January brings a cluster of powerful reminders about how we think about our lives and our bodies. Today (January 22nd) is Women’s Healthy Weight Day, and this week is Healthy Weight Week (January 18–24), and to top it all off we start the month with Self-Love Month. These observances aren’t just calendar events, they’re invitations at the start of a new year to think differently about weight, health, and the stories we tell ourselves. They are reminders that you can have a fresh start, now!

In the United States, The Center for Disease Control (CDC) (https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/index.html) tells us that more than 70% of adults are classified as overweight/obese when body-weight measures such as Body Mass Index (BMI) are used. That leaves fewer than 30% in the “healthy weight” category. However, we know that those numbers don’t tell the whole story about health or self-worth. What we do know is that while the BMI isn’t perfect, it still gives us something to work with. The same can be said for the scale.

People often wake up and jump on the scale, letting the number on a scale weigh determine the rest of their day. One extra pound can sour their mood; one less can make someone declare victory. Allowing a “did I lose or gain a pound?” mentality rule your life, is like checking the weather and deciding to cancel your day every time you don’t like what you see. It’s a minimal data point that creates a large barrier for allowing people to live their best lives.

For other people, the scale is more than a mood changer, it becomes a gatekeeper. Leading to skipping doctor visits, avoiding social invitations, even passing on job applications because they feel “too this” or “not that enough.” This internalized weight stigma hurts individuals and even harms communities. Everyone deserves health care, connection, and opportunities, no matter the number on the scale.

According to the CDC, people who are overweight are at higher risk for serious conditions like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, sleep apnea, and certain cancers compared with people in a healthier weight range. Yes, those in healthy weight ranges can struggle with these too, however, the data doesn’t lie and in Vermont this is compounded. Our shared struggle with weight management and chronic disease inspired the 3-4-50 health campaign, which highlights how just three key behaviors: tobacco use, poor diet, and physical inactivity contribute to four major chronic diseases: cancer, heart disease and stroke, diabetes, and lung disease, that account for more than 50% of deaths, with the goal of making healthy choices easier so Vermonters can thrive together as healthier communities (https://www.healthvermont.gov/wellness/3-4-50-prevent-chronic-disease). This is Vermont’s creative way to try to support healthier individuals and communities!

Reality today is complex though. The old “eat less/move more” mantra can feel dismissive because it doesn’t address metabolic differences, stress, sleep, accessibility of healthy food, cultural influences, and other barriers people face. Meanwhile, aggressive weight-loss marketing from flashy pills to social-media pyramid schemes, don’t help. These often prey on insecurities and steal people’s money with no results, rather than support sustainable health. The new flood of pharmaceutical options may help but aren’t always the simple answer.

So how do we navigate this? How do we honor and balance both health data and self-worth? This month, we invite you to embrace the CAN approach:

C — Cancel old thinking.
You can’t solve tomorrow’s challenges with yesterday’s thinking. The tales you tell yourself about weight and worth matter. If old thinking keeps you stuck, it’s time to rewrite the script. How you think about yourself, your body, your weight, and your relationship with food is likely going to need to change.

A — Action:
Forget giant overhaul plans, they don’t work. Pick a tiny step! Even something as simple as drinking one extra glass of water a day. Do it for a week. Do it for a month. Celebrate that consistency more than any scale shift. Walk for 5 minutes, do this every day. Do it for a week, a month, two months. It’s harder than you think. Wouldn’t you rather have one successful habit than continuously ending up right back where you start?

N — NOW:
Not tomorrow. Not after the next holiday. Not on Monday. Now. Yes, you can start NOW! You must believe this. You are worthy of every good thing, and that starts NOW, but it starts with you.

Healthy weight isn’t just a number on a scale. It’s a holistic state rooted in habits, joy, self-respect, and compassion. As Jack Kornfield, the renowned Buddhist teacher and psychologist says, “If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.”  On this Women’s Healthy Weight Day, and throughout Healthy Weight Week and during Self-Love Month, let’s commit to health with heart, not judgment. Yes, YOU CAN, NOW

Mary Hoadley

Director Of The Wellness Center