HAES vs Weight Loss | Where I Stand
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- čas přidán 17. 11. 2019
- In this episode of Abbey’s Kitchen, I’m getting personal and sharing where I stand on the weight loss vs HAES argument.
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My amazon #affiliate shop:www.amazon.ca/shop/abbeysharp
My favourite intuitive eating books in my amazon #affiliate shop: www.amazon.ca/shop/abbeysharp...
Eating Disorder Support LINK: nedic.ca/
www.eatingdisorderhope.com/
www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/
Find an Intuitive Eating HAES Expert:
www.sizediversityandhealth.or...
benourished.org/
My Favourite HAES Experts:
The Militant Baker: www.themilitantbaker.com/
Michelle Elman: www.michelleelman.com/about/
Virgie Tovar: www.virgietovar.com/
Ragen Chastain: danceswithfat.org/
Whole Hearted Dietitian: www.wholeheartednutrition.org/
For more tips on staying healthy, recipes, dieting, and information fit for consumption by foodies everywhere stop by Abbey’s blog. abbeyskitchen.com - Jak na to + styl
Being a part of the HAES community almost killed me. Morbidly obese as a teen and believing that I was healthy and happy until my mid 30's when the obesity risk factors hit me in the face, almost ending my life. Over a decade of being nearly 300 pounds, but having perfectly normal blood panels, then turned into hypertension, plantar fasciitis, chronic shoulder and back pain, diabetes, pcos and cancer, which took my reproductive organs and any chance of giving my son a sibling. I was run over by everything health professionals said I would get, starting at 35 years old. And when I began my health journey, losing 70 pounds, reversing my diabetes and curing myself of the painful, chronic inflammation, the HAES community turned on me. I was now the enemy promoting diet culture. The HAES community is dangerous for so many women. Love yourself in every stage of your journey because your human and your beautiful, but life is a journey and health is a part of that. It can save your life.
When you said, "I think I've just gotten so caught up in the social justice aspect and the political correctness of the none diet movement..that I feel like I've kind of lost touch with my true purpose as a Registered Dietitian and that is ultimately to help improve individuals' well being and health, both physical and emotional health." I was just sitting here marveling at your willingness to be this genuine and transparent. It is really rare. I think most of us have our own ideology/agenda that stems from our experience, but to actually see it in ourselves, admit it, and say it publicly, takes a lot of strength. I think you're right. It is very complex. But true health should be the primary goal to strive for.
Mita1 thank you 🙏🏼❤️
Yes, I loved this aspect too. x
BULLSHIT. Have you done any research outside your own mirrored, uninformed assumptions? THIS IS NOT WHAT HAES IS ABOUT.
The problem I have with "intuitive eating" is that the food environment itself is not intuitive. RDs seem to be afraid to criticize the food environment created by capitalism.
I think this was started to be touched on in her mukbang video. People gorging for some sponsorship and ad revenue. But it's got to keep on going from there ya know
!!!! Lol wow this really hit me. Exactly this!
Finally, this is the point. I wonder that people always never mention it. Diet culture plays role only for people who are sensitive to it, the addictive non-natural food designed to confuse our hunger signals has impact on EVERYONE.
Good point! I’ll try to address more of this and be more mindful
YES YES YES!!!!!
Keep being a moderate, science-informed voice.
Julie Lafford thanks 🙏🏼❤️
@@AbbeysKitchen I had a terrible dietician who because I didnt want to/couldnt eat 4 meals a day, basically dismissed me lol (I have digestive issues so that was too much eating for me) and I was looking for diet vids and came across yours and I really appreciated your approach and sensitivity especially with eating disorders. So thank you and keep being vunerable and sharing the 'grey space' ❤❤
Okay I got to comment because I never see anyone talk about this. HAES does not address the emotional factors of people over eating. I'm speaking from experience here. As I have a strong tendency to eat my feelings and am in the process of correcting that behavior. RDs really need to preface every conversation on weight loss and health with emotional health will make it very hard to drop weight and keep it off. People really need to deep dive their own mind and understand their trauma.
Frank Myers thanks for your thoughts!
imo this is why so many people are overweight/obese (because of unacknowledged/untreated issues with their emotional and mental health)
Totally and the social group pressure to eat
As someone who doesn’t have an eating disorder and would like to lose weight, mostly because of physical comfort, I find it difficult to find nutritional advice that is helpful. I like my body, but I felt better when I was lighter, especially for my back and knees. I know dieting can be harmful and so I don’t do it, but I don’t lose weight from exercise. I feel like a lot of advice comes from people who have or have had EDs, and that can sometimes impact advice in a way which makes it less relevant to me. Like, going all in just doesn’t seem very relevant to my situation. Anyway, I really appreciate your videos, thanks Abbey.
Tamar Blackburn ❤️🙏🏼
@@AbbeysKitchen btw it was you who made me realize my relationship with food is actually quite healthy, I wasn't sure before because my parents' isn't, so thank you Abbey :)
Same here! I found keeping a food diary a good tool, even though it's a bit tedious. It's easier to find patterns of overeating (especially if you track time of meals as well).
Join Macros Inc on Facebook. Best group ever.
Tamar Blackburn this was me in the beginning of the year now I’ve lost 35 lbs and I honestly feel so much better in my body movements and mobility.
I did limit calories with the help of a fit bit but I wasn’t super strict and never got mad at myself if I didn’t stay completely on track just saw it as part of the journey, now I’ve maintained for 4 month just eating intuition
I love this video. As someone who has had an ED and gone through the fanatical world of diet culture with its burning and imperative truths I think we need to live in the grey. I have recently found myself becoming as fervent about HAES and intuitive eating as I was about only eating a sweet potato in the light of the full moon (or whatever that months fad was). And i found the new found worship of HAES was creating a disconnect between what I want from a health point of view and what I want for myself aesthetically. And that was causing as much mental distress as diet culture. I completely agree we have the right to want to change our bodies, and love your message of getting safe and research driven advice over dangerous and unscientific guidance from an unqualified youtuber. In the grey both health and aesthetic are possible and not incompatible. I also believe that if we work towards change with love for ourselves instead of from a place of hate and disappointment with our bodies it can be a positive experience. Great video.
