Healthy Eating is Not Just for Losing Weight

Time for a quick quiz. You can only choose one answer – pick what resonates with you most.

Q: A friend offers you a donut. You politely decline, and your friend asks, “why don’t you want it?”

Do you answer,

A: “I’m trying to lose weight”

B: “It will raise my blood sugar levels”

C: “It doesn’t nourish my body”

D: “It will affect my mood”

A large portion of you will have chosen A. It certainly would be the answer for the 12.5 million Australians who are overweight and obese (that 67% of our population, by the way).

Now, I’m not here to tell you that wanting to lose weight is wrong, but that you may want to broaden your outlook on what being healthy means.

Obesity is one of the pandemics that has been gripping the globe for the last 30-odd years. It is undoubtedly a priority for overweight individuals, to improve their quality of life. And it's also a priority for governments, to reduce the burden of diet-related diseases – I’m talking the big three: diabetes, cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s.

Being overweight is one of the strongest markers of poor health – but it’s not the only one. Losing weight is one of the most important things an unhealthy individual can do – but it’s not the only thing.

I’m going to tell you why this is the case, and what else we should be focusing on.

1. Eating healthy doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll lose weight

Many people are struggling to lose weight, and keep it off. The diet and fitness industries looovvee this, but for those who can’t seem to figure it out, it’s extremely frustrating. To the point where many just give up. I often hear, “I eat so healthily, and exercise everyday, but I’m still 20kg too heavy!” This is because there are so many different reasons someone may be overweight: hormone issues (women, especially), gut issues (IBS, leaky gut, food intolerances), poor sleep or stress levels. We know there’s no silver bullet, but it’s hard to hear that even eating an amazing diet is not enough! This is a huge disincentive to people, who think “if eating healthy doesn’t make me lose weight, nothing will.” Stay strong, because you’ll find the answer. Seek out an integrative health practitioner or functional medicine doctor to help you find out what your body is trying to tell you. But of course, eating a good diet is the cornerstone to health - your body can't thrive without it.

2. Weight is a touchy subject…

It’s all too easy, and common, to blame overweight people for being lazy or not eating right. As we saw above, though, it’s not as simple as that - so many complex body processes have to be factored in. It is incredibly stigmatising to tell someone they are unhealthy or need to work harder at weight loss. Body shaming can be counterproductive, and making someone feel bad about their weight will not necessarily motivate them to become healthier - not to mention the emotional trauma and potentially risky eating patterns that could emerge. That's why it's important to frame a healthy lifestyle as so much more than losing weight.

3. You can be a perfect weight, and have imperfect health!

Heard of ‘skinny fat’? It refers to people with body types who don’t show an inch of belly roll, yet have very bad health markers (high blood sugar, low good cholesterol, inflammation). Those kind of people learn from a young age that they can ‘get away’ with eating junk and not put on weight. But trust me, they’re not getting away with anything. It is very possible to get diabetes and Alzheimer’s if you’re not overweight.

This is also important for kids and adolescents, who are usually very active and have a fast metabolic rate at that age. For some kids, it is literally impossible to put on weight, no matter how many times a week they eat KFC. Mums and dads are tempted by the ease of feeding kids – they often let their children eat junk food because they'll burn it off and won’t put on weight. But just you wait. Not only does this set kids up with poor knowledge of a healthy diet and a complete inability to take care of their bodies, it will come as a rude shock when they hit the slower metabolic rate of adulthood. Eating healthy is necessary for every body, no matter how it looks on the outside.

4. Healthy eating has many more impacts than weight loss

95% of serotonin is made in the gut - how many of us have heard this fact? We now know that our diet has a huge impact on our happiness levels. It’s called the gut-brain axis, and it means that our mood is determined by food and digestion. Good food fuels our brain capacity and our mental health. So when you start eating healthier, you’ll notice improvements in your mood and brain health before you even start to see changes in your weight.

Why is this important? Because short term improvements are crucial to keep people motivated. Weight loss is a long journey, and it may take months before your BMI shifts – many struggle to commit for that long without seeing a difference. But focusing on these short term gains helps people stay committed and forward-looking.

Improvements in your mood will only make you more dedicated and enthusiastic about eating healthy. Also, working with a functional practitioner is a fantastic idea, as they’ll use blood tests to show the wonderful results that happen immediately - decreases in blood sugar and improved brain health in just 3 weeks. Check out the Food and Mood Centre for more.

So if you’re someone struggling with weight loss but eat a great diet... look beyond your diet to other factors in your lifestyle, and maybe seek the guidance of an integrative doctor to figure out that last puzzle piece.

If you’re someone who justifies your poor diet because you never put on weight... consider the unseen damage that is slowly building up in your body and even check your blood markers for anything concerning.

If you have a history of anxiety or depression, or are currently on medication for those... think about supporting yourself through a healthy diet and witness the instant improvements.

And if you have a wonderful diet and are at a healthy weight... know that your body is thanking you now and you’ll be thanking your body in 30 years time when it is still in perfect health.

Let me know your thoughts below!