Eating for Weight Loss is Not the Same as Eating for Health
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but eating for weight loss is not the same as eating for health.
To me, eating for health means eating in a way that satisfies your health needs—physical, mental, social, etc.
On the other hand, eating for weight loss inevitably means eating less than what your body needs. You can't nourish by taking away.
In our anti-fat and healthist society, weight and health are often conflated. While it's true that some people lose weight as a result of eating for health, we need to stop giving weight loss the credit for something that is more likely the result of change in behaviour, the privileges and circumstances that allow for this change in behaviour, and/or decreased exposure to weight stigma (both external and internalized).
Continuing to conflate weight with health means that those who don't lose weight may give up on their behaviour changes, believing that they're "not working" even though they might actually be reaping the benefits.
Furthermore, regardless of the methods used to lose weight, including medications and surgery, the weight loss is almost never permanent. Repeated cycles of weight loss and regain have been shown to lead to worse health outcomes than maintaining a higher weight.
These are just some of the reasons why I'm not in the business of helping people eat for weight loss, but the most important reason is that promoting intentional weight loss upholds and perpetuates the marginalization of fat*/larger-bodied people, which in turn is a form of anti-Black racism.** As someone who believes in respect, dignity, and inclusive care for all, helping people eat for weight loss simply goes against my values.
I'm not always in the business of helping people at for health either, but that's another post for another time. 😉
For now, I’ll say that I’m in the business of helping people feel good about the way that they eat, whether that’s changing the way they eat and/or changing the way they feel. If you’re curious about learning more, book a free 20-minute Appetizer Call and let’s chat!
*I use "fat" as a neutral descriptor, though I understand that it can be uncomfortable hearing that from a thin person, so I also use "larger-bodied"
**For more on anti-fatness as a form of anti-Blackness, I suggest reading:
Fearing the Black Body by Dr. Sabrina Strings
Belly of the Beast by Da'Shaun L. Harrison
It's Always Been Ours by Jessica Wilson, MS, RD