What is the Health at Every Size movement?

Health at Every Size, or HAES, is a commitment to celebrating body diversity, becoming aware of and working to dismantle the institutions and practices that discriminate against people of various body sizes, while working to make peace with our bodies and find movement that brings us joy and peace. HAES is more than just a catchy movement; HAES is backed by science and research that proves that discrimination against people in larger bodies is more harmful to their health than their actual weight. Despite there being scientific research to back the claims of the HAES movement, there are still many professionals, including doctors, therapists, and nutritionists, that are not aware of this vast research, resulting in fat phobia in various professions and society as a whole.

The HAES movements follows 5 basic principles: Weight inclusivity, health enhancement,

respectful care, eating for wellbeing, and life enhancing movement. In general, these

statements reinforce that a HAES professional will be accepting of everyone, regardless of their size and work to not make assumptions about health or mental health based solely on

someone’s size or appearance. All clients and patients have the right to effective and respectful care, regardless of their size or weight. Health can be emphasized and attained without changing (i.e. shrinking) someone’s body and HAES professionals emphasize this fact in their work. A professional can work to improve your nutrition through your eating habits, without putting you on a restricted diet, or limiting any foods. A healthy, satisfying, and filling diet can be achieved when working with a professional (such as a nutritionist or dietician) and finding a HAES committed professional is a way to ensure that you accomplish health, without restricting, limiting, or eliminating foods you enjoy. HAES professionals are aware of the positive impacts of movement, and this, again, can be encouraged without involving movement that does not bring you joy or that causes pain to your body.

There are several websites that offer help in finding a professional (such as a doctor,

nutritionist, or counselor) who has taken a HAES pledge, but this is not to say that professionals who haven’t are going to judge you based on your body. Taking the HAES pledge is a way of letting people know that these professionals are committed to the principles of the HAES movement and work to uphold them on a regular basis, but there are professionals in every field that ascribe to some or all of these principles, without taking a pledge or even hearing of the HAES movement. All this to say, it probably is not necessary to change doctors, just because your doctor is not on a HAES search engine. It may be a good idea to change doctors if your doctor consistently makes harmful comments about your weight, however.

In the mental health field, HAES therapists help you learn to advocate for your body, regardless of your size, while also working to help you heal your relationship with your body or your own fat phobic beliefs. These beliefs that, generally in society, many hold can include the thought that healthy bodies are thinner or must be achieved for happiness. Besides the general public, your family, friends, and other loved ones may hold these same fat-phobic views and beliefs. It’s important that you work with someone who will help you learn to set boundaries and identify how these comments in a way that is safe and effective for you based on your situation, while still emphasizing that changing your body is not the answer to the problem.

At what point is it time to consider changing to a HAES professional? For many of you, it may not be necessary. As stated above, there are many doctors, nurses, nutritionists, and mental health therapists that hold these beliefs without taking a pledge online. It is important to understand your own boundaries and how comfortable you are with the professionals in your life. Is your therapist encouraging you to workout for your mental health, despite you saying that it causes you physical pain or discomfort? Does your nutritionist consistently encourage you to lose an additional 15 pounds through low-calorie diets that leave you hungry at the end of the day? If these situations are making you uncomfortable and feeding your negative self-talk about your body, then it may be time to consider finding a HAES committed professional. It is important to remember that shrinking your body is not the answer, because you are not the problem – the problem is fat phobia in our society that makes it difficult for people in larger bodies to exist freely.

#HAES #HealthAtEverySize