Educator Tips to Weight-Neutral Approaches and Conversations

New Year’s resolutions often reinforce harmful body image standards and diet culture, but educators have a unique role in promoting body diversity and dismantling weight stigma. As we enter a new year, let’s reframe the narrative and celebrate the intricate pieces of our identity. New Year’s resolutions can be a time to discuss and create habits that celebrate body diversity, critically examine the messages we see about bodies in social media and begin to listen more to our bodies. 

Role of PHE Teachers in Shifting the Narrative

The school setting is a common environment where youth face weight stigma from peers, and teachers, leading to negative perceptions of health and creating a negative educational experience (Nutter et al., 2019). Therefore, the role educators play in shifting the narrative around bodies is powerful. Weight bias in educational settings is prevalent (Nutter et al., 2019). For example, in a study conducted by Puhl, Heuer and Browness (2010), “from prekindergarten through postsecondary school, children who are overweight are frequently assumed to be lazy, less productive, less intelligent, and less socially desirable” (as cited in Finn, Seymour, & Phillips, p. 636, 2020). To support students in this, educators need to create inclusive environments that dismantle biases and create opportunities for conversation. 

Instead of putting one’s personal bias towards what is healthy or unhealthy, we can move in a direction to learn how all food contributes to wellness in different ways - physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual. If we categorize food using our own bias, we may associate negative weight-based characteristics and stereotypes to the individuals who consume them (Tingle et al., 2023, p. 54). To begin moving in a direction for change, it is okay to acknowledge it will be hard. Many of us have grown up in a world surrounded by diet culture messaging and weight biases. However, in order to support our students, we need to acknowledge those biases exist, reflect on them, and incorporate weight neutral approaches to conversations. 

Debunking Social Media Diet Myths and Messaging

As PHE educators, we need to help our students critically analyze the messages portrayed in social media and support skills in digital literacy. By doing so, we can understand the information and seek out biases and stigma that is present when discussing bodies. There are many social media accounts that discuss health and well-being in an inclusive, weight neutral way. However, the history and legacy of slimness continues to be perpetuated (Strings, 2019). Ideas surrounding expectations and comparisons of body size are supported by diets, food restrictions, and the newest celebrity body trends (Papageorgiou, Fisher & Cross, 2022, p.5). Although there is a vast amount of problematic media, shift the focus to discussing digital media literacy and critically examining social media influence. PHE educators can engage in the following with their students: 

1. Begin to debunk diet myths by exploring statistical, evidence-based data. 

Did you know: 

• ~80% of long-term weight loss fails (Wing & Phelan, 2005)
• 95% of diets result in regaining weight, and about one to two thirds of people end up heavier than they were before they began (Mann et al., 2007; Siahpush et al., 2015)

When diets fail, it can lead to shame, guilt, and self-doubt. Instead of focusing on a New Year’s resolution or a fad diet, have students brainstorm ways we can show love to our bodies that enrich our soul. 

2. Help students improve their digital literacy skills. 

Using digital literacy skills, begin to critically evaluate the messages in social media. Have open conversations with students about diet culture and what social media is perpetuating. Explore how individuals feel when they see a specific post or hear discussions surrounding this topic. Perhaps it raises feelings of discomfort, shame, or guilt. Use this as a starting point to discuss body neutrality and holistic ways to nurture our body, mind, and spirit. The concept of body neutrality focuses on body function, rather than beauty, and decentralizes the body as a contributor to worth; bodies are only one part of our identity (Raypole, 2020). Within a classroom, discussions can incorporate the following activities:

• Teach students to understand where messages are coming from - not all messages are supported by evidence. 
• Have weekly nurture activities. Begin by brainstorming, as a class, ways to nurture your body within the various parameters of wellness (physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual). Think of this as your own classroom wellness HUB with activities, reflection prompts, and articles.

3. Understand that body size is composed of many different factors - genetics, epigenetics, environmental, and social factors.

Celebrate the beautiful diversity that exists with our bodies. Some activities can include:

• Creating an “About Us” wall in your classroom space that focuses on the various intersections that make up who we are. 
• Weekly Sharing Circles: Have students bring in or present on something that is unique to their identity and share it with the classroom.
• Partner Reflections: Have students write one non-physical trait about their partner that helped support their learning. For example, “my partner asked me insightful questions that allowed me to think more about my topic,” or “my partner kept cheering me on and while we played badminton.” 
• Courage Cards: Create courage cards in your classroom by having students write one courageous activity or choice they made. This can help students focus on their own personal strengths, while reinforcing a relationship with their body. Being courageous is tough, but if we trust our body we can do incredible things! 

