What Does Health At Every Size (HAES) Mean?

Health At Every Size or (HAES) is a concept that is often challenged by diet culture.

We live in a world where health is associated with thinness. People in this society believe that bigger bodied individual are unhealthy. I am here to set the record straight and prove those people wrong. 

The truth is, you CAN be healthy at EVERY size and you can also be unhealthy at every size.

HAES does not claim that everyone is healthy at every size, but rather it rejects the use of weight or BMI as proxies for health. Health is not determined by physical appearance and body size. Our goal is to look past the weight of an individual and assess their behaviors. Health is not only physical, as it also encompasses mental and emotional well-being and access to health care and food. When assessing the health of an individual, it is important to go beyond BMI. HAES focuses on the big picture to understand everything that may be contributing to one’s health independent of body size.  

HAES does not mean anti- weight loss, but it does not prescribe weight loss as an intervention or treatment option. With the adaption of health promoting behaviors, weight may change as a byproduct. It may go up, or it may go down. Focusing on behaviors that we have control over is much more beneficial for the individual than focusing on weight, which is not a behavior.

Losing weight will not necessarily make an individual healthier or happier and we know dieting may even do the opposite. 

We could all be metabolically healthy, getting in daily movement, eating fruits and vegetables, hydrating, managing stress, and sleeping well and still look completely different. There are individuals who struggle to put on weight and there are also individuals who struggle to lose weight, even if they are living a healthy lifestyle. Genetics play a major role in where and how we accumulate body fat. Subcutaneous fat may even serve as a protective mechanism to keep our bones and organs safe. 

Weight stigma is a big problem on today’s world. What if I told you, that you could be what society deems an acceptable body type and unhealthy or you could be overweight and very healthy. Which would you choose? The answer should be an obvious one, but that is simply not the case. 

It is wrong and ignorant to judge someone’s health by the way that they look. Assuming that someone is healthy because they are thin may prevent the individual from getting routine work ups and treated properly. Assuming that someone who is labeled obese is unhealthy may lead to more weight stigma, an unhealthy relationship with food, and prevent the individual from getting treated properly. Bottom line is, don’t assume.  

I struggled with my own relationship with food and my body, I ended up becoming the thinnest I have ever been. At that weight, no one was concerned about my health, yet my health was suffering, and I experienced amenorrhea for months. 

Are there any situations where weight may correlate with an increased risk of a negative health outcome? Maybe, but that does not mean that weight loss is the only treatment option. We neglect the health of bigger bodied individuals when we diminish their symptoms to being overweight. Prescribing weight loss is not a medical cure or treatment. Healthy habits such as consuming multiple servings of fruits and vegetables, managing stress, and daily movement are protective mechanisms for anybody, of any body size. So, before jumping to conclusions about someone’s health, pay more attention to the big picture.

HAES encourages individuals and medical professionals to treat every individual the same regardless of weight. As a matter of fact, medical professionals can perform most of their duties and treat a patient without ever needing to know the BMI of an individual. Health is multi-dimensional. It is not one size fits all and there are a lot of factors that contributes to one’s health. To simply assume the health of an individual by the size of their body is completely inappropriate and can lead to misdiagnoses and worse health outcomes. 

We need to do better. 

For more information on the HAES movement I recommend these books:

Heath At Every Size by Lindo Bacon, PhD

Body Respect by Lindo Bacon, PhD and Lucy Aphramor, PhD, RD

Anti- Diet by Christy Harrison 

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Written by Danielle Musto

Hey there, I’m Danielle! HSH’s Office Manager and RD-to-be! I love food, fitness and having fun with both. I’m super excited to be here with you sharing all the ways I love to make food FUN!

Learn more about me and the HSH offerings here.