Getting skinny will solve all our problems, right? We will be unconditionally loved by all, be able to run marathons in under three hours and, of course, be able to wear bikinis and heels to any occasion, including black tie events. As one does. At least that’s what all the diet ads say. But a new study says that not only does losing weight not make people happier, it can actually increase their risk of depression two fold.
Well this is uncomfortable. Confession: Even though I no longer diet or exercise with weight loss as a goal and I eat intuitively and exercise gently and I love and accept my body way more than I ever have in my entire life — even with all that, I still believe with all my heart that if I weighed 15 pounds less I’d be happier. I hate that thought still lives in my brain. I don’t act on it but it’s still definitely there.
But the worst part is that both intuitively and from past experience I know this this isn’t true. Losing weight has never made happier. Did I feel prettier, more confident, successful, relieved, or even more popular? Yes. Happier? Not really. It doesn’t seem like that would compute. I mean, doesn’t feeling prettier, more confident and popular automatically make you feel happier? It didn’t for me and I think it boiled down to two reasons. First, I was never skinny enough. No matter how much weight I lost it wasn’t ever going to be enough. I started out just wanting to be my “happy weight” but then I decided I couldn’t be happy there unless I had a “buffer” and then… a death spiral of insanity ensued. Part of that was all the eating disorder voices in my head but part of that was also the very loud segment of our society that equates thinness with perfection and sees the new 000 size as a goal instead of a number that you will find nowhere in math. Second, I was terrified that if I regained the weight I’d lost (and I always did eventually) then I would no longer be pretty, successful or loved. All things that aren’t true but nevertheless thwarted any happy-skinny frolicking.
And I’m not alone in my experience. Researchers at University College of London followed 2,000 individuals who were overweight or obese but otherwise healthy for four years. All participants had been instructed to lose weight to improve their health and at the end of the four years 14% had lost 5% or more of their body weight while 15% gained more than 5% of their body weight and the remaining 71% remained at their original weight. (The fact that 71% remained at their original weight even though they were trying to actively lose weight is a topic for another day.)
The researchers then measured the participants’ depression, overall well-being, blood pressure and triglycerides to get a picture of both their psychological and physiological health. The results were surprising to say the least. As one would expect, losing weight lowered subjects’ blood pressure and triglycerides. Yet even though most people report thinking that losing weight will increase their happiness, the people who lost weight were twice as likely to be depressed as those who gained weight or remained stable. They also reported lower well-being. This held true even after they accounted for demographics (like race and income), health conditions (like a cancer diagnosis which would make anyone depressed) and psychological variables (like a recent traumatic life event).
So why would someone be sad if they were healthier? I got to interview Sarah Jackson, PhD, the lead author of the study, for an article for Shape and she says that while they can’t determine cause, they can look at correlation and it appears that something about the act of losing weight makes people unhappy. She speculates that the people became depressed because of how notoriously hard it is to maintain a weight loss. We might feel happier when we’re losing weight but the thought of living with that level of deprivation forever is, well, depressing.
But the researchers had several other theories as well:
– Perhaps the subjects were exhausting their self control resisting tasty food and so other areas of their lives were suffering – i.e. their social lives and becoming more isolated can definitely be depressing.
– There’s also the idea of unfulfilled expectations – perhaps the people became depressed after realizing that losing weight hadn’t had the effect on their lives that they’d hoped it would. They weren’t happier because… they weren’t happier.
– And all the biological factors. Maybe their bodies wanted to replace the lost fat and therefore made them feel hungrier which made controlling their weight increasingly difficult. Or perhaps the drop in carbohydrates dropped their serotonin levels. Also, when you diet you alter your microbiome in your gut and as I was very surprised to learn before, over 80% of our serotonin is produced in the gut, meaning that those gut bugs can have a powerful effect on our mood.
For me, the interesting part was that not only did the subjects not feel happier but they felt more depressed than they had at baseline. So while their physiological health markers improved, depression and stress are known to have a very negative effect on health. And I don’t think this dissonance will be resolved until we can remove the cultural assumption that thin=good, pretty, righteous and fat = bad, ugly, sinful.
Of course there are plenty of people who do say they are much happier after losing weight. But from my experience, the ones who seem to be the happiest with their weight loss are those who feel like it enabled them to better do things that they love, like playing with their kids or riding their bike along the beach or travelling. The people who diet as a punishment and try to ratchet themselves into too-small pants every week don’t seem to be as happy because we will all eventually “fail” and eat the cupcake and there are always going to be smaller pants.
And then there’s the fact that giving weight loss the power to make us happy means that we’re giving weight gain the power to make us sad. I’ve had to learn the hard way that the things that make me happiest in life have absolutely nothing to do with my weight: My family, my work, helping other people, petting my cat, talking to my sisters, hiking – and as long as I’m healthy enough to do those things well then the actual number on the scale is irrelevant.
Jackson stops short of saying we should stop telling people to lose weight as the subjects did show marked improvements in their health but rather she hopes that doctors will take this information and use it to offer more resources like support groups and counseling along with their healthy diet and exercise advice. Which I think is a great idea – anything that helps people increase their physical and mental health is a good plan and I don’t think they have to be an either/or proposition.
I’m curious about your experience though – Heaven knows I have enough dieting baggage to make me unhappy no matter what my weight does (sigh) so I’m wondering if this rings true for anyone else? Or did it make you very happy? Why do you think losing weight contributed to these people’s depression?
