What If Weight Loss Was the Answer?

Let's pretend for a moment. 

What if losing weight was the answer to

• Reversing, preventing, or maintaining a medical condition? 

• Making you feel 'better' (a.k.a. sexier, more attractive, more worthy or 'enough', etc.)

While it may be true that weight loss may help with medical conditions the problem is and always will be that intentional weight loss is not a permanent solution. 

So while many 'health' gurus argue that diets do work (often called 'lifestyle plans', etc.) because there is often weight loss when there is calorie restriction or extreme exercising, for most, these solutions aren't sustainable long-term.

For all of you who are saying something like...

I just think I look better and feel sexier when I'm thinner.

Feeling sexier or more 'attractive' is completely subjective. Feeling sexy or attractive is based on our thoughts about our bodies not on our feelings. Thoughts create feelings, not the other way around. So, if you can change your thoughts, your feelings will eventually catch up. 

Lastly, hingeing our size, weight, age, bank account, etc. to validate our worth is a losing battle because we'll always be trying to hit a moving target. Our self-worth is unconditional. 

I know that many of you may understand this logically but still struggle to reconcile this in your hearts. 

If this is you, I see you and want you to know that it's natural to feel this way because our culture values physical appearance more than most things. This is especially true for women. 

In the end, the answer is body acceptance, cultivating a radical self-compassion practice, and making more frequent deposits in our self-worth banks to name a few things. 

Ready to fast-track your body image recovery? Tap the Let’s Connect button below to schedule your free 20-minute connection call.

You don't have to do this alone.

Why Eating in Moderation is Code for Dieting

I want to talk about the illusion of moderation. 

People often say that intuitive eating is just 'eating in moderation'. I often cringe when I hear folks say this and here's why. 

While 'eating in moderation' usually allows all foods, that allowance often has strings attached. In other words, while there is an allowance, it's a conditional allowance that equates to emotional restriction. 

So, for example, folks allow themselves to eat ice cream, pizza, chips, bread, etc. but they may only allow a certain amount of it or only allow it under certain conditions. If they go beyond what they deem as a 'moderate' amount (whatever that is because 'moderation' is completely subjective) they'll create a narrative that they cannot be trusted around X food because it makes them feel out of control. 

Have you ever experienced this before? I know I have in years past! 

Having 'allowance clauses' around foods damages our relationships with food and body because they:

1. Erode trust in our body’s innate appetite regulation system - Given the opportunity (provided there is no extenuating circumstance), our bodies are fully capable of guiding our food choices, amounts, frequency, etc. When we interfere by trying to control our bodies, oftentimes they respond with dysregulated eating behaviors including bingeing, restrictive eating, frequently eating past a comfortable fullness, 'emotional' eating, etc. 
   

2. Create a sense of food scarcity - Imposed food scarcity often puts us back into the diet/binge cycle because our brains perceive that there is a limited amount of food so we better get it while it's available often causing the same eating behaviors mentioned in #1 above.
   
   I often remind my clients that the effects of scarcity on the human brain were seen during the COVID toilet paper debacle. In the U.S., toilet paper was scarce so many hoarded it like squirrels hoard acorns in the fall preparing for the winter because they were afraid there wouldn't be enough to go around! This is what happens when food is scarce too. 

This makes so much sense to me and is likely why I have such a visceral reaction when I hear people saying that they don't diet but instead 'eat in moderation'. 

I also understand that certain medical conditions sometimes require dietary modifications because I'm experiencing this myself. 

Do you know what makes medically necessary dietary modifications easier?

Investing the time and energy to heal our relationships with food, body, and movement. 

We can trust that our bodies will guide us so we don't need to have 'allowance clauses' around food even if there are medical conditions to contend with. 

How I Reversed My Fatty Liver Disease Without Dieting

So often weight loss is prescribed to improve or reduce the risk for illness or to help manage existing health conditions. Unless you have a Health At Every Size (HAES) aligned physician or have had the "no weight loss" talk with your medical practitioner, weight loss is often hailed as the cure-all for it all.

