Fat Acceptance (HAES)

I think it's dumb that people are embracing and trying to spread their unhealthy lifestyles.
- Ex: someone being 350lbs @ 5'5 and claiming to be 'curvy'.

No, you are not curvy.

You are morbidly obese.

Yep sure have. It's ridiculous.

Clearly it's not healthy at every size with all the medical issues that come with that kind of weight. Too many people trying to make excuses for obesity. It's never been good for us and never will be.

Now the bullying of obese people needs to end.

HAES stands for "Health At Every Size". It is an approach to health that does not pursue the goal of a particular body weight, but rather concentrates on what health benefits and improvements can practically be achieved for individuals. Typically, following HAES includes size acceptance, listening to internal body signals and taking care of the body with nutritious varied eating and enjoyable exercise.

Please note that HAES is not a guarantee, but an approach. It does not assert that everyone is healthy at any size (a popular misconception), but supports the goal of health, for bodies for all sizes.

HAES has gained popularity in the last few years within the size acceptance movement as an alternative to dieting for larger people. It is promoted by a wide variety of people (including researchers and health care professionals) who have looked at the scientific literature and seen how the evidence supports a body-size-neutral approach to health. HAES is an approach that anyone can take, regardless of their size. Society's relentless promotion of an "ideal" body shape affects everyone, and thus everyone can benefit from an approach to health that is size-accepting.

This is from their website. It doesn't appear to maintain that we should embrace/ encourage being fat. Seems more like they are encouraging people to not rely solely on BMI & so forth. They also run work shops fronted by nutritionalists.

"Fat Acceptance" is a silly concept. Of course I accept those who are overweight - I myself am overweight and have been for most of my life.


As for HAES, I understand that people can be healthy at different sizes, which is to say a slim marathon runner is healthy and so is a beefy weight lifter, but "health at EVERY size" is completely absurd. You simply cannot be healthy with 100 extra pounds of fat on your body.

HAES stands for "Health At Every Size". It is an approach to health that does not pursue the goal of a particular body weight, but rather concentrates on what health benefits and improvements can practically be achieved for individuals. Typically, following HAES includes size acceptance, listening to internal body signals and taking care of the body with nutritious varied eating and enjoyable exercise.

Please note that HAES is not a guarantee, but an approach. It does not assert that everyone is healthy at any size (a popular misconception), but supports the goal of health, for bodies for all sizes.

HAES has gained popularity in the last few years within the size acceptance movement as an alternative to dieting for larger people. It is promoted by a wide variety of people (including researchers and health care professionals) who have looked at the scientific literature and seen how the evidence supports a body-size-neutral approach to health. HAES is an approach that anyone can take, regardless of their size. Society's relentless promotion of an "ideal" body shape affects everyone, and thus everyone can benefit from an approach to health that is size-accepting.

This is from their website. It doesn't appear to maintain that we should embrace/ encourage being fat. Seems more like they are encouraging people to not rely solely on BMI & so forth. They also run work shops fronted by nutritionalists.

Yeah I like the sound of it, but you gotta think; if they were really relying on true hunger signals and eating for nutrition, the weight would fall off. So, clearly some if these people don't actually follow this program 100%

Actually, there's something to it from my perspective. I've always been a fat chick (now in my 50s) with very limited and short-lived success at weight loss. I gave up addressing weight in my 20s and decided instead to address health. I ate a healthier than average (albeit not perfect) diet and stayed more active than average (albeit not athletic) all those years too. Really strong family history of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, etc.

So fast forward to now and even though I was morbidly obese (BMI 45-50 pretty much entire adult life), I maintained very healthy blood sugar levels (despite being really fat and a bad family history/genetics), blood pressure average 110/70, resting heart rate about 60-65, cholesterol in the 170-180 range, and super good heart health. I was given a nuclear stress test prior to a surgery I had to have and my cardiologist was blown away with my results. I had developed none of the diseases typically associated with obesity even at middle age.

I believe that the correlation between obesity and those diseases is largely just that ... correlation. Not causation. MOST people who are obese have a poor diet, don't drink water and don't move. THAT"s why they're diseased, not because of the fat in and of itself.

My fat eventually did end up causing me a major health problem of a mechanical variety. I have to get rid of it because of the pull of gravity and the water retention associated with it (crazy lots of water the heavier you get, I never realized until now how much, after losing 51 lbs in only 8 weeks, which was clearly mostly water and more to go).

So every person is different, but extra fat does not necessarily mean poor health. Even though I've always been the fattest in my family, I am the only one not taking some kind of heart medicine or insulin out of all my siblings (big family).

Go figya.

Never heard of it, but I remember on MFP like 2 months ago. Their was a 500lb young woman showing off pictures of her body and saying she loves being fat and sees nothing wrong with herself and would keep being this way for the rest of her life. I was kind of shocked. I mean I am all for feeling great in your body as you loose and such, but to be happy to be 500lbs and try to have others agree as well and not change is pure ludicrous!!

Is there an eating/nutrition disorder for that? I know I've come across a lot of "I'd rather die fat and happy" people since high school...

Actually, there's something to it from my perspective. I've always been a fat chick (now in my 50s) with very limited and short-lived success at weight loss. I gave up addressing weight in my 20s and decided instead to address health. I ate a healthier than average (albeit not perfect) diet and stayed more active than average (albeit not athletic) all those years too. Really strong family history of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, etc.

