Forget About Losing Weight, Focus on Increasing Exercise and Improving Nutrition

A good friend suggested I listen to the Maintenance Phase?podcast?and go back to episode #1.

The podcast, she said, gives some good perspectives on fat people.

I hesitate to even use the word, “fat.”

And that’s part of the point, actually.

Fat is not a dirty word

Aubrey?Gordon?and Mike Hobbes of the Maintenance Phase argue that fat is not a dirty word, that fat people aren’t just dying to become skinny, and, most importantly, they argue that simply being fat does not mean they aren’t healthy.

Gordon?just came out with a new book called You Just Need To Lose Weight and 19 Other Myths About Fat People.

I want to say that again: there are healthy fat people, and there are healthy skinny people.

Likewise, there are unhealthy fat people and unhealthy skinny people.

Here’s the point: we need to shift our focus from losing weight or not being fat to focusing on health.

And there are only two things that make us more healthy:?exercise?and better eating.

Read this article first

First of all, go read Hobbes’ article for Huff Post, called “Everything You Know About Obesity is Wrong.”

Here’s something my friend wrote to me as we talked about the podcast.

“I went for my annual physical in august. As soon as the doctor walked in, she looked at my BMI which has crossed into “overweight,” and said, “there’s a lot of comorbidities associated with your BMI so you need to work on losing weight.”

Her doctor told her to lose weight by exercising more.

The problem is that my friend walks, runs, bikes, swims, lifts weights, and does yoga every week.

She’s very healthy and eats well, and she struggles to eat enough during the day.

Her doctor’s immediate comment based on BMI is a common response to people society considers overweight.

This is a change in attitude and language

This is admittedly a challenging idea for me as a trainer and coach.

I grew up with the idea that if you are fat, you can simply make changes in diet, exercise, blah, blah, blah, and you will magically be the “right” size for you.

What I’m learning is that weight loss is complicated and fraught with pseudo-science, myths, and lies disguised as marketing.

That first podcast literally changed my thinking.

The myths get so ingrained, especially among women, that people’s self-esteem and sense of self get totally changed by the idea of weight.

Here’s the reality, from Hobbes’ article:

“Since 1959, research has shown that 95 to 98 percent of attempts to lose weight fail and that two-thirds of dieters gain back more than they lost. The reasons are biological and irreversible.”

We focus on improving health and fitness, not weight loss

Here’s what I’m going to focus on as I learn more about the challenges of fat shaming:

The?goal?of?coaching?cyclists and runners is to improve?performance.

The goal of Boot Camps is to improve health and?fitness.

The way to better health is simply to exercise and better eating.

This means?exercising?at least three days a week where you increase your heart rate, lift heavy weights, and/or generally move.

And your food intake is a good balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fats.

You should likely eat more protein than you’re used to and eat better-quality carbohydrates like potatoes and rice, instead of white bread.

And yes, it’s better to cut back on sugar and processed food.

These are things we know about good health.

Now we need to make them about good health, not about weight loss.

But eat pizza sometimes if you like pizza

For the love of all that is good and cheesy, don’t give up pizza if you like pizza.

Same with ice cream or whatever you like.

But it’s not healthy to eat a large bowl of ice cream every day.

Nor is it good to eat three donuts every day.

Those are not healthy dietary choices, regardless of your weight.

Those choices should have nothing to do with your weight - just your health.

This is how I will work to approach my?two clients?who want to lose some weight.

We will focus on good?exercise?and good nutrition, and I will focus my language on the?progress?we make for both of those.

I’m working to understand my words when I talk with them about weight loss.

And I will focus on how the exercise is going without using weight as a?marker?of?success.

Three takeaways

Here are the takeaways for me:

1. Your goal in life is to become healthy and fit through regular exercise/training and good eating habits.

2. Acknowledge that we all have different shapes and sizes, and that if you show up for exercise class or show up to ride or run, you’ve won today.

3. We all have a lot to learn from listening to people and never assuming anything about their past experiences, whether they’re fat, skinny, tall, short, or anywhere in between.

Want to know more about what you can achieve?

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I help a limited number of cyclists and runners?achieve?their goals with more strength, endurance, and mobility.

Contact me or sign up for Virtual Coffee?so we can discuss your goals, ask questions, and talk about making your endurance training more effective, fun, and Simple.

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Paul?Warloski?is a USA Cycling Level 3 Coach; RRCA Running Coach; Training Peaks Level 2 Coach; RYT-200 Yoga Instructor; Certified Personal Trainer