Monday, January 27, 2014

I Call it Thin, You Call it Strong, She Calls it Healthy but It's All in the Approach



I was so honored the fantastic site Well and Good named LBT “One of the 6 New Healthy Food Books That Don’t Promote Fad DietsThe write up is great saying, “her tips are relevant, actionable, and easy to implement and she delivers tools to help you use them, like checklists, recipes, and side notes on "how to boil the perfect egg. (It's hard, right??)” But there was this “its name may suggest an obsession with getting thin (strong is the new skinny!), but don't let the title fool you.”

Really? Does the word thin suggest obsessiveness? If the title had been “Get Thin or Be Miserable” I’d understand some implied negativity.  When I ask clients for their goals the words healthy, thin, fit, confident and yes even…skinny (don’t mind that one either) come up most often. Many LBT readers and Foodtrainers’ clients know that part of the weight or size puzzle is that it takes planning and strategy even to maintain your weight and this strategy needs to change with age. But whether we’re talking thin, skinny or strong it’s really all in the approach.

The same day as the Well and Good list, my friend Aidan posted a great recap of our Happier Hour discussion appropriately titled Thin is Not A Dirty Word and 9 other Lauren Lessons.
But that would not be the final word on thin, this comment was posted:
I have to say that I think our culture is too focused on being thin. I agree that thin and healthy can coexist (for some) but I argue that the focus needs to shift to being healthy and the byproduct will be reaching our “healthy” body weight. My health (and appearance) improved tremendously when I started to focus on getting more of the good stuff (nutrient dense foods) into my body. I have educated myself on what is good for me – eating colorful plant based foods and a moderate amount of healthy proteins, drinking lots of water, and getting adequate sleep and moderate amounts of exercises that I enjoy. I choose this approach because it’s about adding good stuff not depriving myself of the bad stuff. I guess I prefer to focus on the positive…what I can “gain” from being healthy (energy, glowing skin, longevity and vitality) not what I can loose on the scale.
While I’ll agree that we care about weight and appearance a little too much, the solution is to provide healthy strategies to approach food and exercise rather than pretending we only care about being healthy (or strong). The truth is, even this commenter acknowledged a change in her appearance so even if she’s anti scale she’s conscious of her looks too, we all are.
I also agree with the reader’s proactive steps and “additive” approach. My days are spent cheerleading for my clients. It would be so pathetic if my professional training resulted in helping people lose 5 pounds. There are so many “bigger” things that stem from taking control of your nutrition and the confidence that comes with it.  In the Little Book of Thin, I discuss how we can end food guilt, applaud ourselves for the effort cooking and “planning” takes and feel our best. Is that “obsessive”?
The irony is that I obsess over my body and weight when I eat the wrong foods. When my clothes feel good, when I’m eating foods that agree with my body and yes, when I feel thin I am not obsessed or overthinking any of it. Let’s not get stuck on a word or try to deny we care about our appearance. Instead let’s direct our energy toward whatever self-improvement means to each of us, spread positivity and eat the most delicious food possible. Deal?  
Do you thin is off putting? Or do you think it's semantics/splitting hairs? What are the adjectives you'd use to describe how you'd like your body to feel or look? 

13 comments:

  1. to me THIN is of fputting as, for some reason, it evokes images of meek and weak.
    We are all so different in what we attach to words, huh?

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  2. Interesting Carla, I can see that. And interestingly for me even though I work on strength and fitness and improvement strong is not the aesthetic I'd aspire to, thanks for that explanation

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  3. Love your closing line! I'm all about spreading positivity and eating the most delicious food possible while focusing on self-improvement.

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  4. And the thing is? I think most of us "wellness" people are...so it doesn't matter what we call it.

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  5. I loved the book and it is extremely helpful. I've lost five pounds so far! But to be honest, I found myself hiding the cover from my 8 year old daughter and telling her I was reading a book about how to lose weight and get healthy (which it is). There is definitely something about that word "thin" that makes me uncomfortable -- but definitely something I need to talk about with my daughter.

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  6. When I eat and exercise right, I feel the healthiest, and I'm also the thinnest. I read Carla's comment, and I can totally see that one could attach "meek and weak" to thin. But somehow I don't. I'm currently thinner than I have been in a long time, but I also feel strong because I'm focusing on strength in my workouts.

    I think it's interesting how many people say "I just want to be healthy." I totally agree that health should be the number one concern. You can certainly be thin and not healthy. But I think many people who say they only care about health do deep down inside also care about size. And I think there is nothing wrong with admitting that.

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  7. At six foot three I'm pretty tall for a woman and I'm also very thin. Thin runs in my family and I can't put on weight - my mother is 50 and the same weight she was in high school. All of us are lower than the average band BMI. I'm also healthy and active. I use a bicycle rather than a car and run nearly every morning. Except for some skim milk for my bones I'm a vegan.


    But some people treat me poorly - other women especially - and men aren't that interested in someone with such poor curves (also my height is a problem). I wish people wouldn't be judgmental about the shape a person is in - heavy, average or thin. We have appropriate points set by our genetics and we should strive to be as healthy as we can be at those weights and shapes and especially not be judgmental of others.


    If someone has a healthy goal, let's support it. If they are healthy and their goal is staying there, let's support and celebrate that

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  8. I still don't get Ameena why weight/food improvement is so much more touchy a subject than spirituality, mindfulness etc.

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  9. Jheri, it's true the judgement in the name of health isn't healthy- right? Also, we need you to get LBT bc skim milk isn't best for your bones. You need some fat to absorb the vitamin D (it's fat soluble).

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  10. trying to think of who isn't judged b/c we're judged if tall if overweight, if thin...

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  11. We all care about size, this much I've learned Andrea and this "all about health" is almost similar to actors and actresses who say "eat whatever I want". Some smokescreen to conceal the truth even if there's some vanity or effort involved.

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  12. Interesting Megan. Your comment made me ask my 11 year old and I said "what do you think about the word" and he said "thin is the opposite of being overweight". Funny I would be leary of saying "lose weight" before thin. Thanks for reading and commenting. Five pounds shoo hoo (even though this all about health ha)

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  13. I guess I don't see thin as tiny/skinny- not where all clients or readers want to or can be. I see it more as trim, fit...again so helpful to hear feedback.

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