Diet culture really did a number on us.

We have all been taught to believe that body size comes down to one thing:

“If you’re overweight, you must be overeating.” And if you’re not thin yet?  

“Just put the fork down.” Right? I’ve heard that one before and “Just push away from the table!” 

But y’all, the reality of it is that you do NOT have to be overeating to be overweight.

Weight is not and has never just been about what you’re eating right now. It’s influenced by your metabolism, your hormones, your stress and cortisol, sleep, medications, past dieting, muscle mass, age, genetics, your body’s natural weight set point. 

Our bodies learn to adapt. They remember restriction. They slow down to protect us. They hold onto energy when they’ve been through cycles of dieting, stress, or not getting enough nutrients.

This means that someone can be eating balanced meals, watching portions, not overeating, trying to do everything “right” …and still be overweight.

Body size is not a reliable measure of how much someone eats. And telling people to “just eat less” completely ignores the complexity of how our human bodies actually work.

The bigger problem is when we assume weight equates to overeating, we shame people who may actually already be under-eating, struggling with their metabolism, healing their relationship with food, doing the hard work of consistency and balance. Cause it’s hard, y,all. 

This is exactly how diet culture keeps the cycle going—by convincing everyone that weight is a character flaw instead of a biological reality.

Health isn’t built through shame. It’s built through nourishment, balance, consistency, sleep, movement, and patience.

So if you see someone in a larger body, here’s a radical idea… Don’t make assumptions. Don’t judge them. And definitely don’t tell them to put down the fork.

You don’t know their story. You have no idea. And their body does not make them a failure.