Size acceptance is a sweeping movement of awareness about health and body weight.  It is such an empowering notion–your body is exactly as it should be!  When I think about how many people are walking the streets completely dissatisfied with their bodies, I realize what a groundbreaking concept this is.

I want to be clear that I am talking about all different shapes and sizes of people are dissatisfied.  While this movement gears itself at people above the traditional standards of ideal body weight, this idea can liberate all people.  Because of this culture’s fear of fat, we have all sorts of people doing all sorts of weird things with their eating and bodies.

If people weren’t so desperate to avoid weight gain, we may see a decrease in chronic dieting, eating disorders, and even binge eating.

So the research shows (per the CDC) that being overweight and even obese brings less of a health risk than being underweight and normal weight.  It is not until people reach the extreme end of obesity that there is a health risk.  Of course my clients hear from family members that they are well on their way to that unhealthy place, but we know better than this.

People are more likely to gain and gain if they are repeatedly exposing themselves to diets, otherwise known as restriction.  Like Newton’s other law, what you restrict you will ultimately binge.  So these types of diets meant to save people from their weight end up making the weight go higher.  This is true in 98% of people who diet.  This means everyone.  If you know someone who lost a lot of weight and kept it off, they are an anomoly.

If a person is overeating, and that is what is leading to their weight struggle, they may choose to seek help with this.  This choice would be based on wanting to more effectively identify and cope with their feelings, not for health reasons.  If a person feels like they are eating normally, and their weight is out of ‘ideal range’, this may be the result of genetic predisposition.  These people should not be pestered by friends, family or physicians.

All types of bodies should be honored.  We are not all the same–thank goodness!  What a boring world it would be if we all looked identical.  Don’t let fears of impending health doom make you worry about weight.  Love your body, and all bodies, and the world will be a better place for everyone.

Imagine your very favorite food.  Bring to mind the way it smells and tastes and feels in your mouth. Now imagine I told you it was totally off limits–you could never have it again.  How would that make you feel about this food?  How would it make you feel in general?

Now imagine the same scenario, only this time I told you this food was available to you as often as you’d like.  You could have it everyday for the rest of your life if you wanted.  It was yours for the enjoying, and no one would ever take it away from you.  How do you feel now?

In my work with clients, there is extensive emphasis on something called legalization.  This means seeing all foods as equal.  The reasons we do this are 1) all foods have some nutritional value, and 2) it decreases the risk of binging ‘off-limits’ foods.  If you have foods on a bad list, you have to admit those are the ones you overeat.

It has been amazing to see the way food has lost its hold on my clients.  Some clients have reported important realizations since legalizing.  Some of the foods they binged in the past don’t even appeal to them anymore.  When you legalize foods, you get to determine if you even like them.  You don’t just binge them because they are ‘bad’.

When we take a look at the good food list and compare it with the bad food list, we see some interesting things.  I find that things like fruit, brown rice and sweet potatoes are on the good food list. Then I see that white bread, pasta, and cookies are on the bad food list.  It occurs to me that very obviously these items all share one important nutrient.

Carbohydrates.  While much is made of types of carbohydrates, the fact is they are all broken down into the same chemical structure.  Just like a molecule of water is H2O everywhere it exists, carbohydrate is identical when it is broken down.  Dare I say what that molecule is called?  Glucose–that’s right, sugar.  It is the all important fuel for blood sugar in the body.

The reason people make a fuss over different types of carbs is because of how they affect the blood sugar.  Ideally we want a nice, gradual rise and fall of blood glucose.  The fiber in fruits or brown rice helps that more than in bread.  But the newsflash is, most carbohydrates are eaten within the context of a meal anyways.  You will already be combining it with protein and/or fat, which will slow the digestion of the carbohydrate just like fiber.

This is why dietitians in general pay no mind to glycemic index or glycemic load.  We get that most people aren’t munching on single slices of white bread alone.  If you have a cookie for a snack, you are already getting the benefit of the fat in it to slow the digestion–problem solved!

Now I am sure I will receive a number of comments blasting me for being a nutritional heretic.  I used to be just like those people, pouring over calorie counter books and discovering the latest phytochemicals.  I used to think that was what was important for health and weight control.  Now I am clear on the real issues with eating:  an abnormal relationship with food.

One of the major reasons people are not comfortable with food is because they give it moral meaning and attach guilt to it.  This causes people to actually eat much more (rather than help them ‘control themselves’).  There is no reason for it.  Supplying people with a bunch of lists of foods to avoid has only resulted in rising numbers of people struggling with their weight.  So picture your favorite food one more time…now go have it, and enjoy every bite!

