The Myth of the “Health at Every Size” Ideology

1. Luke Tunyich says:
   February 10th, 2011 at 9:32 am

Does “Health at Every Size” (HAES) mean: “Health at Every Level of Obesity”, Health at Normal Weight and Health at Every Level of Underweight.

It seems to me that the slogan “Health at every size” is misleading. I think that the real meaning of “HAES” can’t be: “Health at every level of obesity”, Health at normal weight and Health at every level of underweight.

Obesity, particularly severe obesity, is a serious medical condition along with being underweight and severely underweight.

I can’t imagine how people affected with severe obesity can be healthy, and I also can’t imagine how people that are severely underweight can be healthy while maintaining this weight

1. Luke Tunyich says:
   February 10th, 2011 at 6:54 pm

It seems to me that Health at Every Size (HAES) is not actually “Health et Every Size”, but it is “Health at Certain Size” (HACS).

I think the “HAES - Health at Every Size” slogan is misleading for people with severe obesity.

Another point about HAES is that they insist to call them larger people instead of calling them people affected with severe obesity and at the same time say that “Bariatric surgery is nothing more than a forced diet:” It is in this way that public opinion is strengthened that obese people can lose weight if they eat less. Furthermore, it strengthens the public opinion that people get obese because they eat more than what they need.

I believe that even many medical professionals involved in obesity treatment don’t think that obesity or severe obesity is caused by eating more food than the body needs and/or insufficient physical activity.

1. Luke Tunyich says:
   February 13th, 2011 at 10:05 am

Bill Fabrey @ February 10th, 2011, at 5:54pm
“…. and am extremely negative about weight loss surgery, as several friends have died from it, and the ones who didn’t, all regained their weight.”

I am aware of the mortality and other consequences of weight loss surgery, and I am sorry to hear that this has happened to your friends.

I am against any surgical intervention for weight loss, but the reason for that is different from the people promoting HEAS. I am against any existing weight loss program, whether it is based on obesity drugs, dieting and/or increased physical activity for weight loss, because it is based on a misunderstanding of the biological basis of fat mass formation and on a misunderstanding of the mechanism of fat mass formation.

An optimal level of physical activity and optimal nutrition is essential for the health of everyone, independently of is he/she underweight, normal weight, overweight, obese or severely obese. On the other hand, any approach to treat obesity based on dieting or eating certain types of food alone, or combined with increased physical activity, is ineffective and counterproductive for health and for body weight.

I am against any size and weight discrimination because people don’t get overweight, obese or severely obese by eating more than what they need and /or insufficient physical activity.

Obese people and parents of obese children don’t need sympathy borne out of pity, but they need a reliable science for obesity treatment, and all humans need reliable knowledge based on real science on how to protect themselves and their own children from obesity.

Obesity at an individual level is misunderstood, and what is also misunderstood are the reasons for the epidemic of obesity in the last three decades. Obesity, particularly severe obesity in children and young people, is a new phenomenon, and apart from a few anecdotes, it was unknown to any previous generation in recorded human history.

We need an honest discussion about the basic science of obesity and an honest discussion about the causes of the obesity epidemic.

People from HAES point out that “post-surgical nutrition deficiencies are the norm”, and that is right, but it is also right that obese people are affected by nutritional deficiencies. The fact is as they have more excessive fat mass, and they have more nutritional deficiency. Nutritional interventions are ineffective, whether are based on food and/or dietary supplements. It is obvious that people affected with nutritional deficiency can’t be healthy; particularly, nutritional deficiency for a prolonged time is harmful.

In the case of obesity, nutritional deficiency is not caused by inadequate nutrition. The only way to treat nutrition deficiency in obese people is to treat obesity.