Cat Skilton love to hear that 🙏🏼❤️
One of my most favorite quotes is:
"Your best weight is whatever weight you reach when you're living the healthiest life you ACTUALLY enjoy"
The pursuit of HEALTH is still important even if it doesn't directly impact weight. Working on improving your health overall is important.
Wow best comment ever!!
I’ve lost 110 pounds over the last two years. I did that through many means, including bariatric surgery this summer. My first fifty pounds was lost “on my own”, the latter pounds lost with the aid of the surgery, meeting with my health team that includes an RD, adhering to a new, intuitive way of eating, and a great fitness journey.
I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this video. I totally agree that insidious diet culture must be called out. We CAN have health at every size. But I, at nearly 200 lbs overweight, was not healthy. Diabetes and heart disease was a near certainty in my future, and I didn’t feel good.
Now I’ve completed a couch to 5k and am able to move and thrive in ways I never thought possible.
It has been very frustrating to hear HAES adherents in my life comment on my journey. They are often almost dismissive of my efforts and successes. Because they are so religiously devoted to the HAES philosophy, their comments on my journey seem to hint that they think it’s irrelevant. It isn’t irrelevant, and it was necessary for me. Not everyone needs or wants to do what I did. Your explanations in this video are so beautifully balanced. Much love to you!
gmr2broadway thank you 🙏🏼
I lost 60kg in less than a year just eating as much meat as I want and not being hungry all day. :D
Perfectly said!
Right I believe in body positivity and loving yourself at any size but I don’t think extreme sizes are healthy I feel like I need to lose 20 pounds to be at my healthiest weight although I’m genetically on the chubbier side I just feel like it has gone too far
Right I believe in body positivity and loving yourself at any size but I don’t think extreme sizes are healthy I feel like I need to lose 20 pounds to be at my healthiest weight although I’m genetically on the chubbier side I just feel like it has gone too far
So important! As a fellow RD I have felt this way since HAES and IE started becoming more and more mainstream. Like I absolutely want to acknowledge that people shouldn't feel the NEED to diet/ change their body to be valued or seen as healthy, but also I don't think it makes you a bad person to have aesthetic goals or to want to lose weight if you know it will positively impact your overall health and wellness. It's definitely becoming harder to stay in the grey with how polarized the issue has become. I'm glad I'm not the only one!
Alexa Zuber yes 🙌🏼❤️
Sure, diets don't work, but a lifestyle change ALWAYS works. It really upsets me that so many are taking diet culture and the obesity epidemic (people LITERALLY losing their legs, finding themselves unable to walk or to have sex, people dying before their kids have been raised) and running with them both and acting like they're two sides of the same coin. I'm a body positive person, I don't believe in diet culture, but I am all for encouraging people to be healthy whilst accepting that some people don't want to be healthy and that's fine if that's their decision. I just really hate the whole debate at this point. People care more about being right/not facing up to uncomfortable feelings and bad habits, than they care about their own health and the health of others :( (btw - loved this video!)
Melanie Murphy thank you 🙏🏼
I get not wanting to hurt someone's feelings or be seen as mean but that has clearly taken priority over health.
I agree with you 100%. I was one of those people at 220lbs overweight. I've lost 82lbs so far and am still on my journey but I find it offensive and hurtful when people shame me for wanting to lose weight. I was on the verge of buying a walker or wheelchair because I couldn't walk.
What did you do to lose weight? I tend to get obsessed when I try but I am 220 and sick of it. I am a size 16 and 5’6 so nothing extreme but I am uncomfortable. So sick of it.
Thank you for expressing this in a so eloquent way, thank u 🧪🙏
Everyone's relationships with food are so different based on our experiences, so I can see how this is such a complicated and deeply personal debate. I remember in a previous video you mentioned that calorie counting was not good, and I remember feeling a little alienated because calorie counting helped me realize, one, that I was under eating, and two, that because I was under eating I was probably struggling with depression. In the end, calorie counting helped my overall health, physically and mentally. That being said, I understand why you give this advice because calorie counting can be dangerous for a person who has a different relationship with food. I think these issues are complicated and it is okay to take a nuanced approach.
Hillary M for sure!
I totally agree with you. Everyone’s experience is different. For instance I became very dogmatic and I only wanted to eat “clean foods”. I got eczema and I realized not everything is about food. I was eating so clean, paleo, 0 refined sugar and carbs. But I was so overwhelmed about my food decisions. In the past, I have done food tracking especially because I tend to eat low amounts of protein and it actually helped me to realize that my skin needs protein. I also got a very bad acne went I stopped eating animals because I wasn’t getting enough protein. It’s crazy because I thought “eating animals” get helped me clear my acne but the reality was the protein helped me to clear my acne. So tracking food or in your case calories can help. I never get obsessed about calories but I did about eating only Whole Foods. Now I enjoy my sourdough bread with lots of butters and croissants 🥐🥰
@@terapia.desenredada animal products and sugar cause a lot worse problems than acne. Better to not eat those and have acne than eat them and have heart disease, cancer or depression. Low protein isn't good but adequate protein intake can definitely be achieved without eating animal products. Tracking protein could make sure you get enough protein while also not using dangerous foods to get there. There's more to life than food but food choices affect every single area of life, mental health included. Added sugars significantly increase risk of depression. For example. Refined grains have a slew of real dangers as well. So although life is about more than food, it's important to make healthy food choices to preserve those other areas of life.
Perhaps talk about iron deficiency? I was feeling tired all the time and blaming myself personally for it, lazy, unmotivated etc.... When I started treating my low iron, I truly felt like myself again, and I wish I could have learned about this sooner! Thanks! This was a great video, and we need more of this on the internet!
Luisa Masclans I’ll write it down!
Highly relatable
B12 deficiency too (and not just from a vegan diet)
I relate to this so much! Getting my iron and thyroid levels in check really improved my mental health.
D3 is another important one. Especially in the northern hemisphere.