Are you tired of hating your body?  Are you looking for something completely different?  Diets do not work long term.  This site is here to revolutionize your eating.  It is here to completely change your relationship to food.  You better bring an open mind, because your beliefs about eating will be totally turned upside down.

The time has come…swimsuits.  Many people are desperately looking for weight loss for summer.  While many people will head straight for the nearest fad diet or pill, I know you are smarter than that.  I understand that you want quick weight loss (since summer is upon us).  Don’t let this panic make you do stupid things.

Okay, so you want to know what is going to help you now, right?  If you take one thing away from this post, let it be this:

Eat When You Are Hungry…and Stop When You Are Full.

I am not trying to be simplistic here.  Believe me, I see clients in my practice who have a very hard time with this.  The number one issue people have with weight is breaking this ‘rule’.  You are eating for reasons other than hunger.  Let me be clear here:  Physical Hunger.

Many people think they are hungry, but they just want to eat.  That is called an appetite or mouth hunger.  It has nothing to do with the body’s needs.  Some people say they are never hungry.  This means they are eating too frequently–they may be grazing, and are probably emotionally eating without realizing it.

Nobody thinks they emotionally eat, however almost everyone does.  A common example of this is at Thanksgiving, when you are completely stuffed.  You announce you won’t eat again for a week.  Then the dessert cart roles out and you are first in line.  You are not physically hungry here.  A person who listens to their cues would have no problem waiting for the return of hunger to have dessert.

When you are desperate to lose weight fast, you start to think of all the bad foods you should eliminate from your diet.  This is another major issue I see with clients.  It is very important to legalize all foods.  There are no bad foods, and thinking otherwise will cause more overeating.  If you feel guilty about what you eat, or deny yourself what you want…this inevitably leads to overeating in the long run.

Every time you start to focus on weight, remind yourself of what your real focus needs to be.  Weight focus will derail you because it will lead you straight back into the diet mentality of cutting out bad foods and denying yourself when you feel hungry.  Your mantra must be, “Eat when I’m hungry, stop when I’m full, and eat whatever I want without guilt.”  Sounds a lot different than what you’ve heard over the years, but then again, that old message hasn’t been working so well for anyone.

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A good way to become attuned to your physical cues (in your quest for weight loss for summer) is to use the following hunger/fullness scale:
0, you are famished. You probably haven’t eaten in a long time (6-8 hours). You are possibly quite grumpy. You might be feeling nauseous, dizzy, or light-headed. You might have trouble thinking clearly. Your metabolism is slowing down to conserve energy. You need food.

1, you are ravenous. All you can think about is how hungry you are. You are consumed with ideas about what you want to eat. Because you’re so hungry, once you do eat, it’s likely that you will overeat to compensate.

2, you are too hungry. You are probably irritable. You may have a headache. Your stomach might be aching by now.

3, you are having hunger pangs. It’s time to eat. Your body is giving you the natural signals that it needs food. You start to salivate when you think of something that tastes good, and your stomach might be growling.

4, your hunger is just starting to awaken. There is a sense of emptiness in your stomach. This can be an appropriate time to eat.

5, you are neutral. You aren’t hungry or full—this sensation exists between mealtimes.

6, you are just satisfied. You aren’t hungry anymore, but probably will be in 2-3 hours. There is definitely more room for food, and you still feel light and energized. This can be a good place to finish a meal/snack.

7, you are completely satisfied. You got your fill of the food you wanted. You are no longer hungry and you probably won’t need to eat again for 3-4 hours. This is also a good place to finish.

8, you are full. You had just a couple bites too many because it was there or tasted good. You might feel a bit bloated like you need to undo the top button of your pants.

9, you are stuffed. Your eating experience has surpassed pleasure and is now just uncomfortable. You may feel a bit numb or sleepy.

10, you are sick. You feel uncomfortable to the point of pain. You may need to lie down until you feel better.

I like to have my clients combine this tool with a food journal.  You should note a number for your hunger before and your fullness after meals and snacks.  It takes some practice to figure out where you are at initially, but soon it will become second nature (because it is).

You want to try to stay between a 3 and a 7.  If you let yourself get too hungry, you will get too full it works sort of like a pendulum in this way.  So when I say that you need to eat when you are hungry, I mean you better honor your hunger when it comes up.  Don’t push it off because you are busy or it is inconvenient.  This will lead to being way too hungry, and you will overeat.

You must eat slowly enough to sense your fullness.  Try to make a conscious effort to slow your meals to 15-20 minutes.  You will find you gradually become aware of your level of fullness rather than it hitting you all of the sudden.

Overeating and binging are the major reasons for weight struggles.  If you listen to your cues, you can largely avoid these behaviors.  I know it is not glamorous like eating only cabbage, but it is a much more effective for weight loss for summer and beyond.