I think people tend to write of HAES a little too quickly. It is certainly something that needs to be examined more closely. A lot of people seem to misunderstand it, that it is a 'paradigm shift' in dealing with obesity, focusing on healthy life style choices as the best way to reduce health risks and rejecting the more traditional focus on diet approach but, still including eating well and regular exercise as well as identifying the established risks associated with obesity. The focus is not on weight or weight loss but simply being healthy. It is the way in which it is approached that is different to traditional modes, more of an ontologically difference yet not diametrically opposed in terms of outcomes. In doing so boosts mental health and wellbeing which ultimately encourages physical health and and leads to reduced negative health outcomes as well as avoiding the issues of yo-yo dieting, etc.

However, the scientific literature in direct support of HAES is far from copious; it is still in its infancy and rather spare. Again, it is not necessarily in conflict with existing literature to begin with and that is in part why it has seen growing support from those within the public health and policy fields; the emerging literature looks promising, it is not in conflict with large bodies of established literature and current weight loss focused agenda is proving to be ineffective at a population level at improving health outcomes and even detrimental (fad/extreme/ yo-yo/ etc dieting).

It certainly is a bit of a misnomer though and it has been appropriated by groups who are using it to claim there are no health risks to obesity.