Let’s focus on health rather than body weight

We are a society obsessed with body weight. 

So many of my clients constantly worry about the fact that they are not losing weight quickly enough or are afraid that they might gain weight by following my advice (especially if I suggest they include more healthy fat in their diet). Even if their major concern is not weight, but rather some chronic health or fertility issue, they still often are so focused on weight, that it almost seems as though they would happily keep their symptoms if only their weight would be (or stay) what they estimate to be ideal. 

Magazines and the internet are filled with unhealthily skinny models (which we all know far too often struggle with eating disorders and fight their hunger with cigarettes or drugs). On the other extreme, in a response to fat shaming, so-called “real” women and men share pictures of their extra pounds online and receive massive support for their “courage” and “self-esteem”. 

Of course shaming anyone is never a good idea, and I am all for accepting yourself and others the way you are (right now). However, real self-esteem includes self-LOVE. And if you love yourself (or others), you want yourself (or them) to be HEALTHY, so that you (or they) will stay around on this planet not only as long as possible, but as vibrant, energetic and vivid as possible. 

If only we’d focus as much on HEALTH as we do on kilos, things would be VERY different. 

Yes, extra pounds are a reality nowadays for many people, but that doesn’t mean that this is “normal” or that there is nothing we can do about it! Because the reality is as well that we are more and more sick as a society, suffering from all kinds of degenerative diseases, diabetes, metabolic
syndrome etc. 

Unfortunately also when it comes to disease people tend to consider it “normal” to be sick in winter or to have low energy all the time. Well I can tell you, that this is not MY reality (anymore). And it doesn’t have to be yours either.

Of course, I am not suggesting that we should strive to look like the above-mentioned (often unrealistic and unhealthy) super models. I am not even talking about body weight here in a first place.

I am talking about shifting our focus from bodyweight to health.

The question should not be (solely), whether you are in the ideal BMI range. Because there are many people who ARE at a good bodyweight, but who are NOT healthy!

The question should be whether (most of the time) you are full of energy, enjoy a sense of well-being and happiness, are free of chronic pain or illnesses, have a normal appetite without any extreme cravings or binges, sleep sound through the night, have good and regular digestion, a regular and pain-free menstruation as a woman, a clear and focussed mind and balanced emotions.

In other words, the question should be whether your metabolism is in balance.

When you are able to answer yes to this question, I assure you that your body will most likely also be at its ideal weight, even if that means a different thing than what you understand as ideal weight (sometimes gaining weight might be just what you need…). Nobody can tell for sure how much a healthy human being should weigh – not even science can clearly link weight and health. Some people completely transform their body composition and the number on the scale still stays the same! This is because muscle is heavier than fat. As already said, I am constantly meeting
people at a healthy body weight that are not healthy at all. 

In order for a metabolism to be in balance, it requires the right fuel, the right lifestyle and the right mindset for that individual person. It’s not just about eating less and exercising more (as many overweight people can confirm). It’s also not about me finding the right “trick” for you. It’s about you understanding the hidden messages in your symptoms (incl. weight issues) and attending to them. Whether it’s about correcting a hormonal imbalance, stabilizing blood sugar, being more mindful, learning to be more assertive, learning to love yourself unconditionally, forgiving and letting go of old hurts… those messages can be varied and certainly not limited to what you eat or drink. Part of the journey is indeed about learning to focus on health first and trusting the body to self-regulate consequently. It’s also about learning to be patient and trusting the process. About relaxing really (weight and fat loss is accelerated in the relaxation response). My role in this is merely to guide you and help you understand the messages easier and quicker.

So let’s stop being so focussed on some arbitrary number on the scale. Let’s stop sacrificing our health on the altar of some photo-shopped illusion. Let’s stop glorifying morbidly obese people (even if that might make us feel better about our own unwanted kilos).

Let’s all focus on health rather than body weight. And weight will follow all by itself.