As part of Campus Recreation’s goal to promote a healthier campus and champion the complete wellbeing of the PSU community, we are embracing the Health at Every Size® (HAES®) approach. Campus Rec is actively pushing back against diet culture, and working to provide an inclusive recreational space for all. In this article, we explore key myths and realities in order to enhance this conversation, gain an understanding of where anti-fat bias comes from, and educate ourselves on strategies for including people of all sizes in our work.
Disclaimer: If you are dieting when you read this article, we are not judging you; we are judging the systems put in place to make us think that dieting is the way to better health. Our purpose is to share with you the facts in the most gentle and loving way we know how. If you’re not ready to stop dieting, that's okay. If you still see intentional weight loss/thinness as the way to better health, that’s okay. Just know that when you’re ready, there is a community here at Campus Rec to support you in resisting diet culture and embracing body positivity.
This information was adapted from the curriculum of The Body Positive—a non-profit educating people around the issue of anti-fat bias and how to create a more body-positive culture.
Myths vs. Realities
Myth: The Health at Every Size model is opposed to weight loss.
Reality: The Health at Every Size (HAES) model is a weight-neutral approach to health.
Background: Outcome measures of HAES do not include weight. Some people who live a HAES lifestyle may lose weight, some may stay the same weight, and others may gain weight. HAES promotes that people of all sizes can achieve their best health for their genetics and life circumstances by focusing on healthy lifestyle behaviors like intuitive and balanced eating, regular, moderate, joyful movement, and positive social support—not the number on the scale.
Myth: Anyone who is determined can lose weight and keep it off.
Reality: The vast majority of people who try to lose weight regain it.
Background: This occurs in all studies, no matter how many calories or what proportions of fat, protein, or carbohydrates are used in the diet, or what types of exercise programs are pursued. Many studies show that dieting is a strong predictor of future weight gain. (Lindo Bacon, Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight)
Myth: A person cannot be both "overweight" and healthy.
Reality: Health has more to do with levels of physical activity than it does with weight.
Background: Fat people who are physically active have a lower risk of disease than thin people who are not physically active. Keeping our bodies moving is more important for achieving good health and long life than the number on the scale. (Glenn Gaesser, Big Fat Lies: The Truth About Your Weight and Your Health)
Myth: Diabetes and heart disease are caused by "obesity."
Reality: “Obesity” is not the cause of specific illnesses.
Background: The scientific reality is that genes and lifestyle choices play a greater role than weight in the development of all diseases generally associated with weight. There is no data showing a causal link between “obesity” and any specific illness. Instead, scientific research has consistently revealed that so called weight-related issues can be treated effectively with little to no weight loss, and solely through positive changes in lifestyle behaviors. For example, people with Type 2 diabetes can normalize their blood glucose by adopting healthy eating and exercise habits, even if they are classified as “obese” and don’t lose a pound. (Bacon, L., & Aphramor, Lucy. (2011, Jan. 24). Weight Science: Evaluating the Evidence for a Paradigm Shift. Nutrition Journal.)
Myth: Body mass index (BMI) is an accurate measure of health.
Reality: BMI was not created to be used as an individual measure of health and can cause great harm when used.
Background: The BMI was created by mathematician Adolphe Quetelet who designed it for the purpose of statistics and to justify race science; it was not meant as a measurement for health. It didn't become a measure of health until the early 20th century, when life insurance companies began using it in order to decide that they could charge people different amounts depending on what they deemed as their “health” status based on BMI. The use of the BMI in the medical field not only stigmatizes larger bodies, but aids in misdiagnosis and mistreatment of all patients, but especially with patients for whom the BMI was not created—so anyone who isn’t a white cis-gendered male. (Aubrey Gordon, The Bizarre and Racist History of the BMI)
Thank you for reading! We hope that we were able to share some interesting and/or thought-provoking information with you. Check out Campus Rec's Health at Every Size webpage for more information. Explore the related links below for additional resources related to the topics discussed in this article.