Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight
- Health at Every Size Book Introduction This will inspire you. You can live in a body you love and eating can be fun and effortless... much more fun and effective than dieting! Welcome to Health at Every Size.
- Linda's Extended Biography Learn more about Linda and what led her to the Health at Every Size® paradigm.
Distributable Materials from the Appendix
Read and share generously as this covers the major points about HAES:
- The HAES Manifesto The Health at Every Size Manifesto, reproduced from Linda's groundbreaking book. Summarizes hot topics and the need for a paradigm shift. A must-have for everyone's library.
Messages to Assist Specific Groups/People in Shifting Their Paradigm to Health at Every Size
- Moving On: From Weight to What Matters We lose out when we view life through a weight lens. It's not just misinformed, but damaging. Reconsider the evidence. Change your paradigm. Regain your self-trust and joy.
- A Message for People Who Have Diseases Blamed on Their Weight Many diseases get blamed on weight, with weight loss proposed as the solution. Here's another framing that will be much more helpful in healing.
- A Message for People Considering Their Next Diet Maintaining a weight that is healthy for your body can be effortless.
- A Message for People Considering Bariatric Surgery Combine the fact that bariatric surgery is among the highest-paying surgical specialties with the vulnerability of desperate patients, and it's just a setup for disaster.
- A Message for Health Care Providers and Administrators and Staff of Obesity Prevention or Treatment Programs You can better support good health by switching the focus from weight to health. Change the paradigm: Obesity treatment/prevention is harmful, but improved health behavior goals support people of all sizes.
- A Message for Legislators/Politicians on Obesity Treatment and Prevention Policies Change the paradigm: Make health promotion your platform. Obesity treatment and prevention messaging is harmful.
- A Message for School Administrators and Teachers Anti-obesity campaigns, including BMI "report-cards," are damaging and ineffective. Learn how to best inspire good health habits for your students.
- A Message for Fitness Professionals Change the paradigm. You can better support your clients by abandoning weight loss goals. It is possible to be both fat and fit.
- A Message for People Committed to Food Justice and Sustainable Agriculture There should be more Weight justice in the Food justice movement.
General Advice to Specific Groups
- A Message for Journalists/Writers/People in the Media: Covering Weight Concerns The "obesity epidemic," if it ever existed, is long over, yet the media rarely reports that fact. Learn how to find and report the real facts. Be a responsible and ethical journalist.
- A Message for Therapists on Compassionate Therapy for Weight Concerns Resist the temptation to view weight loss attempts and dieting as self-care. Learn how to better support positive body image and self-care behaviors.
- A Message for People Who Have Lost Weight How are behaviors affect our weight is extremely individual, and whatever you did to lose weight may not be helpful for someone else. Learn how you can use your experience to help, not harm.
- Reflections on Thin Privilege and Responsibility Thinner people benefit from discrimination against larger people. This simple discussion helps readers understand responsible use of "thin privilege."
Cover Letters to Help Others Understand and Support your Health at Every Size Journey
- Friends and Family: How You Can Best Support Me in Good Health A letter that asks friends and family to support and love you as you are not as they wish you were.
- Health Care Providers: Providing Sensitive Care for People of All Sizes Motivating good self-care through attention to health behaviors - and dropping the weight focus.
Follow-Up
- Final Words: For Health Professionals Resistant to Health at Every Size Dropping a weight focus runs counter to much of what we're taught as health professionals. But here's why you should listen to the naysayers anyway.
- For People Who Consider Size Acceptance Dangerous Hounding people to lose weight is not just ineffective, it's damaging. People make better self-care choices when they start from body appreciation, not from a drive to change their body.
Tools for Implementing HAES
- Live Well Pledge A Health at Every Size classic: A pledge to read and sign and keep you inspired and on track.
- Eating Journal Use this journal to monitor how hunger and satisfaction manifest in your body. (Description for use can be found in the book.)
Additional Book Excerpts
- I Hurt Therefore I Eat-The Truth Behind Emotional Eating Too many of us have come to view food as a blanket for our emotions, numbing them as we turn to food to provide the love and comfort we crave. But food doesn't "fix" feelings. Learn how to best take care of yourself.
- Weight Loss Treatments: Pharmaceuticals Weight loss supplements come with some pretty messy side effects and no long-term evidence of safety or efficacy. Read this before you invest (again).
- We're Wired to Maintain a Healthy Weight You can learn how to reset your weight regulation system and achieve your healthiest weight simply and enjoyably without thinking about calories or dieting.
- Weight Loss Treatments: Bariatric Surgery With more than 90 possible side effects including death, bariatric surgery is not the Holy Grail of weight loss. Learn what the "experts" aren't telling us. A must-read for people considering surgery.
Book Trailers
Below are links to two 3-1/2 minute video webcasts introducing Health at Every Size.
- Health at Every Size book trailer, For Individuals Wanting to Lose Weight: podcast Book trailer for Health at Every Size. Discusses the problems of a weight-centered approach to health and the basic tenets of the new paradigm, Health at Every Size. Inspires.
- Text Version
- Health at Every Size book trailer, Providers Edition: podcast Book trailer for Health at Every Size. Summarizes the book and provides practical strategies to help adopt a Health at Every Size approach in clinical practice.
- Text Version
Additional Downloads
Below are distributable wallet-sized cards and bookmarks.
- Wallet-sized card: Surprising Truths about Weight Print this handy card to remind you of some surprising myths and truths about weight. A great present for the uninitiated!
- Wallet-sized card: Live Well Pledge Print this handy card to keep you inspired and mindful of self-care.
- Bookmark: Surprising Truths about Weight Fast facts on Health at Every Size, formatted as a handy bookmark. Print on sturdy paper to always have some inspiration around. Makes a great gift.
- Bookmark: Live Well Pledge The Live Well Pledge formatted as a handy bookmark. Print on sturdy paper to always keep some inspiration in your books.