What is a weight neutral approach to nutrition?
/We live in a culture that glorifies - and has normalized - disordered eating, unattainable body sizes and shapes, weight stigma, body shaming and misguidedly overemphasizes weight as the premium metric of health.
Women who are larger in body size often experience damaging weight cycling and can be victimized being viewed as “less self-disciplined” and more “annoying” by physicians. The truth is… scale weight is an inadequate and often misguided marker of a woman’s health and potential health outcomes.
But...anywhere from 70-90% of women feel dissatisfied with their body size and think they should be focused on losing weight.
Enter Weight Neutrality.
The weight neutrality movement is based on a more holistic, empowering health equation. Embracing a weight-neutral approach to your health involves working outside the confines of a weight loss goal or the pursuit of thinness to respect your body, create health-focused goals and habits and learn how to nourish, move and care for your body in a way that is joyful and sustainable. Bam!
Unlike conventional approaches to wellness, with a weight neutral approach scale weight is not used as an indicator of your health or your progress. Weight neutrality recognizes bio-individual differences, cultural and personal priorities and embraces body inclusivity.
Preliminary research has shown women focusing on weight-neutral (rather than weight-loss oriented) health improvements have been better able to improve heart health markers, BMI and waist-to-hip ratio and other physical, psychological and behavioral health outcomes. These studies also affirm weight neutral approaches for their achievability, sustainability and accessibility. In addition, many women who focus on healthy habits to balance blood sugar and hormones, reduce inflammation, optimize digestion and restore sleep, mood and emotional health also find their body begins to regulate weight more effectively.
Weight neutrality recognizes food and movement as foundational aspects of health and healing. Food is fuel for the body… providing energy and nutrients necessary for optimal functioning. And food also fosters connection, celebration and cultural understanding.
Embracing a weight neutral approach may ask you to understand how overfocusing on weight may have negatively impacted your own health history and work to update deep-rooted beliefs around body size and self-value. No woman is immune to diet culture and weight loss pressure. Desiring to lose weight is not inherently bad or good...it's just that a weight loss goal is different from a health goal. Your weight is not tied to your value, your contributions nor your ability to be and feel amazing.
Can a weight neutral approach help unblock your ability to reach your health goals or address underlying health concerns?
Sources:
Virtual Mentor. 2010;12(4):287-291. doi: 10.1001/virtualmentor.2010.12.4.jdsc1-1004.
Jaslyn A Dugmore, Copeland G Winten, Hannah E Niven, Judy Bauer, Effects of weight-neutral approaches compared with traditional weight-loss approaches on behavioral, physical, and psychological health outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis, Nutrition Reviews, Volume 78, Issue 1, January 2020, Pages 39–55, https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuz020
