A Weight-Neutral Approach to Health

Focusing on weight loss in and of itself can be problematic so, maybe it’s time to look into how a weight-neutral approach can bring health improvements.

It doesn’t matter if it’s in the interest of “health”, performance goals, improving a specific health condition, appearance, energy levels, etc.

It can still be a huge distraction and prevent us from doing so many other things that may have an even greater impact long term. It distracts us from addressing underlying causes for the various things we may be struggling with.

Let’s talk about one that gets a lot of attention … type 2 diabetes/prediabetes.

QUICK DISCLAIMER: This is NOT medical advice … just a few pieces of helpful general info to consider.

Did you know that making a few tweaks to your meals and snacks can dramatically impact glucose response? Yep. Mixed meals where you have a nice dose of protein, some fat, carbs (yeah, carbs!), and some fiber is an excellent way to improve glucose response. Oh, and it’s also a fantastic way to make meals and snacks sustaining between eating times. Oh, and it applies to restaurant food.

This impacts our mindset in a completely different way than restricting carbs, cutting out our favorite foods, or fixating on weight loss.

Did you know that physical activity of all kinds and resistance training, in particular, can have a very significant impact on insulin sensitivity in the body, not just short-term, but long-term as well? Yep. Apart from weight loss too! Find some enjoyable ways of moving your body more and you may just find some serious improvements whether your body size changes or not.

And, don’t forget non-behavioral and non-nutrition-related things. Sleep apnea? This also happens to those of us in smaller bodies (yep, that’s me). There are ways to treat it that don’t involve changing the size of your body. Improving sleep has numerous ripple effects on the body including areas related to physical activity and nutrition.

Remember, while weight loss (which is notoriously difficult to maintain) may confer some benefits in some areas, there are so many other things that you can do that are not hard to maintain that confer far greater, sustainable benefits!