Well, “studies” aside, I, for one, can honestly tell you that I am much happier the last six years at 140-145 lbs than I was the previous decade at 200-225 lbs. Does losing weight magically solve all problems? Of course not. Does being fit and physically healthy and having increased energy and a better attitude and clearer emotions because I make nutrition and fitness a priority and no longer self-medicate with food and alcohol solve a lot of problems? You bet it does.
As for this ridiculous rail about the “size 000″ clothing, that is a result of vanity sizing, no different than grade scaling, and doesn’t mean that company is making a line of tiny clothing that only skeletons can wear. Number sizes today are MEANINGLESS. Twenty years ago, a woman my size (5’4″, 145 lbs, solid/athletic build) would have worn a 12; maybe a 10. Today, I wear a 7 in juniors’, and a 6 or 4 in most stores depending on the brand. In Ann Taylor, I wear a TWO. Yes, a TWO. So what does a smaller woman than me wear in Ann Taylor? NOTHING, because everything is too big on her. In J. Jill, I wear an EXTRA SMALL. So that’s like a 00, isn’t it? If you’re 5’1″ and 105 lbs like my next door neighbor, all the clothes have been re-numbered to make fat people happy, and where does that leave you? You graduated college as a size 4 and now you don’t exist because size 4 fits the woman three inches taller and 40 lbs heavier than you. So…000 it is.
The average American woman in 2013 was 5’4” and 167 pounds. When the stats come out for this year, I bet it will be closer to 170. That’s not okay (and notice I didn’t say, “Sorry, that’s not okay” – because I’m not sorry. In 1970, the average American MAN was 5’9″ and 163 pounds. Think about it.)
Accepting yourself at a weight where you are happy with how you look, how your body feels, your blood pressure/labs are on target, and where you actively encourage health and respect for yourself by eating for nutrition and exercising for strength and flexibility is great. Telling your readers what amounts to, hey, if you want to finish off that leftover cake in the fridge, you may as well do it, because losing weight won’t make you happy. You’re telling them, you’re never going to be a supermodel, so why bother? Ten pounds over your “dream weight” shouldn’t bother someone who knows she is making every effort to treat her body correctly. Twenty extra pounds? Laziness, generally compounded by the normalization of obesity. Forty extra? Food addiction. Fifty extra? Subconscious suicide.
Michelle, why the anger? Often your comments seem really negative towards those who struggle with weight and also towards Charlotte-whenever she writes about fitness and weight.
Maybe I’m wrong and I am reading your comments in a way you don’t mean, but it hurts when you criticize overweight people and assume that they eat a lot and are lazy, and when you unfairly twist Charlotte’s comments.
I agree with Michelle. I lost excess weight, and its a delight. Studies are usually bunk anyhow. they say exactly whatever the people conducting the study want said. I will bet unless someone has actual depression, they are far happier at a healthy weight. I was on medication for a while that made me gain weight. For three years I was a size 13! I wasn’t unhappy or anything. It was OK. My husband wasn’t thrilled with it, but dealt with it fine. However, as I adjusted the medication and the weight came off, i became aware of how much I wasn’t as happy overweight. I no longer get winded running up stairs, love wearing shorts, and generally can get ready to go in five minutes and loo great. Its fun!
Bravo! You did an excellent job up there!
Wish you all the best! 🙂
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Would you be interested to comment about it ?
I think that it’s important to note that for this study, the weight lost was 5% or more. So while it probably does make a major life change for the best to lose a significant amount of weight that allows you to be a more healthy active person, it may be that the majority of these participants were losing that 5-15 lbs that would maybe only put them in a smaller pant size…after 4 years of trying.
I am glad that your weight loss has added to your happiness, Michele, and no one here is going to try to diminish that. However, I in no way see this as Charlotte telling people that it doesn’t matter if they make healthy decisions, or that they shouldn’t bother if they aren’t going to be a supermodel. She is reminding her readers that clothing size or a cupcake shouldn’t have the power to make them feel badly about themselves, and that they should search for health and happiness rather than the number on a scale.
For me personally, it is a moot point. Despite all my attempts to lose weight over what amounts to being half my life at this point, I am the same solid shape and weight that I was when I graduated high school.
Goooooooooooood for this post
Seems like the happiness/depression factor is linked to how “hard” it is to make and then maintain the change (forgive my summarizing).
Wasn’t there just a study (there is always a study, right?) that stated you get the most health benefits from losing only 10% of your excessive weight? So maybe that holds true for “mental” benefits, too.
Looks like the whole trend of “healthy living/changes” versus “dieting” might just be a really good thing. By making a few healthy(ier) changes here and there (don’t drink pop, go for a 15 minute walk every day, avoid fast foods, eat your greens) folks could shed that 10% of excessive weight maximizing all the health benefits (physical and mental).
In high school, between my junior and senior years, I lost 40 pounds. I went back to school and suddenly I was getting all kinds of positive attention I had never gotten before which reinforced what I had long suspected, that I was not as valuable fat, and made me neurotic about hanging on to my new “acceptable ness”. I am wondering if that is some part if the weight loss/increased depression conundrum? That people are suddenly subconsciously told, “hey, you’re so much better this way” which can make anyone feel pressured and crappy.
