How do you know what to believe? Everywhere we look, “evidence” and “experts” promote every possible conclusion, leaving people more confused than ever about how to best care for their bodies. How do we know which “expert”, which study, to believe? How do we “decide” what weight to be?
The most up to date research is suggesting that…[private_membership circle]most damaging to our health is yo-yo dieting, trying to eat in a way that pays more attention to outside rules than to our own body’s wisdom, and not being “overweight”. In my 20 years of clinical experience, this rings absolutely true. Dieting, in the vast majority of cases (90%), does not lead to long-term weight loss, or to body satisfaction. For one thing, no two bodies are the same. Cholesterol-rich foods may react very differently in my body than yours. Carbs may be fine for me in the morning, but make you sleepy. Nor are nutritive needs the same day to day. I may need to eat light foods one day, and more sustaining foods the next. Typically, when people remove the judgments from the foods they eat and pay attention to physical desires, they feel better physically and emotionally, eating in a balanced way that is right for them.
Listening allows our bodies to be the weight they are intended to be. My clinical and personal experience tells me that each body knows the weight at which it is most healthy, and it knows how to reach that weight. The cues it sends support that journey. The notion of what is “overweight” is based on all kinds of conflicting assumptions, not on your unique body at this unique point in your life.
Imagine how it might be to let the “research” go, and simply practice the art of listening to your own cues. I have found as people learn to hear the cues their body provides, their eating and movement take on a pattern true to their unique needs. How do you feel if you eat dairy? Protein? Simple vs. complex carbohydrates? How about if you include physical movement on any given day? What kind? How much? Imagine asking each day what you need, and trying to follow what you hear.
The debate will undoubtedly rage on about weight loss, diets, and “health”. Outside this storm is the quiet of your own body’s wisdom. Consider hearing it as the loudest voice, and try following only the “rules” that feel right to you. Try accepting your body as worthy of the best care, no matter its size.
Amy Pershing LMSW, ACSW, Clinical Director, The Center for Eating Disorders, Director, Bodywise Binge Eating Recovery Program and The Bodywise Intensive www.stopcompulsiveeating.com Board Member, Binge Eating Disorder Association (BEDAonline.org)
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