In January 2018 when I had some intermittent pain in my lower back, my nurse practitioner (NP) sent me for an abdominal ultrasound. Thankfully, all looked mostly okay so they attributed the pain to a pulled muscle. However, one thing the report did show was that I had nonalcoholic non-fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

While I was told I had a mild case, I was also told that if I didn’t make some serious changes, it could lead to more dire issues later like cirrhosis of the liver. I was told and also read that I am not the typical body person who’s diagnosed with this disease (meaning I’m not in a larger body and I eat a fairly balanced diet) but nonetheless, I had it.

Despite my "mild" case, I was still quite upset and was determined to find a way to either reverse the condition or at the very least reduce the risk of it getting worse.

In addition to some tweaks to diet, all the research I read cited weight loss as the “solution” to cure this condition. As a HAES advocate and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, I know that intentional weight loss often does more harm than good, so I remained rooted in the HAES research studies that encourage implementing (or adding) more engaging health-promoting behaviors.

I also consulted with a fellow HAES practitioner and she confirmed that the changes I planned to make would very likely help to improve my condition.

My plan included the following:

• Gaining a deeper understanding of the gentle nutrition guidelines (IE, Principle 10) and how to more effectively integrate them into my diet, especially my fiber intake

• Cultivating a meditation and mindful self-compassion practice to help manage stress

• Practicing yoga more regularly

• Increasing my joyful movement endeavors to include more intuitive cardio

My NP followed up with annual blood work and agreed that I wouldn't have to do anything else unless some irregularity surfaced there.

Well, fast forward to April 2021 when I needed to have another abdominal ultrasound for something unrelated. That report was unremarkable, and the report also showed NO sign of liver disease at all. It appears I was able to reverse my NAFLD. The best part was that I was able to do this by following the principles of HAES and intuitive eating (IE) NOT by intentionally pursuing weight loss.

While I realize that not everyone may be able to reverse a condition by following the HAES/IE principles, copious amounts of research show that intentional weight loss is not the answer because it often leads to increased binge eating, rebound weight gain, and poor mental health.

Instead, focusing on consistent self-care, managing stress, and practicing the principles of intuitive movement/HAES is often very effective in helping to heal our bodies and restore metabolic health (i.e. blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose) and mental health, etc.

While I'm thrilled that my NAFLD reversed itself and thank God for this, I'm equally as happy to share my testimony so you can see that it is possible to heal from a medical condition where weight loss is typically recommended by following the HAES/IE principles.

Since the research is so overwhelmingly clear that intentional weight loss (which is approximately ~97% ineffective) or dieting often leads to rebound weight gain, I never recommend it to my clients or anyone else who’s trying to restore metabolic health, reverse or decrease the risk of contracting a long-term illness.

There is another way and it's never dieting. Of course, you may still have your doubts and, honestly, I would expect that because this is not a mainstream practice. However, please keep in mind that most physicians don’t know about HAES or don’t believe in HAES so they are usually pro-weight loss. This can lead to stigmatizing medical care which has many potentially harmful effects. I’d also encourage you to learn more about size inclusivity in health by visiting the Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH) website.

Watch my LIVE video about this in the No Diet Sisterhood!

Need support with this?

Been diagnosed with a medical condition and your practitioner has advised you to lose weight or want to start a joyful movement program but cannot get started? I bet some support would help! Schedule a free 20-minute connection session to discover how coaching can help.

With love and compassion, I'll meet you wherever you are in your journey.

Can intentional weight loss and intuitive eating co-exist?

Q: Is it possible to intentionally work towards losing weight while intuitively eating?

A: Isn't this the million-dollar question?

One of my followers was being stigmatized by her doctor to lose weight for "medical" reasons asked me this question in the No Diet Sisterhood. In truth, I get this question a lot and read it often on social media.

You've probably guessed it, but the answer is NO, and here's why.

Based on my extensive and ongoing (let's hear it for life-long learners!) professional training as a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor and body image coach and from my decades-long battle with food, I can say with certainty that intentional weight loss clouds judgment and prevents people from eating according to their body's cues because they fear it will affect their weight.

When intentional weight loss is the goal, choices are made based on caloric/macro/micro content, etc., and not on the body's cues. Since intuitive eating is all about giving ourselves full permission to eat so that we can discern what foods feel best in our bodies, etc. making intentional weight loss a part of this process is not intuitive. If weight loss happens naturally as a result of listening to the body, that's entirely different.