After making myself super unhappy and neurotic over the last 5 lbs of twin weight that I can’t shake, I finally decided to stop making myself unhappy over a number. I haven’t gotten on the scale in months and instead focus on being healthy physically and mentally. I wonder if the weight loss game shifted from keeping track of numbers to instead simply focusing on moving more and eating foods that are good for your body if there would be less post weight loss depression. Interesting topic.
When I focused on fitness as a tool to accomplish something else, it was wonderful. I was excited about it and life, pretty much every day. When I focused on weight loss through diet and exercise, I was miserable. Making sure that food was fuel instead of extra fluff was so much easier when I had a goal outside of “I must be a size 4,” and the same thing went for my exercise routines.
Totally agree with you. I’m much happier getting my fitness in on my commute (or recreation, or hobbies) than I was inside a gym. Nothing against a gym–it’s a great place to get some work done. I just don’t want my whole life to revolve around “work.” Being healthier and better looking because I “play” is way cooler!
Hello F.E,
I totally agree with you. Doing exercises on the gym is on different intensity of working out for physical fitness. However, doing exercise outside most especially in the morning is more closer to the nature because being exposed to first hour of sunrise is the best way to regain and boost the immune system which is totally missing inside the gym.
When I was consumed by fitness and eating correctly I was miserable. Like I said it, consumed me leaving little time for things I really enjoyed like eating yummy food, and relaxing with a good magazine or book, or just walking with my kids to go for a walk and be outside with family. And I actually gained weight and got bigger. I think it was because I didn’t need to lose weight or get stronger or be faster. I was doing it because I got caught up in the hype. When I realized I just needed to be able to be relatively healthy and take care of my family and work and enjoy life, things go easier and I got happier. I was trying to attain the impossible and that made me miserable and when I let go of that impossible goal of being “Perfect” life got doable again. I can’t run a 5K as quickly as I could two years ago or lift as much weight, but I am way way way happier. I’m not saying “eat all the things all of the time” or “don’t stay fit”, I’m just saying from experience that balance is needed and it’s a hard balance to find.
Nope, I’m in the exact same boat as you. Even when I am at my “ideal” weight (i.e. the weight my ED voices tell me I should be) I’m still not happy and want a buffer. I get to that weight and get irritated that I can’t suddenly eat anything and everything I want and maintain it. Living on that few calories messes with my mood and head – it makes me obsess about what I’ve eaten and when I get to eat again, because I’m always hungry, and it’s impossible to enjoy life with that kind of stupid worry on my shoulders.
It’s too bad the simplest route is not the easiest, but truly listening to your body, eating what you need and not too little or too much, exercising in an enjoyable way, and loving yourself stands a far better chance of making you happy than anything else.
There are so many factors that contribute to these findings: Placing your self-esteem next to the scale is guaranteed to cause feelings of unworthiness, at the very least. When we expect our lives to be different after losing weight, we’ll be severely disappointed when we discover we’re still the same person, with all the same hang-ups, fears, and concerns. Others may treat us differently, but we’ll still feel the same.
In late May, I re-joined Weight Watchers. But I decided to go to meetings instead of doing it online. And something interesting happened: On the weeks when I’ve either stayed the same or even gained weight, no one made a big deal about it! Which was the exact opposite of what I’d been expecting, and why I’d avoided the meetings the first few times I tried the program. (Well, that and lack of child care.)
I decided to use the meetings as my support group, and let go of the idea that it was a bunch of people sitting around talking about all the things they couldn’t eat (another huge misconception on my part).
I’ve lost nearly 15 pounds. Which is nice. But, more importantly, I’m learning to relax around food and exercise. Tomorrow is my weigh-in, and I am bloated beyond belief, lol! I’m also taking a rest day (not working out) because the past few weeks have been so crazy-busy and so active that I’m truly exhausted. In years past, I would have done an hourlong, ultra-intense workout to try and counteract the bloat.
A few weeks ago, one member stated that she’d been “bad” the week before. Our leader said “Oh? Did you go around robbing banks and kidnapping children? ‘Cause THAT’S bad. Eating cake and gaining weight isn’t bad.”
Another change I made was meditation. I’d been playing around with the idea, trying it on and off for a while, but when I finally started a regular practice, things started changing. Mainly my perspective. Not just about weight, but about things I’ve been grappling with for as long as I can remember. I don’t yet have a long practice (between 5 and 20 minutes), but it’s helped enormously.
The bottom line is that, yes, we can lose weight. But until we deal with the things that drive us to overeat (or under-eat, or spend to much money, drink too much, over-schedule ourselves, etc), we won’t be happy.
Finally, let’s all stop DIETING! Eat the stuff that makes you feel good, with some treats thrown in now and again!
It still sometimes baffles me: Joining Weight Watchers is what finally helped me become an Intuitive Eater.
I can’t comment on losing weight, because I’ve never really managed to do that…However, I was slim all while growing up and into my mid twenties. Once I moved to a city where I didn’t really know anyone, and started working full time at a desk job, I started gaining weight, and that continued slowly over the years despite my efforts to stop it.
I can tell you that I don’t like being at the weight I am at now, and some things definitely seemed easier/less stressful back in the skinny days. I can tell you that dieting is not fun.
But am I less happy now than I was 20 years ago? I’d say no.
