Weight, What? Why We Promote Weight-Inclusive Care, Health and Every Size and Behavior-Focused Interventions

October 16, 2023

Woman screams in frustration at computer
Do you have a tempestuous relationship with the scale? Is this relationship further strained when visiting the doctor’s office? This could be because the doctor’s office scale always seems to add ten pounds! Having your weight checked could also be triggering due to your previous experience with weight bias in a healthcare setting. You may have an eating disorder or disordered eating and be thrust into a spiral of negative thoughts, emotions, and behaviors when you see or hear your weight being discussed. Here are some reasons why we provide weight-inclusive care, support Health At Every Size, and promote behavior-focused interventions at Doherty Nutrition.

Weight as a Health Indicator

There are many health indicators that should be assessed during a health-related appointment. Weight may be correlated with your individual health, but it definitely is not a clear-cut determinant if you are healthy or unhealthy. Weight can fluctuate due to many natural bodily changes like fluid status, hormone fluctuations, activity levels, sodium intake, and the time of day. Weight can also be impacted by our lifestyle behaviors like physical activity or nutritional intake. However, weight alone would not be used as a primary assessment for someone’s health, and it really should not be used by healthcare professionals as justification for providing unsolicited and even unrelated advice. Other important health indicators that should be assessed and are often more indicative of someone’s health status are blood pressure, diet patterns, biochemical blood labs, sleeping schedules, physical activity levels, and stress management tactics. These are things I like to ask clients in an initial assessment to see where we should start with nutrition education and individualized goals.

Weight-Inclusive Care

Providing weight-inclusive care allows us to personalize your individual health goals based on what you want to work on and see change in your health and well-being. All body types and sizes are welcome and safe in our offices. We talk about weight as much or as little as you would like. Doherty Nutrition supports Health At Every Size and the belief that behaviors are a better marker of health than weight. Weight bias has no place in patient-centered care. Research shows that weight bias (discrimination or stereotyping based on a person’s weight) is associated with negative mental health, social isolation, avoidance of healthcare services, decreased physical activity, and an increase in morbidity and mortality. We are not trying to disregard anyone’s health-centered goals but we are making an effort to focus on health-promoting behaviors regardless of weight status.

Non-Scale Victories

At Doherty Nutrition we love promoting behaviors that have been proven to improve health status. We apply evidence-based practices and provide the latest nutrition recommendations based on scientific research. Our non-scale victory list allows clients to track their progress in working on behavior goals and it helps keep them motivated. This list allows clients to see themselves as a whole person and seeks to reduce the stress of tracking progress with just one metric (the scale!). Some examples of our non-scale victories include more energy, improved labs, less GI distress, less joint pain, feeling less stressed, improved body image, improved relationship with food, listening to hunger and fullness cues, more knowledge about nutrition, more consistent physical activity, clearer thinking, and better sleep. There is so much more to health than our gravitational pull!

“Please Don’t Weigh Me” Cards

In an effort to combat weight bias and the potential stress from being weighed at a healthcare appointment we have designed our own “Please, Do Not Weigh Me” cards. These are small enough to fit in your wallet and are intended to be presented before your weight check. The cards allow you to avoid the difficulty of declining your weight check and give the provider the option to weigh you blindly if they feel that a weight check is medically necessary. A blind weight is commonly used in the treatment of eating disorders and has the patient step on the scale backward so that they do not have to see the number. Anyone can request a blind weight or decline their weight being checked if they do not feel like it is medically relevant. We also have the cards in Spanish!

Conclusion

Weight is a touchy subject and should be assessed and addressed in a way that makes you comfortable! Our health as humans is so much more than a simple number on the scale. You can be healthy and work on health-promoting behaviors regardless of your weight or size. Celebrate your non-scale victories by looking at other positive markers that help you stay motivated. Advocate for yourself and navigate difficult conversations in the doctor’s office by presenting our new “Please Don’t Weigh Me” cards. Let us know if you’d like a card when you schedule an appointment!

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Diana Figueroa, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, RD, LD

Diana Figueroa

RD, LD
Habla Español
Licensed in TX

Clinical Manager & Provider Outreach Coordinator

Diana Figueroa, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, RD, LD

Diana Figueroa

RD, LD
Habla Español
Licensed in TX

Clinical Manager & Provider Outreach Coordinator

Diana Figueroa, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, RD, LD

Diana Figueroa

RD, LD
Habla Español
Licensed in TX

Clinical Manager & Provider Outreach Coordinator

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