Episode #122 Stop Weighing Yourself

Seven Problems

• Individuals with overweight or obesity often experience discrimination in the workplace, leading to lower pay and fewer opportunities for career advancement.
• We live in a weight-obsessed culture, and conversations about weight are often wrapped in judgment and infused with body shaming.
• Losing weight is one the most difficult things we can do to improve our health– perhaps even more difficult than quitting smoking.
• Obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States.
• When healthy choices don’t lead to weight loss, we often become so discouraged that we abandon those healthy choices entirely.
• Similar to watching numbers on a scale, counting calories may increase the risk of having an unhealthy relationship with food.
• Just as having overweight increases our risk for health conditions, so too do eating disorders increase our risk for exercise-related injuries, nutritional deficiencies, low blood count, irregular heart rhythms, irregular periods, and even early death.

Three Principles

• Achieving a healthy body weight reduces the risk of health conditions such as heart attack, stroke, and cancer.
• Healthy choices lower our cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar – even if they don’t result in weight loss.
• If we increase healthy choices and decrease unhealthy choices in our lives, we will inevitably become healthier (and maybe even lose weight in the process).

Numbers to Reduce

• Calories per day
• Cigarettes per day
• Screen time per day
• Minutes spent sitting per day
• Snacks when not hungry
• Tablespoons of condiments or salad dressing per meal
• Sugary or alcoholic beverages per week
• Meals containing red meat per week
• Trips to the ice cream shop or fast-food restaurant per month
• Missed medication doses per month

Numbers to Increase

• Steps per day
• Servings of fruits and vegetables per day
• Hours of sleep per night
• Minutes of exercise per week
• Minutes of reflective practices per week
• Number of medical appointments per year

Five Practices

• If you feel that you may have an unhealthy relationship with food or exercise, talk to a medical provider or mental health professional.
• In order to lose 1 pound per week, reduce your intake by 500 calories per day (while still maintaining an intake of at least 1500 calories per day).
• Evaluate whether you have a healthy weight based on your calculated BMI, not based on the presence or distribution of body fat.
• Avoid long periods of uninterrupted sitting by standing up, stretching, or taking a short walk every hour.
• Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep each night so that your other healthy choices can have their full effect.