List of Studies Related to HAES

Here is a compilation of all (or almost all) the links used by the moderators and other supporters of HAES in various discussions on the sub-Reddit askHAES. This isn't meant to be comprehensive and will not have every study available. This is meant to be a backup in case it is needed but is buried.

All studies listed have been screened to make sure there are no duplicates. If you have a study that is not listed here, please post it in the comments!

LINKS DIRECTLY TO STUDIES

1) Naturalistic weight reduction efforts predicted weight gain and onset of obesity in adolescent girls
2) Intentional Weight Loss predicted accelerated weight gain and risk of overweight.
3) Dieters Gain More Weight During Pregnancy
4) Eating in response to hunger and satiety signals is related to BMI in a nationwide sample of 1601 mid-age New Zealand women.
5) List of intuitive eating related studies
6) This paper evaluates the evidence and rationale that justifies shifting the health care paradigm from a conventional weight focus to HAES.
7) Among people who have ever been overweight or obese, just 4.4% have lost 20% or more of their starting weight and kept it off for one year.
8) Face to face format finds people still gain weight anyway
9) Reviews the science of the failure of LTWLM (long term weight loss management) and how most weigh management programs essentially ignore the overwhelming body of research
10) This comment that lists various quotes from studies that shows the futility of LTWLM is well-accepted in the research community
11) Obese and Overweight individuals who eat 5+ fruits and veggies a day, exercise 3+ hours week, does not smoke nor drink has a lower mortality rate than people in the "normal" BMI range who do not do these habits.
12) Human plasma ghrelin levels increase during a one-year exercise program.
13) Weight loss increases circulating levels of ghrelin in human obesity
14) Leptin reverses weight loss–induced changes in regional neural activity responses to visual food stimuli
15) Energy expenditure and postprandial thermogenesis in obese women before and after weight loss.
16) Combined Impact of Health Behaviours and Mortality in Men and Women: The EPIC-Norfolk Prospective Population Study
17) Medicare's Search for Effective Obesity Treatment: Diets Are Not the Answer
18) The Relationship between Intuitive Eating and Health Indicators among College Women
19) Dieting Does Not Work, UCLA Researchers Report
20) Physical Activity, All-Cause Mortality, and Longevity of College Alumni
21) Weight Science: Evaluating the Evidence for a Paradigm Shift (ie fitness over weight loss)
22) All-Cause Mortality Risk of Metabolically Healthy Obese Individuals in NHANES III
23) Association of all-cause mortality with overweight and obesity using standard body mass index categories: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
24) Cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, and all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality in men
25) High levels of energy expenditure in obese women.
26) Is Obesity Caused by Calorie Underestimation? A Psychophysical Model of Meal Size Estimation
27) Body mass index as a predictor of fracture risk: A meta-analysis
28) (Low) Weight and body mass index predict bone mineral density and fractures in women aged 40 to 59 years
29) Risk factors for low bone mass in healthy 40–60 year old women: A systematic review of the literature
30) Putting body weight and osteoporosis into perspective
31) Association between muscular strength and mortality in men: prospective cohort study
32) Poverty and Obesity
33) Childhood IQ in relation to obesity and weight gain in adult life
34) The role of ego-control, ego-resiliency, and IQ in delay of gratification in adolescence.
35) Physical activity attenuates the genetic predisposition to obesity in 20,000 men and women from EPIC-Norfolk prospective population study.
34) Physical activity attenuates the influence of FTO variants on obesity risk: a meta-analysis of 218,166 adults and 19,268 children.
35) Dietary factors impact on the association between CTSS variants and obesity related traits.
36) Obesity: lessons from evolution and the environment.
37) Epigenetic flexibility in metabolic regulation: disease cause and prevention?
38) Association of All-Cause Mortality With Overweight and Obesity Using Standard Body Mass Index CategoriesA Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
39) Does Body Mass Index Adequately Convey a Patient's Mortality Risk?
40) Impact of smoking and preexisting illness on estimates of the fractions of deaths associated with underweight, overweight, and obesity in the US population.
41) Healthy lifestyle habits and mortality in overweight and obese individuals.
42) 10-year follow-up of diabetes incidence and weight loss in the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study.
43) Chart Showing Exact Rate of Weight Regain
44) Weight loss does not lower heart disease risk from type 2 diabetes
45) In U.S., Obesity Rate Stable in 2012
46) Age-adjusted Percentage distsributions of BMI among Persons 18 Years of Age and Over.
47) Association of All-Cause Mortality With Overweight and Obesity using Standard BMI
48) A Whole-Genome Scan for Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Obesity
49) The effect of exercise training on obstructive sleep apnea and sleep quality: a randomized controlled trial
50) The Efficacy of Home Based Progressive Strength Training in Older Adults with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial
 