I read this this morning and have been thinking about it all day. I lost 50 pounds a few years ago and immediately felt so much confidence. As soon as I got used to that size/weight, though, that newfound confidence faded (confounded with some other personal issues), and while I wouldn’t say I slid back all the way to where I started confidence-wise/unhappinesswise, it was a wakeup call that losing weight didn’t change the confidence issues that caused me to gain the weight in the first place. Which is what I’m working on now 🙂
Great article.
I am reading a really interesting book called “Psychobabble” by Dr. Stephen Briers. It is a book about “exploding the myths of the self-help generation.”
In it he describes the myth of letting “your goals power you towards success”. Along with the dangers of setting stretch goals and being crushed and disheartened when the goals are not met, their is also the danger of becoming hopelessly out of balance and neglect equally important objectives and relationships.
I too have set lofty weight-loss and fitness goals and in the beginning of this new found goals, I became very successful and became anorexic, bulimic, and exercise obsessive. The world just seem to pass me by and I look at those times as some of the loneliest days of my young life. Then later I tried to modify my weight-loss and fitness goals and found myself somewhat successful but feeling as though I was white-knuckling it and then eventually giving up. Now I find myself setting goals out of desperation and I cannot stand staying on these goals for more then a day.
Why? I think I got so out of balance previously that I panic when I feel myself leaning off center and I then hurry and try to center myself before I go to one extreme to the next.
I’m only slightly over-weight and I’m told I look good so now I’m trying to not gain any weight . Life is so much more important then fitting in my old pair of favorite jeans.
I agree with the “unreasonable expectations” theory. Losing weight is NOT going to make you happier just because you are lighter & it is silly to think it will. If you are depressed or unsatisfied with life, there is good reason to believe that your weight is not the driving goal behind this. What losing weight and maintaining health CAN DO though is give you more energy and help balance chemicals in the body to help promote your happiness. You just can’t assume it is a permanent fix for all of life’s problems though…
aged 16 I lost weight I got to 3 and a half stone and nearly died since then my life is much compromised,as although I am now 7 stone I find it hard to let go eat out socialise allow myself different things to eat,i am infertile I have lost teeth yes I am healthy but hungry ALL of the time I am now 47 years old,i do manage a successful business but life has become limited due to weight loss
Over the course of my adult life, I have weighed as little as 178 lbs and as much as close to six hundred pounds. I have gone on diets, went to OA, and other support groups, and drank Ultra Slim-Fast(tm), as well as having a Gastric Bypass. All of them were absolutely worthless.
I have found over the course of my life that losing weight does not really have any psychological benefit for you Rather, the supposed “Happiness” that comes from weight loss is that it makes those around you happy, and they benefit, as you will join in their misery, as the peer group that you associate with wants you to conform to their set standards, that are set by the entertainment media that runs our country-and most of the time, they are airbrushed and Photoshopped(tm) into what their directors and producers want them to be.
No, The far better solution for me has been this. the Bible says that we are all created in the Image of a beautiful God (based on Genesis 1), and that as such ALL of us are strong, capable beautiful and blessed, and we must honor that. All of us must be able to recognize this, and to honor that Image in each other; then if we do this, we will begin to show more respect towards each other as bearers of that Image, and we will become more and more happier and accepting with both ourselves and with each other, but we will have taken a huge step forward towards destroying a mufti-billion dollar industry that can care less about you, but wants you addicted and forced to buy its products.
I lost 60 pounds when I was 21, and that was when I was the most miserable. I went from 190 to 130, and it was rather gradual, over the course of a year or so. I had changed my job and had started going on dates with basically anyone who would ask me out. I suffered a bad break-up with a boy that I thought was the one and only for me, and I was 100% sure that I was too fat and that my being fat was the reason for the break-up. It all had to do with growing up and some hormonal changes, I’m sure, because, boy, did I screw up my metabolism… I starved myself for weeks absolutely sure that if I got to 123 pounds, my life would become magical. Feeling very fat, I never allowed to take pictures of me. I only have two of that time, and I look astonishing, I can’t believe it’s me. And I’m so sorry for that girl in the pictures in huge, baggy sweaters, feeling a need to hide and wrap herself in many layers of ugly clothes.
Now almost 15 years have passed, I’m over 200 pounds, and have tried to lose weight for years. My self-confidence has suffered because of the weight, but not the happiness level. I’m studying to be a clinical psychologist – to some extent because I want to finally find out what it is in a person’s mind that makes him or her gain weight. And for me as a student this research poses a question – could it be that the weight and the happiness do not have any causal relationship, but just a simple correlation? The disappointment of the research subjects could be down to the fact that they expected changes in weight to be linked to changes in happiness levels, when in fact our weight as such cannot make us happy or unhappy. It’s what we do with our life. I can’t quote a specific research, but I’ve read that 85% of our happiness is determined by our relationship with other people. I can see how they can seriously deteriorate once a person loses weight and does not belong in the same social group with the same hobbies and tastes any more. Once you stop spending your time with your friends in pubs or other sedentary places of food and perhaps start avoiding social gatherings to keep the temptations at a minimum, you may start losing friends or being tense around them. They might also feel the pressure around you to lose weight, too. A person who has lost weight might not try to compensate his/her fat with the spouse by being extra caring and accommodating, so those relationships might suffer, too. Taking care of your body means giving more to yourself and less to others, which may be detrimental to relationships that could possibly be built on dependence/co-dependence principles. There’s a lot to consider.
