1 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:13,000 Speaker 1: Hi guys, and welcome to a new episode of You 2 00:00:13,039 --> 00:00:16,360 Speaker 1: Need Therapy Podcast. My name is Kat and I am 3 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:19,439 Speaker 1: your host. I am a therapist that lives and works 4 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:22,279 Speaker 1: in Nashville. And before we get started, I just want 5 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:26,880 Speaker 1: to remind everybody that just because I am a license therapist, 6 00:00:26,920 --> 00:00:30,040 Speaker 1: this podcast does not serve or try to serve as 7 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:34,360 Speaker 1: a replacement or substitute for actual therapy. However, my hope 8 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:37,519 Speaker 1: is that listening to this podcast might influence you in 9 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:40,519 Speaker 1: some way, whether that is for you to start going 10 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:43,519 Speaker 1: to therapy, or maybe talking about something new in therapy, 11 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:47,280 Speaker 1: or even just starting to develop different kinds of conversations 12 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:50,040 Speaker 1: in your day to day life. Now, today, I have 13 00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 1: another solo episode for you, and I actually did a 14 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:56,760 Speaker 1: last minute switch with this one because it kind of 15 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:01,440 Speaker 1: teters off of last week's episode. And I had posted 16 00:01:01,480 --> 00:01:04,920 Speaker 1: something on social media about how the most dangerous diets 17 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:07,080 Speaker 1: are the ones that don't call themselves diets at all 18 00:01:07,120 --> 00:01:10,880 Speaker 1: and actually promote the opposite. And I had a listener 19 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:13,440 Speaker 1: comment on it saying like this is so confusing, like 20 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:15,880 Speaker 1: it seems like all diets are bad, Like what do 21 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:18,000 Speaker 1: you do if you want to lose weight? And I'm 22 00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:20,720 Speaker 1: so confused. There's so much conflicting information out there, and 23 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:22,560 Speaker 1: so I was like, Okay, well this needs to be 24 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:24,480 Speaker 1: bumped up a little bit and let's talk about it now. 25 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:27,840 Speaker 1: So I think like the third or fourth episode that 26 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:30,960 Speaker 1: I ever did when I started the podcast in nineteen 27 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:34,640 Speaker 1: was one called why Diets Don't Work, and I recorded 28 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:37,000 Speaker 1: that with a friend of mine who's actually a dietitian 29 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:40,200 Speaker 1: as well. And I've had a lot of other dietitians 30 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:43,360 Speaker 1: on the podcast to talk about body image and and 31 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:46,600 Speaker 1: why diets are dangerous and all that stuff. And today 32 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:49,640 Speaker 1: I wanted to take some time to do this solo 33 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:53,560 Speaker 1: because I want to give you guys also a therapist 34 00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:58,640 Speaker 1: perspective on why diets can be harmful and stigmatizing and 35 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:02,200 Speaker 1: how weight stigma and all that stuff ties into how 36 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:05,920 Speaker 1: we see ourselves and view ourselves, especially as we are 37 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:09,560 Speaker 1: walking straight into summer, and negative body image is becoming 38 00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:13,520 Speaker 1: more and more prevalent as we see more messaging about 39 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:16,440 Speaker 1: summer bodies and getting in shape for vacation and all 40 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:18,880 Speaker 1: of the stuff that comes with that. Now, what gets confused, 41 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:21,240 Speaker 1: because we live in such a polarizing world, is that 42 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:24,400 Speaker 1: if you're anti diet, that must mean your antihealth and 43 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:26,160 Speaker 1: you don't care about health, and it's like one or 44 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:27,560 Speaker 1: the other, and you have to fit into one of 45 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:31,760 Speaker 1: these boxes. And I'm the opposite of that polarizing view. 46 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:34,919 Speaker 1: I won't be ever joining a diet again. But at 47 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:37,760 Speaker 1: the same time, I give my body a variety of 48 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:40,200 Speaker 1: foods that it needs to survive and operate at an 49 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:43,080 Speaker 1: optical level that I want to operate at. So I 50 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:46,080 Speaker 1: don't just get to like eat whatever I want whenever 51 00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:47,880 Speaker 1: I want to eat it, despite what my body is 52 00:02:47,919 --> 00:02:51,440 Speaker 1: asking for. Like, anti diet does not mean that you 53 00:02:51,480 --> 00:02:55,480 Speaker 1: don't care about how you are feeding yourself and moving 54 00:02:55,480 --> 00:02:58,520 Speaker 1: your body and caring for yourself. Now, I think what 55 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:01,960 Speaker 1: the listener who had commented on one of my posts 56 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:05,040 Speaker 1: was confused about. I'm assuming this. I didn't really ask 57 00:03:05,240 --> 00:03:08,119 Speaker 1: more detail, but it's confusing, because what's wrong with someone 58 00:03:08,120 --> 00:03:09,880 Speaker 1: wanting to shed a couple of pounds if it will 59 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:12,080 Speaker 1: make them happy? Like why would that be a bad idea? 60 00:03:12,120 --> 00:03:14,639 Speaker 1: To join weight watchers for a month to shed five pounds? 61 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:18,239 Speaker 1: Seems like harmless? And like what if my doctor told 62 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:19,880 Speaker 1: me I need to lose weight? Like what the heck 63 00:03:19,919 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 1: am I supposed to do if I can't use a diet, then, like, 64 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:24,320 Speaker 1: how do I lose weight? And what if they even 65 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:26,560 Speaker 1: suggest a diet? And I'm going to break this down, 66 00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:29,360 Speaker 1: because it's a messy, entangled web into four main points. 