The Way We Talk About Weight Is Changing for the Better…
Chatelaine editor-in-chief Maureen Halushak, left, and author and Obesity Matters advocate Sandra Elia. Photo: George Pimentel
The way the world talks about weight—especially women’s weight, let’s state that clearly—has always been fraught with complexity and miscommunication. The messages around diet culture and body image are exhausting, but we all contribute to the weight conversation in myriad ways, from media outlets like Chatelaine to women just trying to cut through the noise. If you have lived with obesity or a bigger body, however, this pressure can take its toll.
Health is deeply personal. Taking the first step on a weight management journey is daunting and often tied to the stigma of shame. Thankfully, more research has come out about how and why we lose or gain weight from a biological perspective. This science-backed information clearly states that obesity is a disease, like any other, such as asthma, and therefore requires respect, specialized care and treatment.
To support the conversation with facts and real-life experience, Chatelaine editor-in-chief Maureen Halushak welcomed doctors and advocates who specialize in obesity treatment, as well as health and lifestyle creators, for an honest and engaging round table discussion led by award-winning television personality Tracy Moore.
Read on to learn more about the science of weight, what it teaches us and how we can all help shift the narrative around healthy body image.
The biology between the brain and body
Even five to 10 years ago, doctors had fewer science-backed tools at their disposal when it came to the field of weight management. The research is necessary to move the conversation around treatment forward because there are biological reasons that affect how each individual carries weight. “We now understand that obesity is a disease, that the signals that come from different parts of the body act on the brain, and that the majority of your predisposition to put on weight is genetic,” said Dr. Rachel Batterham, senior vice president for international medical affairs, Lilly, and professor of obesity, diabetes and endocrinology, University College London. “We know how appetite-regulating circuits work in the brain, and we can target those circuits to actually change how the brain thinks constantly about food.”
Beyond how our brains work, other factors that contribute to weight are environment, stress and lack of sleep. Finances play a part, the same as education and access to healthy food. The message that we can control our weight through sheer effort on its own needs to stop because it’s simply not true. “Body weight is not just willpower. It’s biology,” said Dr. Batterham. “Understanding that obesity is a disease really helps patients, because they blame themselves for weight gain, as if they could stop on their own. This is why the world needs to see obesity as a health issue that deserves holistic care, diagnosis, treatment and reimbursement.”
Getting this message out can go a long way toward alleviating the anxiety some patients feel about speaking to their health care provider about their weight.
Pushing the conversation forward
While doctors are getting on board with sharing the science of weight information, the media is also playing its part. “Chatelaine has been around for 97 years,” said Halushak, “so we’ve been talking about weight for 97 years, in both positive and negative ways.” She pointed to a shift in the brand’scoverage from about 2018 onward, from being obsessed with reducing belly fat to acknowledging that diets don’t work and make everyone miserable. “Today, we pride ourselves on science-based, no-BS health information and we vet all of our experts,” she said. “We're always trying to be better.”
Sandra Elia, author of Never Enough: Three Pillars of Food Addiction Recovery and board chair at Obesity Matters, an advocacy group dedicated to changing the dialogue around obesity, understands first-hand how the media can impact body image. “We’ve all experienced decades of diet messages and images on repeat, charged with emotion, that have really seeped in,” she said. “I started seeing these images when I was eight. My brain was a fresh sponge, and I just took it all in.” For her, the work it takes to rewire her brain is something she carries every day, all day. It’s why she’s such a passionate advocate for people living with obesity.
“I encourage people to uncouple their self-worth from their weight,” said Elia. “What if we just ate for vitality and health and energy and moved our bodies for fun because it feels good?”
Dr. Sasha High, founder and CEO of the High Metabolic Clinic, is an obesity physician who offers specialized care. Her mission is to emphasize the biological differences between us as individuals. What works for one person may not work for another, and that’s okay. “It's that misunderstanding around willpower, that some people think they can just control themselves,” she said. “We really need to get the message across that we're not all on the same playing field biologically. Someone who's been weight stable their whole life isn’t experiencing the same messages coming from their brain circuits. That's the gap in the understanding.”
Moving into acceptance
Obesity Matters promotes a term called weight acceptance, which Elia wholeheartedly embraces. “We do believe that you can love and accept your body and want weight management treatment. Both can be true at the same time,” she said. “Weight acceptance means that we respect and value a person regardless of their weight, that we prioritize health and happiness over a number on the scale.”
Women have been told to accept their bodies, to be positive, to be neutral, to be proud. All of these emotions are valid—even the negative ones. The way we feel about our weight will always be in flux, but the important thing is to keep pushing the narrative forward, to listen to the science, experts and media who are trying to effect real change.
So what’s the secret to breaking through the noise? “The answer is self-acceptance,” said Elia to applause around the room. “And even more importantly, self-love, because love is energizing.”
