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Over the past few months, I've been so very torn about what direction I wanted to take Healthful Pursuits in.  I love the Health at Every Size movement- but it's not perfect, it has a lot of holes and the community that supports HAES and body love- is truly anything but loving. It had me questioning if I wanted to be associated with a community that promoted love but acted completely opposite.  So I've had to ask myself some truth revealing questions. Bare with me here! 

Although I love the non-diet beliefs, do I truly believe that all weight loss is a bad thing?

No. I just don't. A year ago someone close to me was very heavy, he lost his breath and would sweat when trying to tie his shoes or walk up the stairs to his home. He had sleep apnea and slept with a noisy mask and machine running. He was very uncomfortable- not because of societal pressure or because skinny models were telling him he had to be, but because his body ached. Do I believe his weight caused these things? No, it was the fact that he was a very inactive person. He worked late hours at a stressful job, often times not getting home until dinner time. Stress also contributed, and lack of sleep.

So he decided to start a diet, a very popular one -because he wanted to change the way he was eating and he didn't know where to begin. He didn't know what changes to make, what foods were benefiting him nutritionally and which were benefiting him mentally. Grocery stores just confused him (thanks to all of the marketing and false advertising of "health" food).

Now- most of society would say this is a positive change. But the latter community would say it was the worst thing he could have done. Their opinion is that he should have begun to exercise, not worry about his weight and that his problems would improve whether he lost weight or not.

I agree this would be the first best option I would recommend as well. Except he didn't have time to exercise (remember stressful, long hours + a family he still needs to see) and the little bit of exercise that he would be able to squeeze in would not have been enough to make a difference in what he was experiencing. So he did something he could do in the season of life he was in- change his eating habits and yes- he restricted himself on this diet. He did lose weight, his apnea is gone (no more machine) and he has no issues with stairs or shoe tying. He continued for about a year (lost around 40 lbs- a modest amount, not an extreme diet) and then began to incorporate exercise into his life- he was physically more comfortable and felt more confident being able to complete a workout routine.
Today? He exercises regularly, maintains a weight that classifies his as overweight still but not obese, he is confident in his food decisions. He feels better. He still enjoys his life, social situations and he still enjoys food. If he wants ice cream, he will eat ice cream.  He's happy "hanging out" where he is.

I cannot say that he was wrong. I cannot say that what he did was bad for him. He is active, he can sleep without a machine and tie his shoes. He's confident.  Every person is different, these are all unique situations that need to be taken client by client. What worked for him is not what I would recommend for everyone and this wouldn't be the best for everyone.

But more importantly...

There is biblical guidance for caring for our bodies that this philosophy does not address or support. 

"While nothing in the Bible specifically addresses obesity and weight loss, there is much in God’s Word about the importance of our health and of taking care of our bodies. God warns us against gluttony. In the Old Testament God gave specific instructions about what His people, the Israelites, were to eat (Deuteronomy 14:1–21). Most of these commands were designed to keep the Israelites from eating harmful foods that would negatively impact their health. Some of the commands were also given so God’s people wouldn’t imitate the habits of the idolatrous people around them.

Gluttony, which is overeating or drinking to excess, is condemned in the Bible (Proverbs 23:20–21). Gluttony can lead to health risks and become a drain on one’s finances. Plus, the love of food and drink can all too easily become an idol in our lives. Anything that takes the place of God or becomes our number-one focus is, by definition, an idol and thus a sin against God (Exodus 20:3–6). Proverbs 23:2exhorts us to “put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony”; in other words, we are admonished to restrain our appetites.


Health at Every Size says to eat what you want when you want, how much you want. never restrict. This does not line up with the Bible. Just because I want or feel like eating an entire gallon of coffee ice cream by myself tonight, does not mean I should. We should be exercising self-control and wisdom in all areas of our life- including what we eat.


"While obesity and weight loss are valid concerns, we must be careful not to become obsessed with body image. Again, when something besides God becomes the major focus of life, it is sin. To constantly obsess about exercise, diet, and weight loss means we’ve allowed our bodies to become the center of our lives. Someone with a toned, fit body can be just as idolatrous as a glutton. Also, an obsession with weight loss can tip over into anorexia or bulimia, which also has a negative impact on health."

So what now? 
Everyone has their own definition and beliefs about nutrition.

I'm not choosing a side. 

I'm taking my clients individually. 

The HAES philosophy may be exactly what someone needs who struggles with anorexia/bulimia or fear of food. 

Helping people learn to eat in a way that nourishes their body and enables them to eat intuitively may be exactly what someone else needs. 

Someone may want to lose weight. What then? I respect that. I have lost weight, and while it's been a while since I've lost any more weight...do I want to be back to where I was before? No. I truly don't and I don't expect everyone else to accept being obese or very overweight and just learn to be happy there. I would present the facts, the science, and together we'd work to make changes in their lives that would result in weight loss. 

My goal and dream has always been to be helpful to my clients. To be encouraging and supportive of their goals. To help them live a healthy lifestyle (no matter their weight) and to help them navigate between all of the very confusing false advertising and new nutrition products thrown at us. and it's time I get back to doing that.

No matter which path we need to take together- I'm here to help you sort through fact vs. fear, and walk with you to meeting your goals. 

Leave a Comment about me, calories, eating, FAQ, intuitive eating, philosophy, weight loss

health, weight loss + my journey.

I once had someone tell me "you tell people not to diet, but have you forgotten that dieting is how you got to where you are?" 

4 years ago I was 274 pounds.Currently I am somewhere between 175 and 183, I haven't weighed in for a long time- months and months, but I know that I have stayed within that range because I know how my clothing fits. 

