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Can You Be Obese And Healthy? What Is HAES? | Nutritionist Explains... | Myprotein
Jan 30, 2025
An expert nutritionist explains what HAES is (Healthy At Every Size) and explains his thoughts on the movement.
In this video, Jamie talks about HAES and what it is. Jamie Wright, an accredited nutritionist, helps people all across the world achieve lifelong weight loss, improve their sports nutrition and overcome disordered eating. Obesity is one of the most complex conditions to treat as well as one of the most emotionally charged.
What is Haes? Healthy At Every Size approach is about tackling weight stigma and encouraging body inclusivity and healthier behaviours. It's about putting weight loss to the back of your mind while you focus on eating for well-being, engaging in life-enhancing movements and opening the doors for respectful and fair access to health care.
Follow Jamie on IG: jamiesdietguide
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0:00
I'm sure this is the last thing you want
0:01
to hear after the last few years but
0:03
there's another Global pandemic that we
0:05
should be concerned about obesity
0:07
[Music]
0:10
hi I'm Jamie Wright an accredited
0:11
nutritionist and I help people all
0:13
across the world achieve lifelong weight
0:14
loss improve their Sports Nutrition and
0:16
overcome disorder dating obesity is one
0:19
of the most complex conditions to treat
0:20
as well as being one of the most
0:22
emotionally charged in fact we sort of
0:25
really kind of suck at helping people
0:26
who are obese in general it's really
0:29
quite difficult to help people lose
0:30
weight and keep it off it's not
0:32
impossible but really really difficult
0:34
especially when you factor in our
0:36
obesogenic environment and how the body
0:38
adapts the way it change over time given
0:40
the rather poor success rate of
0:41
traditional approaches to weight loss a
0:43
new intervention has been proposed that
0:45
emphasizes the adoption of healthier
0:47
behaviors that can be introduced without
0:48
necessarily focusing on weight loss
0:51
itself Health at every size or Haze as
0:53
it is more popularly referred to is an
0:55
approach to Public Health it aims to
0:57
both the emphasize weight loss while
0:58
tackling and reducing the stigma faced
1:00
by individuals who are overweight or
1:02
obese currently an obese person is
1:04
defined as someone with a BMI greater
1:05
than 30. BMI isn't the best tune in the
1:07
world and you can check out Richie's
1:09
video here on why the that is but it's
1:11
the one the NHS currently used to
1:12
diagnose Haze while intentioned ensuring
1:15
promise has had some criticism on social
1:17
media in recent years but not through
1:19
any fault of its own this criticism
1:21
stems from being associated with those
1:22
who have a pro obesity message as well
1:24
as those that Proclaim obesity doesn't
1:26
increase the risk of certain health
1:28
conditions this has led to a
1:29
battleground of sorts on social media of
1:31
contrasting and conflicting messages
1:33
between various groups or
1:35
misinterpreting or misunderstanding of
1:37
the foundational purposes of haze itself
1:39
so it's time to objectively take a real
1:41
look at Haze ourselves and really dig
1:43
into exactly what the movement aims to
1:45
achieve and who it's actually trying to
1:47
help weird stigma is no joke and it
1:49
happens at all levels of society from
1:51
your local primary school at your office
1:53
and even running race through the wards
1:56
of hospitals this stigma causes an
1:58
immeasurable amount of physiological and
2:00
psychological harm studies show that
2:02
those who are overweight and obese are
2:03
less likely to receive the health care
2:05
they require to be judged to be
2:07
criticized to be labeled and to be
2:09
afforded less opportunities as well as
2:12
being the victims of bullying and social
2:13
injustice weird stigma itself has likely
2:16
cost the lives of many more people than
2:18
we realize whether it be the tragedy
2:20
which befalls those of per mental health
2:21
to those who haven't received the just
2:23
Health Care they need it's impossibly
2:25
difficult to accurately portray the
2:27
damage weight stigma has caused one of
2:29
the foundational purposes of Hayes was
2:31
to address weight stigma not to
2:33
normalize obesity but rather to
2:34
encourage empathy to encourage fairness
2:37
in healthcare diagnoses and treatment
2:38
reception to encourage a Level Playing
2:40
Field that work and in careers to allow
2:43