I have SO much respect! I am so tired of people being “demonized” for wanting to lose weight for whatever the reasons may be. It’s a personal choice and NO BODY should be shamed for it.
Olgaplus4 Gav ❤️❤️
I lost 100 pounds and have kept it off for 7 years, so diets do work if you do it as a lifestyle change and not just a temporary way of eating until you drop the weight.
moths from neptune I try to focus on getting plenty of protein in my meals to avoid being hungry, but I do have days where I am hungrier. I try to snack on healthy foods on those days. I also work out so that helps with burning extra calories.
@moths from neptune Try making sure your meals are full of fiber and protein to keep you full.
Personally I see dieting as a short term scheme that may or may not fit in with someone’s overall lifestyle whereas when people preach “diets that work” it’s like you said- it’s completely a lifestyle change. If changing your diet and lifestyle doesn’t align with your values you’re going to have a hard time.
We love a self aware queen 👑 💜
Yka Marie 🙏🏼❤️
"I just got so caught up in the justice aspect." I respect your integrity. The quote about letting clients be martyrs for the Cause rocked me and put into words the unease I've felt on this whole topic. I appreciate that you're seeking Truth on this.
Elizabeth O'Meara 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
It is demoralizing when you know losing weight would help improve your health, but you also know from experience that diets backfire and don’t work for you long-term. When you can’t see the way forward, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and discouraged. Hearing Abby grapple with these issues along with me is somehow helpful and hopeful.
kimoose8 I’m so glad it’s been helpful
this is such an important discussion - thank you so much for being so open and compassionate in exploring these issues !
alexandra sive 🙏🏼🙏🏼
I lost 50lbs and I know that it made a difference in my health. I was 226lbs and went down to 176lbs, and I am only 5'2". I was prediabetic and had undiagnosed high blood pressure. I know that it was undiagnosed because I would take my mom's BP meds before I would go to the doctor. The only way I could do this was by changing how many calories I ate. I have maintained this for about 4 years now. I did lose the weight over 2 years, very slowly. But this has helped me keep the weight off. My weight loss has always been food-based and not exercised based. I am a nurse and work 12 hour shifts, so I have always have had an active job. My weight loss has been about 90% food related and 10% activity. I still log my food, because it helps me keep track. I do follow a certain amount of calories per day, but I still try to live life the best I can. I have been doing it for so long that it has just become part of my natural routine. My biggest issue was always portion control and still is. I just don't think I am the right person for "intuitive eating." I do see the benefits of it and how it can work for many people. But I do believe that there are some people who this will just never work for. I don't think I live in diet culture, just monitoring what I eat. These are my opinions. I do love your videos and am open to many new opinions. Thanks for the education.
shenn141 thanks for your thoughts!
Thank you so much for everything you do! You’ve helped so many people including myself better their relationship with food, and I’m always excited to see a new video from you in my subscription list!
Emily Good thanks!
This is a great example of someone who wants to serve their cause so much that they are willing to make a video saying, hey, maybe i wasnt entirely right. Thank you for this.
Moon stone thank you 🙏🏼
"Could we be projecting?" Really, how could you not? An important realization.
Melanie Clarkson totally
Lots of love for this video and your message - I think a lot of times in discussions like these, the grey area is the only balanced and healthy approach. Thanks for always being honest!
Brenna Salkin of course! 🙏🏼
I've been struggling watching your videos because i DO BELIEVE in loving my body AND my health would (and will) be so much better if (when) I lose weight. And i kept feeling like there was no option for me.
I can't tell you how HAPPY and GRATEFUL I am to see this video.
I can happily say that I am gently and lovingly eating with intention and awareness and for me that meant tracking what I ate the past weeks. B/c I wasn't in a self loathing or shaming place i looked at it only as information and it actually SUPPORTED my intuition and trust of myself! I feel so so good. I've lost like 4 lbs and i don't even care, i just feel empowered and competent taking control. I have felt jordan syatt has really helpful non shaming advice for fat loss specifically with sustainability at heart and a continued emphasis on "you are not your weight. Your worth is not based on the scale" type thinking. He's still likely too far into the dieting camp for you but I think a discussion between you two could be soooooo interesting as i think you have more in common than what it would seem on the surface.
Anyway THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO!
BellClan37 you are very welcome!
As a therapist to be and someone who recovered from a decade long eating disorder, I think about these things all time. I really appreciate this video. Client centered care is new and something I haven't heard of before. Would love to hear more about that!
Talia Mann definitely
One of the things that pushed me into an eating disorder was feeling like I couldnt talk to anyone about wanting to lose weight, and that wanting to lose weight was something to be ashamed of. We need to keep the conversation open from both ends!
Amy Hayes for sure
Props to you Abbey, changing your stance on things is difficult to deal with. Sharing that with your viewers shows a lot of character.
There is a distinction that needs to be reiterated in terms of diets. There are unsustainable ridiculous crash fad diets, and there are health promoting diets that are a part of an overall health promoting lifestyle. The same way that there are terribly refined junk carbs, and wonderful Whole Foods like oatmeal. You can lump them all together, but in reality they are drastically different.
I believe the lack of this distinction is muddying the waters and creating unnecessary confusion for those seeking dietary improvement and weight loss, and taking power away from those who wish to change, but hear the old tired line of “diets don’t work” and stop trying. We should never stop trying to live healthfully. It can be done and will only improve quality of life.
Thank you for all the resources you provide Abbey, I appreciate your channel.
casey miller you’re welcome 🙏🏼❤️
As a fellow RD I cannot say how much I appreciate this!! I have been struggling so much with where I stand between these two arenas and I could not agree more with what you’re saying. I hate that being in a middle ground is seen as such a negative thing. THANK YOU for this!
Sara Jernigan of course 🙏🏼❤️
Thank you for having a moderate stance. As someone that is just starting to leave the diet culture yet also needs to lose about 10 pounds it is refreshing to get support in a moderate and sustainable way of life.
