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Three months into the new year, the over half of Americans who chose weight loss as their 2026 resolution are likely checking in with their scales. If you or someone you know vowed to lose weight in the new year, but haven’t met your goals, don’t fret!
Registered dietitian Allison Miner encourages everyone to reevaluate their mindset regarding body size. Miner defines Health at Every Size and how to move away from positioning weight loss as the primary or defining goal of health.
What is Health at Every Size?
Health at Every Size is a weight-inclusive model of health that does not center body weight or weight loss as primary goals or measures of health. Weight-normative approaches to health and health care center body weight as a primary indicator of health status. In this model, achieving or maintaining a “normal” weight (often defined using body mass index or BMI) is viewed as essential for health, and intentional weight loss is commonly prescribed for individuals with higher body weights. Instead, Health at Every Size emphasizes health-promoting behaviors, equitable access to care, and respect for body diversity.
Health at Every Size is a philosophical framework that guides how health is conceptualized and pursued, rather than a specific tool, program, or intervention. With Health at Every Size, the focus is on providing nourishment to the body first and ensuring the nourishment includes healthy food. It supports a more sustainable way of living by addressing health in a whole-person way rather than reducing it to a number on the scale.
What is weight-inclusivity?
To be weight-inclusive means:
Recognizing health is influenced by multiple factors, such as personal behavior, sleep, access to care, stress, physical activity, genetics, and social factors including the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age.
Emphasizing what can be controlled by the individual, like behavior around sleep, stress, exercise, or eating a healthy diet.
Not treating larger bodies as a disease or moral failing.
Not assuming people are unhealthy based solely on their weight.
Acknowledging that making weight loss the singular health goal is not sustainable long-term and failure can discourage future healthy behaviors.
Using respectful, non-stigmatizing language for people across the weight spectrum.
Why can traditional weight-loss approaches be harmful?
Using weight loss as the primary health goal for patients can result in repeated failure. It is estimated that 80%–95% of diets fail long-term. Most people regain lost weight within one to five years. Repeated weight loss and regain (yo-yo dieting) has been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, high blood pressure, and inflammation. Yo-yo dieting is linked to greater mortality risk than stable weight, even at higher body mass index (BMI).
It is estimated that genetics account for 40-70% of a person’s body weight. We have less control over our weight than we believe. Other factors such as hormones, metabolism, medication, stress, and limited access to healthy food or safe places to be active also play a significant role. People will blame themselves for this failure, not the diet; and this fosters a cycle of self-blame, shame and helplessness. This leads to avoidance of care. Dieting and body dissatisfaction are linked to anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and eating disorders — not to mention future weight gain.
Are GLP-1s effective?
GLP-1s are highly effective for weight loss and cardiometabolic disease risk reduction while patients are actively taking them. However, the evidence also shows that weight regain is common after discontinuation. The Health at Every Size philosophy can and should be used alongside GLP-1 therapies. Weight-inclusive approaches complement pharmacologic treatment by supporting long-term health behaviors that remain beneficial regardless of whether medication use is continued.
Is BMI an accurate measure of health?
Body mass index (BMI) was never meant to be used alone as a measure of health or for individual assessment of one’s health. It was meant as a way for health practitioners to determine if body weight was excessive and contributing to health problems.
Individuals in larger bodies can be healthy, while thinness alone does not guarantee good health. Research has shown that individuals classified on the BMI scale as overweight or obese can have blood pressure, lipid levels, glucose, and other metabolic markers within recommended ranges. For example, athletes generally have a higher BMI but are very healthy. It has also been observed that individuals whose BMI is in the recommended range can have other poor indicators of health.
This is why using BMI alone is problematic. Health practitioners need more information before determining overall health risk. Measures like blood pressure, blood glucose, blood cholesterol, sleep quality, stress management, social connectedness, body image, fitness, strength, and mobility are all also important indicators of health.
How does Health at Every Size view overweight and obesity?
Health at Every Size does not suggest that efforts to promote weight loss must be abandoned entirely. Rather, weight loss can be addressed, when appropriate, alongside a weight-inclusive approach that prioritizes health-promoting behaviors, such as regular physical activity and a balanced diet.
Drawing on decades of clinical experience with the obesity epidemic, dietitians recognize that sustained weight loss is often difficult to achieve and maintain. Repeated weight-loss failure or weight regain can contribute to frustration, decreased self-efficacy, and depressive symptoms among patients. As a result, the field has increasingly emphasized smaller, attainable improvements in health indicators rather than large changes in body weight.
How can people practice Health at Every Size in their everyday lives?
Prioritize getting adequate sleep, eating nourishing food, stress management, and engaging in physical activity for function, strength, and pleasure rather than punishment. These influence chronic disease risk just as meaningfully as body weight. Shifting the focus from weight loss to sustainable, health-supportive behaviors creates space for more inclusive, compassionate, and effective approaches to care.
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MEDIA INQUIRIES: For reporters who wish to speak to Allison Miner about the weight-inclusivity and Health at Every Size, please email media contact Michelle Thompson at mthomp7@gmu.edu.
Allison Miner, EdD, MS, RDN, is a registered dietitian and Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies. She has over 30 years of experience in clinical nutrition, education, and community health, specializing in obesity and cardiovascular disease prevention.
About George Mason University
George Mason University is Virginia’s largest public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls more than 40,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the past half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity, and commitment to accessibility. In 2023, the university launched Mason Now: Power the Possible, a one-billion-dollar comprehensive campaign to support student success, research, innovation, community, and stewardship. Learn more at gmu.edu.
About College of Public Health at George Mason University
The College of Public Health at George Mason University is the first College of Public Health in Virginia and a national leader in inclusive, interprofessional, public health research, education, and practice. The college is comprised of public health disciplines, health administration and policy, informatics, nursing, nutrition, and social work. The college offers a distinct array of degrees to support research and training of professionals dedicated to ensuring health and well-being for all. The college’s transdisciplinary research seeks to understand the many factors that influence the public’s health and well-being throughout the lifespan.