67 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:33,239 Speaker 1: I'm going to explain from a therapist perspective who specialized 68 00:03:33,280 --> 00:03:36,160 Speaker 1: in the eating disorders, that's my perspective, why dieting probably 69 00:03:36,200 --> 00:03:38,280 Speaker 1: is not going to offer the solution that you're looking for, 70 00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:42,920 Speaker 1: whether it's health benefits or feeling good about yourself or 71 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:45,760 Speaker 1: building confidence. I'm going to talk about why that's really 72 00:03:45,760 --> 00:03:48,840 Speaker 1: not the solution and there are other options out there 73 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:52,200 Speaker 1: for us to work towards those things. So number one, 74 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:55,760 Speaker 1: this one's really simple. Diets simply just don't work when 75 00:03:55,760 --> 00:03:58,040 Speaker 1: it comes to long term weight loss, which discredits their 76 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:01,520 Speaker 1: ability to serve as viable solutions for both health or 77 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:04,600 Speaker 1: self esteem issues. And you don't have to just like 78 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:08,040 Speaker 1: believe me, because there has tons and tons and tons 79 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:10,840 Speaker 1: and tons and tons of research that has proven that 80 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:15,400 Speaker 1: diets do not work. The statistic right now is people 81 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:19,320 Speaker 1: who diet end up gaining back the weight they lose 82 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:22,039 Speaker 1: or gaining back the weight they lose plus more. And 83 00:04:22,080 --> 00:04:25,120 Speaker 1: there is a research study that analyzed thirty one long 84 00:04:25,279 --> 00:04:29,400 Speaker 1: term studies on dieting and after they did this. The 85 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:32,400 Speaker 1: lead author of the study, Tracy Man, she is a 86 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:35,799 Speaker 1: associate professor of psychology at U c l A, said, 87 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:39,880 Speaker 1: you can initially lose five to of your weight on 88 00:04:39,920 --> 00:04:43,919 Speaker 1: any number of diets, but the weight comes back. The 89 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:47,280 Speaker 1: research found that even though someone could typically lose five 90 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:50,680 Speaker 1: of their starting weight in the first six months, at 91 00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:53,799 Speaker 1: least one third to two thirds of people on diets 92 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:57,120 Speaker 1: regain weight that they lost within four to five years. 93 00:04:57,600 --> 00:04:59,880 Speaker 1: And what is even more interesting is that this to 94 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:03,360 Speaker 1: stick in its most true form is probably even higher, 95 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:06,920 Speaker 1: meaning that diets are probably more ineffective than we can 96 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:11,400 Speaker 1: even conclude because of a couple of reasons that include 97 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:13,560 Speaker 1: the fact that these studies a lot of the times 98 00:05:13,560 --> 00:05:16,200 Speaker 1: were self reported, so people would self report their weight 99 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:19,200 Speaker 1: by like phone or they would mail it in rather 100 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:22,920 Speaker 1: than going somewhere and having their weight measured by like 101 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:25,960 Speaker 1: the same person every single time on the same scale 102 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:28,320 Speaker 1: in the same place. And the other thing is these 103 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:32,560 Speaker 1: studies had typically very low follow up rates, So eight 104 00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:35,159 Speaker 1: of these thirty one studies had follow up rates lower 105 00:05:35,160 --> 00:05:39,599 Speaker 1: than fifty and the ones that did respond, you have 106 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:41,080 Speaker 1: to think about it this way, the ones that did 107 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:45,359 Speaker 1: respond probably weren't representative of the entire group, since the 108 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:47,960 Speaker 1: people who gained back large amounts of weight are going 109 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:50,719 Speaker 1: to be more unlikely to show up for the follow 110 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:52,839 Speaker 1: up tests, and the people that are keeping the weight 111 00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:55,880 Speaker 1: off are going to be more likely to actually go 112 00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:58,440 Speaker 1: to these follow up tests. And a co author of 113 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:01,960 Speaker 1: the study, Janet tom Yama, which is like one of 114 00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:03,920 Speaker 1: the coolest last names I've ever heard. I hope I'm 115 00:06:03,920 --> 00:06:07,440 Speaker 1: saying that right, said Several studies indicate that dieting actually 116 00:06:07,560 --> 00:06:10,800 Speaker 1: is a consistent predictor of future weight gain. One of 117 00:06:10,839 --> 00:06:13,400 Speaker 1: the studies found that both men and women who participated 118 00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:17,440 Speaker 1: informal weight loss programs gained significantly more weight over a 119 00:06:17,480 --> 00:06:20,000 Speaker 1: two year period than those who had not participated in 120 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:23,560 Speaker 1: a weight loss program at all. Another study, which examined 121 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:26,520 Speaker 1: a variety of lifestyle factors in their relationship to changes 122 00:06:26,560 --> 00:06:30,479 Speaker 1: in weight in more than nineteen thousand healthy older men 123 00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:33,480 Speaker 1: over a four year period, found that one of the 124 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:37,559 Speaker 1: best predictors of weight gain over four years was having 125 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:40,080 Speaker 1: weight loss on a diet at some point during the 126 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:43,279 Speaker 1: years before the study started. In several studies, people in 127 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:46,600 Speaker 1: control groups who didn't diet were not that much worse off, 128 00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:49,880 Speaker 1: and in many cases were better off than those who 129 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:53,160 Speaker 1: did diet. We found that the majority of people regained 130 00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:56,839 Speaker 1: all of the weight plus more. So, again, you don't 131 00:06:56,880 --> 00:06:58,800 Speaker 1: have to take my word for it. And so it's 132 00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:01,960 Speaker 1: really interest seeing that although we have all this information, 133 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:03,760 Speaker 1: and we have all of these studies saying that like, 134 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:07,240 Speaker 1: diets actually don't help us long term, like they're very 135 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:10,160 Speaker 1: short term solutions that then create bigger problems in the future. 136 00:07:10,560 --> 00:07:13,240 Speaker 1: It's very interesting that we have this information over and 137 00:07:13,320 --> 00:07:16,080 Speaker 1: over and over, yet we still choose to push diets, 138 00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:19,200 Speaker 1: and we still choose to glamorize diets, and we still 139 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:22,840 Speaker 1: choose to follow diets, and doctors still choose to promote them, 140 00:07:22,920 --> 00:07:27,200 Speaker 1: And it's just very interesting them we're just ignoring information 141 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:30,560 Speaker 1: that's actually could be helpful to us in a number 142 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:33,240 Speaker 1: of ways. Now, one of the reasons I believe it's 143 00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:35,960 Speaker 1: so important to continue to repeat this information is because 144 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:39,080 Speaker 1: it is not very often that diets take responsibility for 145 00:07:39,120 --> 00:07:41,800 Speaker 1: the ineffectiveness of their program. And I talked about this 146 00:07:42,360 --> 00:07:45,760 Speaker 1: in last week's episode. If the diet fails, the consumer 147 00:07:45,880 --> 00:07:49,600 Speaker 1: is blamed inducing like an unnecessary amount of shame on 148 00:07:49,640 --> 00:07:53,080 Speaker 1: someone who seemingly is just trying to like better themselves. 