Friday Tri: Gaining Weight and Body-Hate

I was reading an article recently about the fluctuating weight of professional athletes. Many of them have an off-season weight and a different weight that is a lot lower for competition. But it is actually part of their recovery to gain weight. Staying at a particular low weight all the time is actually counter productive for them in the long-term.

I have seen this in my own seasonal planning. I tend to gain weight at the end of the season, as I have started to do more and more recovery from my hectic race schedule. Then I worry about it over the holidays and finally lose a little weight in the early months of the year, but as I need less recovery, it comes off fairly naturally.

What's the point here? That your weight isn't just about will power. There are people who are dealing with a lot of stress and they naturally gain weight. When the stress ends, they will probably lose that weight. The way we talk about it is sometimes all about will power and self-control, moralistic reasons, rather than the more natural biological imperatives.

Just eat fewer calories has become the mantra of a lot of people in the weight-loss industry. But the thing is, no one wants to be hungry. And hunger isn't always controlled by calories. Our brains sometimes tell us to eat, even when on less stressful days we would not feel hungry. Or our brains signal us to eat sometimes when they aren't getting the nutrients they need.

I don't believe in diets that make you hungry. I don't believe that you can exercise well while hungry. I don't believe ultimately you can train your body to accept hunger as normal. I do believe that if you eat food that makes you happy and that is healthy (which may be a different combination for different people), you will naturally want to move your body in healthy ways. You will want to go out and walk or whatever works for you.

Don't listen to the body-hate messages that are all around us. If you've put on some weight, is there a reason for it? Give yourself a break. Sometimes the holidays are really stressful and that's why people gain weight, not because they have no “self-control.” When you're ready, you will make changes. But don't tell yourself a negative story about why you are the way you are. Ultimately, it is really counterproductive.