I have never been a small person, as a kid I was average. As a teen I was larger but not considered obese, just not tiny. Even now as an adult and about 100lbs smaller than I was once, I am not a small person and I will never be a small person. By the way- that is totally OK and normal. There are people with larger frames and people with smaller and petite frames. People who are tall, and people who are short. People who carry more body fat, and people who struggle to gain to get to a healthy weight. People who gain muscle easily, and people who can't seem to gain muscle despite their best efforts. My Dad and his side of the family are Italian and larger people, both in build, height and weight. My mother is average- but she is a chronic dieter to remain that way. Yes, your parents and grandparents size does play a role in yours. 

However, when I was pregnant with my first child, I gained 70lbs. That pushed me into the 200's and for the next seven years I stayed in the 200's- from 210 and 274 and everywhere in between. Did I want to lose weight? Yes! There were times I lost and got down to 210 by eating low carb and doing a lot of cardio. It didn't stay off and really I was mostly OK with it. I was not obsessed with my body and not obsessed with weight loss- I had babies and foster children and we adopted kids and I just had a lot more important things to focus on. Until the birth of our 5th child when it was discovered I had some precancerous cells. One cell-grade level from cervical cancer, it was pretty serious but also pretty scary, a wake up call. 

Not a wake up call to lose weight. Being overweight did not cause or contribute to precancerous cells. It was a call to get healthy. Actually healthy. Not "I need to get healthy so I need to lose weight". A smaller size does not mean you are any healthier. I knew that inflammation caused abnormal cells, so my body was clearly inflamed and full of a bunch of icky stuff because my lifestyle and nutrition choices were terrible. So the first change: 

Eat a diet that promotes anti-inflammation and alkalinity in my body.  I stayed away from things like peanut butter, cheese, dairy, processed meats and the common foods that we know cause inflammation and mucus production. Naturally, this left me eating more vegetables, fruits, fish, and whole foods. I didn't track or count anything, I ate whenever I was hungry until I wasn't hungry. I did not switch to this for weight loss- I switched to try and help what was going on inside my body. 

Weight loss was a side effect from this change. Of course! Take someone who eats a diet of processed foods and sugar and make a bunch of changes to what they are eating,weight will be lost- whether intended or not. 

Second, I began to exercise. Do I need to list the health benefits of a balanced active lifestyle? I wanted to be an active person- I wanted to be fit and to feel good. I started doing the 21 day fix workouts by beach body. To this day when someone is looking for an in-home workout regimen I recommend this. I didn't do their nutrition plan or shakeology or any of that, I just followed the modified workouts. Pretty soon I noticed that I was doing amazing and getting through the modified workouts and I could start doing the "rx" workouts with the leader. It felt good and it gave me confidence to see how much my body could change with exercise. I remember starting out with 5lb weights and it was a struggle. By my last round (months in) I was using 15 and 20lbs- I LOVED ordering the bigger weights each time I needed a jump up! 

Again, weight loss was a side effect of this. Take a sedentary person and have them begin to exercise on a regular basis, they will lose weight even if they are not doing it to lose weight.

Stay with me here before you leave thinking I did it all with he best intentions, as soon as I hit 180lbs- I lost my focus. It stopped being about health, my blood work by then was great. I felt great, no bad cells, I had a great routine down- and then I started to care more  about my weight. 180lbs wasn't good enough (Yes, I got to 180 with just those two things AND I was nursing). This is also when I began Healthful Pursuits, so many women would message me asking me for weight loss help. So I started groups and became certified in nutrition coaching (which actually was harder than any of my college level nutrition and biology classes so far, after a year in, I'm happy that it wasn't just a print your certificate kind of thing!) 

Then the dieting began. Calories. Then the Zone. RP. Macros. Keto. Weight Watchers. I did them all. Where did it get me? Completely obsessed with my body, down to 163 lbs (keep in mind I am just short of 5'8 and I do have a lot of muscle on me (thanks Crossfit and learning to lift!), 163 was an ascetically good weight for me)- still not happy, still aiming for a smaller number, working out not to feel good anymore- but to help me lose more weight. I ran an ultra marathon with my husband (31.1 miles) and then CRASHED. I was so depleted and tired of working out, tired of spending HOURS away from my family on the weekends running (I love running, but once you get into distance running (my favorite) it is a big time sucker!!) and tired of protein shakes and eggs and chicken. I stopped weighing and started EATING and stopped running (I did continue to exercise, rowing and weights). I did gain weight- right back to where I was before I began dieting and where I still am today. Not a single pound that I lost on any of the diets stayed off. The only weight that stayed off was the weight that came as a side effect of making better lifestyle choices. 

How has it stayed off? Well, I'm not working to keep it off, for one. I'm letting my body be where it wants to be. I do not diet, I  exercise regularly and truly love it. I'm always trying new things, classes, programs, gyms, home gyms, etc. If you let your body, it will settle into it's natural healthy weight and I truly believe  that is exactly where I am and exactly why I haven't "gained it all back". Once you find your body's natural healthy weight (NOT what an online BMI chart tells you to weigh), you will not have to diet, exercise or work to stay that weight. 

Today I had coffee and an amazing egg sandwhich, pretzels and hummus, oranges and gummy worms, a protein shake after a workot, spagehtti and meatballs, vanilla ice cream and more. I'm a snacker more than a meal preparer, and thats ok, both are healthy. 

So did dieting get me here? Yes and no. 

YES because my experience with dieting backed up everything I have since learned about dieting and bodies. It gave me real-life experience to show me what diets truly do to people. 

and

NO because I gained every diet pound back, and I am sitting where I left off naturally. 

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