Thanks for bringing this up, Charlotte!
(And Michele, thanks for the comment, it’s inspiring to read that you feel much better after your weight loss even if I don’t agree with your take on what Charlotte writes.)
Fat people are supposed to be jolly, right? I was always happy, even when morbidly obese. But, I felt best about myself at my lowest weight. Granted, I never reached a weight where that last 5 pounds would have put me into size 0.
I eat ok and exercise because it’s important for me to live a long & healthy life. Maintaining my 100 pound weight loss will enable me to do that!
Thank you so much for sharing this study, Charlotte. This all rings so true to me!
I have never been obese, but 6 years ago I lost 25lbs in an effort to get out of the “borderline overweight” category. I lost most of the weight in a really unhealthy way, but since then have been making an effort to maintain a healthy weight while with more healthy eating/exercise habits. It has been more stressful trying to keep the weight off than I could have ever imagined, and I find myself overwhelmed with the fear of regaining the weight- it has now supplanted spiders and zombies as my top fear. I am probably 10 lbs. heavier than I was at my thinnest, but my husband has spent a lot of time trying to convince me to divorce my scale so I am not sure. Once I started this diet I weighed myself every day, rain or shine, and the outcome of my daily weigh-ins predicted my mood for the day…. within 3 lbs.
I am sticking with the moratorium on the scale and trying to eat more intuitvely, but I am currently in the throws of an emotional down-turn, because I feel heavier than I think I should be. I still work out hard at least 3 days a week, and am in the final week of bootcamp, but am staring down the barrel of my 30th birthday and can’t shake the feeling that this transition would be so much better if I were only 10-15 lbs lighter. I know I need to practice not listening to my eating disorder demons, but I am glad to know I am not the only one who struggles with this. Maybe knowing I’m not alone will help carry me through the times where I start thinking that I’d be prettier/happier/sexier if only I were a little lighter. Thank you for sharing 🙂
When I hit my goal weight, I remember thinking “This is it?” I was ABSOLUTELY more depressed than when I was overweight or obese. Yet, I was pretty darn miserable then too. The problem is that while my weigh was (is) a big problem, it wasn’t the only one. Happiness isn’t found on a scale, it’s found seeking out the rest of your life. My life had become all about getting people off my back (for some reason, people just love to point out my weight – perfect strangers) and feeling not-judged anymore. It wasn’t about making ME a more fulfilled person.
Now, I’m more fulfilled, but I yet again have a weight issue I’m struggling with. But I’ll tell you what; I’m happier now than when I was thin, or obese back then – and it has nothing to do with what my weight did in the meantime.
I find that when I’m happy and busy and my stress is on an even level I lose weight as a by-product. If I fight and struggle with the goal of losing weight then I get on the roller coaster of stress and numbers on the scale.
I do know a few people that have lost 100 Lbs and more. Some seem to be in a panic running from the fat person they used to be. Others seem focused on embracing life and all the experiences that are easier for them at a lower weight. Most seem to be some place in between.
I’m definitely happier going from 265 lbs to the 175 I hang out at nowadays. While I’d like to lose more, being able to walk across the parking lot and not get winded (and also the running 26.2 miles or doing triathlon thing). I can kind of agree with the losing VANITY weight not really making a huge difference, but the happiness from the extra energy and lack of pain is definitely a thing!
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People won’t get satisfied. He wants something, then if he already get it, he would want for more. I guess that’s a natural ability of a person. Nice post though!
If you were 190 pounds and got down to 140, why that won’t make you happy is crazy. When people get to look better, it’s human nature for them to be happier. Of course I can think up of a lot of reasons why that won’t make you happy but that would be the “un-natural” in me looking for some rationalization.
Very interesting! But psychology is such a complex thing, so I think it’s very hard to get accurate results in a study like this.
However, I think we can all agree on one thing; becoming healthier certainly won’t make you less happy!
Really interesting post. I had never heard about this topic before. Whenever I lose weight I honestly feel amazingly better and happier and not just about my physical apperance. When I feel good about myself physically, it brings out the real me. All my silliness and fun side and at their full height. I am more creative and productive as well. This might sound shallow but your post made me reflect on it and that is really how being more fit effects me. And I mean being fit, not just skinny. 😉 Great post!
I couldn’t agree more. When I first lost weight I expected it to solve so many other issues that were not really related. Loving yourself and dealing with so many personal issues we think are due to our weight need to be separated from that. We are more than a number and all the things we live with are still there at the end of the day, even if it’s a skinny one.
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I think people need to have goals to be happy. Your goal is to lose weight – you see progress which makes you happy. Then when you finally lose that weight you get used to it quickly. You had a goal and it’s gone now. At this point you should set a different one so you can see yourself improving again which makes you happy again. Works for me 🙂
I believe the most important thing is a healthy life style. You don’t have to be ripped or have a lean physique. (most) people won’t judge you over this unless you’re fat.
Just try to eat decent, have some exercise and do whatever you want to do with the rest of your time.
Hey! This post could not be written any better! Reading this post reminds me
of my old room mate! He always kept talking about this.
I will forward this article to him. Pretty sure he will have a good read.
