Weight Neutral Health: What Is It & Why Is It Important?

You may have heard the terms “weight neutral” or “weight inclusive” in recent years.

‍Weight-neutral health is an approach that focuses on building sustainable healthy habits rather than prioritizing weight loss through dieting. 

This approach may feel overwhelming at first, but it can bring long-lasting health improvements, including better self-esteem and body image, and a reduced risk of disordered eating. 

Continue reading to learn more about the benefits of weight neutrality and how to start practicing it today. 

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What is Weight Neutral Health?

The weight-neutral approach means shifting the focus away from body weight as the primary indicator of health.

On an individual level, you may focus on lifestyle habits to support health without intentionally trying to lose weight. 

From a healthcare perspective, weight neutrality or weight inclusivity means your provider will not stigmatize you because of your weight.

This is part of the Health at Every Size (HAES) philosophy, which advocates for everyone to have access to high-quality healthcare regardless of body size. 

Weight Normative Care

The opposite of weight-neutral healthcare is weight normative care, the traditional view in which providers prescribe restrictive diets for weight loss in an attempt to improve a person’s health status. 

However, decades of research show that dieting or restricting calories to lose weight is largely ineffective in the long term.

While many people can intentionally lose weight in the short term, most regain that weight (and sometimes more) over time. 

Numerous factors outside of diet and lifestyle can impact a person’s health and body weight, including genetics, environment, metabolism, socioeconomic status, trauma history, and more. 

Additionally, research has shown that people in larger bodies often avoid seeing a weight-normative provider out of fear of judgment, preventing them from receiving potentially life-saving preventative care.

Acknowledging the complexity of health and the natural diversity of body sizes is the first step toward weight neutrality. 

Why is Weight Neutrality Important?

Weight neutrality is a valuable alternative to weight normative care.

Weight regain following intentional weight loss is common.

This is driven by the complex biological changes that occur due to caloric restriction, including a reduced metabolic rate and increased hunger.  

Research shows that after an intentional weight reduction program, less than 20% of participants maintain the weight loss after one year.

This percentage goes down further in the second year. 

Other studies show that participants of weight loss programs in the United States regained 77% of the weight they lost after a five-year period.

Additionally, half of people who intentionally lose weight regain all the weight after five years. 

This low success rate can lead to yo-yo dieting, which is when a person makes repeated attempts to lower their body weight, resulting in a cycle of weight loss and regain. Research shows that, over time, weight cycling can increase the risk of: 

• Insulin resistance. 
• High blood pressure. 
• High cholesterol. 
• Heart disease. 
• Higher body mass index (BMI).
• Eating disorders. 

If you only track progress by weight reduction, you may feel less motivated to continue healthy behaviors when you stop seeing results. 

Healthcare providers who use a weight-neutral approach acknowledge the downsides of restrictive dieting and weight cycling.

Instead, they focus on helping you build sustainable healthy habits and giving you evidence-based care that is not contingent on weight loss.

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Benefits of Focusing on Health Rather Than Weight

It can be freeing to ditch the scale and focus on other evidence-based practices to improve your health and well-being.

This shift can help you build lifelong healthy habits and reduce internalized weight stigma. 

Build Sustainable Habits

Research shows that lifestyle changes can positively impact health markers independent of weight loss. 

You can improve your health by building sustainable healthy habits like eating more vegetables, prioritizing sleep, and exercising regularly.

These changes can help improve your well-being, mood, and clinical markers like blood pressure and cholesterol. 

Your weight may decrease due to making healthy changes, but it’s not the primary measure of success. 

Reduce Weight Stigma

A weight-neutral approach reduces weight stigma, the negative assumptions many make about people living in larger bodies.

These assumptions can be about a person's habits or their health status. 

Weight stigma is unfortunately widespread in the healthcare system, leading many people to avoid seeking necessary care.

Additionally, those who do seek care are often given substandard care.

Weight stigma harms people of all body sizes.

For example, a person with a larger body may be told to lose weight before they can receive treatment for a medical condition.

Or, their symptoms may be blamed on their weight, delaying an important medical diagnosis. 

On the other hand, lower-weight individuals may not be screened for conditions like type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea, even though these can occur in people of all sizes. 

Internalized weight stigma, or believing the negative stereotypes about having a higher body weight, is associated with: 

• Higher calorie intake.
• Elevated blood pressure. 
• Eating disorder symptoms like binge eating and purging. 
• Negative body image. 
• Depression. 

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Strategies for Embracing a Weight-Neutral Approach

It can feel daunting to start a weight-neutral health journey.

Consider the following tips to help make the transition easier and seek support when necessary.

Stop Counting Calories

The weight normative approach is centered on monitoring–calories, weight, portions, and more.

One of the best ways to start embracing a weight-neutral approach is to let go of these numbers. 

While this may feel scary initially, learning to follow your internal signals rather than external guidance is the key to long-term success. 

Practice Intuitive Eating

Learning mindful and intuitive eating strategies can help you move away from calorie counting. 

Start practicing this by listening to your natural hunger and fullness signals.

Eat when you’re hungry, and try to stop when you feel full. Listen to which foods feel good digestively and give you energy. 

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Set Health Goals That Aren’t Weight-Related

You can embrace a weight-neutral approach by focusing on behaviors that are proven to support health (rather than focusing on weight). 

Some examples of goals that aren’t weight-focused include:

• Balancing your plate with lean proteins, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats.
• Prioritizing adequate sleep.
• Taking steps to manage your stress levels. 
• Drinking enough water. 
• Finding ways to stay active that feel good to your body. 

You can measure progress through non-weight markers like energy levels, endurance, mental health, and lab markers like blood sugar and cholesterol. 

Takeaway

Weight-neutral health means shifting the focus away from dieting for weight loss. Instead, it emphasizes making sustainable lifestyle changes to support health.

From a healthcare standpoint, weight-neutral care reduces weight stigma and helps everyone receive high-quality care.

You can embrace the weight-neutral approach by setting non-weight health goals, like eating balanced meals and getting enough sleep.

Move away from calorie tracking and instead practice listening to your internal hunger and fullness cues to guide your eating. 

How a Dietitian Can Help

A registered dietitian can guide you from the weight-normative approach to weight-neutral health by teaching you intuitive eating principles, setting sustainable goals, and helping you improve your relationship with food and your body image. 

Find a dietitian near you that accepts insurance using Nourish.

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