Thank you so much for saying this. Recently watching your channel has made me lose hope and feel ashamed for wanting to lose weight. I’m happy in my body, but I also have goals and would like to be at a weight that I know will be not only beneficial for me as an athlete, but also one that I feel my best self in. I’ve looked for different ways all across the spectrum to be able to do this in a way that would promote wellness and health, and I initially felt encouraged by your rhetoric, until it became pretty clear to me that you would never provide a real source to your audience about weight loss, and it in turn made me feel unwelcome in this community. Although I realize you’re still looking for the answers of how to be more inclusive, I greatly appreciate you making this video and acknowledging those of us who feel like we are lost in the margins in the movement to ultimately live our lives with an eye towards wellness, but also to achieve our goals. We live in the gray area and it gives me hope to see that you recognize that it exists and that we should continually search for solutions. Thank you so much for this ❤️
Adrienne Ramsay I’m sorry for causing you feeling that way! I’m glad that this video has helped ❤️
I really appreciate your insight in this video! As a professional in the health and fitness industry, the MOST damaging thing, in my opinion, is people becoming too dogmatic about their nutrition beliefs and only reinforcing what worked/didn't work for THEM and treating it as gospel. Everyone comes from different backgrounds, different mindsets, and different health points. I think your message so far has been great for a lot of others who come from a restrictive diet mentality who were handed the short end of the stick by diet culture. But there are others who instead are overweight for entirely other reasons. Not *because* of diet culture but because they have a chronic health issue, or they just grew up eating mcdonalds. Those people need an entirely different approach to health and weight loss than those who have struggled with their weight due to an eating disorder.
In my opinion and experience, calorie counting can be an amazing educational tool to help my clients learn what they are putting in their bodies. To just make them aware of foods nutritional value. It can also be damaging for those who have an unhealthy relationship with food or with their bodies. Some people have amazing success in losing fat with *proper* calorie restriction (not crash dieting) and some people need to eat intuitively. Saying that calorie counting is always bad or that following any sort of "diet" is going to doom you for life is misleading to a LOT of the population.
So again, I appreciate your insight and I wish you the best on your journey in this to discover what you truly believe
MissFitAndNerdy ❤️
I’d love to see more videos like this one!
Alexa awesome! 🙏🏼
Ditto! ❤️
The problem with being grey is that is does little to move forward the positive message while reinforcing the negative message which results in the negative eventually crowding out the positive.
CNJL1 that’s of course been my fear. So it’s not that I don’t buy the HAES message, I do. I just want to make space for what you want (client centred)
I’m happy you addressed your projection tendencies. I thought I was the only one thinking it. I still don’t understand how you can say that “diets” don’t work when you’ve never lost a significant amount of weight *and kept it off* before. I lost weight VERY successfully with the help of my incredible nutritionist. Sure, watching raw vegan diets and whatever else is definitely not going to work. Working with dietitians and nutritionists SHOULD work though. I would never want to have you as my dietician if this is the type of belief system you have. Losing weight literally saved my life and probably the lives of a million other people too. I just don’t think it’s fair to cast a death sentence on people and insinuate that nothing works.
I also don’t appreciate “dieticians” who have never been obese having such strong, definitive opinions on something they’ve never experienced
Michelle Unal very good points!
What she says is statistically accurate though. Over 90% of people on diets fail to lose weight and keep it off. That is fact. I also think there is a massive distinction between working with a RD (which most people don't do and can't afford to do) on creating healthy habits and "going on a diet" e.g. Buying a youtubers e-book, Herbalife, weight watchers, slimming world, keto, obsessing over macros and on and on and on. Most people's "diets" do not come from RDs but from profit driven corporations. Perhaps Abbey should be clearer about the distinction but I always knew the difference when she spoke about it, but maybe others don't.
Yes I simply am communicating what the research says so I do stand by that. You’re the 5%! I’m glad it worked for you! But a doctor wouldn’t recommend a drug that only had a 5% success rate, especially if it came with risks
Abbey Sharp then what’s the solution for a 400 lbs woman? Just to hang in there waiting to die from heart failure or diabetes because you RD’s refuse to do your job properly? It’s utter garbage. If you go to a dietician in my country and they realize that you’re at an unhealthy weight, they put you on a diet, end of the story. No HAES bullshit, no harmful/irresponsible statements such as “people can’t lose weight” etc. They put you on a diet even if you’re 10 pounds overweight because they understand how detrimental it can be for your health in the long run.
And no, these are not like some of those crush diets that seem to be so popular nowadays; no food is cut off completely, no “keto” , no “paleo”, no “clean eating” and other nonsense. They simply provide a good old-fashioned balanced diet.
It is no coincidence that we, with the French and the Romanians, are the thinnest people in Europe, despite being famous for a very rich, carb-based cuisine. Just like it is no coincidence that our life expectancy is the second highest in the whole world.
Abbey Sharp so what do you as an RD recommend to your clients?
Abbey this was really helpful for me as a registered dietitian and I am going to continue pondering what this might mean for me and my practice!
Sarah Blaser glad to hear that!
I love all of your content. It has helped me so much as I’m recovering from severe anorexia. I’m worried some of the changes you plan to integrate wouldn’t make this a safe space for me right now. But I know that by diversifying your content you’ll have a larger outreach and hopefully help even more people. If this happens I’ll continue charging ahead with my recovery & periodically check back in. You are so incredibly inspiring and I hope to one day do what you do. Thank you so much.
Miss Knight I can assure you my non diet message is not going ANYWHERE. I will continue to operate from an intuitive eating weight inclusive practice but I am just going to try not to shame or belittle feelings of those who are pursuing weight loss
You may find czcams.com/channels/TvnKA-Oef-wruoTQ3SsLFA.html helpful in your recovery journey. Good luck!
I love this so much. Being grey isn’t trendy but I really think it’s where most of us lie right?
Emilee Ryser yes!
I'm a nutrition and dietetic student in Chile, and you're just an amazing inspiration and role model, thank you for being so inclusive and science-based voice!
Laura Mint 🙏🏼❤️
SO MUCH YES, ABBEY! I’m with you on this learning journey. It’s so incredibly difficult, but being open to hearing all sides of the story as you’ve said will help us become stronger and confident professionals.