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LINKS TO ARTICLES, POSTS, ETC

1) Abstract Thinking: A Review of FCJ studies
2) Requiescat in Pace
3) What Is the Connection Between Ghrelin and Leptin?
4) Explaining the difference between the BRFSS Obesity tracking versus the NHANES Obesity Tracking
5) Obesity, Health, and Metabolic Fitness
6) Charging Fat People More for Health Care
7) Understanding Universal Healthcare
8) What is Health? What Does Good Health Mean?
9) What Is Healthy Eating? What Is A Good Diet?
10) Gut Bacteria Linked to Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome Identified
11) Gut Flora May Be Tied to Obesity
12) The Fat Trap: New York Times Report
13) Relationship Between Poverty and Obesity or Overweight
14) Overweight and Obesity in the US
15) Physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness, and adiposity: contributions to disease risk.
16) Commentary: Current perspectives on obesity and health: black and white, or shades of grey?
17) The Biologic Basis of Obesity: A Lecture by Jeffrey Friedman, MD, PhD
18) “The most dangerous issue (for overweight people) is not being heavy per se but being sedentary,” Bente Pedersen

Fitness and Stuff, Maybe

Fit, fat, fuck yeah!

Before we start, let me say that fitness - or even health - is not mandatory for anyone. You don't owe it to anyone no matter what others say. If you don't want to exercise, or if you don't want to do whatever it is people tell you is healthy, that is entirely your decision. That is completely yours.

If you are interested in fitness and healthy eating habits, please continue.

Recently I became the moderator of a subReddit called askHAES. There came a pretty good post that talked about fitness goals that I would like to share and discuss a little:

Hello, HAES people.
I wanted to bring up a subject that I think some of you might find worthwhile. Here's the deal: I'm not telling anyone here they need to exercise or train at all. That's your call.
That said, if you choose to train, I'd recommend the following general rules. They're pretty simple.

1. Throw away the scale (unless you're trying to make weight for a tournament or something). This one's especially important for women. I've seen girls literally go the scale immediately following a tough workout to see what they've lost. Pointless. Weight is going to fluctuate from day to day, and upon initiating serious training many people will actually gain weight as their muscles begin retaining more water as they adapt to the increased workloads. Seriously, stop looking at the scale.
2. Pick a goal that you can measure. Here's the magic: you get to set these, not society, not your friends, not your family. You. They're your goals. When I ask people what their goals are, 9 times out of 10 they'll say, "I want to be in shape" or "I want to look better." Neither are really useful, but the former is better than the last one. Here's the deal: pick a few performance-based tasks which are quantifiable (e.g. run a 5k in X amount of time, or squat 275 lbs., whatever) and make sure they're reasonable for where you're at. If you've been away from exercising for 20 years, it's probably unreasonable to say you're going to run a marathon in 4 months. Stay away from, "I want to weigh X in Y amount of time." That's a white rabbit you'll chase forever. Pick good performance-based goals, and I promise you that your body will adapt as it should.
3. Now, take an initial (honest) assessment of where you're at with respect to your goals. Write it down. Don't bullshit the assessment. Don't say, "well, I ran this in 20 minutes, but I was under the weather; it was really 18 minutes." Nope. It was 20.
4. Develop a plan. If you're a novice, get smart or get some help. Make sure the plan aligns with your schedule. Guess what, if you work 60 hours a week and have three kids, you're not going to be able to stick with a program that calls for 4 hours of training 5 days a week. You're setting yourself up for failure.
5. Train hard. No bullshit. No excuses. Get it done. When it's time to train, that's all that's going on in your life. You're not reading. You're not thinking about work, or your significant other, or any of life's little dramas. You're not even worrying about where you'll be with respect to your goals next week, next month, or next year. You're only there to do the work. Anything less is a waste of time. I see people at the gym on the treadmill for half an hour walking, reading "Self" or whatever. I don't say a damn thing to them, because it's not my problem. But, guess what? They're wasting their own time. Why spend 30 minutes half-assing something, when you could be doing it for real? It's your time. My time is a precious resource; I have no intention of wasting it.
6. Re-assess regularly, but not all the time. I typically put together 8-week training programs and assess at the 4, 6, and 8 week marks. If you're starting off, you're going to need more time, especially if you've got a busy schedule and don't have as much time to dedicate it. For true novices, I build 16-week programs.