149 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:55,760 Speaker 1: But what we know based on research like this, like 150 00:07:55,800 --> 00:07:57,600 Speaker 1: the study that I was just talking about, is that 151 00:07:57,720 --> 00:08:00,640 Speaker 1: the diets are actually most likely the problem them. Our 152 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:03,000 Speaker 1: bodies were not designed to be put on restrictive food 153 00:08:03,040 --> 00:08:06,600 Speaker 1: plants that force us to cut out whole food groups 154 00:08:06,680 --> 00:08:10,560 Speaker 1: and a crazy amount of energy from entering our body. 155 00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:14,520 Speaker 1: And diets are not pleasant. They're not fun, and they 156 00:08:14,520 --> 00:08:17,280 Speaker 1: are largely unpleasant because they forced us to go against 157 00:08:17,280 --> 00:08:20,600 Speaker 1: their own bodies biology, and as we do that, they 158 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:23,840 Speaker 1: cause our body stress and they promote an increase in 159 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:27,560 Speaker 1: a stress hormone called cortisol. Like that's not a fun experience. 160 00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:31,120 Speaker 1: So how do the people who are creating these diets 161 00:08:31,120 --> 00:08:34,800 Speaker 1: think that humans will most likely cope with the adage 162 00:08:34,840 --> 00:08:37,960 Speaker 1: stress when their brains are also depleted of the necessary 163 00:08:38,040 --> 00:08:41,240 Speaker 1: nutrients to operate optimally well. The correct answer is not 164 00:08:41,600 --> 00:08:44,400 Speaker 1: healthy ways that they would otherwise turn to if they 165 00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:46,760 Speaker 1: were being fed and their body could actually use the 166 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:49,200 Speaker 1: energy that it needs to make decisions that are best 167 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:52,440 Speaker 1: for them. We cope with things that offer immediate gratification 168 00:08:52,480 --> 00:08:56,240 Speaker 1: in these areas, like alcoholic sex, like reckless behavior, and 169 00:08:57,080 --> 00:09:01,640 Speaker 1: wouldn't you know, like binge eating adds to shame and 170 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:11,760 Speaker 1: also leads me right into my second point. So number 171 00:09:11,760 --> 00:09:17,040 Speaker 1: two diets generally promote unsustainable rules and guidelines, and they 172 00:09:17,080 --> 00:09:20,160 Speaker 1: affect the quality of our life and create black holes 173 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:24,920 Speaker 1: for anxiety disorders to develop, and also unnecessary fear and 174 00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:28,280 Speaker 1: or obsession with foods. Last week, I also said that 175 00:09:28,320 --> 00:09:31,480 Speaker 1: the easiest way to make not eating a food hard 176 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:34,080 Speaker 1: is to tell someone they can't have it. So when 177 00:09:34,120 --> 00:09:37,240 Speaker 1: we aren't allowed to have certain foods, we lose the 178 00:09:37,280 --> 00:09:41,080 Speaker 1: ability to habituate ourselves towards those foods. And what I 179 00:09:41,080 --> 00:09:44,160 Speaker 1: mean by this is, imagine you run into the fence 180 00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:46,640 Speaker 1: outside of your house with your car and you knock 181 00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:49,000 Speaker 1: down like a big chunk of that fence, and you're 182 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:51,200 Speaker 1: not in a rush to fix it, so after a while, 183 00:09:51,240 --> 00:09:53,520 Speaker 1: you kind of forget that there's like a mess there. 184 00:09:53,559 --> 00:09:55,400 Speaker 1: You drive by that part of the fence every single 185 00:09:55,480 --> 00:09:57,120 Speaker 1: day when you back out of your driveway when you 186 00:09:57,160 --> 00:09:59,680 Speaker 1: pull in, and you get used to seeing it, and 187 00:09:59,720 --> 00:10:02,040 Speaker 1: so after a couple of days, you don't really have 188 00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:05,199 Speaker 1: the big reaction that you might have like the first 189 00:10:05,280 --> 00:10:07,440 Speaker 1: or second day after you see it, you don't really 190 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:09,439 Speaker 1: have this big like, oh, I can't believe I did that. 191 00:10:09,760 --> 00:10:11,840 Speaker 1: You might not even notice it anymore because it just 192 00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:15,000 Speaker 1: becomes part of the fence, right, just becomes part of 193 00:10:15,040 --> 00:10:18,560 Speaker 1: your yard. Then maybe your mom or somebody comes to 194 00:10:18,640 --> 00:10:20,280 Speaker 1: visit for the first time in a long time and 195 00:10:20,320 --> 00:10:23,160 Speaker 1: she sees the hole in the fence and your mom, 196 00:10:23,240 --> 00:10:25,600 Speaker 1: let's just keep going with Your mom comes in and 197 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:27,600 Speaker 1: the first thing she says when she walks in is 198 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:31,079 Speaker 1: what the heck happened to your fence? She isn't used 199 00:10:31,080 --> 00:10:33,400 Speaker 1: to seeing it, so it's a big deal to her, 200 00:10:33,640 --> 00:10:35,880 Speaker 1: and it was the first thing that she saw our 201 00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:39,320 Speaker 1: notice when she pulled into your driveway. Well, the dessert 202 00:10:39,360 --> 00:10:42,600 Speaker 1: table might be the first thing you notice at any 203 00:10:42,640 --> 00:10:44,400 Speaker 1: event you go to. If you're not allowed to have 204 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:47,200 Speaker 1: dessert and you don't get to like experience yourself having 205 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:50,240 Speaker 1: the option to have dessert for a long time. You 206 00:10:50,280 --> 00:10:53,280 Speaker 1: aren't used to seeing dessert. You aren't used to tasting 207 00:10:53,760 --> 00:10:55,880 Speaker 1: something that you really love, like a cookie or a 208 00:10:55,880 --> 00:10:59,240 Speaker 1: brownie or a piece of cake, and it becomes like magic, 209 00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:02,400 Speaker 1: like forbid and magic. So when you do get to 210 00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:04,720 Speaker 1: have it, you go all in. It's huge. You don't 211 00:11:04,720 --> 00:11:07,000 Speaker 1: have one brownie, you have one of everything at that 212 00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:10,880 Speaker 1: dessert table, so you don't get to have this habituation 213 00:11:10,960 --> 00:11:14,840 Speaker 1: that we usually do have with foods. Like I could 214 00:11:14,840 --> 00:11:17,760 Speaker 1: have a pack of Oreos and my freezer. I keep 215 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:20,160 Speaker 1: them in the freezer, that's a pro tip for months 216 00:11:20,320 --> 00:11:22,080 Speaker 1: and not eat the whole thing. But if I tell 217 00:11:22,120 --> 00:11:24,880 Speaker 1: myself I can't have Oreos and they're off limits and 218 00:11:24,880 --> 00:11:27,880 Speaker 1: they're bad, if I actually end up going and getting 219 00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:29,800 Speaker 1: them and putting them in my freezer, I might eat 220 00:11:29,840 --> 00:11:33,240 Speaker 1: the whole pack of Oreos that night because I'm not 221 00:11:33,360 --> 00:11:36,000 Speaker 1: used to it being a normal thing. It's magic. They 222 00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:37,960 Speaker 1: like speak to me and talk to me from inside 223 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:41,640 Speaker 1: the freezer. Willpower can only take somebody so far. You 224 00:11:41,720 --> 00:11:44,440 Speaker 1: can resist foods for a period of time, and then 225 00:11:44,480 --> 00:11:46,160 Speaker 1: it's going to come down to how do I make 226 00:11:46,200 --> 00:11:48,360 Speaker 1: it the easiest to not engage in eating the things 227 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:51,840 Speaker 1: that my body is craving and wanting, which like is 228 00:11:51,880 --> 00:11:55,600 Speaker 1: such a messed up thought. So once the willpower is gone, 229 00:11:55,640 --> 00:11:57,440 Speaker 1: once that runs out, you're gonna have to start to 230 00:11:57,480 --> 00:12:01,440 Speaker 1: engage in behaviors that eventually will shrink your life. If 231 00:12:01,480 --> 00:12:04,760 Speaker 1: it's too hard for you to resist Grandma's pasta you're 232 00:12:04,760 --> 00:12:06,240 Speaker 1: not going to go to her house for dinner. If 233 00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:08,320 Speaker 1: you're out with your friends and they want to go 234 00:12:08,400 --> 00:12:10,199 Speaker 1: get ice cream after you, like go to the movies 235 00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:12,160 Speaker 1: or something, you're going to head home and you're going 236 00:12:12,240 --> 00:12:14,720 Speaker 1: to miss out on that time with them. You're gonna 237 00:12:14,800 --> 00:12:16,800 Speaker 1: end up missing out on life events because you're afraid 238 00:12:16,880 --> 00:12:19,000 Speaker 1: you will eat something that in reality you may not 239 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:23,040 Speaker 1: even really want or definitely might not want an excess 240 00:12:23,120 --> 00:12:26,160 Speaker 1: if those foods were allowed in your life. Diets promote 241 00:12:26,160 --> 00:12:28,800 Speaker 1: the idea that food also has this like moral value, 242 00:12:28,840 --> 00:12:31,880 Speaker 1: like spinach is good and candy corn is bad. Also, 243 00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:36,040 Speaker 1: candy corn and peanuts and Eminem's mixed together in the 244 00:12:36,120 --> 00:12:39,760 Speaker 1: same bag or bowl is a very delicious treat and 245 00:12:39,760 --> 00:12:42,720 Speaker 1: I highly recommend anybody who has not tried it to 246 00:12:42,760 --> 00:12:46,920 Speaker 1: try it anyway. So this moral value that like spinach 247 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:49,480 Speaker 1: is good and candy corn is bad, just think about 248 00:12:49,520 --> 00:12:52,839 Speaker 1: the way that people talk when they're on a diet. Right, 249 00:12:52,880 --> 00:12:54,760 Speaker 1: So I was so bad last night I had a 250 00:12:54,760 --> 00:12:57,440 Speaker 1: piece of cake at the party. Eating cake does not 251 00:12:57,559 --> 00:13:00,520 Speaker 1: make you bad, no more than skipping to disert makes 252 00:13:00,520 --> 00:13:06,000 Speaker 1: you good. That is not an accurate representation of morality. 253 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:09,440 Speaker 1: And yeah, there's definite truth to the idea that it 254 00:13:09,559 --> 00:13:12,040 Speaker 1: isn't good for you to just like eat cake for 255 00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:15,320 Speaker 1: every single meal and that's all you have all day. 256 00:13:15,920 --> 00:13:18,080 Speaker 1: And at the same time, there's definite truth to the 257 00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:21,480 Speaker 1: idea that eating spinach for every single meal and that's 258 00:13:21,480 --> 00:13:23,959 Speaker 1: all you have isn't good for you. What a lot 259 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:27,440 Speaker 1: of people don't know, because it's not really a common 260 00:13:27,679 --> 00:13:31,040 Speaker 1: piece of information that we're fed growing up, is that 261 00:13:31,080 --> 00:13:35,959 Speaker 1: our brains run on glucose, which comes from carbs. So 262 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:38,200 Speaker 1: engaging in a diet that doesn't allow you to eat 263 00:13:38,240 --> 00:13:41,120 Speaker 1: carbs doesn't make any sense. If our brain is not 264 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:44,120 Speaker 1: getting what it needs to operate and function properly, what 265 00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:46,800 Speaker 1: is going to happen. One We're going to start to 266 00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:48,920 Speaker 1: take energy from other functions of our body, and we're 267 00:13:48,920 --> 00:13:51,080 Speaker 1: going to create like a hierarchy of needs in that 268 00:13:51,400 --> 00:13:55,120 Speaker 1: which might explain why if you are restricting foods, maybe 269 00:13:55,120 --> 00:13:57,400 Speaker 1: you're getting cold all the time and you can't regulate 270 00:13:57,880 --> 00:14:00,800 Speaker 1: your temperature because it ends up being more important for 271 00:14:00,840 --> 00:14:04,760 Speaker 1: your body to send that energy to your lungs breathing 272 00:14:04,880 --> 00:14:07,760 Speaker 1: than it is for you to be cold or comfortable 273 00:14:07,960 --> 00:14:10,840 Speaker 1: temperature wise, there's gonna be a hierarchy that happens when 274 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:12,960 Speaker 1: there's only a certain amount of energy and you're not 275 00:14:13,040 --> 00:14:15,880 Speaker 1: you don't have enough energy to actually do everything it 276 00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:18,320 Speaker 1: is that your body really needs to do. There's gonna 277 00:14:18,320 --> 00:14:20,640 Speaker 1: be a hierarchy, So mood regulation is going to be 278 00:14:20,720 --> 00:14:23,440 Speaker 1: something that might end up getting pushed to the side 279 00:14:23,520 --> 00:14:26,560 Speaker 1: so you can breathe and your heart can pump blood 280 00:14:26,640 --> 00:14:30,120 Speaker 1: through your body. And then number two, we will eventually 281 00:14:30,200 --> 00:14:33,680 Speaker 1: lack energy that our brain needs to make logical decisions, 282 00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:36,320 Speaker 1: which is one of the reasons why maintaining the diet 283 00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:41,040 Speaker 1: becomes so exhausting. Diets aren't meant to be sustainable for 284 00:14:41,120 --> 00:14:44,000 Speaker 1: your whole life. The whole thirty is only supposed to 285 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:46,960 Speaker 1: be thirty days, and then noon gives you trackers to 286 00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:49,320 Speaker 1: identify like how long it should take to reach your 287 00:14:49,320 --> 00:14:51,840 Speaker 1: goal weight. So then like after that thirty days or 288 00:14:51,840 --> 00:14:54,400 Speaker 1: after you reach that goal weight, like what ends up 289 00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:57,480 Speaker 1: happening after you do that? These things are not supposed 290 00:14:57,480 --> 00:15:00,800 Speaker 1: to be lifelong thing. You wouldn't be on the whole 291 00:15:00,840 --> 00:15:05,440 Speaker 1: thirty forever. So what happens after you've reached that goal 292 00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:08,840 Speaker 1: that that specific diet gives you. By this point, you've 293 00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:13,960 Speaker 1: already interrupted your body's metabolism, energy, hormone production, internal defense 294 00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:17,440 Speaker 1: system like literally our nervous system. You can't just snap 295 00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:19,720 Speaker 1: back to normal. And because you have been so hyper 296 00:15:19,720 --> 00:15:23,120 Speaker 1: focused on your body and food, you may start to 297 00:15:23,160 --> 00:15:26,920 Speaker 1: notice everything. Fear of previously restricted foods may emerge in 298 00:15:26,960 --> 00:15:31,120 Speaker 1: conjunction with the obsession of them. Diets are short term 299 00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:34,240 Speaker 1: solutions to things that we think we have a problem 300 00:15:34,280 --> 00:15:37,960 Speaker 1: with that end up creating more problems for us in 301 00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:42,400 Speaker 1: the future. Now let's go to number three. Mainstream diets 302 00:15:42,480 --> 00:15:47,280 Speaker 1: are weight loss promoting, not health promoting. Like I said earlier, 303 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:50,920 Speaker 1: dieting can lead to unhealthy changes in body composition. Hormones 304 00:15:51,760 --> 00:15:56,200 Speaker 1: reduce bone density, your mental cycles get messed up, you 305 00:15:56,240 --> 00:16:00,320 Speaker 1: have lower energy, like all of the stuff. Weighing less 306 00:16:00,360 --> 00:16:02,800 Speaker 1: does not mean somebody is healthier. In fact, it can 307 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:05,240 Speaker 1: mean quite the opposite. And this is where I get 308 00:16:05,280 --> 00:16:07,760 Speaker 1: to talk about my beef with the b M I scale. 