Health at Every Size
The quest for a cure to the qualms many suffer with weight is a consuming and unfulfilling one, at the very least. The disheartening truth seems to be that, despite the presence of resolve and perseverance, weight-loss regimes most often serve only to reinforce feelings of self-loathing and disappointment opposed to as means to achieve that coveted, fat-free figure.
The quest for a cure to the qualms many suffer with weight is a consuming and unfulfilling one, at the very least. The disheartening truth seems to be that, despite the presence of resolve and perseverance, weight-loss regimes most often serve only to reinforce feelings of self-loathing and disappointment opposed to as means to achieve that coveted, fat-free figure.
With this in mind, Dr. Linda Bacon, in her book Health at Every Size, takes a totally novel approach to discussing the subject of weight. Rather than endorse another quick fix weight-loss strategy sure to disappoint, Bacon boldly deviates from this well-worn theme. Instead, she debunks our pervasive assumptions about weight loss, while encouraging her readers to re-examine their goals and entertain a new way of thinking about weight altogether.
Like so many others, Dr. Bacon struggled with her weight from early adolescence into adulthood. She was finally able to relinquish her obsession with weight loss by educating herself and developing methods to cope with her food issues. Through her research, Bacon learned that one’s inability to shed pounds is no fault of her own, and that dieters are gravely mislead by the surfeit of weight-loss fallacies, branded as facts. This knowledge empowered her to adopt strategies that fostered a healthy relationship with food, and, consequently, with her body.
Firstly, Bacon explains, in simple biological terms, how our bodies are essentially hard-wired to maintain a healthy weight or “set point.” To diet is to essentially declare war on the body’s weight regulation mechanisms—one likely to be lost. By understanding and coming to terms with the futile nature of this body battle, Bacon encourages her readers to surrender, guilt free. Rather than postpone happiness in pursuit of an unreachable goal, why not hold oneself to a more realistic standard and set manageable goals?
Much easier said than done, one might say, and rightly so. The barrage of media coverage, advertisements, and products devoted to demonizing fat would leave any sensible person convinced of the necessity to slim down. Bacon, however, pulls the curtain on the fallacies they collectively promote. For instance, she reveals the corrupt and manipulative nature of the weight loss industry, showing the countless ways in which it preys and eventually cashes in on our perceived inability to make informed decisions about food and our eating habits.
Bacon invites her audience to tune out the advice of “the experts” and to turn an ear inward. She promotes the novel idea that becoming, what she coins, an “intuitive eater” can restore a neurosis-free relationship with food while helping the body to achieve a naturally healthy weight. Listening to hunger cues and understanding the emotional component to eating habits are just a couple of the characteristics that define an intuitive eater. The success of these tactics, as part of a more comprehensive program, was measured in a comparative study conducted by Bacon herself. Results reveled that, while sustained weight-loss may not have occurred, participants reported that they felt happier, they were less obsessed with food, and, as a result, they enjoyed the act of eating more.
Beyond helping people to combat their personal weight qualms, Health at Every Size also stresses the greater implications of resisting the stigma associated with shapeliness. By refusing to accept these myths about weight and renouncing personal shame, we collectively weaken the grip that this flawed belief system has on our society. The Health at Every Size program, therefore, not only facilitates a healthier and happier life, but also enables the growth of a movement dedicated to redefining fat as we know it.
