Book Review - Body Respect by Dr. Linda Bacon and Dr. Lucy Aphramor

Dr. Linda Bacon is one of the pioneers of the Health at Every Size (HAES) movement. Her ground breaking book on the subject was released in 2008 and is also currently on my "to read" list!

Her new book, co-authored with Dr. Lucy Aphramor is titled "Body Respect - What conventional health books get wrong, leave out and just plain fair to understand weight" is a short and to the point read that debunks many of the fallacies we have been lead to believe about weight and what that means for our health and introduces a  new paradigm for how we may achieve the best health outcomes.

It is a wide ranging book which covers the real factors that influence health outcomes, why dieting doesn't work and why it actually makes us fatter over time, how to view the body with respect and how to use this new paradigm to move to a health based model for looking after ourselves.

Perhaps the most surprising assertion for me in the book was that it is not weight, but rather socio-economic status and the stresses that come with being in a disadvantaged social group that are the biggest predictors of poor health. The book goes on to say that the stereo-type of the high powered executive dying of a heart attack is false - it is their subordinates that are more likely to suffer from poor health outcomes.

It's interesting that I was so surprised by this - because when you really think about it it really makes a lot of sense that those people who have the least control of and the least number of choices about their lives would have the worst health, but I think the message that weight is the be all and end all of health is sold to us so strongly that it is hard to wrap your head around a different reality.

Another interesting point was that apparently a number of studies have shown that statistically speaking the "optimal" BMI (even in its very limited usefulness) is apparently 27 - this is only 3 points away from what is considered "obese" but 8 points away from the low range of what is considered healthy!! How many people do you know who are always trying to loose the last 5kg - for what?! Maybe this is why they are notoriously so hard to loose - our bodies are smarter than us. 

Here are a few other insights from the book that really resonated with me -

On the damaging effects of dieting -

"issues with weight regulation often start when we try to take over the process of weight control by aiming to be a certain weight and following food rules to try and reach that weight. This leads to a troubled relationship with food, body (self) hatred, and metabolic responses to inadequate nourishment and stress. The result is escalating weights and poorer health, not slimming down."

"... your body is enormously successful at regulating your weight. It's not something we need to "work at" - in fact, this "control" approach ends up being counterproductive. Healthy bodies will always come in a range of shapes and sizes. So saying that eating to one's appetite means someone will stabilise at their healthy weight isn't the same as saying everyone who does this will be thin."

"Yo-yo dieting habituates you metabolism to store extra fat as soon as a diet ends, in preparation for the next perceived shortage. Dieting thus becomes one of the quickest routes to long-term weight gain"

"guilt messes with your metabolism and weight-regulation system"

On the expectation that we should all fit a "mould" with respect to size -

"Why do we all have different set-points? We might as well ask why we are different heights, as the answer is the same (think about why we ask one question and not the other)."

On privilege - 

"people who really do have meaningful choices about what to eat and whether to exercises are also privileged by wider social determinants"

"health risks associated with fatness in women are greater in cultures that value thinness and support dieting"

On a different way of eating and looking after ourselves -

"go to the table hungry but not famished, enjoy your food, and eat until you are satisfied"

 and 

"minding the body" - taking care of all of our needs in a respectful, caring and nourishing way.

All up, I think the book is an excellent introduction to the HAES philosophy and I especially liked the systematic refuting of many of the things we all believe to be true about the health effects associated with weight. I would really recommend it to anyone starting out on the journey towards body acceptance or looking for an alternative to a lifetime of dieting.

The book also provides some insights about how to move forward with these new insights, but I do wish it had gone further with detailing how issues with food and poor body image can be overcome - however, there are plenty of other resources out there that discuss this.

Treat your body with respect - it will thank you for it!