Home > Health & Nutrition

Feed Your Head

Woman shopping for produce.

Feed Your HeadHow to manage a healthy weight without going crazy

By Bobbi Barbarich

For some, the number on the scale is a guideline. It’s a reminder that fitness goals have lost their footing. But for others, body weight changes how they actually feel about themselves, causing stress and lowering self-esteem. The following ideas offer you some insight into how to physically and mentally manage your weight.

1. Get some satisfaction

Researchers at the University of South Carolina suggest that if you want to have a healthy body weight, you first have to be satisfied with what your current number is. Their study, released in the Journal of Obesity last year, followed 19,000 participants over 15 years. Those who were unhappy with their weight ate fewer meals and snacks and reported more yo-yo dieting and less physical activity. People who accepted their body weight, regardless of the number, had healthier lifestyles and better health outcomes.

Nelson, B.C.-based registered clinical counsellor Caryn Malabar works with the body-dissatisfied in her private practice. Malabar notes that self acceptance, rather than self-criticism, is key for a healthy relationship with your body. “Work on accepting your body as it is now, not how you want it to be in three months, or how it was 10 years ago, but how it is right now,” she recommends.

“Think about all the fantastic things your body does for you. It gets you places, gives you enough oxygen to run and talk at the same time, recovers from injuries and moves you forward in your life. We can love our bodies and want to change them, but we need to accept them, because how you feel about what you weigh determines what you can do about it.”

2. Practice mindful eating

Mindful eating is paying full attention to the entire eating experience – smells, textures, tastes and sounds. It’s also noticing what happens in your mind, and avoiding the judgement that goes along with food choices that don’t fit your expectations. Knowing how eating affects mood and emotions teaches you about your impulses and how distraction affects your choices. An article published in Obesity Reviews this year looked at mindful eating’s impact on eating behaviours that lead to weight gain such as binge eating, emotional eating and external eating (eating in response to cues like advertising rather than physical hunger). In nearly 90 per cent of the studies, mindfulness reduced overeating. Practice mindfulness by first shutting off the TV or computer. Then take the time to smell, feel and taste each bite.

3. Quality, not quantity

Cutting calories can work in the short term but it’s nearly impossible to maintain a low calorie intake. Our bodies adjust our metabolism, lowering it in response to restricted energy intake, or our minds simply drive us closer to the foods we struggle to avoid. An expansive European weight loss study published in March in the International Journal of Obesity shows weight maintenance is more about what we eat than how much. The researchers compared high and low protein diets, combined with either high or low glycemic index intakes, after a period of controlled weight loss through calorie restriction. Preliminary results reveal a higher protein intake, regardless of glycemic index, kept weight off. Instead of mulling over every calorie you eat, make sure there’s a source of protein like lean meat, fish or soy on your plate to maintain weight loss. See this issue’s recipe (p.20) for a delightful exploration of high protein taste and texture.

While most health professionals recognize that body weight is an easily measured health marker, the extent to which weight affects health varies between individuals. One thing is true for every body, however: part of a healthy body weight means accepting that weight, whatever the number may be.

Check out the latest buyer's guide:

The best trainers in Canada under $150

We curated the best performance trainers under $150 to meet your 2024 running goals, while staying on budget