Aspire guide
Team Resources
Team Resources manual
How to Talk About Weight Without Causing Harm
Coach-facing scripts and guardrails to address fueling and performance without harmful weight talk or body-focused messaging.
Why this matters
Coach-facing scripts and guardrails to address fueling and performance without harmful weight talk or body-focused messaging.
Read time
3 min
Audience
Coach + Parent
Use it for
Team Resources
Start here
The safest weight conversation is usually a fueling and health conversation instead.
Coach prompt
Rewrite one risky phrase your staff uses into a performance-based version this week.
Quick reference
Topic snapshot
The printed sheet
Read time
3 min
Audience
Coach + Parent
Best next move
Use it this week
Rewrite one risky phrase your staff uses into a performance-based version this week.
Quick reference map
Use the topic like a clear checklist
In the library
Format
Read the topic here, then download the PDF only when you need an offline copy.
Best use
Open the sections you need, then share the same topic link with coaches, parents, or athletes.
Recognizable options
What this can look like at the store
These are familiar examples, not a required shopping list. Use the food category to find an option that fits your athlete, budget, and allergy needs.
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Quick start
Start here
Coach-facing scripts and guardrails to address fueling and performance without harmful weight talk or body-focused messaging.
Better script
Comment on what the athlete can do, not how they look
- Say low energy, poor recovery, missed meals, or repeated flat sessions.
- That keeps the focus on performance, not body surveillance.
What to avoid
Never turn body size into team currency
- No public comments, comparisons, weigh-ins, or praise for visible shrinking.
- Even casual jokes can shift the whole team the wrong way.
When you need to talk
Use private, direct, low-drama check-ins
- Ask about breakfast, lunch, pre-practice fuel, recovery, and sleep first.
- Stay curious and concrete instead of leading with assumptions.
TL;DR Card
- Never coach body size. Coach behaviors.
- Replace weight talk with fueling, recovery, and training consistency.
- Public weigh-ins and body comments create risk and liability.
- If you see food fear, rapid weight change, or stress injuries, refer early.
- At altitude, under-fueling problems show up faster because fluid and energy demands are higher.
First Step
Replace one risky phrase with a behavior-based script before your next practice.
Unlock the rest of the manual
Full access opens every section and the ebook PDF.
What to do next
Use it this week
Rewrite one risky phrase your staff uses into a performance-based version this week.
Related tool
Red flags and referral guide
Sort a repeated pattern from one bad week, then take the questions it prints to a parent or guardian, a physician, and a sports dietitian.
Open the referral guideSource topics
coach communication • weight talk • disordered eating prevention • team culture • RED-S