What if Weight Loss Wasn't the Answer?

What if losing weight wasn’t the answer?

You may be thinking “If i just lost 5 more pounds, I would be so much happier” or “if I can post a bikini picture on instagram with abs, I would feel confident in my skin”.

Are you constantly fixating on losing weight thinking you need to in order to gain more satisfaction from life?

What If I told you losing weight is not the answer? 

Would you start eating the foods you enjoy more and stop putting so much pressure on yourself to be smaller? 

Would you feel a sigh of relief knowing you didn’t have to count calories, weigh your food, and only order the salad when out to dinner for the rest of your life?

The good news – You do not need to lose weight to achieve any of this! 

We are so wired to think that a smaller body = success, happiness, and confidence. But why? Do we actually know that all thin people are happy and larger bodied people are sad? Please know this answer is a HARD NO.

That’s crazy to even think, but that is what the diet industry makes us believe.

What we DO know though, is that dieting actually causes future weight gain (read that again), disordered eating, and feelings of failure. In a randomized controlled trial of diets, dieters in the study had lost weight in the first 9 to 12 months, but over the next two to five years, they had gained back all but an average of 2.1 of those pounds. (Tomiyama, Ahlstrom, & Mann, 2013).  

The diet industry profits off our vulnerability and feelings of helplessness, as evidenced by the fact they are a $72 BILLION dollar machine.

But the thing is, you are not a better person or “being good” when you say no to birthday cake, despite really wanting a slice. How does that make you good?? When you may actually feel bad about it after..?

Instead, we truly need to stop tying morality to food or ourselves for making choices about our food. Food has no feelings. And while we are here, the only way it is clean or dirty is whether it has dirt on it or not K!?!?!  

THINK THIS THROUGH WITH ME:

We know that restricting leads to binging. Think: how much more do you want something when you aren't allowed to have it? 

Ever have a week where you did “so good” and followed all of your food rules perfectly and then blew it on the weekend? YOU did not fail – the diet/plan did.

So, what if you allowed yourself a slice of birthday cake on a Tuesday?  Would you feel like you need to work harder and restrict more on Wednesday to make up for the extra calories?

Ignoring your cravings and hunger cues in pursuit of a smaller body sends you into a restrict-binge cycle, which is very dangerous and considered disordered.

Our bodies are so uniquely different. We don’t try time and time again to change the size of our feet – we just accept the size they are.

So why can’t we accept the size of our bodies?

There will always be biologically bigger bodies and smaller bodies, that have nothing to do with the amount of calories being consumed. Naturally our bodies have a weight range that it is most comfortable at. Genetics play a role in determining the size and weight of our bodies, as well as, our height, bone structure, metabolism, and musculature.

This is referred to as the set point theory. Let’s discuss it.

When we are within our natural setpoint range, we are energized, we feel strong, our menstrual cycle and hormones are regular, our hair and skin are vibrant, and we are understanding our hunger cues. You will not achieve these things if you are starving your body of the nutrients it needs. When you fall below your body’s natural set point, both your hunger cues and your metabolism will adjust to attempt to return you to your set point. Your body will want to conserve all of the energy you are giving it rather than burn it off, which is why low calorie restrictions do not work in the long run. There are some days you may be hungrier than others, that is normal and that is one way your body tries to regulate your weight. 

You shouldn’t ignore these signals.

However, I am not saying that right now everyone is in their perfect weight range or where they need to be to feel the strongest – but diets are not going to get you there in a healthy, sustainable way.

Fast will not last.

If you are lacking energy, feeling out of control when around food, or having difficulty recognizing hunger and fullness cues, it is time to consider working with a registered dietitian. When you work with a HSH dietitian, we consider YOUR specific, and unique needs. It is not one size fits all. We will work with you at your starting point, wherever that may be, and from there we will grow together and help you understand your body and your needs. We will work with you to discover where you are your happiest, strongest, and healthiest self. And that looks different on everyone - which is such a beautiful thing.

We love you. Take care of those gorgeous bodies, remember the way you talk to yourself matters, what you say your body hears. Love it and show it the respect it deserves.

XOXO,

D

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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.