The norm in social conversations and media is to point towards “right” bodies and “right” foods. I think people link helpers who work with food, body and weight issues to being role models. Indeed, helpers can be! But role modeling what’s right might look very different than it’s conventionally thought of. The intention of this blog is to challenge traditional expectations about what’s “right” in connection with food, body, exercise, dietitians, and fitness trainers.
Dietitians
Does a dietitian in an average or heavier body look right to you?
You might say “no.” Since a dietitian has mastered knowledge about health and food, you (like many) probably expect the dietitian to be thin.
However, for some people—even dietitians—to live at a weight that’s less than where their body naturally wants to live, they might have to put their health at risk by restricting their food intake. Living with a daily deficit of nutrients/calories can have a variety of adverse effects, many of which relate to malnutrition (lack of proper nutrition). This can include irregular laboratory test results, low energy, irritability, cloudy thinking, unhealthy hair, brittle bones, etc. In fact, a heavier person who severely restricts can have the same health problems as a person who looks frighteningly emaciated and whose health and nutritional issues can be attributed to anorexia nervosa. So it’s entirely possible that a dietitian in a larger body could have mastered their own health more thoroughly and effectively than a thin dietitian who lives with a daily deficit of food intake.
Question: Which dietitian below might be more a more right role model?
- (A) A dietitian who has a thin body but who severely restricts nutrients/calories and experiences problems related to malnutrition in order to stay appearing thin,
- OR
- (B) A dietitian who has a body that would not be described as “thin,” but who has a daily appropriate caloric and nutritional intake for them to experience consistent maximal strength and energy.
Since dietitians are often perceived as role modeling right and perfect eating, here’s a question that might sound jolting. If you saw a thin dietitian eating a brownie with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce, what might you hear your brain say?
Would you think something different if the dietitian was larger bodied instead of thin?
Here’s the thing: Research has shown that restriction often leads to bingeing. Eating what pleases and satisfies you—along with a good, broad range of nutrients—so that you don’t feel deprived can often stop or prevent a binge. I don’t know about you, but I would rather enjoy a brownie with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce than have a binge where I barely remember how things tasted, my belly got overly full, I mixed foods that caused reflux and heartburn, etc.
Question: Let’s look at the options below. If you know you are or have been susceptible to bingeing (eating more than what would be considered normal in a period of time where you might feel overly full, guilty, out of control, compelled to consume, etc.), which might be more right for you?
- (A) Eating a brownie with ice cream and chocolate sauce that you desire, and stopping eating it when you are full and/or satisfied (even when that means enjoying the whole thing),
- OR
- (B) Denying yourself of the brownie with ice cream and chocolate sauce you really want but then having a total binge in one sitting where you consume thousands of calories, encounter discomfort from over-fullness, feel guilty after, etc.?
This may sound counterintuitive to what we are taught throughout the years. However, doing what’s right for your mind and body requires you to pay attention to what makes you feel physically and psychologically contented, strongest, healthiest, and maximal in life. After years of experiencing diets, exercise, and “have-tos” that can separate you from your internal compass, you may need assistance from a professional to sort out what that means to and for you.
A dietitian who you would not describe as traditionally thin might know health/diet and be healthier than a dietitian that fits the stereotype of thin. If you choose your health professional by a stereotypical body, you could miss out on the deeply enlightening, transformative experience you desire.
Fitness Trainers
Does a fitness trainer in an average or heavier body look right to you?
No, that’s probably not what you automatically envision. I’m guessing that you might visualize two specific appearance aspects. First: slim or thin, to which everything posed in the above paragraphs also applies. Fitness trainers are not immune to larger body genetics and the ensuing health consequences if they sacrifice basic nutritional needs to be thinner than their bodies are supposed to be. And now, we add another typical expectation: a muscular appearance.
This physical aspect can be tricky since some people’s body composition—even when they properly work out—doesn’t muscle in a way that looks very cut or defined. This happens to even fitness trainers, who are human and cannot change their basic biology. These bodies may look regular or softer than you’d predict. Yet this average looking or large bodied fitness trainer may possess tremendous knowledge that could help you find your own body’s strengthening and the peak performance you desire.
Now, I ask you to imagine a fitness trainer eating that brownie with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce.
Take a second. Really see it.
Did your brain justify it with something similar to “It must be a cheat day” or “They’ll work it off”?
If it did, that assumes the trainer lives in a calories in/out state (eat this/burn off that-formula) or restricts except on cheat days. Either could be true. However, keeping in mind that restriction tends to lead to bingeing for many people, would a trainer who is perpetually on a restrictive diet or having to designate “cheat days” be role modeling the most right and healthiest way to live for you?
Not necessarily.
Besides, if you see a trainer eating a brownie with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce, maybe it’s simple: trainers are just like us except with a dedicated and developed skillset in the subject of fitness. Many eat and enjoy a wide variety of foods, too. A range of foods is a part of living life.
I understand that this may sound counterintuitive to what we are taught throughout the years. However, doing what’s right for your mind and body requires you to pay attention to what makes you feel physically and psychologically contented, strongest, healthiest, and maximal in life. After years of experiencing diets, exercise, and “have-tos” that can separate you from your internal compass, you may need assistance from a professional to sort out what that means to and for you.
A fitness trainer in an average or heavier body who has mastered knowledge of health, training, and fitness may be your key to living your full, strong, and fabulous life. If you choose your health professional based on their body, you might miss out on someone who could give you the empowering, strengthening experience that you desire.
In Conclusion
As we just did in this piece, I believe we need to look at what’s individually right for a person regarding food, weight, and a good match with a helping professional. A wider lens and challenging the narrow rules and concepts about right that currently exist will likely serve people and their overall health and wellness.
(Stay tuned for next month’s blog on the topic of “right” exercise!)
If you wish to begin further challenging traditional ideas about right body, diet, and exercise, the following references could be helpful to you: “Health at Every Size®” (https://haescommunity.com/), Intuitive Eating (http://www.intuitiveeating.org/10-principles-of-intuitive-eating), and the Dieting, Stress, and Health (DiSH) Lab, University of California, Los Angeles (http://www.dishlab.org/first.php).
This blog should not be construed as therapy or nutritional advice. Please seek professional guidance for either. If the above line of thinking interests or appeals to you, you will likely benefit by seeking a practitioner rooted in a weight-neutral/weight inclusive stance.
