The Unfortunate Separation of Weight Loss & Health
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Mindful_Trent
Posts: 3,954 Member
I don't get it. Time and time again I'll see people say that while something may make a difference when it comes to overall health, it doesn't matter for weight loss. I posted something on the boards about why quality of food is just as important as quantity, and someone posted back that it impacts health, but that weight loss comes down to calories in vs calories out.
This is such an unfortunate (and dangerous) attitude to have. It's not like you can create two selves - one for weight loss and one for health - you have one body, and the same body that's trying to lose weight should be trying to be healthy at the same time.
Every single person on here should have a goal to be healthy first, with a secondary goal of reaching a healthy weight, looking good, etc. HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS is what we should all be trying to achieve (for those who are trying to lose), and to get that, you can't separate health from weight loss. EVERY decision should be pushed through the filter of health FIRST and then through the weight loss filter. Will "X" have a negative impact on overall health? If so, stop and proceed no further. If not, THEN consider the impact it has on weight loss and make your decision from there.(**See note at bottom of post**)
I do realize that some people are so desperate to lose weight that they'll do anything to get there and don't want to look at the big picture of their health because it just overwhelms them... but that is a recipe for disaster. What good does it do to be at a healthy weight but have no energy to do anything (which can be caused by micronutrient deficiencies, dehydration, macronutrient imbalances, etc.) or still have high cholesterol/high blood pressure (lack of exercise) or have health problems due to weight loss that was too rapid?
No one should be making decisions solely on the basis of what impact something has on their weight. The big picture HAS to be considered. I don't try to avoid processed food because of the impact it has on my weight - I try to avoid it because of its impact on my overall health and my personal beliefs about what type of fuel I want in my body. I didn't recently increase my carbohydrate goal because of its impact on my weight - I increased it so that I can properly fuel my running (which is getting to be longer and longer distances). While drinking lots of water keeps water retention (water weight) down, that's not why I drink it - I drink it because of the million health/wellness benefits I get from staying properly hydrated.
This is NOT to say that you cannot take baby steps. I recognize that everyone starts somewhere and this is not saying everyone should be perfect from the get go. I recognize that everyone on MFP is at a different place in their journey. But I'm saying that whenver you're making a decision or looking for things to improve to looking to take that next baby step and building your foundation - everything should be looked at from a health perspective so that you are working toward improved health in the long-run (which includes reaching a healthy weight). For example, it's one thing to gradually move from an unhealthy diet to a healthy diet with baby steps, but it's another to actively choose to do things that are unhealthy and have no intention on changing those things, simply because they don't have an impact on your weight.
The next time you start to dismiss something (or you read/hear something that does) because it doesn't matter for weight loss, even though it does impact health, stop and ask yourself if that is really the attitude you want to encourage and foster within yourself. Do you really want to put health on the back burner when it should be the glue that holds all of your decisions and activities together?
**Note: I realize that occasionally someone is so morbidly obese that they take drastic, doctor supervised, steps to lose weight. This post is not addressing that type of situation. In those cases, a doctor determines that the risks posed by the drastic weight loss methods are outweighed by the risks of not losing weight immediately (usually the risk of death).
This is such an unfortunate (and dangerous) attitude to have. It's not like you can create two selves - one for weight loss and one for health - you have one body, and the same body that's trying to lose weight should be trying to be healthy at the same time.
Every single person on here should have a goal to be healthy first, with a secondary goal of reaching a healthy weight, looking good, etc. HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS is what we should all be trying to achieve (for those who are trying to lose), and to get that, you can't separate health from weight loss. EVERY decision should be pushed through the filter of health FIRST and then through the weight loss filter. Will "X" have a negative impact on overall health? If so, stop and proceed no further. If not, THEN consider the impact it has on weight loss and make your decision from there.(**See note at bottom of post**)
I do realize that some people are so desperate to lose weight that they'll do anything to get there and don't want to look at the big picture of their health because it just overwhelms them... but that is a recipe for disaster. What good does it do to be at a healthy weight but have no energy to do anything (which can be caused by micronutrient deficiencies, dehydration, macronutrient imbalances, etc.) or still have high cholesterol/high blood pressure (lack of exercise) or have health problems due to weight loss that was too rapid?
No one should be making decisions solely on the basis of what impact something has on their weight. The big picture HAS to be considered. I don't try to avoid processed food because of the impact it has on my weight - I try to avoid it because of its impact on my overall health and my personal beliefs about what type of fuel I want in my body. I didn't recently increase my carbohydrate goal because of its impact on my weight - I increased it so that I can properly fuel my running (which is getting to be longer and longer distances). While drinking lots of water keeps water retention (water weight) down, that's not why I drink it - I drink it because of the million health/wellness benefits I get from staying properly hydrated.