While a foundational goal of intuitive eating is to become more flexible with eating, another is also to do so in accordance with one's hunger/fullness cues, satisfaction, digestion, etc. The principles can seem fundamental to the naked eye, but when it comes to actually integrating them into everyday life, they can get quite emotionally complex. This is why so many fall back into diet mentality and don't even realize it. This is especially true when people are stigmatized and told to lose weight for "medical" reasons.

The belief that you need to lose weight to be healthy isn't valid and the Health At Every Size (HAES) movement is based on this research. Whenever intentional weight loss is the goal there is restriction. Bingeing and eating for comfort (aka "emotional" eating) often increases when there is even the slightest detection of restriction. So whether there is emotional restriction (guilt, worry, shame, rules, etc.) or physical restriction (counting, "forbidden" food, etc.) disordered behaviors around food will continue. There is just no way around and if you're like most of us who have struggled with food for some time, your history reflects this.

While higher weights may be correlated with certain illnesses, they are not necessarily the cause of them. Fat activist Ragen Chastain breaks down the research on this often in her blog Dances with Fat.

Beware. There are many who are trying to co-opt intuitive eating and turn it into another weight loss plan or "lifestyle". If you are following any intuitive eating professional who is even hinting that you will lose weight with intuitive eating or is saying that [X] type of exercise will change your body shape/size, or giving specific instructions about "healthy" vs. "unhealthy" foods, unfollow them as they will do more harm than good for you.

Intuitive eating (and HAES) is not and never will be about weight loss. True intuitive eating is about healing a relationship with food, body image and rediscovering movement that's not tied to weight loss. Period.

Struggling with this? I bet coaching can help! Let's connect for a FREE connection call so you can get the support you need and stop struggling so much.

The Truth about Belly Fat: Is It "Unhealthy"?

Raise your hand if you've got a belly roll(s).

Yep, I've got them too! In fact, I've had a belly roll for as long as I can remember, even when I was at my thinnest.

Most of my clients say that they have the most difficulty accepting their swishy bellies. In fact, this is one of the more common reasons why people feel the need to lose weight because they fear that belly fat is "unhealthy".

The Health At Every Size research indicates higher weights may be correlated with poor health, but it reminds us that it doesn't guarantee that it causes poor health. Still, ob*sity is constantly talked about in the media, in clinical spaces, in social circles, and at the holiday dinner table.

It's not just the claims that higher weights are "unhealthy" but more specifically that belly fat is downright dangerous.

While there is some biased research that visceral fat (the type of fat that wraps around abdominal organs) may increase some health risks, what most don't realize is that visceral fat can be found in people with flat bellies too. So, one cannot automatically assume that people in larger bodies or with bigger abdomens have visceral belly fat. For the record, visceral fat can only be determined by undergoing expensive medical scans.

The other type of belly fat is what we see when we look in the mirror. It's called subcutaneous fat (like in the image above). Everyone has some subcutaneous fat. How much we have is typically impacted by lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise, genetics, yo-yo dieting, and stress.

I'd be lying if I told you that I never worry about my abdominal fat sometimes because I do, especially since menopause. My guess is that you worry sometimes too. You may even worry enough to feel like you need to do something about it like lose weight or cut carbs, etc. If that's you, I understand, and I'm not surprised! After all, we're human and diet culture is very influential, especially when they start throwing the word "health" around!

However, let's just say for argument's sake that both types of abdominal fat do put our bodies at risk.

What can be done about it that will be sustainable and may also help to reduce certain health risks?

• Stop dieting and restricting to avoid bingeing

• Embrace and learn to Integrate gentle nutrition (principle 10) into your daily life (if you're at that stage or your recovery)

• Focus on food satisfaction and honoring your hunger/fullness as often as you can

• Get support to navigate any emotional barriers you have to exercise so you can intuitively increase your cardiovascular and aerobic exercise

• Discover ways to improve your sleep if this is an issue for you (i.e. get a CPAP, try meditation, create a sleep routine, etc.)

• Focus on improving your mental health, especially as it relates to anxiety and stress

Notice how I never mentioned losing weight? That's because even with the possibility that abdominal fat increases the risk of certain illnesses, dieting is STILL not the solution. In fact, dieting may even increase abdominal fat. And, research indicates that dieting increases stress-causing elevated cortisol levels negatively affecting the body, including increased abdominal fat.

