Health At Every Size- NOT a weight loss group!!

[-Hope-]

I started this thread in search of finding like minded people who would like to be healthier without a specific focus on weight. Because the response has been great I thought I'd tweak the first post to lay out what exactly this thread is about.

1) HAES (Health At Every Size) is an established philosophy which basically states that health is not necessarily linked with weight. And even if it were that doesn't mean that people who have difficulty with weight can't lead healthier lives.

2) This is a place for us to discuss the ways we are trying be healthy WITHOUT discussing weight. If you want to lose weight that's fine- good for you! However there are LOTS of threads on the W.I.S.H. boards to discuss weight loss so lets keep this space just for those of us who are choosing to focus solely on healthy habits.

3) Health is a continuous journey. There's no real end goal, there's no backsliding, staring over, etc. It just is what is. No on is perfect and this is not a place to beat ourselves for not meeting unrealistic ideals. Instead it's a place to say, "Today wasn't great, tomorrow will be better. Here's my plan for making it better." OR "I don't know how to make tomorrow better, does anyone have any ideas?"

4) Above all BE SUPPORTIVE! We are here to help each other. The healthier we are the more energy we have for DISNEY!!

IF YOU FEEL THE NEED TO COME IN AND TELL US WHY WE ARE WRONG YOU WILL BE REPORTED. I DON'T GO INTO WEIGHT LOSS THREADS AND TELL DIETERS WHY I THINK THEY'RE CHOICES ARE UNHEALTHY AND I SIMPLY ASK FOR THE SAME RESPECT. IF YOU FEEL THE NEED TO COME HERE AND ARGUE OR OFFER UNSOLICITED CRITICISM YOUR POST(S) WILL BE REPORTED TO THE MODS. ​

 

[obxlvr13]

I wouldn't mind joining you!

 

[-Hope-]

Awesome!

 

[-Hope-]

Looks like it might just be the two of us for now.

Right now I'm using a step counter app as a way to make myself think about moving more in every day life. I used it for about a week to figure out a baseline number and now I'm just trying to do a little better than that on a daily basis. My hope is to increase my step count gradually and steadily. Goodness knows there's a lot steps from Main Street to Splash Mountain so I'm in training.

 

[sonnyjane]

Kind of a cool post/perspective. Since having my thyroid removed a couple of years ago, I've gained about 20 pounds. I'm reasonably active and eat decently (some junk food but try to balance it out with healthy choices), but I just don't feel like "dieting" to lose weight anymore and came to that decision just a few weeks ago. Health-wise (blood pressure, cholesterol, vitamin levels) I'm great, I'm just a bit overweight for my height. I feel like life is too short and if I'm going to kill myself just to lose one pant size, is it really worth it in the end? I'd hate to be on my deathbed and wishing I'd enjoyed my life more instead of worrying about 20 pounds.

Good luck to you guys! I don't have a trip coming up or anything but I like your mentality.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Never heard of a group like that, interesting.

I certainly need to do the same.

 

[MeridaLove]

I love your idea!

I actually do have to lose some weight for health reasons, so I am part of a weightloss post as well, but I am all for your philosophy and would love to be a part

 

[lauradis]

Had no idea what HAES was so for other silly people like me here is a link to the org site.

http://www.haescommunity.org/

 

[lauradis]

Looks like it might just be the two of us for now.

Right now I'm using a step counter app as a way to make myself think about moving more in every day life. I used it for about a week to figure out a baseline number and now I'm just trying to do a little better than that on a daily basis. My hope is to increase my step count gradually and steadily. Goodness knows there's a lot steps from Main Street to Splash Mountain so I'm in training.

Last time I looked the avg quest walks about 10-15 miles every day at disney.

We also do the increase distance training for disney lol

 

[njmom47]

I'm interested.
I don't eat terribly but I could eat better.
However, I found a treadmill on Freecycle about 2 months ago, and have been doing about 1/2 hour at least 3 or 4 nights a week (sometimes every day...it depends on my mood ). I would like to lose weight but right now I'm happy doing the treadmill. It's a start.

 

[DopeyDame]

Have you checked out the WISH board here on the Dis? You might get more people interested over there.

 

[strangebutspecial]

I'm trying to lose but I I'm very supportive of whatever size people are most comfortable at. I also like being with people who don't judge because of the size I am. I'd love to join if it's okay!

