Can You Be Healthy at Any Weight or Body Size?

The answer to that question is a simple one (yes, you can!) with a not-so-simple explanation. If you haven’t read my blog post, What is anti-diet culture and why is it important? go back and check that out. To summarize, diet culture is the societal norm that perpetuates the idea that thinness is equivalent to healthiness and that actively (though sometimes subconsciously) seeking thinness is the only way to achieve health. Diet culture is all around us. So much so that we often don’t even recognize it (like how a fish doesn’t recognize the water it swims in). Some sneaky examples of diet culture include complimenting someone’s weight loss (especially without knowing if it was intentional), the saying “These fries will go right to my hips!” or eliminating foods or food groups from your diet in the name of “health” when deep down, the motivator is weight loss or weight maintenance.

What even is health?

The definition of health is unique to each individual and can change throughout one’s lifetime. A focus on health should be a focus on achieving one’s own ideas of physical, social, and emotional well-being. Health and weight have no morality associated with them. Being thin does not automatically mean one is healthy and being healthy does not automatically achieve moral superiority. Health status and weight states should not be used to judge or discriminate.

How does weight or body size fit into health?

Any person can be healthy (or unhealthy) at any weight, body shape, or body size. In this study of over five thousand participants, there were large clusters of individuals in the overweight and obese categories who had no metabolic abnormalities and a large cluster of individuals in the normal weight category who did experience significant metabolic abnormalities. Weight and health are not synonymous. There are no diseases that are exclusive to people who are overweight or obese, and being conventionally thin does not completely eliminate the risk of any disease. 

Where do we go from here?

Consider this: instead of focusing on the number on the scale or the size of your jeans, try focusing on behaviors that are health-promoting for you. Some of those behaviors might include eating adequate amounts of macro- and micronutrients (that's carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals), getting enough sleep, managing stress, and participating in physical activity that you enjoy. Achieving health (in whatever way you define it) can be achieved without manipulating the size of your body. All bodies are good bodies. If this concept is a struggle, I invite you to join The Journey to Body Positivity where you’ll learn to unpack some of your personal triggers, improve your relationship with food, and learn to appreciate your body as it is!