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I have never been happier when I lost 45 lbs before. It’s all about planning and setting up a realistic goal. If you reach it, why wouldn’t be happy, right? It’s a sense of fulfillment. Losing weight is not an easy task and it takes a lot of hard to achieve it. Good read by the way! Thanks and more power to you!
Great post!
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I agree. It’s totally true and very evident among individuals who want to lose weights and undergo personal training.
Yes i agree with the study even when i was little fat i thought i might be very fat i want to be slim and then i started the fitness program i became slim and within 2 months i lost more than 15kg then when i saw my old pics i used to feel yes before i was nice now i look somewhat defective and thanks for sharing the story about the new study.
From 10/12 to 2/14, I went from 360 to 210lbs. I sit now at 195lbs….
.. and I have never been less happy about my body in my life.
I wish I could explain it, but…
Fascinating study! There are so many speculations you could make on why the folks who lost weight might be more depressed. If it were true it certainly would put a damper on the idea that those who lost weight were healthier overall. The thing is, I don’t know whether it was a good study, it would take a close look at the original paper (and even better, some corroborating evidence) to say anything about that.
Good article, and well done research..
Great post! I hope you are doing well and enjoying your break from blogging! 🙂
I agree with you we must not take others words seriously on weight loss until unless we feel it is a problematic to us. When i see myself before 2 years i was looking bit handsome now after getting to much slim and fitness mind. Now i look somewhat awkward and thanks for sharing the study post.
I was talking to a close friend the other day about something that was making me unhappy. They were very kind and told me how they were sorry I felt that way. Somewhat tongue in cheek, I replied, “That’s okay, if I didn’t feel bad about that, I would feel bad about something else…”
“there are always going to be smaller pants”–what a true statement.
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Oh, Charlotte, I miss you so much. I’ve just begun regular exercising in a group twice a week in our local town hall, and I’m getting a teeny tiny notion of what it’s like to have gym buddies, and I really really miss your posts. Just saying.
Stay strong! You’ll always be my favourite blogger.
You’ve put together an excellent post and many of readers have written very thoughtfully. Studies of this kind aim to get some findings that may be generalizable to the general public. But as your commenters demonstrate: at the individual level, there are so many factors involved in weight loss and gain; in short, what else is going on in their lives, and what truly makes them happy. If not anything, the morale may be that happiness is about an internal state that is not dependent on what you’ve done in the external world–it’s about how much love and peace you have in your heart.
Anne
Losing weight is important to be in a healthy condition.
However, the weight loss journey should not only stay focus on the weight loss journey.
Because it can be really sad, after you achieve your goals.
Stay healthy and fit, this is just a lifestyle routine, but it is not to become over obsess about it.
So many great things have to be done in a lifetime.
A weight loss journey, give very strong healthy routine to maintain us towards our individual goals.
But the main goal should not only be to lose weight.
Of course we need to be focus on losing weight at first, but when we see some results, when we build enough confidence of losing weight we should think of the great life style that is coming soon.
And even if we gain some weight it is not a big deal!
It’s just like the person who tries to do some meditation, and cannot stop her/his incoming thoughts. Well this should not be a problem, because it takes a bit of time to stay in a meditative state, and understand the principles of it.
Sometimes we like to achieve some goals but when we achieve them, we have a strange feeling.
The feeling that it is over. All of this for that.
When a person is overweight, there is a significance psychological approach. You lose weight and you re-discover somebody else.
The same person with another look.
There is then a re-education of this person or simply taking the control of that new shape.
In the meantime, the other person (the overweight body) does no longer remain active for any project.
The body and mind needs to be re-educates about the new shape, the new body. It leads an emotional state, for many people it will be associated with joy and happiness, because they feel like they achieve their goals.
This is great, they have more energy, and are more motivate and probably don’t feel the pressure of society.
Their weight loss journey is over and they certainly plan to have the lifestyle that they always wanted.
In the other hand, other people are frustrated or just feeling unhappy of their new body, their new shape, they feel depressed.
The weight loss journey is not the pursue of happiness or the sexiest body ever.
It is simply to have a healthy body in a healthy mind.
really good and simple article .!!!
and depicts my life too . 😉
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I think that being healthy, should make you happy too
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Just wanted to check in and say miss your blog! Hope everything is wonderful with you and your gorgeous family! Happy Holidays xoxo
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In July of 2014, I weighed 145 pounds. I never really known or understood why I started working out, it just kind of happened. As it does to many people, exercise is addictive. If I missed a day of running, I would simply freak out and want to punish myself for being so ill-disciplined. I got to points where I wanted to punish myself because I wasn’t good enough and I would gain the weight back if I missed a run. I stuck with it and kept on running. So many things stopped along the way – cramps, fatigue… You name it, I’ve probably had it. As I went along with my working out, I never had a scale to see how much weight I was losing, and looking back, that is the best thing I could have done for myself. About a month ago, I stepped on the scale for the first time since July and I weighed in at 123 pounds. For a few days, l was basking in my glory. Never in my wildest dreams could I imagine getting down to 123. I could wear dresses, I could look good in the clothes that I liked, so one may think I had it all. Wrong. Once I reached 123 pounds, my depression kicked in hard core. Everything I saw that I wanted, be it one simple M&M, I had a never ending battle with myself to not eat it. Sometimes, I succumbed and I ate it. After that, I wanted to punish myself even more. If my weigh fluctuated one pound, I would freak out and go run 4 miles. I then started to worry that I wasn’t exercising enough and if I plateaued at where I was with my running, which was about 4 miles, and which I was happy with, that I would gain weight because my body would be accustomed to that running. I was fitting into size 0 pants, wearing whatever I wanted, and I hated myself. “you’re not good enough” is a phrase I found myself using quite frequently. It was as if I was trapped and I couldn’t escape. I was stuck in a world of perpetual terror in gaining an ounce. Why I was so petfified, I still do not know. I am still battling myself with this matter and it’s interesting to know that other people are in the same boat.
