WELLNESS & WELL-BEING
Eliminating Weight Stigma
By Shannon Hayes Buescher
Many of us have been taught the idea of “ weight stigma ” - to judge , criticize and “ fix ” those who have more weight on them than what has been deemed to be acceptable by society .
Maybe you fall into this category , and have felt this judgment and this criticism by family , friends , co-workers or health professionals .
As a dietitian , I was taught to help fix someone who is overweight . I was taught that if someone is overweight , they are unhealthy and likely have medical issues . I would then develop weight loss meal plans and weigh them weekly to track their progress . I would pat them on the back and celebrate when there was weight loss , just as I would thoroughly examine what they had done wrong if they gained weight . We would set a new plan to make sure they could stay on track , while writing , counting and measuring their food to make sure they got it right .
And that standard program for people in larger bodies would be what we would call “ disordered ” in smaller bodies ( the weighing , measuring , constantly worrying about their size ). How is it right that I would promote the same behaviors that fuel a disordered war with body and food , simply because they are of a higher weight ? Think about how we are taught to view this ; how we are taught to judge and assume . If someone is trying to lose weight because they are of a higher weight , and they are tracking their calories , writing down every morsel of food that goes into their mouth , weighing and measuring their food , spending hours at the gym , we applaud them . But what is being celebrated is the war with their bodies - the disordered relationship they have created .
When I am counseling an eating-disordered client , I am helping them to trust their bodies again ; trust that they can have balance with foods that make their bodies feel good and energized , along with the foods that they fear ; trust that their bodies will maintain the proper weight , as they listen to their hunger and fullness cues . No one should be told that they cannot have these things because they are of a higher weight , and this is exactly what our society implies .
It is time we start to look at what is really being promoted . With weight stigma , we are under the belief that we should all fall into a certain weight spectrum , or “ one size fits all .” We live in a society where there are so many body shapes and sizes , yet we are taught that the only acceptable size is thin .
What judgments do you pass on someone of a higher weight ? What presumptions do you make ? Change with weight stigma will only come with more acceptance of seeing people for who they are , not what size they are . Will that be you ?
Buescher is a registered and licensed dietitian . She has over 15 years of experience with nutritional counseling in sports nutrition , eating disorders and a non-diet approach to food . Visit her website at hayes-nutrition . com .
SAVVY I SOPHISTICATED I SASSY 89