children no matter their background or
2:44
physical appearance to reach their full
2:46
potential it is not to deny the fact
2:48
that excessive amounts of body fat are a
2:50
health risk absolutely not it is rather
2:53
a push towards supporting those who
2:55
struggle with managing their weight in a
2:57
world and at a time where that is as
2:59
difficult as it has ever been it's a
3:01
movement that is pushing for Weight and
3:03
Body inclusivity we are not all destined
3:05
or capable of looking like a fashion
3:07
model that's why that's their job but
3:09
bodies shouldn't be teeth so harshly nor
3:11
should we have such unrealistic beauty
3:13
standards that drive people to extreme
3:15
forms of dieting exercise
3:17
supplementation and even body
3:19
manipulation everybody is a miraculous
3:22
collection of organic Machinery finely
3:24
tuned from hundreds of millions of years
3:26
of evolution who are we to say that one
3:28
is lesser than the other that one shape
3:30
should stand above all others you can
3:32
encourage healthier behaviors without
3:33
necessarily tearing down people for what
3:35
they look like and stating that there is
3:37
a definitive Target that everyone must
3:39
reach to be healthy it's really quite
3:41
difficult to find the middle ground with
3:42
this subject because I don't personally
3:44
feel that it's Justified to make ground
3:46
sweeping statements when it comes to
3:48
Health at the end of the day everyone is
3:50
unique but I can't help but feel that
3:52
targeting weight stigma and being more
3:54
inclusive when it comes to body shape
3:55
and size will only help people live
3:57
longer healthier lives it'll encourage
4:00
them into communities into support
4:01
networks into healthier behaviors and at
4:04
the end of the day isn't that what we
4:06
want can you be obese and healthy well
4:08
the first point I'd make is that we
4:10
often hear person-to-person comparison
4:12
when this question is brought up which I
4:14
think is just dumb I may be obese but
4:16
that then person smokes 40 cigarettes a
4:18
day and just drinks fizzy drinks so I'm
4:20
way healthier obviously that's not
4:22
really a great barometer for your own
4:23
health I mean comparing yourself to
4:25
someone with extremely unhealthy
4:27
behaviors just to make yourself seem
4:28
healthier than them is a rather Hard
4:30
Sell for me the goal shouldn't just to
4:32
be healthier on paper than this
4:34
fictional person rather the goal should
4:36
always be how can I become the
4:37
healthiest happiest version of myself
4:39
it's my belief that health and happiness
4:41
have to go hand in hand you can be super
4:43
happy but not healthy you can also be
4:46
really healthy but not necessarily happy
4:48
neither is a great way to live and
4:49
eventually one will rob from the other
4:51
the fullest life you can lead is one
4:53
that allows for the healthiest and
4:55
happiest version of yourself
4:56
simultaneously now that may not be the
4:58
classic meme picture of the person with
5:00
a 12 pack of ABS laughing into a salad
5:02
it may be that you have a bit of body
5:03
fat around your waist but you've got a
5:05
loving family a fulfilling career new
5:08
illnesses to worry about you exercise
5:10
regularly and you have a mostly
5:11
nutritious diet the second point I'd
5:13
like to make is that we're asking the
5:15
wrong question here it shouldn't be can
5:17
you be obese and healthy but rather can
5:19
you be obese and healthier the
5:21
difference being here healthy is a state
5:22
healthier is a journey a journey of
5:25
progressively Healthy Living Through
5:27
Changes in behavior and lifestyle
5:28
literally everyone could be healthier in
5:30
some way that's the beauty of it there's
5:32
not a Finish Line for being healthier
5:34
and it's something you have to maintain
5:35
and that will change across your
5:37
lifespan I mean when you actually look
5:38
at Haze and the principles of it the
5:40
movement is advocating that you eat for
5:42
your well-being you have equal access
5:44
and support policies for health
5:46
enhancement as well as adopting life
5:48
enhancing movement to be brutally honest
5:50
obesity doesn't really result from the
5:52
repetitive nature of healthier behaviors
5:54
in fact most people become obese because
5:57
they're living unhealthy lives that may
5:59
not necessarily even be eating to a
6:00
degree which we would consider excessive
6:02
but they may not be exercising they may
6:05
not be sleeping they may have per mental
6:07
health they may be incredibly stressed
6:08
they may even have a medical condition
6:10
