Health At Every Size by Linda Bacon PhD
Fat isn’t the problem. Dieting is the problem. A society that rejects anyone whose body shape or size doesn’t match an impossible ideal is the problem. A medical establishment that equates “thin” with “healthy” is the problem.
The solution?
Health at Every Size.
Tune in to your body’s expert guidance. Find the joy in movement. Eat what you want, when you want, choosing pleasurable foods that help you to feel good. You too can feel great in your body right now—and Health at Every Size will show you how.
Health at Every Size has been scientifically proven to boost health and self-esteem. The program was evaluated in a government-funded academic study, its data published in well-respected scientific journals.
Updated with the latest scientific research and even more powerful messages, Health at Every Size is not a diet book, and after reading it, you will be convinced the best way to win the war against fat is to give up the fight.
About a year ago, I read the book “Anti Diet” and it *really* opened my eyes to some very toxic and harmful shit in our society, in my own beliefs, and in my professional practices regarding how we view health and nutrition.
That book was the starting block for me in unraveling the years of unhealthy diet culture bullshit I have wrapped myself in…and unfortunately, helped wrapped OTHERS in as well.
I realized while reading that book that I have been a consumer AND a pusher of harmful diet culture narratives for over 20 years now….although if we are being honest, it’s more like my entire flippin life since I am a woman living in American society—t is shoved down ALL of our throats from the second we are born.
I went thru a huge 60+ lb weight loss journey when I was in college….then did it again years later after I had my first kid….and then yet again when I had my youngest.
I have been professionally involved in the fitness industry since my early 20s…teaching group fitness, becoming a Beachbody coach, and now also a personal trainer.
It makes me cringe to think of all the times in my personal life I skipped meals or obsessively exercised to “burn off” the “bad” food I ate the day before.
I am ashamed to remember how many times in my professional life I cued students during a fitness class to do one more curl to “get tank top ready” or keep going to “earn their dessert”.
I was not only a victim of toxic diet culture but also a perpetrator. 😢
This past year I have REALLY been intentional with breaking down, pulling apart and rebuilding my foundation of what health and fitness truly is…trying to throwing out all the trash that has been handed to me and imprinted in me for all these years and building something better for my body and every single body I have the honor to teach.
One book the author cited many times in “Anti Diet” was this one. Her book was the first I ever heard of the Health At Every Size movement and I immediately felt drawn to it.
I was like “YES. This makes SO MUCH MORE sense. We would foster such a body loving, inclusive and yes HEALTHIER world if EVERYONE learned these things and practiced these principles”
Confession:
It took me a couple months to read this book in it’s entirety.
Are yall shocked? 😱
I know…I usually read books fairly quickly….
BUT…
With this one I really wanted to take my time and absorb all the info presented.
Plus there is a LOT of science and research in these pages….and while I value the utmost importance and power of all of it, in all honesty it CAN be a bit dry and textbook-like.
I highlighted and underlined LOOOTS of things…and I know I will be revisiting this book as a reference time and time again for my professional AND personal use.
There was so much to absorb and process in these pages.
The first half of the book there are chapters that deconstruct “weight” as a whole and include info about food & fat politics, what our bodies are naturally wired to do concerning weight loss and hunger and there are also helpful personal questionaires that provide insight into your own personal views/beliefs regarding these things.
Here are just a few of the things I highlighted:
“We’ve learned to deny or control our hunger, rather than honor and celebrate it. …Even though we are biologically wired to find pleasure in food, we’ve become so obsessed with the hidden meanings of food in this country that we’ve forgotten what it is supposed to do. Nourish us. Provide pleasure.”
“No ideas you (or anyone else) may have about how to maintain a healthy and appropriate weight can be as effective as listening to your body.”
“No particular food is out of bounds in the context of generally sound nutrition….many of the deleterious effects of certain compounds result from their accumulation, not from occasional or moderate consumption. That risk is minimized when you use your body’s signals to guide consumption.”
“Whether they’re developing foods, promoting their products, or projecting an image, food companies are doing it for just one reason: the money…..Economic laws dictate that for profit corporations are obligated to maximize shareholders profits. They are not social service agencies, and they have no responsibility to foster public health or well being. In fact, a corporate leader who willfully makes a decision to prioritize public health over profit can be sued by shareholders for breach of legal obligation.”
“Much of what we believe to be true about weight…is in fact myth, fueled by the power of money and cultural bias.”
“Size is a sloppy and unscientific way to judge someone’s health or character, and the social and medical imperative for a thin body is not only misguided, it has caused much damage. ‘Normal weight’ is neither normal (most people exceed it) nor ideal in terms of health. All that can be determined by judging people based on their weight is one’s own level of prejudice.”
The second half of the book’s chapters share more about the Health at Every Size movement specifically and how to really develop a respect and love for your body in a way that honors what it truly needs.
Here are a few things I highlighted in those chapters:
“When you read a study that shows the importance of weight loss to your health, I want you to do one thing: Ask who is funding it.”
“Our culture accepts dieting and body hatred as normal…if you exercise as ‘punishment’ for weighing too much, how can you learn to enjoy being active?”
“Start living life fully now, in your present body, because waiting until you lose weight is a big old waste of time.”
“Cultivate a value system that puts appearance in its place and honors bodies for more than their packaging. Your body is valuable because it houses you.”
“You can choose your own standard of beauty, one that is realistic and respectful, or you can choose society’s hurtful standards.”
“Any plan that has you giving over control to someone else’s idea of what you should eat is doomed to fail…Any system that emphasizes external processes to determine what to eat is fragile and ineffective and promotes discontent and periodic rebellion and binging.”
“The best attitude toward eating is not one of denial and restriction. The best approach is one that cultivates pleasures and honors food and the act of nourishing yourself.”
“We have bought into the myths, internalized fat phobia, and all of us enforce the cultural mandate for thinness: We are oppressors as well as the oppressed. We can all refuse to support this culture of hatred, and we can combat size discrimination, in ourselves and others.”
“Self love may be the most revolutionary act you can engage in. A person who is content in his or her body–fat or thin–disempowers the industries that prey on us and helps rewrite cultural mores.”
“Unearned privilege brings with it responsibility. We can use our privilege to help level the playing field…no individual is free until we are all free.”
As you can see, there is A LOT here.
The appendix also has really great info as well including cover letters to send to health care providers; messages to people in various sectors including legislators, politicians and teachers; general advice for specific groups like people who have thin privilege; and a very handy resource guide to continue your learning in the HAES movement.
I definitely recommend this book to EVERYONE, especially if you are in the health & fitness field professionally AND if you have ever personally struggled with diet culture concepts in your own life.
Such a valuable and informative resource.