Amanda Hamel 🙌🏼🙌🏼
Thank you for being so genuine, reflective, and acknowledging areas of improvement (which we all have), and wanting to work on them... Honestly, i did find your recent videos a bit too anti-dieting/weight loss, because I do believe that it can be a beneficial goal for some. And I find it very ironic how in the body positivity or HAES movement, some people shame others for wanting to lose weight, because isn't the whole point of these movements to love others for their inner beauty, and not their physical appearance or dietary preferences? At the same time, I'm also very thankful for these videos, because they motivated me to learn more about these movements through podcast etc. and it has really opened my eyes. I would love more videos on intuitive eating, which is something I am trying to work towards. Thanks for all the effort and time u put into these videos Abby!
AMakesmesmile yes I have a new IE video coming next week
abbey is such a real one. we love you girl
mallory hynes ❤️❤️
You have helped me tremendously in my journey to a healthier me (which did include weightloss/building a good relationship with food because I suffered an eating disorder in the past) and I've always loved watching you and I've learned so so much! However I did feel that guilt that I shouldn't be wanting and succeeding in the weightloss even though I knew in my heart I needed it to be healthy. This video felt like a giant hug and was such a breathe of fresh air! ❤️ you so much Abbey, thank you!!
Jazmine John so glad
Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness and reflection. I love your videos, they've been really helpful for me. Early this year I had bariatric surgery, and it's been an interesting process in a similarly related grey area for me. I've already seen health benefits, including no longer needing to use my CPAP for sleep apnea. It also dramatically changed my physical hunger, so now I am able to feel satiated before feeling full. But I've also been working on my relationship with food, and changing the system of restriction/shame and excess/frenzy. Watching your videos around intuitive eating have helped a ton with this. I did sort of get the impression that you may disagree with the choice of bariatric surgery (or losing weight) but I still felt supported by what I'd imagine your advice would be for my here and now, which is to learn to have a joyful, mindful relationship with food and my body.
I also recognize that many people who have had bariatric surgery don't take this approach, and more restrictive (in my opinion) obsessive control over food is something that is common and percieved as normal or even healthy. I wish that would change. But this is similarly common in our society as a whole
leaves0fpurple thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Hey Abbey, I want to thank you for being a voice of knowledge base reasoning in this crazy world of nutrition, food and health. You are making a difference and I can only speak for myself, but I can assume I am not the only one that is thankful for you and your work!
Victoria Hunsucker thank you 🙏🏻
Maybe a video on intuitive eating and weight loss? I know those two things kinda cancel each other out but I still want to lose weight but not have an unhealthy relationship with food.
MELANIE I’ll see what I can do!
Abbey Sharp yes please!!! I find that with some intuitive eating things I have seen there is no scope for those above their ‘healthy’ weight to work towards a healthy weight, improve their relationship with their body and food. I have also noticed that HAES can be closely alighted to fat acceptance movement which can sometimes have followers that get upset if people even work out eg Tess Holliday recently started working out more and had to tell people that she was not planning on losing weight
Orangesherbertgirl Have you actually read the Intuitive Eating book? It covers this extensively.
@@AbbeysKitchen I second this! Long story (not-so) short, I have a chronic illness that prohibits me from being physically active (I'm mostly on bedrest). It's unrelated to my weight, but I was told by a nurse specializing in my illness to eat more food because I had a bad relationship with it and was only eating two meals a day - which food = energy and so important for my health condition. I ended up losing some weight, finally started feeling good about my body and my relationship with food.
Then, I saw an alternative doctor that was a huge supporter of KETO, and he thought that I should lose weight (I was only two kgs overweight according to my BMI). It ended up destroying all my progress with food and I gained weight again because I started eating less = feeling worse = feeling guilty for eating carrots and blueberries because that was too much carbs. Your videos have massively helped to build up my relationship with food again, but it's still so hard, especially now that I hate my body and can't work out. Would love some tips on how to lose weight, but in the healthies and most intuitive way. And maybe more recipe/food videos on how to easily incorporate veggies to your day for example.
(Sorry this was a long comment haha)
Juicy Satsuma no I haven’t. I hope it suggests a word that abbey used recently ‘gentle nutrition’
As I'm learning to be ok with my body and figuring out where I stand on HAES and wanting to eat nutritiously and eat for wellness, I so appreciate your videos. I needed to hear a dietitian say it's ok to be fat and to be ok in my fat body but that it's also ok to want to lose weight because it may help my knee pain and/or back pain etc. Your willingness to own your level of learning and desire to promote body autonomy and continuous growth is refreshing and so needed. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing this message and opening up this conversation! As a current dietetic student and “HAES/IE learner”, I also struggle with the seemingly polar opposite views between HAES and weight loss and often wonder if there is a middle ground, and where exactly I stand (and where I want to stand when I’m RD). Thanks again for sharing, I always look forward to new videos from you!
esp961 ❤️❤️
Honestly the whole HAES vs weight loss movement has made me regret becoming a registered dietitian. HAES RDs take it too far..
Some definitely have agendas sadly
So much shaming..
Mariya Kuyan - what is HAES? I have never heard of it til this video!!!
Running Girl Runs It is a new movement-health at every size. It’s not bad in theory and definitely has good things about it, but a lot of people have gone pretty extreme with it. They shame people for wanting to lose weight (even for health reasons). They shame dietitians for giving diet advice and helping people intentional weight loss 🤯
Mariya Kuyan how would being a dietician work then, if they hold that belief set? Most clients will be seeking you out to lose weight, do you then not take those clients, or attempt to persuade them into your way of thinking? It seems somewhat defeatist, even if I can understand why a movement like this is necessary for some people. I’m just curious
I am a student in highschool with hopes of becoming an RD one day myself! I’d love a video explaining the journey it was to becoming one and the obstacles the profession faces day-to-day!
olivia vincent got it!
