Why “Eat Less, Move More” Is Causing The Problem, Not Curing It
It’s incredibly frustrating.
When I hear the term “Eat Less, Move More” I am reminded of my days as a Football Referee. Days that were hounded with the extreme oversimplification of the “Offside Law” combined with incredibly subjective biased opinion in favor of someone's team compared to the opposition.
The truth is…90% of Football Fans do not know the Laws well enough to comment.
And the second I, a very qualified referee, a man who had studied the topic for years and years and had exercised the Laws of Football with Authority at least 3 times a week in front of crowds of fans and pitches full of players, the second, I tried to re-educate people on the issue at hand, I was in the wrong.
I was the bad guy. Because my opinion didn’t fit their very bias narrative.
Truth and facts are irrelevant in situations like this. If the said person had an opinion on it, no matter how wrong, offensive, and downright out of order that opinion was, the truth just did not matter.
And the same can be said for the term “Eat Less, Move More”.
Because we all have a body…because we all spend a portion of our lives being aware of our “Body Weight” people think that they know how it works.
Without study, or reading the literature. Without actually coaching someone.
It isn’t good enough. And all you are doing is causing the problem, not curing it.
You see, Obesity isn’t the problem of the person who is Obese.
It’s the problem of society.
And terms like “Eat Less, Move More” are causing that problem within society even more. To those who believe this is all weight loss is and that it is the “Final Solution”, you could not be more wrong.
You are overlooking far too many other factors that are interwoven into the fabric of society, things like Depression, Poverty, Lack of Job Security, An Economy that prays on keeping people feeling inadequate.
“Eat Less, Move More” is a form of Weight Stigmatization, make no mistake.
Weight bias is defined as negative attitudes towards, and beliefs about, others because of their weight. These negative attitudes are manifested by stereotypes and/or prejudice towards people with overweight and obesity. [1]
I am not denying the fact that in order to lose weight you must be in a Calorie Deficit and this is the foundation for “Eat Less, Move More”.
But as Martin MacDonald says:
“A Calorie Deficit is as simple as Calories In vs Caloires Out, its juts that Calories In vs Calories Out just isn’t that simple”
And it really really isn’t.
Listen more about Body Positivity on The Fitness Solution where I chat with Amy Snelling all about Body Positivity right here:
Why “Eat Less, Move More” Is Causing The Problem, Not Curing It
Why it is more than simply to just; “Eat Less”
When you Fat Shame. When you tell someone to just stop eating…
Have you considered the following:
1. The person might actually be using their weight as a defense mechanism due to previous sexual abuse.
Justin Faden et al (2012) put together a study that found:
73% of patients undergoing psychiatric hospitalization following gastric bypass have a history of sexual abuse. [2]
and
As these patients undergo weight loss, they may experience significant psychological distress [2]
2. The person due to their Obesity is bored as it’s very difficult for them to be anywhere other than home?
California State University (Edward E. Abramson et al) conducted a study where they took a group of Obese Individuals and people who are rated as “Normal” on the BMI scale. They were fed until satiated, then asked to complete an interesting and boring task…whilst the food was readily available to them. The results were:
That the obese consumed significantly more food than normals, and that boredom markedly increases food consumption for both obese and normals.[3]
3. Where they live is causing their obesity and impacting their food choices?
A study in 2009 looked into the relationship of where people live and the foodservice outlets that were in their neighborhood and concluded:
The lower the ratio of fast-food restaurants and convenience stores to grocery stores and produce vendors near people’s homes, the lower the odds of being obese. Thus the proximity of the obesogenic environment to individuals appears to be an important factor in their risk for obesity. [4]
Furthermore, we live in a very stressful environment.
Now more than ever.
In the UK alone we are predicted to lose 6.5million jobs due to the current pandemic, according to the University of Essex [5].
Whenever the TV or Radio or Paper is turned on, something that someone who is bored is more than likely to do…not only are they exposed to more stress, but they are also re-exposed to more weight stigmatization via these media outlets. Ever heard the term “Obesity Crisis”?
