Why I Don’t Use Weight Loss as a Health Goal (And What I Use Instead)
Now that we’re well in the swing of 2023, I’m sure you have seen plenty of new years “how to lose X kilos this year” posts on social media, all touting weight loss as being the “key” to your longevity, health, and happiness. For some, weight loss can be a worthwhile endeavour that improves quality of life, and it is certainly the primary focus of many healthcare practitioners out there, but for too many of us, weight loss as a health goal just doesn’t “add-up”, so to speak. What do I mean by that? Well, it’s simple.
Weight loss on its own simply doesn’t make a good health goal.
If “weight loss” is your health goal, what is it that you’re really trying to achieve? Are you looking to reduce your cardiovascular disease risk? Reduce your pain? Improve your blood sugar levels? Reduce symptoms of a chronic condition? Well, then those should be the goal, not weight loss! The size of your body in and of itself doesn’t determine your overall health (nor does it determine your value!) and for most people, losing an arbitrary number on the scale is not going to automatically ensure you achieve the goals you’re after. Besides, weight loss as a health goal just might not be an achievable long-term strategy for most. Studies show that a significant portion of people who diet will regain any lost weight within 5 years and usually end up weighing more than they did when they started.
As someone who treats a lot of people with PCOS and mental health conditions, there’s also the murkier side of weight loss that I see frequently - disordered eating. For people who have a history of weight gain (or difficulty losing weight), or who have pre-existing mental health conditions, dieting for weight loss can increase the risk of developing an eating disorder, and can certainly contribute to disordered eating.
People with PCOS also have an increased risk of developing an eating disorder, regardless of their body size.
This higher rate of eating disorders among people with PCOS just further drives home the issue with “weight loss” as being a health goal - enforcing this as a necessity for treating PCOS can be detrimental to health and well-being.
Health Goals to Use Instead of Weight Loss
So, if we aren’t using weight loss as a health goal, what should we use instead? Here’s a non-exhaustive list of possible health goals that can be used in place of weight loss, for just a few health conditions.
For PCOS:
Improve menstrual cycle - more regular periods, ovulate each cycle
Reduce body hair growth
Increase head hair growth
Reduce acne and have clearer skin
Improve blood sugar control - have fewer sweet cravings or hypoglycaemic episodes
For Other Menstrual Conditions:
Have a regular cycle each month
Ovulate each cycle
Have pain-free periods
Reduce heavy bleeding - bleed for only 3-5 days each cycle
For Mental Health:
Improve my mood - have more neutral or happy days more often
Reduce feelings of anxiety - have fewer episodes of anxiety or panic on fewer days
Improve sleep - sleep for 8 hours uninterrupted each night, wake up feeling refreshed, reduce the need to nap
Increased energy - feel more energetic and motivated each day, stop needing a 3pm pick-me-up
For Gastrointestinal Health:
Improve bowel health - have 1-2 healthy bowel movements each day, reduce pain/ diarrhoea/constipation
Reduce feelings of bloating or indigestion after meals
You can see there’s no shortage of health goals we can use instead of weight loss! The key to effective health goals is to make sure they are:
Relevant to you
Make sure your goal is directly related to a symptom you would like to address, and you can see how it is related.
2. Important to you
Your goal should be something you’re motivated to strive for, now and in the longer term.
3. Realistic
Your goal needs to be achievable (and preferable has a way of measuring if it has been achieved!).
Are you ready to work on your health goals? Would you like support to improve your health and quality of life? Let’s work together. Click here to book your appointment now!
About the Author
Lizzie Stow is a degree-qualified naturopath from Newcastle, Australia.
To find out more about Lizzie, click here.
To book an appointment with Lizzie click here.
References
Lee, I., Cooney, L. G., Saini, S., Smith, M. E., Sammel, M. D., Allison, K. C., & Dokras, A. (2017). Increased risk of disordered eating in polycystic ovary syndrome. Fertility and Sterility, 107(3), 796–802.
Memon, A. N., Gowda, A. S., Rallabhandi, B., Bidika, E., Fayyaz, H., Salib, M., & Cancarevic, I. (2020). Have our attempts to curb obesity done more harm than good? Cureus, 12(9).
Siahpush, M., Tibbits, M., Shaikh, R. A., Singh, G. K., Kessler, A. S., & Huang, T. T.-K. (2015). Dieting increases the likelihood of subsequent obesity and BMI gain: Results from a prospective study of an Australian national sample. International Journal of Behavioural Medicine, 22(5).
Thannickal, A., Brutocao, C., Alsawas, M., Morrow, A., Zaiem, F., Murad, M. H., & Chattha, A. J. (2020). Eating, sleeping and sexual function disorders in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Endocrinology, 92(4), 338–349.