This is so awesome and it makes me feel so much better as someone who was stuck between wanting to lose weight but not wanting to get sucked into diet culture. The struggle is real, and I look forward to any future videos you put out around this topic! ❤️❤️❤️
Haley Padgett thank you ☺️
I discovered your channel last week and have been enjoying your content. I can tell you are a thoughtful, compassionate and passionate person. The genuineness of your convictions and willingness to self-reflect and approach issues in a way that allows for their complexity is refreshing.
Lauren Arnold ❤️❤️
omg abby thank you for being so self-aware and open minded! this is so refreshing to see on CZcams. Respect :) i too thought you were a bit too against weight loss. thanks for everything you do :) as for future videos I’d love to see a review of Blogilates’ 90 day journey.
mrppeetteerr I’ll check it out!
Love that you're acknowledging the grey area! Thanks for this video :)
Maddy Taylor 🙏🏼❤️
Hi Abbey! I just came across this video and I resonate with your message SO much. I've been going through a lot of the same kinds of professional 'growing pains' with assessing where I really stand and I'm totally with you in the grey area. I so appreciate you breaking down your thoughts on this - it helps me to break down my own, as well!
I’ve been thinking about the gray area a lot more too! My stance is similar to yours at the moment. Thank you for sharing your journey around HAES. I’m on the same journey and it’s nice to not feel so alone!
Mani Fitness 🙏🏼❤️
While I was watching Stephanie Buttermore's video, I learned that Jeff Nippard also had the history of binge eating and purging pattern. He worked through the problem by going kind of all in and now he is still able to combine intuitive eating and tracking macro to lose body fat or gain muscle. I think there is a legit grey area that works the best when you've had enough experiences. I am personally working on the unhealthy pattern and trying to get to the neutral area.
戴恩驰 🙌🏼🙌🏼
@@AbbeysKitchen Thank you for all the information! I think the previous alarming attitude towards dieting culture also helped and still helps because dieting does correlate with some serious issues. We need strong attitudes at both ends to come to a better resolution. Big shout out to Abbey's Kitchen!♥️
Although I am not a dietitian and cannot relate to your experience professionally I can assure you there are many of us who feel very torn between the two worlds. As someone who struggled with bulimia and disordered eating in her teens years ago, I definitely see the evils of diet culture and the thin idea. Yet...I have several relatives who struggle with obesity and deal with associated symptoms such as heart conditions, mobility concerns, fall risk, skin lesions..I find that I resonate with both elements from the health and fitness world (which is, admittedly, embedded in diet culture) and HAES. Like anything in life...I feel like this is an issue that is not black and white, and there is so much nuance to every conversation and each individual's experience. Thanks for opening up and being transparent :)
Emmi's Wellness thank you for sharing this!
This^ Emmi's wellness. You put into words exactly what i was wanting to say. I also struggled with disordered eating in my 20s and 30s (still in my head sometimes). However, as an RN I work with children with type 2 diabetes and I see them and their relatives struggle with the excess weight and the associated co-morbidities. -Jill
I currently work with an RD, which is why I follow you, because I have no room in my life for this kind of stuff from anyone who doesn't have advanced degrees in it. My RD is a part of the mindfulness research lab at UMass Medical School in Worcester, MA, and has taught me so much about how mindfulness can play a role in my life in general and in how I manage my relationship with food. She has helped me to tune in to what makes me feel my best, how my energy, mood, digestion, etc respond to different foods, meal times, amounts of food, etc. Thanks for doing what you do! I love having thoughtful, reflective, evolving humans with actual degrees in the youtube and social media sphere. There's so much misinformation out there that this is content I love supporting.
Lexi Alm thank you 🙏🏼❤️
Thank you for being open about your own doubts and learning process with these grey areas...I've been struggling with some of the same questions and it's comforting to know that it IS complicated and that we're not alone in these confusing and changing times.
Laura Armentrout 🙏🏼❤️
I love your gray space. I live in black and white and desperately need some gray. 🖤
Lemon Lindsay totally me too
Thank you for posting this. I like a lot of your content but the “intuitive eating” thing has been making me disconnect with your recent content, as it will not work. I was obese and unhealthy and will overeat if I “eat intuitively”. I have to give myself rules in order to maintain a healthy weight (which I now am). I had considered unfollowing on a few occasions because this made me so uncomfortable. I appreciate you taking a look at how this may affect others. Thank you.
Billie C. ❤️
Hi Abbey. I just found your channel a month ago, and I love your videos! I respect the high quality information you disperse.
I had weight loss surgery 2 and a half months ago. I went through emotional ups and downs in the first few months after surgery, just being terrified of long term weight regain and freaking out over my calories. I have to say thank you so much because watching your videos has calmed my mind down and brought me back to a place of respecting food and the values I've always held about food. I never felt your material was against or in conflict with my decision to have wls and lose weight, but rather supportive of efforts to eat well and be more intuitive. It's because of you I am starting to read books about intuitive eating and feel this is a necessary skill for me to learn to enhance and properly use my tool of wls.
Mandy y so glad!!!
I just have SO MUCH respect for you, your opinions and what you do. Your views are so refreshing in this messy industry!
Sarah Mae 🙏🏼❤️
I thought you video was great. I often wonder if a body positive RD suddenly gained 100lbs for no medically obvious reason except for higher hunger levels, if they would really just accept themselves or if they would take steps to reduce their weight.
I think body image is a balance...we can work to realize current beauty standards are unattainable but also accept from ourselves that we might feel better (mentally or physically) if we dropped a few. I try to remember that I can do the things that I know will make me feels good (eating a wide variety of plant based foods...moving every day in a way that feels good to me) and mostly let the body-weight chips falls where they may...but yeah, I occasionally put effort in to lose 5 pounds when my weight crept up a little. It’s okay, I love myself! :)
Kirsten Geyer thanks for sharing
Personally, I have always wondered why trying to loose weight is deemed so “unnecessary” in videos where you have called out diet culture. I have worked out for the past 6+ months and I am feeling very strong. However, losing a bit more fat will be extremely rewarding, and watching some informed youtubers speak on that matter has helped me learn how I can achieve that. So yes - it is a case of aesthetics, but also personal growth and appreciating what my body can do. In saying this I by no means support diet culture and trying to change yourself (while negatviely impacting your health) to fit in with society. I DO support setting attainable goals, intuitive eating and changing your body in a way that makes you feel extremely proud and capable. All in all, IT. IS. TOO. MUCH. OF. AN. INDIVIDUAL. THING. I love that you are seeing both sides of the coin, Abbey. Thank you for all the information and being neutral!
