The Whole View with Stacy Toth, Season 3, Episode 121: Men’s Health at Every Size (HAES) & Body Trust w/ Aaron Flores, RDN

Registered dietitian nutritionist and certified Body Trust provider Aaron Flores with an emphasis on men’s health. He shares with Stacy his Health at Every Size approach to helping individuals to unlearn society’s obsession with weight and the influence of diet culture. Aaron tells us how he creates and fosters a healing environment for his clients by making space for grief, asking hard questions, and helping them find a kinder and more compassionate relationship with food and their bodies.

Find Aaron:

New episodes Aaron’s podcast, Men Unscripted, are being recorded now! They will be released at the end of the summer. If any men would like to come on the show and share their story, Aaron is still looking for folks to participate!

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Key Takeaways for Men’s Health at Every Size (HAES) + Body Trust

Introductions

  • Aaron is a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) and Certified Body Trust® Provider who graduated with a BS in Family Consumer Sciences in 2006 from California State University Northridge. He then completed his dietetic internship at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System in 2007.
  • Aaron offers a weight-inclusive, non-diet approach to help folks end body shame, develop kinder, more compassionate behaviors, and heal their relationship with food and has been featured in the NYT, Huffington Post, and BuzzFeed News
  • He offer client in-person and virtual coaching sessions out of his Calabasas, CA, is host of the Men Unscripted podcast, and is an avid Star Wars fan.

Men’s Health at Every Size (HAES)

It’s important for folks to give this space available to young folks to feel the feelings around your body. It’s okay to struggle. Like I said, you don’t have to love it. How can you be present with it though. And realize, this is what I have, this is what it is. And again, if I were to take care of myself from a place of kindness and compassion, what would that look like? – Aaron Flores, RDN

  • Aaron notes that there is often a stereotype of what something with an eating disorder looks like and a lot of the screen tools are based on that stereotype, so a lot of folks get missed, especially with those who have binge eating disorder. Research in general is not very gender-inclusive and often does not include men’s health.
  • He says he sees a lot of folks seeking weight loss treatment, going for intervention focused on easting less, but exacerbating the underlying eating disorder because that is not being addressed, especially in men’s health.
  • Stacy and Aaron discuss terms like “war” on obsesity and how, as people living in larger bodies, it feels like a direct war with them. Aaron notes that it’s hard not to internalize that “battle”, as those around us fear ending up in a larger body, essentially fearing to look like us.
  • They briefly discuss the Minnesota “Starvation” Experiment and related studies for which you can find many references below.

Boy’s HAES

  • With kids, it’s important to communicate that body diversity exists, and we come in all different shapes and sizes. It’s also important to include them in conversations: How are you moving? How are you handling your emotions? Where do you get the space to be seen and understood and process the difficulties of being a kids these days?
  • Kids so early on are learning what is an “ideal” body type, what is idealized, what is rewarded, what is praised vs. what is not. And for a lot of folks, boys and masculine kids that gets translated to needs to go to the gym, needing to get faster and strong, being worried about taking their shirt off when going swimming, and friendly teasing that could turn into bullying.
  • Aaron notes that there is a duality and knowing that two opposite things can be true at the same time. You can have some interactions with friends that are rooted in humor and jokes – that’s how kids might relate. However, is there another space available to connect to the emotions that might bring up for them and how to process them.

Next Steps in Boys & Men’s HAES + Body Trust

There is a lot of grieving that happens. A lot of grieving. And that grieving is, I wish I would have known this sooner. Wish I would have treated my body differently when I was younger. I wish my parents would have known this. Grieving that I’ve had this idea of what my body should look like, and I need to give that up. Like I need to let that go. There’s grieving there, there’s grieving of I can’t go back. I can’t go back, there’s no way I can go on a diet. There’s grieving there. There is grieving that this is the body I have. – Aaron Flores, RDN

  • Be willing to unlearn and address valuable questions. i.e What’s the underlying fear of having Doritos in the house? Unpack it! Are you scared of you (or your kids) gaining weight or being unhealthy?
  • Make space for the folks that are close to you, that they can come and talk to you about these things and you’re not going to dismiss what they’re struggling with. Sometime we just need to listen. Don’t need to “fix” it, just know what they are going through.
  • Know that it can get better. You can have a better relationship with food and your body. It doesn’t have to be a war. It will feel, maybe not better, but kinder. The negative voices and the constant struggle will soften and there will be less noise. You can feel more connected to your food.

Studies, References, and Products

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Note: Stacy and her guests are not medical professionals. This podcast is for general educational purposes only. It is NOT intended to diagnose, advise, or treat any physical or mental illness. We always recommend you consult a licensed service provider.

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