Health at Every Size

Today I finished reading, "Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight" by Dr. Linda Bacon.  You may recall that I purchased this book at Green Mountain and I am thankful I did.  The book is very much in line with the teachings at Green Mountain and I enjoyed spending the last three weeks to really process and ruminate on these teachings.

I must confess that there were parts of the book that frustrated me.  The idea behind "Health at Every Size" is that we can be healthy, literally at every size.  Um...what?  Aren't we supposed to lose weight to be healthy?  Well, the truth of the matter is that some of us are genetically predispositioned to be a little heavier than others.  And at the end of the day, it is the people who have body fat that are generally healthier than our thinner neighbors.  Body fat helps to defend us against diseases, it's important if you are trying to have a baby, and it literally protects us.  So does that mean that my current weight is my set point?

Set Point was another confusing concept to me.  The basics are that our bodies have a 10 to 20 pound weight range where it is happiest and that is our body's set point.  This was difficult for me because my body has been hovering around this high weight range for so long...so does that mean my set point is way up here?  No.  It means that I haven't allowed my body to work as efficiently as it needs to so it has had to create a new higher set point...for the time being.  Now that I am feeding my body real foods, mostly plant based, and I am moving in ways that make me happy (i.e. aquatics and walking), I am giving my body a chance to heal itself and hopefully go back to it's ideal set point.  That also means that I don't have a say so in where it goes.  If I find myself hovering around a certain 10-20 pound range for an extended period of time, then I have to accept that as my new set point.  Even if it isn't my ideal number on a scale or pants size.  I have to focus on the bigger picture and whether or not I feel happy, healthy, and strong.

For those of you considering reading the book (and I highly suggest you do), go into it with an open mind.  Wide open.  It is not a weight loss book.  It does not promise that you will lose any weight.  But it will help you to open your eyes to the Diet Myths we have been told our whole lives.  It will help you to accept the body you have.  It will help you understand what it means to enjoy a wide variety of real foods, primarily plants.  It will help you to listen to your body's needs such as hunger and it's desire to move.  It will help you to hold your head up high in the body you have RIGHT NOW.  It will help you to free your mind of the restrictions we have been giving ourselves for years and it will help you to enjoy food and movement once again.

Join me in being free.  You won't regret it.