If someone said to me the condition of my body is a “crisis” then I would be in panic mode. It would be full-blown stress…and stress leads to calories.
To then avoid this stress from mainstream media they might turn to Social Media, which might also help curb this boredom. Social Media is another stressful place to be…looking at images of people who have the ideal body which may well trigger someone into a cycle of emotional eating or binge eating which in turn results in an increase of calories. As the person looking at their feed will just feel totally inadequate.
The International Journal of Eating Disorders published a study in 2019 and found that:
A clear pattern of association was found between Social Media usage and Disordered Eating cognitions and behaviors with this exploratory study confirming that these relationships occur at younger‐age than previously investigated.[6]
And I haven’t even mentioned Poverty. It’s extremely easy for someone who has never had to worry about where their next meal is coming from to spout the advantages of eating a nutritious meal. However, someone who is worried about where the next paycheque is coming from, or keeping a roof over their head, or even whether they will have a meal to eat or not, is not going to worry about the quality of that meal.
You have no right to tell someone who is in poverty what food they should be eating. All you should be doing is worrying about whether they have food or not in the first place.
Jesus didn’t feed the 5000 to a Chorus of “What about the Mercury levels” and “Carbs make you fat because of insulin”. He fed them to a chorus of pleases and thank yous, of gratitude and helpfulness.
As opposed to telling people to “Eat Less”. How about we give them something to be thankful for instead so that they can see hope and love in the world.
Listen to this Episode of The Fitness Solution to really comprehend an awful lot more about why Eat Less, Move More is a term that harms more than it helps:
Why “Eat Less, Move More” Is Causing The Problem, Not Curing It
What about “Move More”?
When you Fat Shame. When you tell someone to just get off the couch…
Have you considered the following?
The person might not be able to get off the couch without help.
The person might be embarrassed to get off the couch in front of people, let alone exercise in public.
The fact the person managed to get onto the couch is their huge win for the day, and just getting out of bed was as hard for that person as they could be dealing with poor mental health.
I think it's a little too obvious for me to sit here and tell you that Obese people struggle with exercise.
Because in fact, it’s not even the physical act of exercising alone that is the main struggle.
In the Gym, working as a Personal Trainer I have had at least three clients tell me that they can’t work out in front of the mirrors because they can’t stand to look at themselves.
And this feeling is backed up by a study by Wicklund and Duval in 1971, upon which they found:
Viewing oneself via mirrors has been shown to increase levels of objective SA via self-evaluation, leading to increased awareness of the discrepancy between an individual’s current self and his or her “ideal” self [7]
These clients weren’t overweight, or obese.
I have had clients squeeze my hand so tight it was painful when they first walked into the Gym because of how scared they were, and then ask that we go for a walk instead and “maybe next week I will feel a bit better about that environment”.
Again, these clients were not overweight or obese.
But it’s how they felt in society.
Now imagine how they might feel if they were overweight or obese.
Actually, it's hard to because you can’t imagine actually being in the gym as an overweight or obese person. I know I can’t. I can’t even pretend to comprehend how they feel. It’s literally beyond my comprehension…and I would consider myself very empathetic to other people's feelings.
But again the Science backs us up here.
A study at Syracuse University in 2008 found a correlation between Weight Stigmatising someone and their motivation to exercise.
These findings suggest that weight stigma (through its impact on avoidance motivation) could potentially decrease physical activity levels. [8]
We all have a sport we dislike participating in. For me it was Rugby…when I was growing up I really didn’t want to get hurt when playing. I felt too small…too weak and far too intimidated to step foot on the Rugby field.
What was your sport? Running?
Imagine if the world told you that the only way to stay alive was to go for a run every day.
Would that inspire you to run...or would it fill you with dread and fear? With worry and again….stress?
We all skipped Gym class at school. And it wasn’t because we were playing truant…it was because that day you were told you were going to get beaten up by your bully, or that you looked fat in your PE Skirt, or that you were so rubbish at Sports the Teacher would just stand next to you blowing his or her whistle whilst screaming at you to do one more burpee.
You skipped that class.
Because the environment wasn’t one that you enjoyed.
What's the difference?
