Trying to lose weight isn’t actually good for you.

Hi friend,

Today I want to talk about a sticky subject that tends to ruffle people’s feathers: the belief that losing weight will make your life better.

Most of us have been taught (both explicitly and implicitly) that our happiness, confidence, worth, and especially health are linked to the size of our body. 

Diet culture and weight stigma have successfully convinced everyone that being thinner is better, and that losing weight is a positive, empowering, and responsible thing to do. 

So naturally, most people go about trying to lose weight (again and again, no matter the effectiveness or sustainability of these attempts) with the assumption that they’re doing something good for themselves; that they’re improving their health and well-being. 

Unfortunately, this assumption is false, and this strategy is misguided. 

The research overwhelmingly shows that intentional weight loss is statistically associated with worse mental health outcomes, including increased stress and inflammation, decreased body trust, decreased metabolic health, and lower energy, mood, and libido. It also dramatically increases a person’s risk for developing an eating disorder.

Put another way, trying to lose weight tends to both make people feel worse, and make them less healthy.

Since this research goes against everything we’ve learned from diet culture about body size, it’s extremely unpopular and rarely reported on, so most people are unaware of all these “downsides” to trying to lose weight. 

That said, I’m sure there are some who would say it’s all worth it, as long as they get to be thinner. And for those people, I have even worse news. 

The research is also extremely clear on the fact that while intentional weight loss may “work” in the short term, it almost never leads to long-term weight loss. (“Long term” in the research generally refers to two years or longer.)

Changing our diet and exercise habits might lead to temporary weight loss, but the vast majority of people will eventually gain that weight back. And due to the negative effects trying to lose weight has on our health and metabolism, most people will actually end up gaining back more weight than they originally lost, leaving them in a bigger body than the one they started with! 

This isn’t because people are doing it “wrong,” or “lacking discipline,” either. It’s just the way we’re wired.

If reading this makes you feel skeptical or uncomfortable, you’re in good company, and I’m not going to ask you to just “take my word for it.”

Here’s what the research says (with citations):

• Up to 95% of intentional weight loss is temporary—with most people regaining weight within 2–5 years. (Mann et al., 2007)

• Dieting is one of the top predictors of weight gain over time. (Pietiläinen et al., 2012)

• Restriction increases cortisol and stress response, which wreaks havoc on physical health, emotional regulation, immune function, sleep, and appetite cues. (tomiyama, 2019),

• Weight cycling (ie: losing and regaining) is associated with higher cardiovascular risk, inflammation, insulin resistance, and poorer metabolic outcomes than simply maintaining a stable weight—even if that weight is in a bigger body. (Montani et al., 2015)

• Dieting significantly increases the likelihood of binge eating and disordered eating patterns. (Stice, 2002)

  
  

Pretty grim, no? When I say diet culture hurts us all, I’m not just speaking metaphorically or socially. I also mean that it literally harms us as individuals: materially, psychologically, and physiologically. 

And this begs the question:

Given that most people have some amount of personal experience with the “downsides” of trying to lose weight (ie: with it not working, not lasting, or not feeling as good as they hoped it would), why is it so difficult for people to believe that weight loss isn’t good for us?

Well, for one thing, because everything around us tells us the opposite. 

Diet culture and weight stigma are everywhere, and we’re constantly bombarded with messages telling us that body size is determined by a person’s moral character, that discipline and willpower around food and exercise are admirable and virtuous, that fat people are lazy and worthless, and that being thin means being more attractive, more worthy of respect, more confident, and happier overall. 

We all want to be accepted, respected, and feel like we belong. We all want to be valued and loved, to feel safe, and to be treated well. 

Is it really any wonder that we cling to anything society promises will earn us these things?

After learning that the size of our body is attached to things as important as safety, power, and belonging… we naturally become extremely attached to the idea that we can change it.

In order to protect this fantasy—that losing weight will make us feel how we want to feel—we have to disregard our own personal experiences, the experiences of practically everyone we know, and the literal research.

Most people will do some (impressive) mental gymnastics to blame themselves, their loved ones, and all the people in all the studies for failing or doing it wrong, rather than accept the truth and lose the fantasy.

They’ll ignore the facts, and insist to themselves that this is just an issue of personal willpower and discipline, and that next time they will keep the weight off. They’ll even ignore how shitty they feel (physically, mentally, and emotionally) when they’re dieting, and focus instead on the information that allows them to maintain the fantasy that they’re doing something good for themselves. 

• They’ll focus on the health benefits of certain lifestyle changes, pretending to themselves that these benefits are the result of their weight loss, rather than the result of moving their body more, eating more nutritious food, or drinking less alcohol.

• They’ll attribute the euphoria or confidence boost that comes from feeling “successful” or “good” to the fact that they’ve lost weight, and attribute the temporary high they get from starving themselves to their “improved health.”

• They’ll ignore all signs of decreasing health—like headaches, hunger pangs, brain fog, fatigue, and anxiety—and insist to themselves (and everyone else) that they feel amazing.

  
  

When we’re this deeply attached to a belief, it becomes extremely difficult to take in contradicting information. 

Because when information feels like a threat to the very fabric of our reality, our identity, and our worldview… it no longer gets to be “neutral.” 

In order to accept and believe what the research tells us, we’d have to acknowledge and face all the lies we’ve been telling ourselves. And that’s hard. 

I’m curious what you think about this. 

Does it still feel hard for you to really accept and believe the idea that intentional weight loss isn’t effective or good for you, despite the research? If so, why do you think that is, and what are you still attached to that might be getting in your way? 

Hit reply to share your thoughts, and thank you as always for reading and being curious!

Big hug,

Jessi