I want to work out and be stronger. I would love to get back into lifting weights in a serious way and also improving my endurance. More energy for the parks would be great!

 

[obxlvr13]

I need to lose weight but DO NOT want to focus on a number. I just want to feel healthy overall and have better eating and exercise habits.

 

[-Hope-]

Kind of a cool post/perspective. Since having my thyroid removed a couple of years ago, I've gained about 20 pounds. I'm reasonably active and eat decently (some junk food but try to balance it out with healthy choices), but I just don't feel like "dieting" to lose weight anymore and came to that decision just a few weeks ago. Health-wise (blood pressure, cholesterol, vitamin levels) I'm great, I'm just a bit overweight for my height. I feel like life is too short and if I'm going to kill myself just to lose one pant size, is it really worth it in the end? I'd hate to be on my deathbed and wishing I'd enjoyed my life more instead of worrying about 20 pounds.

Good luck to you guys! I don't have a trip coming up or anything but I like your mentality.

Thanks for the well wishes! I don't really have a WDW trip coming up either- trying to figure one out within the next 8 months or so but I don't know if it's actually going to happen. But if it does I'll be ready- mentally and physically!

Never heard of a group like that, interesting.

I certainly need to do the same.

Welcome, welcome.

I love your idea!

I actually do have to lose some weight for health reasons, so I am part of a weightloss post as well, but I am all for your philosophy and would love to be a part

It's not really my idea but I'm glad you like it! I belong to a HAES (Health At Every Size) group on Facebook and I like it but thought it would be fun to have some people working for a trip to help keep me motivated.

Last time I looked the avg quest walks about 10-15 miles every day at disney.

We also do the increase distance training for disney lol

WOW! The average I read yesterday was 6 miles, that's a huge difference! And apparently it's about a quarter mile from the entry turnstiles to Cinderella's castle. That gives me something to go on at least.

Had no idea what HAES was so for other silly people like me here is a link to the org site.

http://www.haescommunity.org/

Haha, thanks! I guess I put Health At Every Size in the title of the thread but not in my first post!

I'm interested.
I don't eat terribly but I could eat better.
However, I found a treadmill on Freecycle about 2 months ago, and have been doing about 1/2 hour at least 3 or 4 nights a week (sometimes every day...it depends on my mood ). I would like to lose weight but right now I'm happy doing the treadmill. It's a start.

Great! For me it's more than a start. I don't diet anymore. Ever. There are a lot of reasons for it that aren't that important here but I feel better than ever! I'm glad you like the treadmill and finding it on Freecycle is even better!

Have you checked out the WISH board here on the Dis? You might get more people interested over there.

Thanks for the tip! I'll be sure to check it out.

I'm trying to lose but I I'm very supportive of whatever size people are most comfortable at. I also like being with people who don't judge because of the size I am. I'd love to join if it's okay!

I want to work out and be stronger. I would love to get back into lifting weights in a serious way and also improving my endurance. More energy for the parks would be great!

Great!

I need to lose weight but DO NOT want to focus on a number. I just want to feel healthy overall and have better eating and exercise habits.

Fantastic, welcome!

 

[-Hope-]

Okay folks, I'm SOOO glad to see so many people interested. I'm going to pop on over to the WISH boards to see if there's something similar and if it might be a better place to start our "official" thread. If I decide to move it I'll post a link here so everyone can find us. Otherwise I'll come back and we can figure out how we want to do this.

So excited!

 

[MIGrandma]

I've got an upcoming Disney trip and a cruise this winter so I'm actively working at being healthier...again...sigh.

I'm type 2 diabetic and it's been over a year since my doctor said he thought if I lost 30 pounds I could get off my medications so I actively tried losing the weight, with diet and exercise. I got within 2 pounds and then we went on a summer vacation and all my efforts went out the window and over the course of a few months I gained some of it back.

So, for the diabetes I do need to lose more weight. But I agree about the exercise and choosing healthier foods. But, if a person does that AND needs to lose weight wouldn't they lose some in the process of BECOMING healthier?

In the warm weather months I enjoy walking in our local park and cemetery. They are separated by railroad tracks so I start in the park, then cross over to the cemetery and walk the roads there, then cross back over to the park to finish up. But in the wold weather months I use Leslie Sansone's Walk Away The Pounds DVD's, usually the 2-mile one, sometimes (like today) the 3-mile one. I walk 6 days a week, and take Sundays off.