Weight loss journey has its downside. But I really believe a positive thoughts could be also helpful and choosing to be happy is a big help.
Perfect planning to get perfect body is compulsory, but how i make my this confusion is clear when i search your website, Thanks for sharing!!
Hi, weight loss is makes healthier and also gives happiness for me. Thanks for sharing…
Not sure if this applies to everyone, but for my husband, having lost weight made him grumpier.
This is gonna turn out to be a eye opener for many how want to loose weight quickly..
My experience:
I do exercise 3 to 5 times a week. I rotate between running, swiming and biking. I do this in the last 7 years and I’m 37.
Am I happier? Well when I think how I was 7 years ago (fatter and unhappier) I tend to realize that I feel better with myself now.
I don’t know if this happen to everyone, but I want more now! lol – I want to loose those 2 pounds to be “perfect” 🙂
My objectives for 2015 is to run a marathon of 21km and I’m going to prepare for that.
In conclusion I do think if you look at the mirror and you like what you see its a good feeling. However to “keep” myself happy I have the need to trace different objectives so I can accomplish them and feel even better with myself 😀
Thanks for the article and the great blog 🙂
SUCH an amazing post, and so well researched. I truly believe that people hold off from doing things in their lives because they want to hold off “until I get skinny”. It’s time to start living and stop hating that bod, as long as you’re eating whole food and moving it!! xx
Jill
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Thank you very much for sharing your experience or stud with our. Many people will benefit from this post.
I was loss 20 kg when my age 22. I was doing hard working as like avoid junk & oily food. Every day eat nutritious meal and daily go to gum for exercise properly. I accept the moving day routine. Which is why I got better results.
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I am getting a definite feeling (telepathy!) you are considering returning to this blog and posting more and more, and more… No?
But I really, really, really miss you! And I really, really, really wish you would.
Pretty please?
Studies aside I can honestly tell you that I’ve seen many people lose weight and for many it has changed their life! Losing weight won’t automatically mean that you will be happy but in many many cases it can significantly improve peoples life. Millions of people suffer from being obese or overweight and the obvious health benefits aside being slimmer and fitter can have huge mental benefits as well.
I will probably write a follow-up article on this at Fitness Frog. Feel free to read it!
Try to work hard and Explore…….Stay Focus your motivated tips
I believe this Healthiness and Happiness have strong connection and therefor losing weight can cause happiness. At least it worked for me and I am much happier than before.
Which one is your Pre Workout Meal? Please choose one.
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I miss you, dear Charlotte. Hope you are okay…
Found your post very interesting indeed. I agree you may loose weight but will you really be happy. It takes a lot work to loose weight and you may not always be happy. But if you do it right and keep positive you can get fantastic results. Thanks for sharing.
A person will need to be happy on the inside in order to be really happy. If a person is not happy on the inside, changing outside will only have a small lasting effect but will not bring true happiness. Love your post.
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I’m guessing they were going about their weight loss wrong. While I can only assume here, and I could be wrong, but I’m wondering if they lead sedentary lifestyles, and rather than incorporating some exercise into their life, they just tried starving themselves instead. I’ve known people that do this. They want to lose weight, but they don’t want to work out, so they attempt a diet and then feel like they are starving themselves or that it is impossible to maintain so they give up.
Some exercise is good but body weight is largely involuntarily regulated. This system has been studied over 50 years starting with the work of scientist Douglas L. Coleman.
I miss you!!! <3
I don’t think being skinny will solve all of your problems, however I feel much better (about myself) since I’ve lost many weight.. 🙂
Wow I 100% agree. I wasn’t UNHAPPY until I lost this weight. What is wrong with me?
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Oh please. I doubt that study has any veracity at all.
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It is true. If we choose to loose weight, we may need to keep a healthy diet and do some sports. It is really bad for me.
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What I found was the regular exercise was helpful. I don’t mean working out at the gym until dropping in a sweaty heap. Taking long walks and high intensity training (short, sharp and painful) made an amazing difference to my body.
The people who do not benefit from losing weight may have many other issues in their life. Depression is not always acknowledged, but can be a major reason for remaining unhappy. Another reason is diet, we are what we eat. New research is proving that if we damage our gut biome by eating junk foods like cereals for breakfast, or nuke our gut bacteria with antibiotics. We suffer the consequences.
Great Post! I really appreciate the effort.
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I was a Fitness competitor and competed for several years. Second place was the highest place that I won but it came with a price.
Working out at least 2 hours a day, twice a day, 7 days a week and eating nothing but protein and green vegetables. I looked great at 6% body fat and it made me happy for a short bit. But it was short lived. Then the rebound hit me hard. I gained by 30lbs and was so depressed.
