based on a number produced by stepping on a scale.
Now whether you know me personally or have only interacted with me through this blog, then you probably know I can scream from the mountain tops that weightDOES NOT EQUAL health! I've already written numerous blog posts on this topic - and if you haven't had a chance to read them yet, you can do so by clicking here, here, here, and here (yes, I am THAT passionate)!
I'll briefly summarize here: Research has proven time and time again that our "war on obesity" is just. not. working. While diets may claim all the health benefits under the sun, restrictive diets are actually the precursor for 1) additional weight gain long-term and 2) dieting can actually increase your risk of multiple health consequences in the future, THAT THEY TRY TO BLAME SOLELY ON FAT. Which if we really wanna go there - EVERYONE HAS (and needs) FAT. Whether we like it or not, our bodies physically REQUIRE fat (consumed and stored) to survive.
Q: If I work with a HAES informed provider, does that mean I have to give up on my goal of losing weight?
A: Not necessarily...
It's true that Health At Every Size is challenging the conventional norm that "weight loss equals health." When I initially meet with a client who voices their primary goal for weight loss, I validate their concerns and listen. (Because truthfully, they're just sharing with me what they've been scolded on...time and time again). Of course they're going to believe the 99 other providers who've shamed their body, and if you're the first person who says otherwise - they're going to be skeptical.
Once a client has voiced their weight loss motivation, I ask if I can offer a new perspective. I share with them that I understand why they want to lose weight, and we hold a discussion on diet culture, healthcare experiences, and so forth. (And if they have engaged in binge- or overeating, I educate that these symptoms most likely caused unintended weight gain). Once I have their attention, I then endorse while my primary focus will be interrupting symptom use (restriction/bingeing/purging/overeating/etc.), depending how these symptoms affected their weight, there is a POSSIBILITY their weight may trend down (closer to their weight set point).
I'll repeat again: HAES is NOT anti weight loss. If a client happens to make healthier lifestyle changes and their weight trends down secondary to this, then the body is just doing so to stay at homeostasis. But it's important to remember that HAES informed nutrition counseling does not identify as a diet or weight loss program. I will always respect my clients who desire weight loss, but I'd rather understand WHY they do. And if I earn a client's trust (and they take this leap of faith with me), I promise there's nothing better than seeing a person who was previously imprisoned by diet culture, improve their relationship with food & their body.
While this was just a quick summation of Health at Every Size, for more information visit the following links:
HAES Community
Association for Size Diversity & Health
Dr. Linda Bacon's website
"Health at Every Size® principles help us advance social justice, create an inclusive and respectful community, and support people of all sizes in finding compassionate ways to take care of themselves.
But first, let's start from the beginning. In 2010, before this was considered a "movement," Dr. Linda Bacon wrote & published the book Health at Every Size, which was based on her groundbreaking research to de-stigmatize our society's view on weight and health. If you try to order a copy of this book online, its description on Amazon says it all: "Fat isn't the problem. Dieting is."
Contrary to popular belief, HAES is NOT about foregoing all health and nutrition information - in fact it isn't even anti-weight loss! Let's dive into this a bit more:
Q: When a medical professional says they use or follow the "health at every size" approach, does that mean they're going to make and/or keep me unhealthy?
A: FALSE
Health at Every Size providers treat patients as individuals, (which if you ask me, should be the norm), rather than promoting a 'cookie cutter' version of health. They celebrate body diversity, and are aware it is impossible to determine a person's entire well-being & health based on a number produced by stepping on a scale.
Now whether you know me personally or have only interacted with me through this blog, then you probably know I can scream from the mountain tops that weight
I'll briefly summarize here: Research has proven time and time again that our "war on obesity" is just. not. working. While diets may claim all the health benefits under the sun, restrictive diets are actually the precursor for 1) additional weight gain long-term and 2) dieting can actually increase your risk of multiple health consequences in the future, THAT THEY TRY TO BLAME SOLELY ON FAT. Which if we really wanna go there - EVERYONE HAS (and needs) FAT. Whether we like it or not, our bodies physically REQUIRE fat (consumed and stored) to survive.
Q: If I work with a HAES informed provider, does that mean I have to give up on my goal of losing weight?
A: Not necessarily...
It's true that Health At Every Size is challenging the conventional norm that "weight loss equals health." When I initially meet with a client who voices their primary goal for weight loss, I validate their concerns and listen. (Because truthfully, they're just sharing with me what they've been scolded on...time and time again). Of course they're going to believe the 99 other providers who've shamed their body, and if you're the first person who says otherwise - they're going to be skeptical.
Once a client has voiced their weight loss motivation, I ask if I can offer a new perspective. I share with them that I understand why they want to lose weight, and we hold a discussion on diet culture, healthcare experiences, and so forth. (And if they have engaged in binge- or overeating, I educate that these symptoms most likely caused unintended weight gain). Once I have their attention, I then endorse while my primary focus will be interrupting symptom use (restriction/bingeing/purging/overeating/etc.), depending how these symptoms affected their weight, there is a POSSIBILITY their weight may trend down (closer to their weight set point).
I'll repeat again: HAES is NOT anti weight loss. If a client happens to make healthier lifestyle changes and their weight trends down secondary to this, then the body is just doing so to stay at homeostasis. But it's important to remember that HAES informed nutrition counseling does not identify as a diet or weight loss program. I will always respect my clients who desire weight loss, but I'd rather understand WHY they do. And if I earn a client's trust (and they take this leap of faith with me), I promise there's nothing better than seeing a person who was previously imprisoned by diet culture, improve their relationship with food & their body.
While this was just a quick summation of Health at Every Size, for more information visit the following links:
HAES Community
Association for Size Diversity & Health
Dr. Linda Bacon's website
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