As a wellness consultant and owner of a fitness studio I am confronted daily with individuals trying to lose weight. It is an omnipresent reality for a large portion of society in the US today. (Understatement of the year)
Listening, observing and supporting individuals on a journey to vibrant health is humbling. One witnesses the highs, the lows and constant struggle. You feel their pain, share their joy and experience the overwhelming vulnerability.
In all my decades in the field I honestly believe that there is no one simple solution for weight loss success. It is always a mix of family, culture, food, exercise, socio-economic environment and mental spirit, to grossly generalize. It takes huge amounts of investigation, experimentation and a host of support mechanisms, within the person’s home and work milieu.
It is because of this “cocktail” of components that individuals succeed. They find the right mix of information, motivation and ultimately solutions that work for them. And yes, that exact mix may not work for someone else! It is their unique code.
It is for the above reasons that I find it disappointing, as well as pretentious, when I hear doctors, like David Katz complaining about non-medical nutritional opinions. In a recent post he expresses his concern and gives his expert advice that individuals should not be listening to anyone except medical and nutritionally titled individuals.
Here is my reply to Katz’s article:
While I can appreciate the fact that a doctor is concerned about non-medical authorities providing nutritional opinions, there are individuals who find dietary inspiration, as well as personal success, through stories shared by non-medical “experts.” I’ve heard medical professionals advising patients to become “educated consumers.” Becoming nutritionally educated in an Internet society demands reviewing and educating oneself from a variety of sources, including medical professionals and institutions, informational sources such as newspapers, journals, websites, blogs etc., and engaging in dialogue with personal and professional sources, that includes varying opinions.
Yes, it is challenging to sift through the maze of nutritional and dietary information, but so is navigating our healthcare system. Individuals must also seek information on medical conditions from the host of sources mentioned above just as they do with diet and nutritional concerns. As a wellness consultant, many individuals feel let down by medical advice and official dietary authorities thus, they seek support, opinions and information elsewhere. Anecdotally, for centuries individuals and whole cultures have lived healthy and productive lives without “expert advice on how to eat” and they flourished. It is possible.
In addition, it is well noted that doctors themselves have not in many cases been the best “advisors” when it comes to weight issues. Tackling our obesity crisis needs help from all invested parties; this includes opinions outside the walls of the labeled experts. It is in our nation’s interest to keep all the channels of dialogue open, not define them to a certain select few.
Final note
For 50 years in the USA we have followed the advice of “experts” in terms of weight loss. Look around, it’s not working. Continuing to do what we are doing is insane.
Dr. Katz states: “And yes — we really do know what eating well means.” If that means more of the same as in food pyramid, I believe certain obesity and food researchers might disagree. Respected authors such as Gary Taubes, Zoe Harcombe, Robert Lustig, David Kessler, Sally Fallon, The Weston A. Price Foundation and others.
I agree there are host of organizations, companies and salespeople trying to make a quick buck on individuals hoping to lose weight. This is in my opinion extremely cruel and detrimental to the health of our nation. It could be argued that the pharmaceutical and medical experts have also taken advantage of our country’s obesity problem for their own financial gain.
On the other hand, many individuals without an official expert title have assisted clients in weight loss success. These coaches, trainers and health advocates have changed countless people’s lives for the better. This is a good thing.
As I state in my rebuttal above it’s about dialogue and if medical experts don’t want to listen, therein lays the problem. Those of us at the frontline see real people with enormous battles to overcome. How we assist them utilizes large doses of common sense and heaps of compassion, neither of which can be labeled expert opinions.
It’s about teamwork not hierarchal prowess.