Conclusion
Throughout the article, I have put some words in Italic Bold. The purpose of that was to create this list:
Weight Stigmatization.
Weight as a defense mechanism.
Is bored.
Where they live.
Stressful environment.
Totally inadequate.
Poverty.
Without help.
Might be embarrassed.
Dealing with poor mental health.
Can’t stand to look at themselves.
How scared they were.
How they felt in society.
When you see this list, you can see how complex a web Obesity is. This is without even looking into the Medical side of the condition and how that might affect someone's ability to work on their weight.
The cure to Obesity does not lie in a poorly educated Personal Trainer, Doctor, Government sitting there and telling someone to “Eat Less, Move More”.
To treat Obesity is to treat society. Is to overhaul our economy, our Media, our Health Care messaging around the issues.
When you look up the causes of Obesity on the NHS website it states:
“Obesity is generally caused by eating too much and moving too little” [9]
It’s not good enough.
When you look at the list of causes of Obesity I have outlined in this article do you really think the mantra that the NHS is putting out there is truly good enough?
It's too simplistic. It’s too shameful. And the world needs to do better.
Last week I was lucky enough to have a discussion on my Podcast, The Fitness Solution, about this with someone who was on National Media here in the UK as she said: “I will not work with Fat people”.
The discussion we had was one of great respect and education. We moved the dial forward in her mind and her attitude towards what she said and what she will say in the future.
They are hard discussions. The problems are beyond complex and that can mean that it can almost be too overwhelming to try and tackle and change.
It’s easy to say that a Calorie Deficit is a way forward and that can be summed up simply by “Eat Less, Move More”.
But if it was that simple it would have worked by now. To say Eat Less, Move More is to bury your head in the sand, its to lack empathy, understanding, and the desire to actually create change.
My wish for this article is that whenever you see someone post the words “Eat Less, Move More” you just send this to them.
We need more discussion around these topics, and we need more empathy for those who need it most because that is the only way we will ever get on top of Obesity and truly help those who need it.
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Coach Adam
References:
Euro.who.int. 2020. Weight Bias And Obesity Stigma: Considerations For The WHO European Region (2017). [online] Available at: <https://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/noncommunicable-diseases/obesity/publications/2017/weight-bias-and-obesity-stigma-considerations-for-the-who-european-region-2017> [Accessed 28 July 2020].
Faden, J., Leonard, D., O’Reardon, J., & Hanson, R. (2013). Obesity as a defense mechanism. International journal of surgery case reports, 4(1), 127–129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijscr.2012.10.011
Abramson, Edwaed E., Stinson Shawn G., (1977).
Boredom and eating in obese and non-obese individuals,
Addictive Behaviors, Volume 2, Issue 4, 1977, Pages 181-185 https://doi.org/10.1016/0306-4603(77)90015-6.Spence, J.C., Cutumisu, N., Edwards, J. et al. Relation between local food environments and obesity among adults. BMC Public Health 9, 192 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-9-192
The Independent. 2020. More Than 6.5 Million Jobs ‘To Be Lost In UK Coronavirus Lockdown’. [online] Available at: <https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/coronavirus-lockdown-job-losses-unemployment-recession-university-essex-study-a9472966.html> [Accessed 28 July 2020].
Patricia A. Cavazos‐Rehg, Ellen E. Fitzsimmons‐Craft, Melissa J. Krauss, Nnenna Anako, Christine Xu, Erin Kasson, Shaina J. Costello, Denise E. Wilfley, Examining the self‐reported advantages and disadvantages of socially networking about body image and eating disorders, International Journal of Eating Disorders, 10.1002/eat.23282, 53, 6, (852–863), (2020). Wiley Online Library
Wicklund, RA, Duval, S (1971) Opinion change and performance facilitation as a result of objective self-awareness. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 7: 319–342. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2055102915598088#bibr54-2055102915598088
Vartanian, L. R., & Shaprow, J. G. (2008). Effects of weight stigma on exercise motivation and behavior: a preliminary investigation among college-aged females. Journal of health psychology, 13(1), 131–138. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105307084318