Health comes in many shapes and sizes.

5 Obstacles to Reaching a Healthy Weight

A healthy self-image is essential to reaching and maintaining a healthy weight, but negative body image is pervasive in our society, affecting men and women, young and old. Recognizing these obstacles to healthy body image is the first step toward lifelong weight management.

Obstacles to Healthy Weight Managment

• Working from the outside-in. When dealing with issues of body image, one of the biggest obstacles people face is the idea that changing their appearance will make them feel more confident, happy and loved.
  
  
• Playing the comparison game. It’s easy to fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to other people and computer–generated images in the media.
  
  
• Indulging the inner critic. We all have an inner critic that tells us we’re not good enough in some way.
  
  
• Putting it off. Consider the examples of women waiting to get married until they’ve lost weight or people who won’t go to the beach until they fit into that bathing suit. This kind of disengagement from life creates a vicious cycle that can be hard to break.
  
  
• Participating in “fat-talk.” We’ve all heard it, and most of us have participated in bemoaning the size of our hips or trading diet tips. Sadly, fat–talk has become a socially sanctioned way for people to connect and share something in common – dislike of their bodies.

Health at Every Size

Real improvements to body image - and weight management - are made from the inside–out. “Weigh to Go,” Bastyr’s innovative weight management program, helps participants make lasting changes to their bodies and their body images, through individual and group sessions over nine weeks. Exercises may include:

• Identifying and overcoming negative self-talk.
  
  
• Connecting with a strong social support group.
  
  
• Recognizing positive personal traits aside from appearance.
  
  
• Addressing underlying mental health issues, emotional concerns or stress, which may manifest as poor body image.
  
  
• Engaging in life in meaningful ways.
  
  
• Media education and talking back to media images.
  
  
• Making overall lifestyle improvements.
  
  
• Bolstering self-image and self-worth.

Past participants in the “Weigh to Go” program share their experiences. See what they have to say.

Make a healthy change to your life! Register today for “Weigh to Go.”