Fatness Doesn't Mean What You Think with Chelsea Levy, RD
Body size does NOT equal health status.
Let’s be real: there’s a lot of confusion surrounding weight, health, and chronic illnesses like diabetes and PCOS. And if you’re like me, you’re probably tired of hearing the same old, tired advice. There are so many mixed messages when it comes to health and body size. Especially this myth that being in a larger body means you’re unhealthy.
Listen to the Episode Now
If this post resonates with you or makes you feel something, share it with a friend! My hope is that we can keep this important conversation going long after the post is over.
Consider that debunked. (But read and listen on for how that happens.)
In this episode, I’m joined by Chelsea Levy, a Certified Intuitive eating counselor, Registered dietitian nutritionist (RD), and diabetes educator candidate (CDCES). Together we are exploring how the weight-centric medical model has been steering us in the wrong direction. We’re questioning everything from diet culture to the misguided belief that weight loss is the cure-all for chronic illnesses like diabetes and PCOS. I mean, come on, isn’t it time we stopped pretending that shrinking ourselves is the solution?
Chelsea Levy is the founder of Chelsea Levy Nutrition – a private practice in NYC serving individuals worldwide. She earned her Master of Science degree from Hunter College and completed her dietetic internship at the City of New York (CUNY) School of Public Health in New York City. Chelsea is a self-identified fat healthcare provider committed to utilizing a weight-inclusive medical model for the treatment of eating disorders and chronic illnesses related to the endocrine system including diabetes and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). At the intersection of eating disorder recovery, body image healing, and the endocrine system, Chelsea centers on gender-affirming care. Chelsea hosts a collaborative space for the exploration of food and body healing through creativity and compassion. She believes it is vital to provide care relevant to an individual’s culture, ethnicity, and overall identity. Chelsea is a member of the International Federation of Eating Disorder Dietitians (IFEDD), The Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics (AND), and The Academy for Eating Disorders (AED). Before her focus on nutrition science, Chelsea worked in art production and has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography from the School of Visual Arts in New York City.
In this episode, we’re talking about:
How health and wellness can be supported regardless of body size.
How weight-inclusive medical care treats individuals based on their specific health needs rather than their weight.
The challenges of weight-centric models.
The issues associated with using weight loss as a “cure-all”.
How the weight-centric health model is supported by industries profiting from obesity treatments.
The narrative oversimplifies health issues by correlating higher weight with poor health without considering genetics, behaviors, and access to care.
The problem with "successful" dieting.
The impacts of diet culture.
Advocating for weight-inclusive health.
Barriers to accessing weight-inclusive medical care.
How larger bodies are often faced with different and biased treatment, which can lead to negative health outcomes.
Weight loss is not a sustainable or feasible solution for everyone; a holistic approach is necessary.
Weight-Inclusive vs. Weight-Centric Care.
How to manage chronic illnesses without focusing on weight loss.
The role of individualized nutrition advice in chronic illnesses.
Tweetable Quotes
"There’s so many different things that you can do to manage chronic illness that have absolutely nothing to do with your body size." - Rachelle Heinemann
"You can't tell from looking at somebody if they're healthy or not." - Chelsea Levy
"Over 90 percent of the population will gain back weight that they intentionally lose." - Chelsea Levy
“Diet culture is always selling us to do more, eat less, go harder.” - Chelsea Levy
“We know that it’s unethical to prescribe weight loss and also we see a lot of doctors prescribing behaviors without actually asking what clients are doing.” - Chelsea Levy
Resources
Check out Chelsea Levy’s website here!
Connect with Chelsea on Instagram
Grab the Replay of the Resistance in Treatment Webinar
Now accepting new clients! Find out if we're a good fit!
Related Episodes
Episode 149. Why Your Doctor Doesn't Need to Weigh You with Dr. Mara Gordon
Episode 117. Weight Loss, Yay or Nay?
Episode 77. How to Accept Your Body
Episode 76. The Basics of Health at Every Size
Episode 33. A Weight Neutral Approach to Diabetes with Glenys Oyston, RDN
Episode 29. PCOS and Disordered Eating with Julie Duffy Dillon, MS, RD, NCC, LDN, CEDRD-S
Newsletter update: If you’re not already signed up for my newsletter, then I’m not sure what you’re waiting for! I’m ✨obsessed ✨ with it. In an effort to keep things fun and fresh, we’re going to monthly newsletters rather than weekly. If you have any feedback on what you want to see in the newsletters, reply back to one or send me a message!
Grab my FREEBIE!: As you navigate recovery, you may be feeling like something is missing. You're doing a lot of work challenging yourself with the food, your body, and exercise. You're probably working on lots of other things at the same time, like stuff at work or relationship issues.
But, still, something doesn't feel like you're getting to the bottom of it. Grab my free journal prompts below and begin to work through the emotions of healing.
More From Rachelle
Hey there! I’m Rachelle, the host of the Understanding Disordered Eating Podcast. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, I work with clients to make sense of life’s messy emotional experiences.
I believe in the power of deep work and its positive impact on your life in the long term. Learn more about how we can work together here.
Sign up for my weekly newsletter for even more!
You can connect with me on Instagram, through my website or email me directly clicking the links below.
Subscribe & Leave A Review!
If you enjoyed this episode, you can show your support by leaving a review, subscribing, or sharing with someone who may need help. Click here to open this show in iTunes and leave a five star rating and review.