Health at Every Size August 09, 2011 11:29AM

Scientific evidence supports this idea. In a 2006 study by researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 78 obese women were placed into either the Health at Every Size program or a traditional weight-loss program. Women in the weight-loss program were instructed to eat less, count calories, and exercise more.

The Health at Every Size group was encouraged to eat when they were hungry and to appreciate the feeling of fullness, to make healthy food choices, and to find a style of physical activity that was most enjoyable for them. They were not given a list of "forbidden foods," nor were they told to exercise to lose weight. They were also given techniques to build their self-esteem and to increase the confidence they had in their bodies.

After two years, both groups weighed approximately the same. The women in the weight-loss group lost some weight after six months, but regained it after two years. The women in the Health at Every Size group had healthier blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and were more physically active than the dieting group.

The study's results came as no surprise to Linda Bacon, researcher and author of Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight. Bacon holds a Ph.D. in physiology with a focus on nutrition and weight regulation.

"Health at Every Size is about taking care of your body without worrying about whether you're 'too' big or small," she says. "People might think they can tell who's fit and who's not by looking at them, but in fact, it's trickier than that. Lots of people are fat and fit—many avid dancers, runners, lifters, and sports team members are big to start with and stay that way. They tend to be far healthier than thin people who don't move around much or eat a nutritious mix of foods.

"Saying everybody needs to be the same weight is like saying all people should be the same height."

- Mary Schons

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