I have 9 pounds to go to get to my first "goal", which is to be back at the weight I was when my DD went with me to Disney a year ago. But maybe even a little less than that would be great! Then a bit more before the cruise.

I really need to get healthier AND lose some weight, for the diabetes. My numbers haven't been so great lately even WITH the diet and exercise so it's frustrating.

I keep trying to get my Mom to exercise but she says she gets too short of breath. Well, yeah, so did I when I first started but the more you move the easier it gets.

Our next trip to Disney will be with our DD and her DH and their kids (6 and 9) and her DH's parents so I want to be able to keep up with my grandkids!!

 

[-Hope-]

I've got an upcoming Disney trip and a cruise this winter so I'm actively working at being healthier...again...sigh.

I don't think of health as something I'm ever finished with so therefore it's not something I do again. Sometimes I make healthy choices, sometimes I don't. That's true for EVERYONE.

I'm type 2 diabetic and it's been over a year since my doctor said he thought if I lost 30 pounds I could get off my medications so I actively tried losing the weight, with diet and exercise. I got within 2 pounds and then we went on a summer vacation and all my efforts went out the window and over the course of a few months I gained some of it back.

So, for the diabetes I do need to lose more weight. But I agree about the exercise and choosing healthier foods. But, if a person does that AND needs to lose weight wouldn't they lose some in the process of BECOMING healthier?

I'm also T2 Diabetic and it's been my experience that my A1C is better and I rely less on meds when my HABITS change, not my weight. It's entirely possible that changing your habits will result in weight loss and it does for many people. For me it doesn't. My insulin resistance, history of eating disorders, and genetics make it pretty difficult for me to lose weight regardless of my habits. I have to resort to some pretty unhealthy behaviors to make the scale budge much and I'm not willing to do that anymore. But everyone is different and your history is different from mine so you may have a different experience. For me, I just try to focus on my habits and how I feel. The only number I worry about is my A1C and I don't even own a scale.

In the warm weather months I enjoy walking in our local park and cemetery. They are separated by railroad tracks so I start in the park, then cross over to the cemetery and walk the roads there, then cross back over to the park to finish up. But in the wold weather months I use Leslie Sansone's Walk Away The Pounds DVD's, usually the 2-mile one, sometimes (like today) the 3-mile one. I walk 6 days a week, and take Sundays off.

I have 9 pounds to go to get to my first "goal", which is to be back at the weight I was when my DD went with me to Disney a year ago. But maybe even a little less than that would be great! Then a bit more before the cruise.

I really need to get healthier AND lose some weight, for the diabetes. My numbers haven't been so great lately even WITH the diet and exercise so it's frustrating.

I have found that for me a lot of the foods recommended for people with diabetes by doctors don't work for me. I spent several months tracking how my blood glucose reacted to various foods. I found that I can't eat wheat (even whole wheat), potatoes (even sweet potatoes), rice (even brown rice), and refined sugars without having lasting spikes (more than 2 hours). So, as you can see I was spiking with some foods that were one the "okay" list. Once I limited those foods my numbers improved.

I keep trying to get my Mom to exercise but she says she gets too short of breath. Well, yeah, so did I when I first started but the more you move the easier it gets.

I used to try to get DH to do some things with me but I finally decided that I'm only in control of my own health. I still invite him to join me but that's all I can do.

Our next trip to Disney will be with our DD and her DH and their kids (6 and 9) and her DH's parents so I want to be able to keep up with my grandkids!!

Hooray for trips with grandkids!!

 

[-Hope-]

Okay folks, I updated the first post to outline the philosophy of a group focused on health instead of weight. Please take a moment to read it over.

Also, I do think the W.I.S.H boards is a more appropriate place for us so can a mod move this thread over there? Or should I just copy/past the first post and start a new thread?

 

[Stitch69]

Okay folks, I updated the first post to outline the philosophy of a group focused on health instead of weight. Please take a moment to read it over.

Also, I do think the W.I.S.H boards is a more appropriate place for us so can a mod move this thread over there? Or should I just copy/past the first post and start a new thread?

Seems like it is more about anything you want to do is healthy since your body wanted it.

 

[berryinDC]

I'm glad to see folks talking about HAES here! I find weight loss talk really toxic and, frankly boring. I've been trying to exercise more to get ready for our trip to a WDW next month and am really excited about how much better I feel so far. My big issue is getting enough sleep so I'm not too draggy.