The solution is to continue working toward body acceptance and spend your time and energy creating more nourishing and compassionate self-care habits. That's what will likely improve your physical and emotional health in the long-run but dieting won't.

Struggling with this?
Schedule some time with me so we can have a conversation and you can finally stop worrying! You don't have to do this alone. Getting this sorted out will make a substantial difference in your life.

Is 'fat but fit' a myth?

Last week, in one of the professional groups where I belong, someone posted an article about fitness and fat, specifically as it relates to heart disease.

Even though this article had a very definitive bottom line,

"What we see is that the risk factor burden increases by weight category. Obese people have the highest burden of associated risk factors. That remains true according to the activity level,"

I was able to discern that the research was lacking important parameters that very likely would have changed its overall findings.

The article does say this, "This is a cross sectional study -- all we can talk about is associations, we cannot talk about causality," This is very important because this is verifying that they cannot prove with certainty that the associated parameters like BMI (Body Mass Index) category (i.e, "ob*se and "over*eight") was the cause of the cardiovascular disease. As a reminder, BMI was never intended to be used to measure health, but I will mention it throughout as it pertains to the study.

I won't pretend that I'm a research expert, but I do know from my professional training that articles like this are weight-biased and detrimental to our health.

It's weight-biased because the research is missing critical key parameters. For example, it doesn't mention a person's genetic predisposition to heart disease (or other conditions like diabetes, etc.) their previous dieting history, mental health history, or exposure to weight stigma (which often leads to increased binge eating, higher mortality rates, depression, anxiety, addiction, etc.). All of these factors may influence a person's overall well-being and that matters significantly. Without this information, this study is biased.

However, what bothers me most of all is this biased study could easily frighten someone who is in a higher BMI category to start dieting again because they believe that it is the 'responsible' thing to do to reduce their risk of heart disease, etc. This is something I hear all the time from my clients and what I wrote about in last weeks message.

My clients, and women I support in my No Diet Sisterhood, often send me similar articles asking me what I think, etc. because they feel scared after reading articles like this. After carefully reading the articles, to date, my answer has always been the same: the article is weight-biased and dieting isn't the answer to achieving good 'health'.

Using scare tactics as a means to encourage people to exercise (or do anything else) is ineffective and often moves people further away from their goals because they feel hopeless. This hopelessness often causes inaction and may lead to depression and other negative health outcomes.

The Health at Every Size (HAES)/intuitive eating approach to movement is more compassionate and more effective. Instead of stigmatizing and fear-mongering people who are in higher BMI categories to engage in movement because it's "healthy", they encourage cultivating sustainable self-care practices and habits that are realistic and individualized. This way they will likely feel better, improve their metabolic health, and live more joyful lives. In fact, research shows that non-stigmatizing interventions are much more effective for altering health outcomes than anything else.

Studies like this, the crushing judgments and rigidity of diet culture, perfectionism, guilt-tripping, and not understanding that movement is a self-care practice all keep people away from movement. Most think it's a time management issue or that they're "too lazy". But, when we dig a little deeper, they discover that what they really fear is that they won’t be able to cultivate a healthy relationship with movement because they cannot cut through the emotional barriers needed to get there. This is definitely what the alumni members in my Joyful Movement at Last! program have discovered.

For anyone who struggles with articles like this that make them second-guess the path they're on with intuitive eating, you don't need to anymore. Now that you've been introduced to these concepts, you'll more easily recognize that many articles like this are weight-biased and use ineffective scare tactics. Be sure to question "research" and don't allow it to change your course of action, especially if your course of action is moving you closer to the freedom you deserve.

The bottom line...

If you want to feel better and make movement a priority in your life but are feeling 'stuck', I encourage you to take my new FREE quiz What's Getting in Your Way of Exercising with Ease? to find out what's really holding you back. I promise you, it's likely not what you think.

Helping women to cultivate more compassionate, self-care focused habits like giving themselves full permission to eat without the emotional restriction (guilt, worry, etc.), integrating gentle nutrition into your daily life, and rediscovering movement without slipping back into diet mentality is my jam.

Schedule some time with me so we can have a conversation around this so you can finally stop worrying! You don't have to do this alone. Getting this sorted out will make a difference in your life.