309 00:16:08,080 --> 00:16:10,160 Speaker 1: And I think this part is really important because we 310 00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:12,800 Speaker 1: will get to the part where we talk about losing 311 00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:15,440 Speaker 1: weight to fit into society. But many people go on 312 00:16:15,520 --> 00:16:19,080 Speaker 1: diets because their doctors tell them in order to lose 313 00:16:19,080 --> 00:16:22,560 Speaker 1: weight and avoid health risk complications and all of that 314 00:16:22,600 --> 00:16:24,520 Speaker 1: they need to go on a diet. Weight does not 315 00:16:24,560 --> 00:16:28,520 Speaker 1: accurately portray one's health, but because there's a stigma, many 316 00:16:28,560 --> 00:16:32,320 Speaker 1: doctors overlook any and all other markers that more accurately 317 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:35,440 Speaker 1: assess somebody's health. And this is so interesting to me 318 00:16:35,480 --> 00:16:38,480 Speaker 1: that we are continuing to do this today. And I'm 319 00:16:38,480 --> 00:16:40,640 Speaker 1: not going to say that your body composition and what 320 00:16:40,720 --> 00:16:43,400 Speaker 1: you eat doesn't have any role in your health or 321 00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:45,360 Speaker 1: your quality of life. Not going to say that, but 322 00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:47,640 Speaker 1: they are never ever going to be the entire picture. 323 00:16:48,160 --> 00:16:50,600 Speaker 1: And we emphasize this way way, way, way, way, way 324 00:16:50,640 --> 00:16:53,000 Speaker 1: way too much. There are so many other things that 325 00:16:53,080 --> 00:16:56,040 Speaker 1: play a role in our health. In fact, things like 326 00:16:56,120 --> 00:16:59,880 Speaker 1: relationships and our level of loneliness can lead to depression, 327 00:17:00,080 --> 00:17:02,720 Speaker 1: can have a much greater impact on our immune system 328 00:17:02,800 --> 00:17:06,400 Speaker 1: than fitting into a size six genes. So if our 329 00:17:06,480 --> 00:17:09,800 Speaker 1: diets are creating these smaller lifestyles and then we have 330 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:12,879 Speaker 1: this experience of one not being able to regulate our 331 00:17:12,920 --> 00:17:15,560 Speaker 1: mood because we don't have enough energy, but also we 332 00:17:15,600 --> 00:17:18,359 Speaker 1: feel this loneliness and depression because of the isolation that 333 00:17:18,400 --> 00:17:21,520 Speaker 1: the diets push us into. That is going to cause 334 00:17:21,600 --> 00:17:25,080 Speaker 1: more health risks many times than the weight that this 335 00:17:25,200 --> 00:17:34,760 Speaker 1: person has been at previously. So let's get back to 336 00:17:34,800 --> 00:17:36,600 Speaker 1: b m I. If you don't know what b m 337 00:17:36,600 --> 00:17:38,720 Speaker 1: I is, it's the body mass index and it's a 338 00:17:38,760 --> 00:17:41,800 Speaker 1: calculation that over and over and over and over has 339 00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:45,359 Speaker 1: been proven to be an ineffective indicator of health, yet 340 00:17:45,520 --> 00:17:47,840 Speaker 1: over and over and over again, we continue to use it. 341 00:17:48,080 --> 00:17:50,080 Speaker 1: And if you want to know more just about b 342 00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:54,000 Speaker 1: m I, the Maintenance Phase podcast has an amazing episode 343 00:17:54,040 --> 00:17:56,680 Speaker 1: on it that was very eye opening to me, even 344 00:17:57,119 --> 00:18:01,040 Speaker 1: as somebody who despises this scale. So very often still 345 00:18:01,160 --> 00:18:02,919 Speaker 1: doctors will look at your b m I and then 346 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:05,320 Speaker 1: immediately tell you that you need to lose weight. And 347 00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:08,199 Speaker 1: why I don't know. I really don't know, and I 348 00:18:08,240 --> 00:18:12,000 Speaker 1: would love an answer to this question. But like, if 349 00:18:12,040 --> 00:18:14,719 Speaker 1: losing weights the answer to my health concerns, then okay, 350 00:18:14,800 --> 00:18:18,080 Speaker 1: I'll just go on a heart disease promoting diet like 351 00:18:18,119 --> 00:18:20,159 Speaker 1: the Keto diet and see what happens to me. Like, 352 00:18:20,240 --> 00:18:22,560 Speaker 1: it's not just your weight that's the issue, because I 353 00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:26,720 Speaker 1: can lose weight and be a more unhealthy point in 354 00:18:26,760 --> 00:18:29,080 Speaker 1: my life than I was previously. And I have a 355 00:18:29,080 --> 00:18:32,600 Speaker 1: client who gave me permission to share this story, and um, 356 00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:37,320 Speaker 1: I want to share it because it drove me crazy mad. 357 00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:39,119 Speaker 1: It's one of those stories that when it was told, 358 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:41,640 Speaker 1: I could not just like keep like this straight, unbiased face. 359 00:18:41,680 --> 00:18:43,040 Speaker 1: It was like my jaw was dropped and I was 360 00:18:43,080 --> 00:18:46,200 Speaker 1: so upset, and she gave me permission to share the story, 361 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:48,159 Speaker 1: so I'm going to share it. And basically she went 362 00:18:48,200 --> 00:18:51,040 Speaker 1: to a new doctor for like a routine physical and 363 00:18:51,760 --> 00:18:55,560 Speaker 1: I guess the doctor was asking these questions that were 364 00:18:55,600 --> 00:18:58,320 Speaker 1: like kind of leading, and they were like how often 365 00:18:58,359 --> 00:19:01,160 Speaker 1: do you exercise? And what kind of foods do you eat? 366 00:19:01,200 --> 00:19:04,359 Speaker 1: And like stuff very much where she was like, I 367 00:19:04,440 --> 00:19:06,760 Speaker 1: kind of see where you're going with this, and the 368 00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:08,440 Speaker 1: doctor then was like, okay, well do you have any 369 00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:13,199 Speaker 1: other questions or concerns and my client was like, well, no, 370 00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:18,240 Speaker 1: do you And the doctor basically said, I mean, so 371 00:19:18,480 --> 00:19:20,600 Speaker 1: your b m I is at this and I think it. 372 00:19:20,960 --> 00:19:22,640 Speaker 1: I don't know. I'm gonna make up a number that 373 00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:25,320 Speaker 1: it might have been. I think maybe like thirty two 374 00:19:25,440 --> 00:19:29,480 Speaker 1: or thirty and you're fine now, but to avoid any 375 00:19:29,480 --> 00:19:33,280 Speaker 1: future health complications and issues, I think you need really 376 00:19:33,280 --> 00:19:38,360 Speaker 1: need to think about losing about fifteen pounds. And that 377 00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:41,199 Speaker 1: pause that I just gave you was a pause of 378 00:19:41,240 --> 00:19:44,600 Speaker 1: me being like what, And of course, when you're in 379 00:19:44,600 --> 00:19:47,560 Speaker 1: those moments, often it's hard to like really say what 380 00:19:47,640 --> 00:19:50,480 Speaker 1: you want to say because you're trying to like filter 381 00:19:50,720 --> 00:19:53,679 Speaker 1: and understand, like what is going on? This seems crazy? 382 00:19:53,760 --> 00:19:55,720 Speaker 1: And this is a client who I've seen for a 383 00:19:55,760 --> 00:19:58,000 Speaker 1: couple of years and we've talked a lot about body 384 00:19:58,040 --> 00:20:01,640 Speaker 1: image and weight and and disordered eating and all of that, 385 00:20:02,320 --> 00:20:04,840 Speaker 1: and she's at a point where she understands that, like, 386 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:07,560 Speaker 1: that's a really messed up thing to say, yet it 387 00:20:07,600 --> 00:20:09,879 Speaker 1: still has the ability to affect her, especially coming from 388 00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:11,879 Speaker 1: a health professional. We were talking about like, well, what 389 00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:13,600 Speaker 1: would you wish you would have said back to that? 390 00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:16,480 Speaker 1: And it was something along the lines of like, well, 391 00:20:16,520 --> 00:20:20,760 Speaker 1: what would that fifteen pounds actually do to influence my weight? 392 00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:23,560 Speaker 1: Like where is the information? And tell me the facts? 393 00:20:23,680 --> 00:20:26,160 Speaker 1: And how do you know this and all of that, 394 00:20:26,200 --> 00:20:28,760 Speaker 1: because I don't think that she would know that The 395 00:20:28,840 --> 00:20:31,840 Speaker 1: answers like what would fifth losing fifteen pounds do to 396 00:20:31,920 --> 00:20:37,000 Speaker 1: somebody who lives an extremely healthy, productive, exciting life, Like 397 00:20:37,119 --> 00:20:42,280 Speaker 1: she's a generally happy, well adjusted human being who moves 398 00:20:42,280 --> 00:20:46,200 Speaker 1: her body, enjoys food, takes care of herself, and so 399 00:20:46,520 --> 00:20:49,160 Speaker 1: what would she have to sacrifice. In order to fit 400 00:20:49,200 --> 00:20:51,879 Speaker 1: into that BMI category that this doctor is saying is 401 00:20:51,880 --> 00:20:54,399 Speaker 1: going to offer her optimal health, she would have to 402 00:20:54,440 --> 00:20:58,320 Speaker 1: sacrifice optimal health. I think something that we don't take 403 00:20:58,359 --> 00:21:01,680 Speaker 1: into account enough when it comes to the health world 404 00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:05,919 Speaker 1: is that what someone will do to lose weight will 405 00:21:06,040 --> 00:21:08,880 Speaker 1: very often be worse than remaining at their current weight. 