67. Scale Myths with Coach Missy

Jul 28

There are so many myths about the scale and what the ideal body weight is. Some of the biggest are ideal weights, competition weights, and what weight actually looks like on a body. Coach Missy Henry joins me to bust these myths and destigmatize talking about weight.

How to Make Lasting Body Composition Changes

Figure out your body type
Find realistic weight ranges associated with your body type
Set realistic goals
Work with an honest coach

Listen to Episode 67 Here

Or listen on your favorite podcast app: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android

About Coach Missy

Missy was born and raised in Omaha, NE. She received her Bachelor in Exercises Science and Masters Degree in Health Promotion/Health behavior change from the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO). She was a full-time faculty member in the Department of Health, Physical Education & Recreation (HPER) at UNO, teaching undergraduate Exercise Science courses for 5 years.

Missy opened Edge Body Boot Camp, a strength and conditioning facility, in December of 2014. Missy and her husband Rob, welcomed their daughter Sawyer in May of 2016. She continues to run the gym and coach people on nutrition and changing health behaviors both in-person and online.

Behind the Scale Myths

Coach Missy Henry joins me to talk about some of those myths behind the scale and the truth of body weight. As someone with a background in fitness and athletics and who now coaches women on weight loss and body transformation, Missy knows firsthand how much misinformation is out there.

First, we talk about the importance of knowing what your body type is and why you need to understand it at a fundamental level. This leads to a conversation about comparing what you’re doing with what your friends are. Missy says you’re never going to look like anyone else, so the only thing you actually need to focus on is what works best for your body.

Destigmatizing Weight

Once you know your body type, Missy talks about setting realistic goals. This means looking at what weight actually looks like on bodies. We might think we want to weigh 125lbs, but that might not be realistic or healthy for your body.

Missy is passionate about breaking the stigma of talking about “your number,” aka what you weigh. Not only will this open the conversation, but it will also help everyone understand that there’s no such thing as a “good” or “bad” weight - weight simply is. It’s the same as food: food simply exists, it’s neither good nor bad.

Finally, Missy talks about why we should all curate our social media feeds. If you find yourself looking at Instagram models feeling bad about your own body - stop following them!

Homework for Women Physicians

How are you setting realistic goals for your body? Will you join the movement to destigmatize “the number”? Let me know in the comments below!

In This Episode

The importance of knowing your body type [6:15]
Why you should focus on what works for you, not what your friends are doing [7:15]
Why you need to define a realistic goal [8:00]
Redefining what “good” and “bad” food and weight is [10:15]
Why you should curate your social media feeds [17:15]

Quotes

“If you’re not going after something individual to you, you’re going to spin your wheels. You could be doing the exact same workout and eating the exact same food as your friend, and you will never look like your friend and your friend will never look like you. It’s because of your body type. Everybody has a healthy version of themselves.” [7:29]

“People have an unrealistic expectation of what they should weigh and what a healthy weight should weigh. I like to give people a much more realistic range to start getting them out of that box of what healthy is. This lets us form much more appropriate healthy expectations of where they’ll go in the process.” [9:04]

“Every single bit of your food that you’re eating, you should enjoy and should be packed with flavor. You should be doing exercise that adds enjoyment to your life. Performance stuff is a job.” [16:30]

“The more you talk about how much you weigh, the less you feel like it embodies you. Ladies, say your number. You are not your number. 175, 205, 315: say it and say it more. You don’t have to say it to everybody, but you need to know. You are not your number. Let that stigma go.” [24:40]