Most of us here have taken a statistics course; whether it was in highschool or college, you sat down and learned all about those bell curves, some standard deviations, and the biggest rule of them all:
CORRELATION DOES NOT EQUAL CAUSATION
And for those of you who may have forgotten about this essential rule, or maybe need a refresher:
Correlation: a mutual relationship or connection between two or more things.
Causation: the action of causing something.
When weight is discussed, it usually has a negative connotation.
“Gaining weight causes an increase of developing *insert chronic disease.*”
“Being overweight or obese causes *insert chronic disease.*”
“Having a high BMI will cause an earlier death.”
I mean, those are three common ones, but I am pretty sure you’ve heard those and more. Much more. Let’s go back to those two definitions.
Having a higher weight, or living in a larger body, has been shown to be correlated with developing chronic disease, such as diabetes, high cholesterol, etc. etc. etc. We won’t deny that. However, does it solely CAUSE the diagnosis? Absolutely not. Abso-effing-lutely not. No. It doesn’t.
There is not one thing that causes something to happen here in the medical/health world. If that was the case I’m sure we may have a better grip on how to cure all cancers, right? It’s not, and cannot, be so black and white.
Take a step back.
Are you aware of the other things that may cause chronic diseases? Such as stress and genetics, and even weight stigma? You may disagree, however, I think if I were to be judged by what I eat, force myself to eat foods I don’t like, get made fun of for not looking a certain way, or be ridiculed for not exercising 60+ minutes every day - I would be pretty effing stressed out.
Genetics on the other hand is simply something we can never control. You are who you are. The chromosomes that make up your genetics are something that you were born with and won’t change, no matter how many apple cider vinegar shots you pull back.
At the end of the day the number one thing you can aim for is listening to your body. It’s going to talk to you, so listen! It may want yogurt for breakfast or maybe a pancake. Maybe it’s too exhausted for your usual run so walk around the block instead or relax on the couch with your good friend Netflix. There is no one way to live this life perfectly, so stop listening to those who say there is. You are in the driver's seat here. Go your own way, and at your own speed.