HAES is "Healthy at any size?"

I didn't know this existed until today.

Looked it up.

Let's face facts. We've lost the war on obesity. Fighting fat hasn't made the fat go away. And being thinner, even if we knew how to successfully accomplish it, will not necessarily make us healthier or happier. The war on obesity has taken its toll. Extensive "collateral damage" has resulted: Food and body preoccupation, self-hatred, eating disorders, discrimination, poor health... Few of us are at peace with our bodies, whether because we're fat or because we fear becoming fat.

Health at Every Size is the new peace movement.

Very simply, it acknowledges that good health can best be realized independent from considerations of size. It supports people of all sizes in addressing health directly by adopting healthy behaviors.

Having read the website (http://www.haescommunity.org/) I think the program is actually a good idea. I understand people tend to partner these with "every size is beautiful" and "real women/real curves" ideals. I think, at the core, this is a very good idea.

Personally, it took wanting to be healthy and having resources to get there for me to lose weight. The bullying and idea that people are tormented for being overweight is a terrible idea. I think we need programs like HAES to get people to listen to the message: get healthy.

If people are told they are valid at any size, but need to work on being healthy... it works better than "fat is ugly, you are a whale who will never lose the weight." You have to accept, sometimes, that people need to be given a safe place to feel secure about themselves before they will venture out.

I do not like being overweight and I certaintly do not encourage people to live that lifestyle. But it has helped me a bunch to find people who tell me I am not the sum of my weight.