Are There Good Reasons to Lose Weight? Yes, But...

People sometimes ask me if I believe there are good reasons for pursuing weight loss. I think they might want permission to lose weight or to be allowed to want weight loss without guilt.

So are there good reasons for wanting to lose weight?

My answer is: YES! BUT!

YES:

There are good reasons for wanting or choosing to lose weight, such as:

• your doctor recommended it

• you will be denied a surgery or medical treatment if you do not do it

• you want to have an easier time with dating or shopping or travel or career advancement, and we live in a culture that makes this more challenging in a bigger body

• you desire to look different

In fact, 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 desires matter. I really want you to feel good, be treated well, and have the life you wish for.

BUT:

Wanting to lose weight doesn’t change the fact that most intentional weight loss attempts fail long-term, and research shows up to two thirds of dieters regain more weight than they lost. Dieting can also lead to disordered eating and disconnection with the body.

Really good reasons don't change statistics.

So then what do we do?

We pay attention to what we want and find ways to honor our true desires.

If, for example, I can be honest with myself that I want to lose weight in order to find love, then I take that valuable gem of information and shift my energy there. I pursue that real, likely attainable thing (finding love!), instead of wasting my energy on the unattainable thing (weight loss). (And I do so with huge self-compassion that of course it makes sense that I'd desire to be smaller in this culture.)

When I'm clear about why I want to lose weight, I can plug up the energy sink holes and go for what I truly desire.

When I'm in a place of resisting the reality of my body, it keeps me trapped in loop of starting and stopping new diets and feeling ever more disconnected from myself. When I choose to accept my body as it is, the battle stops and I learn to live the life I want with the body I have.

So embrace your reasons for wanting to lose weight, without shame or guilt. And then go for the thing you actually want.