Recently I've heard people talk about "good reasons" for wanting to lose weight. The message seems to be this: if you have a good reason for wanting to lose weight and you do it slowly and carefully... then... it's....ok. So are there good reasons for wanting to lose weight? My answer is: YES! BUT!
YES:
There are indeed good reasons for wanting to lose weight, including because:
your doctor or other medical professionals told you to
we live in a fatphobic world; dating, travel, shopping, or career advancement can be harder in a larger body
you feel bad in your skin and/or you want to look different
In fact, I'm going to go so far as to say that ANY REASON YOU WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT IS A GOOD ONE. I don't think you're shallow. I don't think you're vain. You have damn good logic for wanting what you want.
Your needs and desires matter. It matters to me that you want to feel good and be treated well.
BUT:
The reasoning doesn't change that:
95% of attempts at intentional weight loss fail
and will often lead to weight gain
or disordered eating
or disconnection with the body
or all of the above
Really good reasons don't take the place of statistics.
So... what the frick are we supposed to do with this information?
We pay attention to what we want and find ways to honor our true needs. For example:
reminding your doctor that there is no condition that impacts only people in larger bodies, and asking them for other treatment options outside of weight loss (or finding a new weight-inclusive doctor)
building body-positive and fat-positive community so that you have places to go when fatphobia and body image stuff feels hard
learning to listen to your body, and finding new ways to care for yourself and to reconnect with who you are and the energy you put in the world
Resisting the reality of how bodies work will just keeps you in a loop of losing weight then gaining weight then starting again.
Want some support with this? Want to build that community? Apply now for I Have a Body! cohort 4.