406 00:21:09,119 --> 00:21:12,320 Speaker 1: There are some really weird, screwed up things that are 407 00:21:12,359 --> 00:21:15,680 Speaker 1: being promoted out there and pushed to help people lose weight, 408 00:21:15,680 --> 00:21:18,280 Speaker 1: as if weight is the end all be all to 409 00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:21,720 Speaker 1: our happiness and health, and they really can influence our 410 00:21:21,760 --> 00:21:25,000 Speaker 1: mental health, but our physical health as well. Like I 411 00:21:25,040 --> 00:21:27,960 Speaker 1: said before, like the Keto diet is a heart disease 412 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:32,040 Speaker 1: promoting diet that's confusing b M I also blatantly ignores 413 00:21:32,080 --> 00:21:34,879 Speaker 1: all other markers of health. It doesn't make any sense. 414 00:21:35,280 --> 00:21:37,720 Speaker 1: I want y'all to know that you actually have the 415 00:21:37,840 --> 00:21:39,960 Speaker 1: right to refuse being a weight at the doctor's office. 416 00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:43,720 Speaker 1: There are so many other ways a doctor can't assess 417 00:21:43,760 --> 00:21:45,840 Speaker 1: your health, and when you ask not to be weighed, 418 00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:48,439 Speaker 1: they have to use those instead, which actually can be 419 00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:52,000 Speaker 1: way more helpful. Dr David Frederick of Chapman University, who 420 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:55,280 Speaker 1: has published countless studies on weight, body image, and weight 421 00:21:55,320 --> 00:21:58,679 Speaker 1: stigmas was quoted saying at one point, one thing we 422 00:21:58,720 --> 00:22:01,680 Speaker 1: know is that X barings and stigma can in and 423 00:22:01,760 --> 00:22:05,000 Speaker 1: of itself affect health. It can increase stress and affect 424 00:22:05,040 --> 00:22:08,520 Speaker 1: your body's ability to deal with pathogens. That's the direct 425 00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:11,440 Speaker 1: negative effect of stigma on the body. And Also, b 426 00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:14,199 Speaker 1: m I, which is based on just your height and 427 00:22:14,240 --> 00:22:17,320 Speaker 1: your weight, is an inaccurate measure of body fat content 428 00:22:17,400 --> 00:22:20,840 Speaker 1: and does not take into account your muscle mass, bone density, 429 00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:25,280 Speaker 1: overall body composition, race age, or literally anything else. And 430 00:22:25,359 --> 00:22:29,280 Speaker 1: in a c NET article from January titled b m 431 00:22:29,280 --> 00:22:32,200 Speaker 1: I is not an accurate measure of health and here's why, 432 00:22:32,440 --> 00:22:35,520 Speaker 1: Mercy Livingston writes, although b m I is linked to 433 00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:38,480 Speaker 1: weight and body fat, it actually does not really measure 434 00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:42,399 Speaker 1: somebody's body fat. Chad Walding, doctor of physical therapy and 435 00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:45,119 Speaker 1: co founder of Native path says that b m I 436 00:22:45,160 --> 00:22:49,120 Speaker 1: can potentially miscategorize someone. Your weight and even your level 437 00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:52,560 Speaker 1: of body fat says little about your overall health. Ideally, 438 00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:56,159 Speaker 1: you need much more specific metrics like blood pressure, cholesterol, 439 00:22:56,520 --> 00:22:58,960 Speaker 1: or blood sugar levels, for example, to get a real 440 00:22:59,040 --> 00:23:02,320 Speaker 1: picture of somebody's school health. But the health care system 441 00:23:02,359 --> 00:23:05,800 Speaker 1: has this long history of fat shaming rather than providing 442 00:23:05,880 --> 00:23:09,920 Speaker 1: supportive care for all people regardless of size, and does 443 00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:13,679 Speaker 1: a disservice to people seeking care. An over emphasis of 444 00:23:13,720 --> 00:23:17,040 Speaker 1: b m I contributes to this by focusing medical professionals 445 00:23:17,080 --> 00:23:20,320 Speaker 1: attention on weight and body fat rather than pressing medical 446 00:23:20,359 --> 00:23:24,159 Speaker 1: issues that require care. Now, according to this tool, which 447 00:23:24,480 --> 00:23:27,959 Speaker 1: by the way, was developed in the eighteen hundreds and 448 00:23:28,040 --> 00:23:31,159 Speaker 1: not adjusted since you are at a normal weight, if 449 00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:33,760 Speaker 1: your b m I is between eighteen point five and 450 00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:36,679 Speaker 1: twenty five overweight, it's if you're between twenty five and 451 00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:39,159 Speaker 1: thirty And anybody with a b m I of thirty 452 00:23:39,240 --> 00:23:44,040 Speaker 1: or more is considered obese, which is directly tied to unhealthy, bad, 453 00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:47,000 Speaker 1: high risk. But these things are based on stigma and 454 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:50,680 Speaker 1: not actual facts. I will tell you I have no 455 00:23:50,720 --> 00:23:53,080 Speaker 1: shame in saying this. I'm considered obese by the b 456 00:23:53,280 --> 00:23:55,440 Speaker 1: m I scale. And here's the thing. There are a 457 00:23:55,520 --> 00:23:58,560 Speaker 1: countless studies and I could spend a whole episode talking 458 00:23:58,600 --> 00:24:00,840 Speaker 1: about this, but I also want to encourage you guys 459 00:24:00,840 --> 00:24:03,479 Speaker 1: to listen to the Maintenance Face podcast on this. There 460 00:24:03,520 --> 00:24:08,000 Speaker 1: are countless studies that prove the opposite that individuals with 461 00:24:08,119 --> 00:24:10,040 Speaker 1: higher v m E s are more likely to live 462 00:24:10,160 --> 00:24:14,280 Speaker 1: longer and healthier lives. And I think that's because the 463 00:24:14,359 --> 00:24:16,320 Speaker 1: quality of our life and the quality of our health 464 00:24:16,640 --> 00:24:20,520 Speaker 1: is not just about somebody's weight. Fatness has gotten this 465 00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:24,720 Speaker 1: reputation to be morally, socially and physically bad, undesirable, and wrong, 466 00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:29,240 Speaker 1: when in reality, the stigmatization is based more on personal 467 00:24:29,240 --> 00:24:33,000 Speaker 1: opinions turned groupthink than reality, and using it as a 468 00:24:33,040 --> 00:24:36,240 Speaker 1: measuring stick for health is causing way more harm than good. 469 00:24:36,960 --> 00:24:39,800 Speaker 1: It can increase mental health issues. I feel like I've 470 00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:43,560 Speaker 1: said that a million times. It can encourage unhealthy behaviors, 471 00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:49,200 Speaker 1: it can misdiagnose health issues and promote social injustice, which 472 00:24:49,280 --> 00:24:53,640 Speaker 1: leads me straight to number four. Since diets that are 473 00:24:53,640 --> 00:24:56,680 Speaker 1: weight loss focus are not health focused, that would mean 474 00:24:56,720 --> 00:25:00,119 Speaker 1: that they are body image focused, which further promotes the 475 00:25:00,160 --> 00:25:04,479 Speaker 1: thin ideal, which is very opposite of the health ideal. 