Janke Jacobs ❤️❤️❤️
Somehow I missed this video and I’m so glad it popped up today. I think this is a wonderful frame to present to people we are working with
I like that you’re taking multiple sides into consideration with your videos. I’ve already learned a lot from your intuitive eating talks and when I feel disordered eating thoughts come into my head, your voice is there to help me.
I am one of those people with a disordered eating past who also struggles with obesity, and I’m trying for the first time in my life to lose weight with my mental and physical wellbeing in mind. Your videos have already been helping me with that. Whatever you decide to do in the future, please keep making content with the same positive, uplifting, and caring attitude you already have. You have been inspirational to me ❤️❤️❤️
Aaronbacca so glad
I've never heard anyone (a professional I mean) say that they think the risks of obesity are overstated. Why do you think that? The message I get from all the MDs I follow is that prolonged obesity is dangerous. You may get away with a lot in your younger years, but by the time you reach 65, you will be reeling from the consequences. I am not a professional though and would like to hear your point of view on this, based on science of course. All I am interested in is the science.
Elena Kinny and that’s all I give! What I mean is that it’s correlational and it’s hard to tease apart excess weight from other aspects like weight discrimination and weight cycling
This is wonderful, and what I needed to hear.
Kellie O'Brien 🙏🏼❤️
Huzzah Abbey😍 self reflexive awareness is a position that only comes from rigorous self inquiry. I feel you, and I constantly recommend your channel because you land for me as truly authentic, and ready to engage with the tough calls. I believe in HAES and I also struggle with knowing that I take a medication that will make me gain weight. Focusing on intuitive eating helps me remember that it's better to be fat then dead. However the women in my support groups seem so desperate that they are willing to do anything that promises results. It's very disheartening. I am grateful that I feel like there is someone with me I can trust to hang out in that grey area and see what possibilities arise from examining those experiences. Blessed Be.
Jamie Luv thank you 🙏🏻
I'm currently in school to become an RD and this video has been so inspiring. I used to be very overweight and on my own, I found my own version of health. in doing this, I found my passion for nutrition. Every video you post gives me so much motivation and you have been such an inspiring person to watch! thank you for always being honest with your audience and for teaching me so much while I'm in school. i start clinical classes next semester wish me luck!
Megan Wilson good luck!!!!
damn abbey i didn’t come to this video to cry but here we are!!! LOVE U🥺🖤
Lauren Grace love you too ❤️❤️
Thank you for this video Abbey. I recently unsubbed to certain "Wellness CZcamsrs" who were having a negative impact on me and can't wait to see more of your informative videos!
SparklySarcasm91 yay!!! Great step
I have watched your videos for a while now, off and on as they have appeared on my suggestions page. I think the content you create has helped many people, myself included. From adding more nut butter and Greek yogurt to my once fruit-only smoothies to incorporating more whole grains into meals, your candid and honest presentation of nutrition has helped IMMENSELY as I work to overcome some long-held disordered eating issues. Thank you for being open-minded enough to reevaluate your opinions and continue sharing them with us!
Rose 🙏🏼❤️ glad to hear that
Thank you so much for your honest reflection. It is appreciated by those of us who have struggled with being overweight our whole lives.
J M ❤️
Your audio quality was really good in this video!
Cassidy Phillips good!!
Okey so I'm a long time watcher of abbey and I really love her content! Thanks for making great videos, I think they are amazing. I love your ideas in this video, as somebody who lost weight because they desperately wanted to. The problem of course was with my relation to food. Once I changed that ive felt so much healthier! I used to be a bit crazy and obsessed over food but once I learnt to listen to my body it got a lot better. Wanting to look a certain way is sometimes attainable and I think a dietitian should help you reach such a goal. By helping you find your way of intuitive eating!
Floris Rang 🙌🏼🙌🏼
This is such a great topic! I really appreciate your effort to learn, to help and include everybody
Lu ❤️❤️❤️❤️
I personally agree with most of your argument. Thank you for sharing!
Rafal Baker 🙏🏼❤️
I'm so here!!! Thanks so much for this!
jettasify 🙏🏼🙏🏼
@@AbbeysKitchen I'd still love to see a video on obesity, and people exploiting their addiction.
Loved this one!!!
This is so refreshing and so reassuring to see. I'm a new RD and I've struggled with a lot of the same feelings you expressed here throughout my short time working in the field, my dietetic internship, and my undergraduate education. It's so important to me to be an evidence-informed practitioner but with so many different voices it can be really hard to decipher the best recommendations to make, solutions for clients, etc. Thanks for being relatable and being so open and honest about this!
Annalisa Creger thanks 🙏🏼❤️
Thank you so much for this. I am not an RD but I am an OT interested in the impact of obesity and health and wellbeing. Personal experience alone, I have watched my 74 year old a Mum who is about 280lb become bed bound whilst she waits for an ankle and knee replacement as a result of OA made worse by carrying her weight. The worst bit is seeing that she cannot do typical transfers from bed to chair/toilet because she cannot move her own body weight. Accepting there is a need for weight loss but also that we shouldn’t be consumed by diet culture is the perfect place to stand in my opinion. Extremist views are not helpful. We all have our individual situations.
The Fasting Coconut yes totally agree
The most Canadian of answers in the best way
L E A hAhaha 🇨🇦
As a fat person, who has lost weight and needs to lose more, I don’t like that HAES attacks women losing weight. (Pushing disordered, unhealthy eating for any sized person is wrong of course). But me wanting to lose weight for myself, and maybe part of that is for society too, to even (shock!) fit in more, that is OK. I’m tired of both discrimination for being plus sized as well as wanting to lose weight. You thus can’t win anywhere online! (But in my experience regular women are all navigating this area and agree A LOT with each other haha). Thank you for this video! :)
I'm so incredibly proud of you Abbey! Of how, inside this online world of crazy people, one can still find Profesionals like you who are focused, base their knowledge in legit science and have a real critical thought about the issues around. Watching you gives me hope in knowing that crazy people with dangerous 'life styles' won't take over society with their nonsense. Thank you so so much for making these super valuable videos!!!
