Robbie and I started getting our office decorated / settled! And it feels so good.

 

 

 

 

Hey First name / friend! 

 

For the record, I was taught these things too- you can read all about it here. 

 

Even if you were never TOLD these things overtly, the covert messaging of health and wellness standards that we're surrounded with daily definitely sends a clear message and sets the standard for the ‘shoulds’ we throw at ourselves on the regular: “I should work out every day. I should eat clean. I should stop… blah blah blah”

 

There are many differences between weight management, as understood by nutrition, exercise, and behavior specialists to be an ongoing, flexible, preventative measure of health… and weight management, as understood and misinterpreted by profitable mainstream wellness professionals…. and medical personnel… to be a means for weight manipulation- meaning an end-goal of desirable weight or fat loss. 

 

Let's get into why weight is NOT controllable, and what your happiness, self esteem, and health would benefit MOST from if you put your focus elsewhere instead. 

 

AND WHAT ‘should’ WE ALWAYS LOOK FOR WHEN LEARNING NEW INFORMATION??

 

 

Not imagination- that's what got us f*cked up in the first place. 

 

We look for CONTEXT. Because context is the basis of quality information and proper application! Not the sexiest part of learning, but it'll keep you from falling into a whole lot of bullshit if you center it in your learning, and unlearning, processes! 

 

So first, 

Why do we believe our weight is somehow our fault, an achievement, or something to be congratulated/celebrated? 

 

Weight as a fault: A commonly held belief that weight is controllable- that weight is the sum of your food and exercises choices. 

 

Weight as an achievement: This stems from misinformation that behavior change is achieved through mere adherence to a protocol OR way of living. (I.e. Sticking to an outline such as Whole30, macro-tracking, etc OR prescribing yourself to clean-eating or one form of exercise.) 

 

Weight as a celebration: This stems from a celebration of achieving a status quo- highlighting a desirable beauty standard, approval of peers, and a harmful narrative that the struggles associated with intentional weight loss, otherwise known as adhering to dysfunctional behaviors, are somehow to be commemorated rather than eradicated. Just because something is hard doesn't mean it's worth celebrating- or appropriate to celebrate. 

 

And all of these stem from anti-fat biases, false notions of health rooted in decades of medical racism, and an emphasis on whatever beauty standards happen to be ‘in’ at the time- which tend to be skinny, slim-thicc, or my least favorite- 'athletic.' (Athleticism has to be assessed, it can't be seen.) 

 

 

However, the research has BEEN challenging this. Through meta analysis, (a quality- standard in studies) the research strongly suggests that being overweight by 50-75lbs and active is healthier than being underweight by 5lbs and inactive. Furthermore, weight fluctuations, whether intentional or unintentional, show correlation to worsening medical conditions, and even consistently shown to be present in factors leading TO medical conditions. 

 

All these components have an effect on your metabolism as a by-product of homeostasis being disrupted in the body. In other words, weight is never a cause of disruption, it's a result of adaptation- a detail that is regularly misconstrued into blaming weight for things it doesn't have control or impact over. 

 

 

Disruption means the body has to adapt and if the body doesn't have what it needs in order to adapt in a healthy manner, it will do everything in its power to sustain you by whatever means necessary. People don't recognize their ‘weight loss plateau’ as their body setting a boundary…  and end up facing the consequences later when they quickly regain all the weight back and more, with less and less ability to get it off each time they try- how/why this happens is in the next section. 

 

On a cellular level, your body likes to be protected- and it will do whatever it has to do to adapt and keep you safe. But putting it in a calorie deficit for prolonged amounts of time, or in on/off stints commonly known as yo-yo-dieting and/or being on and off health kicks 1-2 times a year or more, is UN-healthy. And when pursuing control over your weight, you're forced to participate in dysfunctional behaviors that overstep your body's non-vocal boundary that are shown to transcend into disorders if left unchecked. 

 

And for the cherry on top, when you're in a caloric deficit, you're expecting your body to adapt to all of life's stressors, while intentionally refusing your body what it needs to successfully live up to that request. When consistently overstepping your body's boundaries, it's only a matter of time until you royally piss it off and it starts to retaliate against you. 

 

Let's define a handful of vocab words so we're all on the same page, then we'll move on from context. 

Let's nip something in the bud real quick- dieting is not always intentional, and not all dieting looks like a protocol designed by someone else. Often times, dieting behaviors are found in people's own interpretations, thus expectations, of what a healthy lifestyle ‘should’ look like. 

 

You can be causing the same level of harm to your body by being on and off health kicks 1-2 times a year that seem harmless as you can following a 1200 calorie diet to the tee using MyFitnessPal, measuring out all your food, or doing something like the Military Diet. 

 

Some of the more unassuming ways of restriction look like challenging yourself to eat ‘clean,' using Whole30 as a ‘jumpstart’ into a healthy lifestyle, committing to a 75Hard challenge with friends, using shame/rewards for how you eat or exercise, or even signing up for your gym's Hell Week just because it's there and you think, “why not, it'll be good for me!”

 

All of these changes, whether they seem harmless or not, cause disruptions to your body's ability to adapt. And if you don't have the proper knowledge, it's likely that you're not giving your body what you need to adapt to those changes and the needs that ensue. Much less are you likely giving yourself the behavioral support needed to SUSTAIN such changes. 

 

 

Because let's get it straight- it's NOT for health. 

