Breaking free from harmful 'summer body' weight loss myths
Instead of focusing on myths, self-blame, or the idea of fitting into a certain size or hitting a specific number on a scale, people should approach it as uniquely as possible
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When you were younger, you probably saw it on every magazine cover. Now that social and digital media have taken over, it’s likely all over your feeds: the summer body and everything you can do to get it in as little time as possible.
The idea that only one specific size fits in with the “summer body” category comes straight down the vanity pipeline and into the minds of people everywhere who have weight loss goals. Why? Because it’s easier to sell products when you can make people believe that they don’t belong in a season unless they take the supplements, kill themselves on a treadmill, or eat less than a toddler.
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The promise to drop inches and pounds by only doing x, y and z always catches people’s attention because the reality is that weight loss isn’t that simple. And for people who are actively trying to lose weight, these detrimental messages are especially harmful because they’re shrouded in myths that go against the very fabric of what it means to healthily lose fat and reach a healthy body weight.
Dr. Kelly Anderson, a family physician and Medical Director for Felix Health, Canada’s first integrated healthcare platform, notes that these myths stem from a lack of understanding of what having obesity or overweight really means.
“Our collective understanding of obesity hasn’t caught up with recent research that shows up to 70 per cent of weight is determined by biology as well as genetic factors,” she said in an email to Healthing. “The medical and scientific community’s understanding of obesity and weight gain has evolved tremendously, but the mainstream is still catching up. As a result, these myths tend to get repeated and reinforced.”
The damaging calories-in/calories-out narrative
If you’ve ever followed a fitness or health influencer and saw the adage “calories in/calories out,” you’re not alone. But that’s one big myth that, while it plays a role in overall weight, can be severely incorrect.
Firstly, this metric doesn’t take into account the complex nature of obesity and weight management that’s ingrained into our bodies from an evolutionary standpoint. We can eat less and move more, but even doing so doesn’t guarantee a person will reach a healthy weight because, again, it’s not that simple.
“Our bodies were designed to try to hold onto our energy stores in times of starvation or famine, for example. Our bodies have counter-regulatory mechanisms that kick in to maintain the status quo, so our bodies respond very strongly to changes in our body size. That’s why people often find that when they start to lose weight, they feel even more hungry and have more food cravings, for example. This is because our body is “fighting” against the weight loss,” said Andrea Row, Obesity Medicine Specialist and Assistant Medical Director with Felix Health, in an email to Healthing.
There is also something called a weight set point, she notes, which is a target weight that our bodies want to bounce back to after significant weight loss. Physiologically, even after a person loses weight, their body feels as though it’s not where it should naturally be, and tries to force itself back to its previous state.
The other players in weight management noone talks about
There are also other factors, such as hormones, genetics and other biological markers that contribute to a person’s weight, regardless of their activity levels or food intake.
“Hormones are an important regulatory, signalling and control mechanism in our body. Many people are most concerned about their thyroid or their cortisol levels when it comes to weight management. However, there are a lot of other hormones also involved that we are just learning about, and most of our current obesity treatment medications work by interacting with these other hormones,” said Rowe. “From a biologic perspective, we are also just starting to learn about some additional factors that influence our health and body size, like our metabolic rate, gut bacteria, fat tissue itself, and our brain.”
This is correlated with another significant myth around weight loss: that it’s a result of a person’s poor lifestyle choices and nothing more.
“We’ve been societally conditioned to play the ‘blame game’ when it comes to people living with obesity or overweight,” said Dr. Anderson. “People incorrectly think it’s a lifestyle choice, a lack of willpower, or some sort of moral or personal failure.”
She also notes that the way diet culture is set up, the be-all-end-all of weight loss comes down to dieting and exercising, when that couldn’t be further from the truth. This sentiment just further pushes self-blame onto people who do all the right things according to society’s understanding, and don’t lose weight.
External judgement from others who believe that it’s up to the individual and if they’re not succeeding, they’re not trying hard enough, also plays a role.
“People with this medical condition might also experience self-judgement. They see others around them—their family, friends, coworkers—successfully losing weight and think, ‘It’s my fault.’ Both the internal and external judgement and bias can cause a lot of harm and distress to patients,” said Rowe.