or have experienced an illness the
6:11
journey to obesity looks different for
6:13
everyone but you can't deny that it
6:15
doesn't happen overnight and that's not
6:16
to shame or to judge or to look down on
6:19
those with obesity I was obese so I know
6:21
how that feels it's to help create a
6:22
sense of empathy to better understand
6:24
someone's situation and not default this
6:26
societal Norms when we see someone who
6:28
is obese oh they're greedy I bet they
6:30
eat loads they must be so lazy these are
6:33
terrible things to think about another
6:34
person but even worse when we express it
6:36
to them this is why we should do our
6:38
best to challenge it and to not be
6:39
little people who are obese there should
6:41
always be a supportive message towards
6:43
healthier living and Hayes is incredibly
6:45
successful at doing that in fact the
6:47
studies investigating hair issue that
6:49
people who have obesity who adopt
6:51
healthier behaviors with a non-weight
6:53
loss focused initial narrative tend to
6:55
stick with them and by doing so
6:57
organically lose weight through that
6:59
process adopting these behaviors and
7:01
sticking to them also leads to
7:03
significant reductions in a whole host
7:05
of horrible debilitating and potentially
7:07
life-threatening health conditions so
7:09
going back to the question can you be
7:10
obese and healthier and the answer to
7:12
that is definitively yes I thought I
7:15
would give a nod to the small but vocal
7:16
communities who are pro-obese and or
7:18
deny obesity as a risk factor for
7:20
disease I can empathize with these
7:22
people like I said I was obese in fact I
7:24
was really rather obese and I can
7:26
understand the temptation of an echo
7:28
chamber that supports you one that acts
7:29
like it accepts you for who you are and
7:31
tells you that there's absolutely
7:32
nothing wrong with you but in reality
7:35
that's a harmful message and a
7:37
misleading message as well you're
7:38
probably well aware that if you keep
7:40
going down the road that you're on that
7:41
your health will eventually deteriorate
7:43
and once that happens it is really
7:45
really hard to come back from no matter
7:47
how loving that virtual shoulder to cry
7:49
on or bubble of support may be isn't
7:51
doing you any good it's simply not
7:53
helpful to deny the risks attached to
7:55
obesity these Echo Chambers can be
7:57
really dangerous and you should try your
7:59
absolute best to avoid them or if you
8:01
feel like you might actually be in one
8:03
yourself try your best to remove
8:04
yourself from it this doesn't mean that
8:06
you have to attack the people who are
8:07
within it absolutely not it's better
8:09
that you focus on yourself and you focus
8:11
on your own Journey towards a healthier
8:13
future find your own path to health and
8:15
approach the subject both as an adult
8:16
and as if you're someone who actually
8:18
mattered to yourself you have to be
8:20
objective first understand your
8:22
situation but don't beat yourself up
8:24
about it it's not going to help and like
8:27
everything in life that you want to
8:28
change or improve you have to identify
8:30
the solution you believe will work or
8:32
reach out to those who you believe can
8:34
help you may not get it right first time
8:35
and that's okay it's more than okay the
8:38
Monumental step you took to change your
8:40
life will never be undermined by a
8:41
misstep or an attempt on awry you just
8:44
learn to make a change you move forward
8:46
eventually you'll get to the healthiest
8:48
happiest version of yourself and you'll
8:50
thank yourself for pushing through all
8:52
of the nonsense trust me it's more than
8:54
worth it the healthier at every size
8:55
approach isn't perfect but it's
8:57
certainly not the misconstrued and
8:58
misunderstood movement social media has
9:00
made it out to be it's about tackling
9:02
weird stigma encouraging body
9:03
inclusivity as well as healthier
9:05
behaviors it's about putting weight loss
9:07
to the back of your mind while you focus
9:09
on eating for well-being engaging in
9:11
life enhancing movement and opening the
9:13
doors for respectful and fair access to
9:15
healthcare ultimately it's not a
9:17
question of can you be obese and healthy
9:18
it's the pursuit of being obese yet
9:21
healthier as always if you have any more
9:23
questions let me know in the comments
9:24
below and remember to like And subscribe
9:26
to the my protein YouTube channel for
9:28
more great evidence-based nutrition
9:29
information
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