If you have been following me for a while now, you may know my take on this one but let’s just reiterate things for the sake of sanity.  I get it, we recognize that many people believe the key to health is losing weight. And many times doctors will tell people things like, “if you don’t immediately lose weight, you will die.” I get that hearing somthing like that may give you quite a scare and honestly, it may be what needs to be done…BUT… Did you know there is ample research that suggests that people can improve health *independent of weight* by increasing health related behaviors such as getting enough sleep, engaging in physical activity, connecting with friends and loved ones, eating fruits and vegetables, managing stress, and more.  I get that some of it is outside of our control (ie genetics and socioeconomic status) and it’s important to remember that health is not a reflection of moral worth. Which I do discuss my genetics in this podcast and give the low down of how my life went at the ripe “old” age of 24 with high cholesterol and thinking my life was over since I DO have heart disease in my family…MIND YOU, weight loss was NOT something that would have helped this situation!!  When it comes to our OVERALL health it’s important to remember that dieting can cause significant stress on a person. Worrying about every bite consumed, yo-yo-ing up and down, avoiding social interactions to protect the diet you’re on… all of that seems far from healthy. Good lord, I know it sure caused me a ton of stress not to mention how that stress to be “smaller, leaner and cut” led me to jack up my thyroid. How’s that for weight loss equalling health?  Whatever you choose, MUST work for you, fit your life AND be HEALTHY on all levels. I  want you to engage in behaviors that feel good to you, that have you feeling empowered and free, that keep you free from obsessing about food. We weren’t put on this earth to constantly be chasing the next diet to think it will help our overall health. There is so much more to it.