So fast forward to now and even though I was morbidly obese (BMI 45-50 pretty much entire adult life), I maintained very healthy blood sugar levels (despite being really fat and a bad family history/genetics), blood pressure average 110/70, resting heart rate about 60-65, cholesterol in the 170-180 range, and super good heart health. I was given a nuclear stress test prior to a surgery I had to have and my cardiologist was blown away with my results. I had developed none of the diseases typically associated with obesity even at middle age.

I believe that the correlation between obesity and those diseases is largely just that ... correlation. Not causation. MOST people who are obese have a poor diet, don't drink water and don't move. THAT"s why they're diseased, not because of the fat in and of itself.

My fat eventually did end up causing me a major health problem of a mechanical variety. I have to get rid of it because of the pull of gravity and the water retention associated with it (crazy lots of water the heavier you get, I never realized until now how much, after losing 51 lbs in only 8 weeks, which was clearly mostly water and more to go).

So every person is different, but extra fat does not necessarily mean poor health. Even though I've always been the fattest in my family, I am the only one not taking some kind of heart medicine or insulin out of all my siblings (big family).

Go figya.

I'm glad that your all of your panels/tests/etc seem to be in line,...but I know people who can claim the same thing, yet have other wight related issues. I am not suggesting your situation is in anyway comparable to what I have to say here, but rather, addressing other problems for those who choose to remain at an unhealthy weight.

I have family members who are severely overweight and surprisingly, always come through their workups with gold stars. Yet, they are barely able to walk due to their knees being shot from carrying around a great deal of excess weight for so many years. Forget about attempting to walk up a flight of stairs, or doing many other things we all take for granted. They simply can not do it. They need to have both knees replaced, while one also needs hip surgery. But being so overweight, surgery can not even be considered for either of them.

I can only imagine that their mobility won't improve as they continue to age,...more than likely, it will only get worse,...unless of course they lost some of that weight. One person is in their 50s, another in their 60s. Going strictly by age, neither is "old", in my opinion,...but both are heading down the road to being completely housebound MANY years before they should have had to consider such things. For all I know, they may outlive me and still be rockin' through their 90s, but what about the quality of life? If only they had kept their weight under control all these years, their future would be looking much brighter than it does right now.

I can only imagine that their mobility won't improve as they continue to age,...more than likely, it will only get worse,...unless of course they lost some of that weight. One person is in their 50s, another in their 60s. Going strictly by age, neither is "old", in my opinion,...but both are heading down the road to being completely housebound MANY years before they should have had to consider such things. For all I know, they may outlive me and still be rockin' through their 90s, but what about the quality of life? If only they had kept their weight under control all these years, their future would be looking much brighter than it does right now.

I think you're right. Mobility is a huge issue and a big one for me. Even though I was still able to move easily without getting winded, and I even could run up stairs (I have stayed pretty active, mind you), the older I got the more the mechanical dangers of the weight scared me. I'm not recommending that it's ideal, I'm just suggesting that the health issues typically attributed to the weight itself are more likely caused by the correlated lifestyle (sedentary, poor food choices, poor health habits) and not necessarily to the fat itself. I definitely don't recommend it to anyone as the preferred body type, but I wouldn't compromise my health in an effort to simply slim down thinking that only losing weight will solve the health issues related to obesity either.

I think there is a difference between accepting yourself as a person and accepting being unhealthy. Personally, I think that when you accept yourself as a person its easier to be honest about healthy changes you may need to make. There is more to every person than their weight, but the idea that people are encouraging obesity is sad (and hopefully just misunderstood) Maybe it is more aboutaccepting yourself as a person.
And, "every size" to me doesnt mean every weight. Some people are short, tall, small or large framed by genetics....this has little to do with the actual amount of fat they have. Let's face it, not all of us are barbie dolls, but that doesnt mean we shouldnt eat right excercize and maintain a healthy weight for our body.

The basic idea of HAES is that you don't need to be thin to be healthy, however they still ignore doctors when they're told that they're not healthy because of their weight. They actively encourage people to accept being fat, and never try to change themselves, as well as telling anyone who does attempt to lose weight that they are a statistical anomaly if they don't gain it back after 5 years (i.e if you're fat, don't even bother trying, there's no point)

I see. Well in that case yes, they are off base.

I think there is a difference between accepting yourself as a person and accepting being unhealthy. Personally, I think that when you accept yourself as a person its easier to be honest about healthy changes you may need to make. There is more to every person than their weight, but the idea that people are encouraging obesity is sad (and hopefully just misunderstood) Maybe it is more aboutaccepting yourself as a person.
And, "every size" to me doesnt mean every weight. Some people are short, tall, small or large framed by genetics....this has little to do with the actual amount of fat they have. Let's face it, not all of us are barbie dolls, but that doesnt mean we shouldnt eat right excercize and maintain a healthy weight for our body.

The basic idea of HAES is that you don't need to be thin to be healthy, however they still ignore doctors when they're told that they're not healthy because of their weight. They actively encourage people to accept being fat, and never try to change themselves, as well as telling anyone who does attempt to lose weight that they are a statistical anomaly if they don't gain it back after 5 years (i.e if you're fat, don't even bother trying, there's no point)

Links? :flowerforyou:
I'm having a skim read around some HAES articles now & I find it an interesting theory. First time I've ever really looked into this.

For years I tried to convince myself I was beautiful at any size. But it was BS. I was tired all the time, sweated like crazy, winded when I would walk upstairs or long distances, couldn't lift things..the list goes on.
Now that I've lost weight, taken the focus off food and got my butt up and moving, I've never felt better.

If somebody wants to be overweight then they have a right to be

If they are comfortable with their body no mister what that is great

But I draw the line at people falsely claiming obesity to be healthy.