The Road to Happiness Is Wide Enough for Everybody

I've been doing a lot of research lately about weight. Interestingly, it's for my work. Not so surprisingly, it's been easy research for me to do and easy to read what I find. 

It seems as I continue to slog through the info that the "truth"--if there is any truth--is somewhere between Linda Bacon's philosophy about Health at Every Size and Daniel Kirschenbaum's philosophy of Healthy Obsession Program. 

Health at Every Size Philosophy

Linda Bacon's HAES goal is to support "people in adopting healthy habits for the sake of health and well-being (rather than weight control.)"

Bacon's core goals are:

• Self-acceptance: affirm beauty and worth regardless of size or shape
• Physical activity: increase activity for pleasure and improved quality of life
• Normalized eating: internally directed eating, honoring pleasure and appetite

Her tenets include:

• Change occurs when individuals value themselves enough to want an improved life
• Accepting weight is about taking control, not giving up
• Lightening up on the pressure to lose weight and the letting go of despair empowers people to move on
• When pleasure and vitality are considered, being active is an act of self-nurturance
• Dieting should be replaced with internally-directed eating: honoring your hunger, feeling your fullness, pleasing your palate (the last 3 phrases were coined in Intuitive Eating.)
• The reason for change should be replaced--no longer "lose weight and/or prevent disease"--where fear is the motivator. Instead, the reason for change should be pleasure, self-efficacy, and a sense of purpose and meaning--where enjoyment is the motivator.

Bacon's "Live Well" Pledge

• Today, I will try to feed myself when I am hungry.
• Today, I will try to be attentive to how foods taste and make me feel.
• Today, I will try to choose foods that I like and that make me feel good.
• Today, I will try to honor my body's signals of fullness.
• Today, I will try to find an enjoyable way to move my body.
• Today, I will not try to change my body to fit others' standards.
• Today, I will try to look kindly at my body, and treat it with love and respect.

The title of this post is a phrase that Dr. Bacon uses. I like it. Do you?

Tomorrow I'll hit some highlight's from Dr. Kirschenbaum's Healthy Obsession Program.