 

Whether you're robbing your body of what it needs INTENTIONALLY- through dysfunctional or disordered means of behavior to achieve some version of body-manipulation, or UNINTENTIONALLY by failing to prioritize functional behaviors of health, here is what you can expect to experience… or might be experiencing right meow: 

 

• Energy expenditure decreases

• Metabolic rate decreases 

• Physical activity expenditure decreases

• Hunger increases

• Low circulating glucose stimulates increase in production of hunger-peptide, Orexin, in the brain

• Decreases leptin (peptide responsible for relaying ‘fullness’ to the brain) 

• Gradual increase in lipoprotein lipase (ensures fat storage when eating resumes) 

• Hyperinsulinemia is normalized (amount of insulin in the blood is considered higher than what's considered normal.. not good.) 

• Weakness and fatigue

• Dizziness

• Digestive irregularity - primarily constipation/not pooping daily and general discomfort

• Menstrual irregularity- including irregular symptoms if not irregular cycles

• Cold intolerance / “I'm always cold!” 

• Edema, Gallstones, Gout

 

• Loss of 15-25% of initial weight in 12-16 weeks. 

• Regaining half of lost weight 1 year following protocol end.

• Maintenance of 5% weight loss at 5 years post-diet (only experienced by HALF of those that pursue weight loss) 

• Improvements in blood pressure, blood lipids, glycemic control IF weight loss was appropriate- meaning, these are results that were shown when starting weight was a result of dysfunction to begin with. If not, then there are detriments, not improvements to the above.

 

 

 

 

Weight fluctuations that are resulting from you forcing yourself into unhealthy behaviors that are a means to an end for weight loss, AND/or jumping in and out of health kicks that aren't designed to last are HIGHLY correlated to health issues. From diabetes, to heart disease, to metabolic dysregulation and furthermore, full-blown metabolic dysfunctions.

 

 

Take this example, a doctor who laid out all the symptoms of a prolonged calorie deficit (no bueno) who then went on to suggest that people experiencing these things need to consider… pursuing a calorie deficit…. 

 

Ya'll, couple things- 1. medical professionals receive a laughable fraction of dietary education and the hard-science courses otherwise required to study and graduate from a dietetics program. In other words, just like your doctor can suggest therapy, but isn't the ‘one’ to conduct physical therapy, your doctor can suggest dietary intervention but isn't the one to conduct it. 2. The info medical professionals ARE taught in dietetics is centered in treatment modalities, not lifestyle-focuses, or prevention-modalities. Those are two widely different approaches with tons of context, and assessment, needed. 

 

So though I'm not saying don't listen to your doctor, I am saying self-advocating in medical spaces begins with education and gets protected by making sure medical professionals are not using their position of authority and influence to overreach into things outside of their scope of practice. If your doctor mentions keto in terms of weight management, not because you have a carb-resistant disease- do yourself a favor and find a new doctor. 

 

 

First, let me state that 1. living a healthy lifestyle doesn't insinuate that you'll look like the front of a GQ or Sports Illustrated cover… and part of this work is learning that self-esteem, happiness, balance, and confidence are SKILLS, not born-talents, that are gained through daily pursuit, education, and diligence, not through superficial achievements of status. 

 

 

Because let me tell you- if you think a ‘bangin-bod' or reaching your own idealistic version of a healthy lifestyle will fix all your problems… you need to think again. As I often say, I've known a lot of miserable fucks with a 6-pack- I was one of them. 

 

Your body's healthiest space- where you reach the state of feeling good- may not be the space that you currently idealize as looking good. And if you're going to live out the rest of your life as YOU, then the work of redefining your personal definition of, and identification with, ‘being enough’ for yourself needs to start asap. 

 

 

• Food consistency (making sure you're getting multiple meals a day, every day)

• Food variety (not eating the same meal every day, but varying food choices in order to get a variety of protein sources, carb sources, fat sources, and micronutrients.) 

• Movement consistency (regular movement is more impactful than semi-regular exercise for health. Focus on movement throughout the day before flirting with exercise routines.) 

• Hydration (NOT JUST WATER- a variety of fluids aid in hydration including soda, water, milk, juice, and trace-amounts from regular fruit and veggie intake.)  

• Sleep (get your routines down and bedroom set up for a good night's rest.) 

• Exercise (wonderful aid for health outcomes, sleep quality, and stress management) 

• Stress management (work towards coping strategies, setting up boundaries, 

 

 

Food and exercise play a small role in the grand scheme of things when it comes to weight management (only 12% OF the 36% allotted to the Individual Behavior segment of all lifestyle factors impacting weight.) 

 

 

 

 

So where do we go now? ….. cues Guns N' Roses, Sweet Child of Mine 

(ADHD-thought-of-the-day: Guns N Roses broke my heart when I heard their live album for the first time back in high school… shockingly awful. 10/10 DON'T recommend.) 

 

 

 

GET CREATIVE. It doesn't have to look any one way, or be the ‘perfect’ way- it just has to beYOUR way so it actually has a chance to stick. 

 

See what I did there? 

 

Speaking of finding your way, that's kind of what I do for a living- I help you take the agnostic, self-lead approach to curating a healthy lifestyle that LASTS because it was strategically designed for how you operate naturally. We focus on what you need to feel energized, wave off brain fog, and keep you feeling good. Self-care strategy that takes ALL factors of wellness into consideration- not just food and exercise- so you can focus on what's MOST applicable to you, allowing you to free up space for what's most important to you. 

 

If that makes you randy, come book a call for a free, NO-commitment, first-date and let's see if we can make some magic together. Book a first-date with me here! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

•If coaching is a good fit, we'll get you started. 

•If not, we'll get you turned around in the RIGHT direction!