476 00:25:04,960 --> 00:25:07,760 Speaker 1: All bodies are different. We know this, we know this, 477 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:10,159 Speaker 1: we know this. All bodies are different. Ten of us 478 00:25:10,200 --> 00:25:12,560 Speaker 1: could all eat the same exact things, work out the 479 00:25:12,600 --> 00:25:15,760 Speaker 1: same amount, do the same exercises, sleep the same, and 480 00:25:15,800 --> 00:25:18,680 Speaker 1: we would all look differently. But when we hyper focus 481 00:25:18,840 --> 00:25:21,639 Speaker 1: on one kind of body that is deemed ideal. We 482 00:25:21,720 --> 00:25:24,800 Speaker 1: then create an inability for the vast majority of humans 483 00:25:24,840 --> 00:25:28,879 Speaker 1: to live healthy lives mentally and physically and be accepted 484 00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:32,520 Speaker 1: in society. Dieting can be really scary, even when somebody 485 00:25:32,560 --> 00:25:36,640 Speaker 1: starts out with really good intentions, because when and if 486 00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:39,400 Speaker 1: you start feeling the social benefits of being smaller, if 487 00:25:39,400 --> 00:25:42,320 Speaker 1: you start getting compliments, if you start hearing people say like, 488 00:25:42,359 --> 00:25:44,600 Speaker 1: oh my gosh, you look so good. What did you do? 489 00:25:44,840 --> 00:25:46,960 Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, I wish I looked like you, How 490 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:48,760 Speaker 1: did you do it? We don't want to let those 491 00:25:48,760 --> 00:25:51,680 Speaker 1: things go. Humans want to be accepted and humans want 492 00:25:51,680 --> 00:25:53,679 Speaker 1: to be loved, and a lot of times compliments like 493 00:25:53,720 --> 00:25:56,440 Speaker 1: that feel like love and acceptance. We want to fit 494 00:25:56,520 --> 00:25:59,159 Speaker 1: in and we want to belong somewhere. However, the difference 495 00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:02,840 Speaker 1: between fitting in belonging is huge. So belonging is like 496 00:26:02,880 --> 00:26:04,919 Speaker 1: I show up and I just in me and like 497 00:26:05,040 --> 00:26:08,920 Speaker 1: that's okay, and I'm integrated and whatever group I'm in, 498 00:26:09,280 --> 00:26:12,359 Speaker 1: Fitting in is different. Fitting in causes you to change 499 00:26:12,400 --> 00:26:18,320 Speaker 1: some part of yourself to actually fit into that group, society, culture, 500 00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:20,119 Speaker 1: whatever it is. You don't just get to show up 501 00:26:20,119 --> 00:26:23,560 Speaker 1: as you and our society is heavily, heavily created around 502 00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:25,440 Speaker 1: this than ideal that a lot of people feel like 503 00:26:25,480 --> 00:26:27,639 Speaker 1: they have to shift and change to fit in in. 504 00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:30,800 Speaker 1: We don't just get to belong there. So when we 505 00:26:30,840 --> 00:26:32,840 Speaker 1: start to get that fitting in feeling, we tend to 506 00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:36,560 Speaker 1: want more. Feeling accepted can be addicting, right, Like, that's 507 00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:39,720 Speaker 1: that's attached to this idea of love and that's what 508 00:26:39,760 --> 00:26:41,359 Speaker 1: we all really want. When it comes down to it, 509 00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:45,520 Speaker 1: that becomes addicting, especially if you have ever experienced the opposite. 510 00:26:46,040 --> 00:26:49,760 Speaker 1: And so when a diet stops working, we're faced with options. 511 00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:52,320 Speaker 1: You have a couple options. You can go back to 512 00:26:52,560 --> 00:26:54,920 Speaker 1: living a life where your body is seen as less 513 00:26:54,920 --> 00:26:58,080 Speaker 1: than when you don't fit into that society. You can 514 00:26:58,119 --> 00:27:00,720 Speaker 1: reduce the quality of your life by avoiding anything that 515 00:27:00,720 --> 00:27:03,719 Speaker 1: would lead you to be attempted to eat something that 516 00:27:03,800 --> 00:27:05,800 Speaker 1: might have an effect on what your body looks like 517 00:27:05,880 --> 00:27:08,800 Speaker 1: in a way that you think is negative. Or you 518 00:27:08,840 --> 00:27:12,000 Speaker 1: can try something new. I do timelines with a lot 519 00:27:12,040 --> 00:27:14,560 Speaker 1: of my clients, many who have struggled with chronic dieting 520 00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:17,639 Speaker 1: and eating disorders, and without fail they don't just like 521 00:27:17,840 --> 00:27:21,399 Speaker 1: start running ten miles a day or start only eating 522 00:27:21,440 --> 00:27:24,880 Speaker 1: like three foods or start binging three times a week, 523 00:27:24,960 --> 00:27:27,040 Speaker 1: or start purging after every month. They don't start that way. 524 00:27:27,040 --> 00:27:31,520 Speaker 1: Eating disorders are progressive. They start simple almost every single time. 525 00:27:31,880 --> 00:27:35,160 Speaker 1: And listen, I am very realistic. I am. We live 526 00:27:35,160 --> 00:27:38,080 Speaker 1: in a culture that cares about image and that doesn't 527 00:27:38,119 --> 00:27:41,320 Speaker 1: seem to be going anywhere. But the underlying motivation for 528 00:27:41,359 --> 00:27:44,680 Speaker 1: weight loss can't be directly tied to our worth because 529 00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:47,240 Speaker 1: it becomes a slippery slope and I haven't ever really 530 00:27:47,240 --> 00:27:49,359 Speaker 1: seen it end well. We can care about what we 531 00:27:49,440 --> 00:27:52,160 Speaker 1: look like, and we can care about other things more, 532 00:27:52,280 --> 00:27:53,840 Speaker 1: and I think that's where we're kind of missing the 533 00:27:54,280 --> 00:27:57,520 Speaker 1: mark here. Because thinness is seen as healthier, it adds 534 00:27:57,560 --> 00:27:59,680 Speaker 1: to why it would lead to a more desirable in 535 00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:04,520 Speaker 1: us good body, which adds to the understandable, very understandable 536 00:28:04,560 --> 00:28:08,440 Speaker 1: in this context, desire to fit into society by being smaller. 537 00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:12,040 Speaker 1: It makes me wonder that if larger bodies with higher 538 00:28:12,080 --> 00:28:15,080 Speaker 1: b m I s were deemed as healthier and better 539 00:28:15,119 --> 00:28:17,720 Speaker 1: and morally correct, would we then aim for that. I 540 00:28:17,720 --> 00:28:20,040 Speaker 1: think that would be a really interesting experiment, although I 541 00:28:20,080 --> 00:28:23,000 Speaker 1: don't know how that would ever be able to be tested. 542 00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:26,040 Speaker 1: But what I really wish I don't wish that was 543 00:28:26,080 --> 00:28:27,840 Speaker 1: the case. What I really wish is that we were 544 00:28:27,880 --> 00:28:30,800 Speaker 1: more concerned about how people treat themselves more than how 545 00:28:30,800 --> 00:28:33,679 Speaker 1: people look like, how we treat our bodies versus what 546 00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:36,159 Speaker 1: our bodies look like, because again, we can all be 547 00:28:36,240 --> 00:28:38,600 Speaker 1: treating ourselves with the same amount of kindness and love 548 00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:40,960 Speaker 1: and attention and care, and our bodies would all look 549 00:28:40,960 --> 00:28:44,400 Speaker 1: different based on our own makeup, our history, our genetics, 550 00:28:44,440 --> 00:28:48,040 Speaker 1: all of that. A question I often ask people is, Okay, 551 00:28:48,200 --> 00:28:49,600 Speaker 1: so you want to lose weight, you want to change 552 00:28:49,640 --> 00:28:51,920 Speaker 1: your body. What else would change if your body changed, 553 00:28:52,240 --> 00:28:55,040 Speaker 1: if you met your weight law schoal? What would happen? Like? 554 00:28:55,040 --> 00:28:56,479 Speaker 1: Why is it that you really want to do this? 555 00:28:56,560 --> 00:28:58,920 Speaker 1: What are you looking to gain? And I get a 556 00:28:59,440 --> 00:29:02,280 Speaker 1: range of things like I'd be able to go hiking 557 00:29:02,320 --> 00:29:04,040 Speaker 1: with my friends and I'd be able to keep up, 558 00:29:04,080 --> 00:29:07,120 Speaker 1: I'd be more comfortable putting on my shoes, I'd feel 559 00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:09,360 Speaker 1: more confident dating, I'd be able to go to the 560 00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:12,680 Speaker 1: mall and feel like I fit in there. And those 561 00:29:12,720 --> 00:29:15,800 Speaker 1: are the goals. Your goals aren't really weight loss, because 562 00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:19,040 Speaker 1: weight loss itself isn't going to change anything. Your goals 563 00:29:19,040 --> 00:29:20,840 Speaker 1: are all of those things that you want to do 564 00:29:20,920 --> 00:29:22,880 Speaker 1: that you want to see that you want to feel, 565 00:29:23,440 --> 00:29:25,560 Speaker 1: and maybe to do those things, you have to make 566 00:29:25,600 --> 00:29:28,400 Speaker 1: some changes in your life. That's okay. You want to 567 00:29:28,440 --> 00:29:30,440 Speaker 1: be more comfortable putting on your shoes, Let's work on 568 00:29:30,480 --> 00:29:32,200 Speaker 1: my ability. You want to keep up with your friends 569 00:29:32,240 --> 00:29:34,800 Speaker 1: on a hike, Let's work on your fitness. You want 570 00:29:34,800 --> 00:29:37,080 Speaker 1: to feel confident dating, Let's work on your self esteem. 