I don’t compete anymore and just try to eat healthy and balanced. With an occassional glass of red wine, of course. I still fight the food demons in my head and it’s a struggle. But at least I know that having a 6 packs isn’t everything. It’s about being healthy.
That’s sad but so true for a lot of people, its the same with cosmetic surgery too. You often find that once the change has occurred, the feeling is still the same. Change the inside first x
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After weight loss thyroid hormones go DOWN. We are physiologically different and our brains hate it. Don’t be conned by fitness industry airheads.
if your looking to lose weight because you want validation from other people then yeah i can see why you wouldnt be happier when losing weight because more than likely there are deeper issues at play.
having said that, if you lose a tonne of weight your less likely to feel fatigued all the time and more likely to get up and get out and about to experience life more.
one of my friends used to do nothing because he was fat, one day he started losing weight and 12 months later he is one of the most active people you will meet. he loves being outdoors and loves his new life. i would say weight loss has had a brilliant effec on his life
Im not sure if i totally agree. I believe exercising can make you healthier and definitely make you more happier by giving you more energy and confidence about yourself
Definitely an interesting study. Striving to lose weight does put one on a course toward perfection. Discontentment can also be a factor. I appreciate the reminder that the result needs to be more than a smaller size – instead the joy of being healthier.
I think exercise and its endorphins contribute more to happiness than weight loss itself? Finding an activity you love is key– for me, it’s kickboxing!
Kickboxing is an empowering way to build strength, confidence, and to blow off steam! http://www.ufcgym.com offers amazing kickboxing classes for women, along with other exciting dance and martial arts options as well!
If losing weight is your goal, then make this a priority that you focus on completely. This means you’ll have to arrange your schedule to be sure you have time to get proper sleep, nutrition, and exercise. In
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We exercise and eat right because we love our bodies – not because we hate them. Whatever size we are, we can always find something to love about our bodies. This past year I have gained about five extra pounds and I am really struggling to take that five pounds off (I WILL do it this month) and while I am less than pleased when I look at my naked body in the mirror, I am very pleased with the way my body looks in street clothes.
What does all this have to do with happiness and weight loss? I’m not sure. All I know is that if we focus on loving our bodies (because they are amazing and they move us through our daily lives) we can learn to be happy no matter what shape we are in. Then, when the scale swings one way or the other it will not define us or our happiness.
I am not advocating obesity or making excuses for it. As a personal trainer and fitness coach I understand and advocate the need to maintain an appropriate weight. However, I concentrate more on loving and improving the amazing body a client already has, and teaching them that although size matters—-weight is just a number on the scale!
In the first time in my life I enjoy exercise. I enjoy that sweaty feeling of accomplishment. But after a year and a half and loosing over 50 lbs. I am not happy with myself. Now to the public eye you wouldn’t think that. But if I’m honest with myself it hasn’t made me happy. I see my body and I’m not happy. I keep thinking if I loose more weight I’ll like my body more. BUT I have a feeling that will never happen. So everyday when I get dressed I have to tell myself “you look great” even though deep down. Inside I don’t believe it. But maybe it will become true one day. 🙂
I think you are right but losing weight is very necessary for a fatty person to live a long and happy life.
I think a proper health diet maintains your body. Moreover, exercise will help you to keep your body fit.
I got a friend who tried to lose weight and then there are problems in life she was dealing with that speeds up the process and she lose weight and became unhappy… I don’t know if this is a case to case basis, though.
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Hi!
While I love the clothes, comfort, and confidence that comes with being in great shape, I found it to be a real downer in certain important ways.
I thought if I looked amazing and was successful in every way, this would bring me the quality in my relationships which I craved. Attract the perfect man, be adored, amazing friendships with super-supportive friends… what I found was that while I attracted a lot of superficial appreciation, I did not receive the high-quality love I was hoping beauty would serve up.
So, feeling depressed and frustrated with flaky men flirting with me and surface friendships, I put the weight back on. Determined to love myself and attract good things with my character and joie-de-vive, I must say I am no longer depressed at what beauty didn’t get me.
Now I am ready to get super-fit again, but this time solely for me 🙂
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Relying solely on dieting for losing weight is frustrating, I think. But, I mostly depends on exercises with lots of variation and I suggests other the same. Just avoid to muck crappy foods, drink lots of water and try different types of workouts are the basics that I always follow to stay fit. I saw some cases where people fall into a strange addiction to reduce their weight… some time it become “at any cost”. They never satisfies! They never happy with their body mo matter what.
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Losing weight in a good way is very satisfying. Always find your fine.
According to me, weight loss is the best way to make you happier because it boosts your confidence and also helps in increasing your personality.
Thus, one should never think about that weight loss can make you unhappy. Weight loss makes you look prettier.
It took me a heck of a long time to be happier about losing weight. It was just like you said, that wasn’t the part that made me unhappy. I found out later it was a combination of bipolar II and severe anxiety, and the weight only contributed to that. But losing over 150 pounds did make me healthier and gave me enough discipline and insight to be able to make the changes that eventually did lead me to happiness.
iscipline and insight to be able to make the changes that eventually did lead me to happiness.
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I think training hard and eating clean is the real solution to weight loss. And drink loads of water to shred water.
Having a healthy weight is so crucial not only for the appearance but for the entire health. Great post, Charlotte!