Over-focusing on the scale
Many people choose a specific number on the scale as their weight loss goal. It is often based on the Body Mass Index (BMI), a highly outdated measure of overall health that uses height and weight measurements to determine if a person is in the healthy range. The problem with BMI is that it doesn’t consider several other markers of health that someone who falls into the category of having overweight or obesity could be flourishing in.
For example, it cannot determine how much muscle a person has versus fat. So, if a person has a BMI that says they have obesity, but they’re pure muscle, they can be classified as unhealthy even if they’re not.
It also doesn’t account for body composition or where the body stores the most fat. People could fall into an “unhealthy” BMI category but be completely healthy because they have very little excess fat in areas that cause health issues, such as the abdomen.
The number on the scale, therefore, isn’t as useful as other markers of health can be.
“It’s important to understand that overweight and obesity are chronic, relapsing medical conditions, but that all bodies are not created equal. Maintaining good health does occur at different body sizes for different people. Focusing on overall health, as opposed to a particular number on the scale, or Body Mass Index (BMI), is of utmost importance,” said Rowe.
According to Dr. Anderson, “that’s why it’s important to reinforce that a weight management journey is about overall health improvements and not simply about attaining a ‘goal weight’.”
Lack of understanding breeds improper care
The harmful ideas that are perpetrated by many in the wellness industry, including some medical professionals, hail from a complete lack of understanding about obesity as a chronic disease. Because of that, people who have obesity or overweight but are trying to get proper treatment may forgo the medical route because they, too, believe that it’s on them.
Rowe notes that a lack of knowledge doesn’t just affect those who aren’t in the medical profession. Due to that, people will often fear talking to their doctors about exploring other options, such as medications that have been proven effective, for fear of stigma from those around them and those who took an oath to care for them in times of illness.
“Of course, there’s also the stigma that exploring prescription medications for weight loss is a form of ‘cheating’ or that the patient is a ‘failure’ because they require medications,” she said, later continuing. “Healthcare practitioners might have their own opinions and biases about pharmacologic weight management treatments, which can be used as an additive treatment alongside healthy food choices and physical activity. Overall, when it’s difficult to get access to knowledgeable and compassionate care, misinformation spreads and people turn to less credible, non-evidence-based sources for help.”
The only way to change the narrative is to keep having conversations and pushing for a better understanding of obesity as a chronic disease, because, as Dr. Anderson notes, education is key.
“Shame, blame and judgement will stop once it’s widely understood that people don’t choose to live in a larger body and there are many factors that influence body size and health,” she said. “We need to continue to have conversations and educate people about the science behind weight management so that we can start treating people by giving them effective tools and strategies for managing their health and medical conditions.”
Shutting out the noise
When it comes to reaching a healthy body weight, there’s no one way to do it because everybody is different and the reason for their weight, regardless of what it might be, varies. That said, it’s essential to block out societal myths that continue to hinder weight management overall, especially for people living with overweight or obesity.
According to Rowe, being “cautious and vigilant” about products and information is the only way to reduce the chances that a person will fall into the trap of predatory products and methods for weight loss that lack any evidence.
Dr. Anderson urges people to verify claims made with reputable sources, such as peer-reviewed research and clinical studies, and always double-check any potential treatments with a healthcare team.
She also notes that the three pillars of treatment are where people should start any weight loss journey they are embarking on. They are:
- Behavioural and psychological interventions
- Pharmacological treatments
- Surgical treatments
“Not everyone needs all three types of treatment, but a combination of the various options can be helpful for many people. This means that patients should be treated with lifestyle or behavioural strategies, and some may also benefit from medications and/or surgery. This is considered to be the current, evidence-based approach to weight management according to experts and Obesity Canada guidelines,” she said.
At the end of the day, weight management is a highly complex and personal journey. Instead of focusing on myths, self-blame, or the idea of fitting into a certain size or hitting a specific number on a scale, people should approach it as uniquely as possible.
“Focus on attaining a body size that’s sustainable in the long-term while enjoying good health and happy living. Above all, consider the things that you want to do in your life, taking into account your lifestyle, personal circumstances, wants, dreams, goals, desires, likes and dislikes,” said Rowe.
