The “health at every size” movement is growing and recently, I was caught up in some debate on the topic–and made out to look like a hater of heavy people. You see, the heart of this movement says that it’s possible to be healthy no matter how large or small you are. But my point was:
that doesn’t mean you ARE healthy.
That’s a far cry from equating to me being a hater of heavy people. It means that I don’t assume people are healthy (regardless of size) without evidence of it. And by “evidence” I mean a few things that determine that someone is “healthy” (regardless of size). Here is what I feel constitutes “healthy”:
- the major bloodwork indicators are within an acceptable range. I don’t mean what the lab reference range decides is normal. Labs come up with reference ranges for normal using a bell curve based on the last X-number of blood tests they have run. In some labs, that number is 200. So if you have an entire nation with diabetic conditions, then the “normal” range is going to tend toward being diabetic because the last 200 (or whatever number that lab uses) of people running blood glucose testing come up more likely to be diabetic. So, when I say “acceptable”, I mean that the numbers are reviewed by someone that can evaluate them independent of the lab’s reference ranges and can tell you that they are optimal as opposed to being either problematic or showing that you’re on the verge of problems.
- a weight and size where you feel energetic and fit.
- a weight and size that you can maintain naturally through a whole foods diet and a regular amount of moderate physical activity. That doesn’t mean “easy to maintain”. That means that it is realistic to maintain it if you are eating healthy and engaging in regular physical activity. For many people, doing that is not easy. And if you are unable to do these things, I don’t think it’s fair to say that your current weight or size is “healthy”. You’ll know what that weight and size is when you are eating a whole foods diet and engaging in regular physical activity.
There are certainly things that show strong correlation to being too heavy or too thin. There are strong statistics for risks associated with being one or the other, so I don’t assume that you ARE healthy at any size; but it’s totally POSSIBLE to be healthy at any size. It’s not as simple as saying “I feel fine so my size is irrelevant”. Plenty of people at any size are not healthy but they feel fine. The reality is that many of those people often don’t realize that they have spent years or a lifetime feeling crappy until they are actually healthy. I have clients who fit that bill and are stunned when it happens.
I also think that your weight/size can be a very valuable indicator of health problems that need to be investigated–thyroid or insulin issues… even cancer or chronic illnesses that may have set in. Changes in your weight and size especially need to be evaluated to see if the root cause of the change is something you need to look deeper into.
If you’re having a hard time navigating this area of your life, let’s talk. You don’t have to be a size 4 to be healthy and you don’t have to panic if you’re a size 14. But let’s get a clear picture and make sure that no matter your size–you are ACTUALLY healthy.
Much love, mamas. <3 _/\_
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