This summarized information is from Right as Rain by UW Medicine
The Yolk
What is a healthy weight?
- Depends on person and how health is defined
- Generally, practicing healthy behaviors while feeling content overall
- Everyone’s healthy weight differs
- Weight is gathered many ways (reliable and not)
- Is any size healthy?
- HAES approach (Healthy At Every Size) is popular now
- Among women with disordered eating, it improved wellbeing and metabolic healthy
- But excess body fat is associated with many conditions as listed below
Why is a healthy weight important?
- Excess weight from body fat may lead to:
- Diabetes, heart attack, stroke, depression, anxiety, cancer, arthritis, premature death
- Too little weight from body fat may lead to:
- Anemia, osteoporosis, poor immune system
- Either of these also affect mental health
Weight is affected by more than diet and exercise
- What else influences weight?
- Genetics
- Sleep
- Stress
- Hormones and hormone related conditions
- Medications
- Disease
How can weight be managed in a healthy way?
- Make mental health a priority
- If weight is taking over your life, it’s not healthy
- Do something enjoyable
- Do not restrict entirely what you love
- Do not start something you hate
- Use small goals
- Set health goals that are not about weight
Perspective
- Healthy means feeling well mentally and physically with no complaints – practicing healthy behaviors regularly
- Healthy in the medical sense might mean lab numbers are within normal ranges
- Your healthy weight is unique to you, but should be defined as feeling well and not at risk for disease
- Healthy At Every Size is meant for promoting healthy behaviors and overall mental wellness – not saying that obesity is healthy
- Letting weight take over your life is not helpful and try to approach it in a more accessible way with smaller steps
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