571 00:29:37,240 --> 00:29:39,960 Speaker 1: Because just losing weight may not make all of those 572 00:29:40,040 --> 00:29:43,280 Speaker 1: dreams come true. Trust me, I had never been so 573 00:29:43,320 --> 00:29:46,240 Speaker 1: insecure when I was at my smallest, so feeling confident 574 00:29:46,320 --> 00:29:49,440 Speaker 1: dating was not a thing. There was honestly more pressure 575 00:29:49,520 --> 00:29:51,800 Speaker 1: because then it was like, well are you dating me 576 00:29:51,920 --> 00:29:53,640 Speaker 1: or interested me? Because of the way I look? And 577 00:29:53,680 --> 00:29:55,720 Speaker 1: now I have to keep this up. And when it 578 00:29:55,720 --> 00:29:58,160 Speaker 1: comes to like the hiking and keeping up with your friends, 579 00:29:58,200 --> 00:30:00,040 Speaker 1: this is one of the things that I really I 580 00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:02,480 Speaker 1: struggle with when it comes to the fact that we've 581 00:30:02,640 --> 00:30:07,120 Speaker 1: turned fitness into a look because you might be larger 582 00:30:07,160 --> 00:30:09,600 Speaker 1: than your friend and your friend might not be able 583 00:30:09,640 --> 00:30:12,760 Speaker 1: to keep up with you. Fitness isn't just about what 584 00:30:12,840 --> 00:30:15,240 Speaker 1: you look like in your body composition, and when it 585 00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:17,920 Speaker 1: really comes down to it, what I don't think is 586 00:30:17,960 --> 00:30:20,440 Speaker 1: the answer to all of this stuff. Are these body 587 00:30:20,440 --> 00:30:23,760 Speaker 1: positive campaigns. I think they're great to an extent. I 588 00:30:23,760 --> 00:30:27,400 Speaker 1: think some of them are exploiting body positivity for financial gain, 589 00:30:27,440 --> 00:30:30,000 Speaker 1: but it is what it is. I don't hate them. 590 00:30:30,320 --> 00:30:32,640 Speaker 1: They're better than what we used to be faced with seven. 591 00:30:32,640 --> 00:30:35,240 Speaker 1: But I think the answer here really lies in taking 592 00:30:35,240 --> 00:30:37,840 Speaker 1: our bodies out of the conversations. I think what we 593 00:30:37,880 --> 00:30:41,080 Speaker 1: are often looking for in our goals for weight loss 594 00:30:41,120 --> 00:30:44,120 Speaker 1: can actually be found in dramatically decreasing the amount of 595 00:30:44,120 --> 00:30:47,960 Speaker 1: time we spend talking about what we look like. So really, 596 00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:49,560 Speaker 1: one of the questions, and I said this earlier in 597 00:30:49,560 --> 00:30:51,720 Speaker 1: a little bit of a different context, that I want 598 00:30:51,760 --> 00:30:54,640 Speaker 1: us to start asking, is like, what is worse being 599 00:30:54,640 --> 00:30:58,440 Speaker 1: considered overweight according to an outdated bm MY scale or 600 00:30:58,480 --> 00:31:02,720 Speaker 1: the lengths we're willing to go to lose weight. Because 601 00:31:02,720 --> 00:31:05,560 Speaker 1: when it comes to dieting, like I said time and 602 00:31:05,600 --> 00:31:08,880 Speaker 1: time again, it starts with really good intentions. It starts 603 00:31:08,920 --> 00:31:11,560 Speaker 1: with these like I want to in quotes fit in, 604 00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:14,680 Speaker 1: I want to in quote be healthy. My doctor suggested this, 605 00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:17,360 Speaker 1: my friend did this, and then it turns into a 606 00:31:17,480 --> 00:31:21,680 Speaker 1: very very steep, slippery slope, and we've seen from the 607 00:31:21,720 --> 00:31:25,240 Speaker 1: research it doesn't end long term where you want to be, 608 00:31:25,440 --> 00:31:28,400 Speaker 1: and then it creates a cycle of either chronic dieting 609 00:31:28,800 --> 00:31:32,480 Speaker 1: or binging or chronic self esteem issues. So when it 610 00:31:32,480 --> 00:31:35,240 Speaker 1: all comes down to it, we have to be really really, 611 00:31:35,280 --> 00:31:38,000 Speaker 1: really really really aware of our why behind our what 612 00:31:38,080 --> 00:31:40,600 Speaker 1: when we're faced with do I do this diet or not? 613 00:31:40,920 --> 00:31:42,840 Speaker 1: And the other thing we have to ask ourselves is 614 00:31:42,960 --> 00:31:46,040 Speaker 1: does this really have the capacity and the ability to 615 00:31:46,160 --> 00:31:48,680 Speaker 1: give me the result that I'm looking for? Does this 616 00:31:48,760 --> 00:31:51,680 Speaker 1: really match up with my why? Let's do some research 617 00:31:51,720 --> 00:31:54,320 Speaker 1: about this thing before I just dive head first into it, 618 00:31:54,400 --> 00:31:57,040 Speaker 1: because from the outside of somebody's life it looks like 619 00:31:57,080 --> 00:31:59,560 Speaker 1: it worked for them, and we don't know their whole story. 620 00:32:00,040 --> 00:32:02,840 Speaker 1: So I hope this was helpful to anybody who's been 621 00:32:02,880 --> 00:32:04,720 Speaker 1: in the space of like, ah, I just want to 622 00:32:04,720 --> 00:32:07,320 Speaker 1: do something good for myself and hearing these people say 623 00:32:07,320 --> 00:32:09,120 Speaker 1: that this is helpful, and I'm hearing these people say 624 00:32:09,120 --> 00:32:11,080 Speaker 1: that this is not helpful, And when it comes down 625 00:32:11,120 --> 00:32:12,840 Speaker 1: to it, you have to make that decision what is 626 00:32:12,960 --> 00:32:15,920 Speaker 1: right for you. Brings me back to that quote of 627 00:32:15,960 --> 00:32:18,320 Speaker 1: the definition of insanity. Right, So you're doing the same 628 00:32:18,320 --> 00:32:20,880 Speaker 1: thing over and over again expecting a different result. Well, 629 00:32:20,880 --> 00:32:22,840 Speaker 1: if we're doing the same thing going on this diet 630 00:32:22,840 --> 00:32:24,640 Speaker 1: and this diet and this diet and this diet and 631 00:32:24,720 --> 00:32:28,120 Speaker 1: this diet, expecting one of them to stick. Maybe it 632 00:32:28,240 --> 00:32:31,080 Speaker 1: is that you need a different solution to whatever is 633 00:32:31,120 --> 00:32:33,960 Speaker 1: that you're out there searching for with that diet, and 634 00:32:34,160 --> 00:32:35,880 Speaker 1: there are a host of people that can help you 635 00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:38,360 Speaker 1: with that. I encourage anybody who's struggling with that to 636 00:32:38,400 --> 00:32:41,240 Speaker 1: reach out to a therapist, one that specializes in eating 637 00:32:41,280 --> 00:32:44,240 Speaker 1: disorders or disordered eating, because there are plenty of people 638 00:32:44,280 --> 00:32:47,520 Speaker 1: that might unknowingly push something that would encourage you to 639 00:32:48,560 --> 00:32:51,800 Speaker 1: continue on the diet journey that has led you to them. 640 00:32:51,840 --> 00:32:55,120 Speaker 1: So search for an eating disorder therapist, or look for 641 00:32:55,160 --> 00:32:58,720 Speaker 1: a doctor who is Hayes aligned in, somebody who also 642 00:32:58,800 --> 00:33:02,640 Speaker 1: has some experience working with eating disorders as well. There 643 00:33:02,680 --> 00:33:04,800 Speaker 1: are answers, and if you're struggling with this. The reason 644 00:33:04,800 --> 00:33:06,920 Speaker 1: that I'm talking about this is because it's not just you. 645 00:33:07,040 --> 00:33:10,000 Speaker 1: There's plenty of people out there that are also in 646 00:33:10,080 --> 00:33:12,480 Speaker 1: that same boat. You're not alone, and at one point 647 00:33:12,520 --> 00:33:14,920 Speaker 1: I was one of those people. So, like I said, 648 00:33:14,920 --> 00:33:16,640 Speaker 1: I hope this was helpful. If you have any more 649 00:33:16,720 --> 00:33:19,200 Speaker 1: questions about specific things, I will do my best to 650 00:33:19,280 --> 00:33:22,400 Speaker 1: answer them within my scope and within my expertise. You 651 00:33:22,440 --> 00:33:25,200 Speaker 1: can send those questions to Catherine at you Need Therapy 652 00:33:25,240 --> 00:33:29,000 Speaker 1: podcast dot com. You can follow me at at Cat 653 00:33:29,160 --> 00:33:32,240 Speaker 1: dot de fata on Instagram and at you Need Therapy Podcast. 654 00:33:32,640 --> 00:33:34,600 Speaker 1: As always, I hope you have the day that you 655 00:33:34,640 --> 00:33:36,800 Speaker 1: need to have, the week that you need to have, 656 00:33:37,440 --> 00:33:39,680 Speaker 1: and I will be back talking to you guys on 657 00:33:39,840 --> 00:33:41,760 Speaker 1: Wednesday for couch Talks. Bye, guys,