4. Reinforce how to trust your body.

Many diets follow a strict program that tell individuals what to eat, when to eat, and how much to eat. This goes against everything we as humans have been taught. Since we were born, we have listened to our body's hunger and fullness cues. However, as individuals get older, we relinquish this trusting relationship and may look at companies or programs to tell us how to trust our body. Begin to discuss the cues your body is giving you and learn to trust them. To engage further with understanding our bodies, you can begin to explore emotions. A great resource is the Ever Active Schools Social and Emotional Shuffle card deck, found here. 

Educator Tips to Weight-Neutral Approaches and Conversations

As the topic of bodies has become prominent within the world of health and physical education classes, it is important to recognize the role educators play in supporting a weight neutral classroom environment. Encourage students to pay attention to how they feel in their body after eating specific foods or completing a specific movement. Within a weight neutral classroom, students should feel comfortable listening to their body, trusting their body, and know their identity is made up of so many other intersections. 

However, what happens if you find yourself surrounded by a student in your classroom talking about wanting to lose weight? What if your coworker begins talking about their New Year’s resolution diet? This can be tough, but here are some conversation prompts that can assist you in navigating these conversations: 

Step 1: Validation

This might sound like:

“I can understand why weight loss might be something you want to focus on because our world can be very focused on physical appearance, I imagine you have been exposed to a lot of messaging from diet culture, and maybe it feels like something that could make you feel better or different about yourself”.

Step 2: Psychoeducation and Limit Setting

This might sound like:

“The hard thing is that TikTok and social media are full of misinformation. Dieting is actually really ineffective in the long term. Did you know that 80% of diets and attempts to lose weight fail, and they pose a risk for further weight gain? Also, losing weight isn't something you have full control over, so it can lead to feeling discouraged or as though you are doing something wrong when you aren’t.”

Step 3: Support With Re-Defining Goals Based on Values

This might sound like:

“What about losing weight feels important to you? (Identify values. It is social acceptance, is it self-esteem, is it for health). Let’s think of a SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely) goal of how you can move closer to achieving what you value most”.

Below are some examples of how we can use SMART goal setting within the classroom:

• Physical Health: Setting a goal around the number of times a week an individual wants to move their body in an intentional, physical way (e.g., going for a walk with friends, playing at recess, going to the gym). Or maybe it is incorporating a nutrient dense and a joy-based food each day. These are specific, measurable, relevant to the goal and timely. 
• Self Esteem: Goals can include self-care practices (e.g., bubble bath, reading a book) and joyful movement activities (e.g., going for a walk, walking a dog).
• Social Acceptance: Goals can maybe shift to making plans with friends, increasing their socialization in class, joining school clubs or teams. 

If we want to begin to create inclusive, weight neutral classroom environments, we need to critically examine our biases to start evaluating, challenging, and divesting from the systems where our current perspectives are rooted. Although it may sound daunting, taking small steps everyday can lead to big change over time- maybe that is your New Year's Resolution? 

References:

Mann T, Tomiyama AJ, Westling E, Lew AM, Samuels B, Chatman J. Medicare's search for effective obesity treatments: diets are not the answer. Am Psychol. 2007 Apr;62(3):220-33. doi: 10.1037/0003-066X.62.3.220. PMID: 17469900.

Nutter, S., Ireland, A., Alberga, A. S., Brun, I., Lefebvre, D., Hayden, K. A., & Russell-Mayhew, S. (2019). Weight bias in educational settings: A systematic review. Current Obesity. Reports, 8(2), 185–200. https://doi-org.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/10.1007/s13679-019-00330-8

Papageorgiou, A., Fisher, C., & Cross, D. (2022). “Why don’t I look like her?”: How adolescent
girls view social media and its connection to body image. BMC Women Health, 22(1), 1-
13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-022-01845-4

Raypole, C. (2020, January 20). How to shift from ‘body positivity’ to ‘body neutrality’ — and Why you should. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/body-neutrality

Siahpush M, Tibbits M, Shaikh RA, Singh GK, Sikora Kessler A, Huang TT. (2015). Dieting increases the likelihood of subsequent obesity and BMI gain: Results from a prospective study of an Australian national sample. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine. Oct;22(5):662-71. doi: 10.1007/s12529-015-9463-5. PMID: 25608460.

Strings, S. (2019). Fearing the black body: The racial origins of fat phobia. New York, NY:
New York University Press.

Tingle, E., Saunders, J. F., Nutter, S., & Russell-Mayhew, S. (2023). Taking weight out of the
equation: Unintended harms of weight-focused health discourse in schools. The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 94(2), 49–58. https://doi-
org.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/10.1080/07303084.2022.2146818

Wing RR, Phelan S. (2005). Long-term weight loss maintenance. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Jul;82(1 Suppl):222S-225S. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/82.1.222S. PMID: 16002825.