Finally, a note. Forget about what someone's definition of attractiveness is. Train to do something, not to look some specific way. This is another white rabbit. Here's a truth: you're never going to be pretty enough for everyone. That shit is subjective anyway. You know what's not subjective? Trashing someone in a 5k when six months ago you couldn't even finish one.
That's my take. Again, I stress that I couldn't care less whether anyone here trains or not. Not my problem or my business. I only want to give people here an honest look at how serious athletes think about training. It ought to put your mind at ease. They don't care about looks; they care about performance.
-Ragnar

 I like this as it really does reflect the thought process of a "serious athlete." For a lot of athletes, and even fathletes like myself, measurement in physical progress is more important than physical appearance. The guys I work out with talk about running marathons, jumping hurdles, climbing mountains, or snatching heavier, not about their weight. Their goals are performance based. Even if your goal isn't being able to run a 5k, you can make performance goals as well, like being able to walk up the stairs without almost dying halfway through (heh, this was my goal when I was starting out). Anyway, let's start at the top.

This is "bulk."

1) Throw away that scale and never look back. Don't use the scales at the gym or in the locker rooms either. First, you don't know if they have been calibrated at all ever and second, if you have had body image issues in the past it will be triggering. I know because I do it sometimes and the difference between what you used to know and what it shows can either crush you back into unhealthy eating habits or will excite you into continuing the "trend." Just don't; I promise you will feel better about it.  If you really, really need a scale, try a Yay! Scale.

By the way, while we are on the subject of muscles and retaining water, it is good to note now that women do not bulk like men do. Women don't have enough testosterone in their body to gain massive amounts of muscle quickly and are more likely to "tone" and build than bulk.

 And before you ask: yes, fat people can be toned as well.

 2) Goals are important, but they have to be attainable. It was a good year and a half before I was fit enough to run without joint pain, and about 8 months before I really noticed a difference in my stamina. Fitness is long term, but that doesn't mean you have to hate the journey. More on that later. For now, think about some good goals to set. I think you should probably take an assessment before you move into specifics, but again, more later.

3) Honesty here will be a boon later, and write. it. down. so you can see your progress. If your goal is "being able to walk up the stairs without keeling over", go climb the stairs and count the number you make and the time you did it in. Note your breath, as in whether you were gasping or not. While Ragnar might have been harsh, it really is important that you are very honest with this.

4) There is this great site that I will recommend forever. Bodybuilding.com is full of awesome resources for people of all fitness levels, from fitness articles to already made fitness plans to an awesome shop and more. With the fitness program, you can either try the ones listed or you can find a specific one for your age and fitness goal. I personally like LiveFit since it has a great progression built in along with specific exercises for specific days and all the information is already there. Yes, it does talk about weight loss but the muscle building results are amazing. Jamie Eason (the one who created the program) also has a great head on her shoulders and doesn't shy from speaking her mind.

Note: if you wander around the site, there is talk about weight loss. Ignore it, there is so much more than that.

Options: you haz them.

5) I would say just to do your best. I feel my best when I work out that day and I feel like crap if I don't, so try not to lapse. If you feel like it is such a chore to go, then something is wrong. If you don't look forward to it, then try something different. Try karate or dancing or kickboxing or boxing or Pilates or yoga or something. There is literally hundreds of options. I think that if you really enjoy something, you will give it 100% and "train hard" for it, even if it is peaceful yoga. And if you can, try EVERYTHING at least twice, even if you think you might look stupid. Why twice? Because if you had a terrible time the first time, you can confirm it or have a better time the next. As for others, you can shake your head at their silliness, but unless they will hurt you or themselves (as in doing an exercise move that will F them up), just go on about your business.

6) Yes, please re-assess. Go back to those stairs and do them again (write it down!). I suggest a 12 week program, or any of the ones on the Bodybuilding.com site linked earlier. Change your routine every 12 weeks too, or your body will adapt and you may not see any more improvement (depending on your goal, of course)

Ragnar sums up pretty well, so I just want to say that I understand that everyone has different commitments. I totally understand having your schedule packed so hard even particles would have difficulty getting through it. Your fitness is yours and no one can tell you what to do. I suggest 30 minutes a day, but hell, it is just a suggestion. This is also why I suggest doing something you love; you will be more inclined to go. Exercise is also a very good stress reliever, and it doesn't have to be in the gym either if that causes stress. My mother hates group exercise and hates the gym, but loves walking outside. One of my friends loves to run but prefers outdoors. Another friend absolutely hates exercise in every form. To each their own.

A nutrition post will be coming soon, but expect it over on Fierce, Freethinking Fatties.

Do you have any recommendations? What do you like to do?