Aylin Barreras thank you ❤️🙏🏼
Thanks so much for not only bringing us excellent evidence based content but also being a role model demonstrating first hand here the importance of reflective practice.
I would love to see more of these sorts of videos
Rachel S okay! ❤️
As a healthcare professional who sees the terrible consequences of obesity every single day, I could never understand the notion that wanting to lose weight is in any way wrong. Sorry but I have yet to see a really healthy, thriving, obese patient.
Emma Allen this is where the individual element of this really comes into play
Hi Abbey, I’m really glad that you’ve come to this conclusion after considering both sides. I lost 120lb with weight loss surgery and have improved my quality of life tenfold. Dangerous dieting definitely doesn’t work but healthy weight loss does. I was really sad to see you agreeing with some of the extreme HAES views that totally discount the experiences of those of us who lost weight the healthy weight and got our lives back. Please don’t be discouraged by the hate you will probably get from saying what you said here!
Syd Nah ❤️❤️
As someone who has lost 20+ pounds this year, I can say that my reason for weight loss started as wanting to be "smaller", but as the weight started to come off, I realized how much more clear headed I am, how much better I feel daily, and my goals began to change. I'm not saying that you can't be overweight and be mentally healthy, but for me, added more wholefoods back into my diet and being active more frequently has massively improved my health both mentally and physically. I guess that's why this really resonates with me, because I don't think I should be shamed for wanting to lose weight for physical reasons, I also don't think people should be shamed for wanting to stay exactly as they are if they feel good. Your openness, realness and point of view on this topic, is one that I think a lot of people can relate to, and I'm glad it being shared.
Devin Whit thank you 🙏🏼
Thank you for your clarity, transparency, and honesty Abbey. I was not at all expecting such a down-to-earth video... Gosh there's nothing more lovely and beautiful in this world than somebody who's humble, willing to learn, and who looks out for those in the wider community. It's seriously such a rare thing... And it really makes a big impact, too!
Myself, and many others I'm sure, truly appreciate your efforts and kind soul :)
Elly Grace ❤️
When trying to lose weight I would recommend that you try and develop a healthy lifestyle that is a sustainable way to lose. Like if you're morbidly obese and you need to lose weight to be healthy
eternal fire13 thanks for sharing
Iove this! I'd like to see more people openly talking about the gray area- not just in the world of food, but in all topics!
Katie jj 🙏🏼🙏🏼
This is a great video. I feel very fortunate to watch your videos as someone studying to become an RD. Having this conversation demonstrates your commitment to bettering the profession. I look up to you a lot Abbey!
Paige ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you so much Abby! As someone who lost 50 lbs in the last 3 years and still going strong after watching my family members struggle with health issues due to both their weight and other factors I really appreciate this direction you are deciding to go. I loved your videos when I first started to watch them, but I’ll admit that in recent videos I was becoming less engaged because at times I almost felt shamed and discouraged for losing weight because you railed so hard against people who supported it. I understand that it was coming from a good place of you wanting to change society to be its best, but I couldnt help but internalize your criticism of others desire for weight loss, which I recognize I am definitely at fault for as well. But this video has really rejuvenated my excitement for your videos because I feel like you understand my side of things and feel supported like I used to. Thank you and I can’t wait to keep watching your journey!
Gwyneth Eileen ❤️❤️❤️
I like that you are so open minded and humble 👏
May Fjeldstad ❤️
I wish there were more moderates in day to day life and on social media, not just in the area of food and dieting but in every area, especially politics. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Alexandra Trann glad you enjoyed!
Can I recommend Pantsuit Politics ( is politics) it is all about find nuance on people’s positions and respectful conversation
Orangesherbertgirl thanks for the rec! I’ll check it out
I really appreciate this video and your honesty and openness about your own journey as a professional and personally.
I found your channel while training for my first bodybuilding competition after having struggled with body image issues and disordered eating my whole life and while it may seem like that pursuit would make me adverse to your content it actually has been a huge help; you kept me
Mindful of the realities of what I was doing... and why, the possible negative side effects of such restrictive eating (which made coming out of the show so much easier) and shed light on how much diet culture had shaped the way I saw myself before... and how much healthier I am now. And I’d like to clarify that I am pursuing this sport/altering my aesthetics because I fell in love with the process and journey-not because I hate my body (which is in fact why I started working out... the first time) but because I love and appreciate it. I don’t think everyone has that same experience nor do I promote the sport for the general public as I really feel my journey to a more positive relationship with food/mindset as a result is an outlier).
But I still wanted to Thankyou. And also... I think you’re hilarious.
Video request: Whitney Simmons full day of eating. She recently posted a video and she compared how she used to do her full days of eating, when she had an on healthy mindset and was entirely too restrictive… Versus now. I would love to see a dietitian‘s perspective on the way that she used to eat on the way she’s eating now and commentary on the change in her mindset.
Thankyou :)
AverageJo thank you 🙏🏻
I am glad you clarified your stance. As someone who has lost a significant amount of weight and is learning a new relationship with food... I’m very proud of what my body can do now that I’m much lighter...
Carrie McCall glad to hear that ❤️
Abbey, this was excellent. Thank you for being open about your professional growth. That is important and necessary to continue to offer the best care for you patients. Always look forward to your videos!
However, I would like to say I have appreciated your critiques. I don’t think that people who want to have a nuanced approach to weight loss have a hard time finding people to support them. I think it’s less common to find someone such as yourself who will call out “diet culture” and some of the harmful language the health and wellness industry uses. Hopefully 50 years from now it will be the majority of people who see it as nuanced and grey. However, I think now is an important time to respectfully critique and challenge. ❤️❤️❤️
Jason Manning ❤️❤️