Please Stop Demonising Weight Loss
I feel I need to preface this article, this is not about being fat-phobic, but it IS about being health-positive. I am all for some of the components of the body positivity movement. It’s an important topic as body dissatisfaction has been shown to increase cases of anxiety and depression. But is the body positive movement all good?
If you want to live a happy and fulfilled life, then learning to love, accept and appreciate your body is an essential part of that.
Yet I feel the body positivity movement has started to tip the scales (pun intended) in the other direction and is becoming just as damaging as some of the toxic diet and restriction practices we have seen in the past within the diet industry.
Wanting to lose weight has become demonised, you only have to look at the bashing that Adele got when she chose to lose weight. People got really upset that she was leaving the body positivity camp because she chose to lose weight and get healthy.
>> What Adele’s Body Transformation Can Teach Us About Self-Love <<
I believe in a health-first approach. The truth is that, yes you can love yourself at any size, and we should all be accepted no matter your size, shape, or ethnicity. Youd body does NOT define your worth. You are a truly amazing and beautiful human just as you are. But the body positivity movement fails to recognise that overeating food is really fucking bad for you. Being overweight is not healthy. Just like being underweight is not healthy either.
It’s one of the key reasons that Rebel Wilson choose to go on her own weight loss journey. To overcome fertility issues she had experienced that were likely linked to her body weight.
>> Rebel Wilson Reveals The Secrets To Her 80lb Weight Loss<<
In a viral TikTok Maddie Kossin talks about how body positivity messed her up and kept her fat.
Over 200lb, pre-hypertensive and pre-diabetic at the age of 19 years old, there are some clear warning signs that the body is struggling with her lifestyle choices.
Allowing yourself to overeat and indulge in whatever you want is NOT self-care, and this is something that I as a health coach can relate to also.
Since moving out to France I have steadily gained around 14lb in weight over the duration of around 4 years. Eating more, drinking more and moving a bit less than I used to in my past life. Add that to the stress of the pandemic (I am a stress eater), and approaching the age of forty. Sure my body has changed.
I worked on loving and accepting that, and I have learnt to accept my body for where it is. But I also notice that things get harder the more weight I carry. I get tired more easily, keeping up with my kids is harder, snowboarding is harder and my body aches more.
So yeah I want to work on releasing that 14lb I have gained and I don’t have to feel bad about it. I want to feel better in my skin, I want to be able to snowboard better this winter, and in fact, it’s all about honouring and caring for my body.
Body positivity doesn’t have to be synonymous with being overweight and we don’t have to demonise weight loss for those that want to feel better in their skin.
Know that:
- Weight loss does not have to come from a place of self hatred
- It doesn’t have to mean painfully torturing and restricting everything.
I believe that if weight loss is to be long-lasting or permanent then it has to come from a space of self-love and prioritising your health as a form of taking good care of yourself.
We need to shift away from weight loss being all about how we look, and instead focus more on feeling good from the inside out.
If you are looking for true transformation for your own health, you can start here by joining my mailing list and accessing my 5 Day Fix challenge. 5 Simple fixes to help you get started on a sustainable health journey.
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