This is NOT to say that you cannot take baby steps. I recognize that everyone starts somewhere and this is not saying everyone should be perfect from the get go. I recognize that everyone on MFP is at a different place in their journey. But I'm saying that whenver you're making a decision or looking for things to improve to looking to take that next baby step and building your foundation - everything should be looked at from a health perspective so that you are working toward improved health in the long-run (which includes reaching a healthy weight). For example, it's one thing to gradually move from an unhealthy diet to a healthy diet with baby steps, but it's another to actively choose to do things that are unhealthy and have no intention on changing those things, simply because they don't have an impact on your weight.
The next time you start to dismiss something (or you read/hear something that does) because it doesn't matter for weight loss, even though it does impact health, stop and ask yourself if that is really the attitude you want to encourage and foster within yourself. Do you really want to put health on the back burner when it should be the glue that holds all of your decisions and activities together?
**Note: I realize that occasionally someone is so morbidly obese that they take drastic, doctor supervised, steps to lose weight. This post is not addressing that type of situation. In those cases, a doctor determines that the risks posed by the drastic weight loss methods are outweighed by the risks of not losing weight immediately (usually the risk of death).
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Good post! When I started to "diet" in November I ate Lean Cuisines etc even though I knew they weren't the best choice but the more I read about food the more I realized I had to make it a priority to rely less on packaged foods and spend more time buying and preparing good foods. I now try to buy as much organic and non-gmo food as I can. I buy most of my meat from local farms that have pasture raised animals and are animal welfare certified. I buy organic dairy most of the time. I only eat organic berries - no neurotoxins on my strawberries thank you very much!
I try to fill my day of eating with nourishing foods and worry more about that than just eating low calorie. It isn't easy but there is so much information available about why it is important, not just for short term weight loss, but long term health!0 -
AGREED! It matters not how "lean" you are if you arent healthy enough to enjoy it....0
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I can only agree!0
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Great post! I can totally agree! When I first started MFP, I focused on staying w/in my calorie goal, not what I ate. Even though I lost weight, I still didn't feel great. Now I try to balance quality and quantity and I have felt so much better!0
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I'll be honest, if someone told me what he said earlier in my life, I wouldn't have been so unhappy and so unhealthy for so long....0
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Fortunately, diets that aren't too extreme and result in weight loss generally result in improved health markers.0
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I completely agree with this, which is why I get so angry with people who CHOOSE to be on sub-1000 calorie diets just because they want to lose weight more quickly or do 'detoxes' with no proven health benefits just because they heard they could lose 10+lbs on it. Weight loss shouldn't be the be-all and end-all. Health is so much more than the number on the scale.0
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Fortunately, diets that aren't too extreme and result in weight loss generally result in improved health markers.
Head. Nail. Hit. :laugh:0 -
Thanks AB! I think your post was dead on and showed your care for others on this site. I have friends doing the HTC diet and they're paying some "physician' through the nose for the privilege which I find reprehensable at best. They have lost weight, but they look tired to me and lack luster. I've found arguing is generally counter productive however, so I haven't engaged them.0
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(nevermind) :ohwell:0
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I'll be honest, if someone told me what he said earlier in my life, I wouldn't have been so unhappy and so unhealthy for so long....
How did "ladyhawk00" edit my post?? I stated more before the above...
I edited and removed some posts from this thread that violated forum rules or referenced the post(s) that were offensive (yours simply referenced a post that violated rules). We prefer not to do that, but sometimes it is necessary to avoid fights and attacks and keep the drama off the forums. Debate is fine, but when it becomes disrespectful we have to step in.
Hope you can understand why this is sometimes necessary.
Thank you,
Ladyhawk00
MyFitnessPal Forum Moderator0 -
Thanks A-boi, this is a great reminder that while losing weight is important for many people, it's even more important to stay healthy while doing it.
I find that it is very easy to get focussed on one thing (ie. eating low cal) and forget that we still need food as fuel and that low calorie doesn't necessarily help my body.
One of the great things for me on this journey has been learning about how much healthy food I can eat in a day and that in many cases, replacing a real food with a low-cal substitute is only fooling myself and isn't doing me any favours in the long term.0 -
[/quote]
How did "ladyhawk00" edit my post?? I stated more before the above...
[/quote]
I edited and removed some posts from this thread that violated forum rules or referenced the post(s) that were offensive (yours simply referenced a post that violated rules). We prefer not to do that, but sometimes it is necessary to avoid fights and attacks and keep the drama off the forums. Debate is fine, but when it becomes disrespectful we have to step in.
Hope you can understand why this is sometimes necessary.
Thank you,
Ladyhawk00
MyFitnessPal Forum Moderator
[/quote]
I understand and appreciate your help! :flowerforyou:0 -
Bump...everyone should read this!!!0
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bump0
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