Since my teenage years, I’ve repeatedly reorganized my life around the scale, thinking, “If the number goes down, everything will get easier.”
But time and again, I learned that my weight isn’t a fixed state, it’s a constantly shifting number that sends me messages—messages my body understands better than I do. During pregnancy, I gained a lot of weight, yet two months after giving birth, I was slimmer than before. Other times, I suspected I had entered perimenopause because I gained a few pounds and my weight simply wouldn’t budge—then after weeks of bed rest for surgery, I quietly dropped back to my “competition weight.”
Over the years, it became clear that my body follows its own logic and knows far more about what I need than I can see from the outside. This was the first moment I started seeing my weight loss goals differently. But there are many reasons why I would never again make a New Year’s resolution to “lose weight this year.”
The Illusion of Weight Loss Resolutions
Research makes it clear that most weight-related resolutions aren’t just unrealistic, they can actually be harmful. Experts have studied for decades why lasting weight loss is so rare, and the picture is clear: the vast majority of diets don’t deliver long-term results. If fad diets worked, losing weight once would be enough, and we wouldn’t keep battling extra pounds.
Instead, the reality is a cycle of losing weight, regaining it, trying again, and facing even more disappointment.
Weight isn’t a simple button you press in January and it’s done. Genetics, hormones, social factors, and lifestyle all influence whether we gain or lose weight—and many of these are beyond our conscious control. Yet culture and environment keep telling us that we alone are responsible for our weight, and if we just “try hard enough,” we’ll succeed on our own.
The High Cost of the Yo-Yo Effect
Perhaps the biggest trap of dieting isn’t just that it often fails, but the side effects it brings. The yo-yo effect—losing weight repeatedly only to regain it—has been linked to worse health markers than never dieting at all. It’s associated with increased inflammation, higher blood pressure, unstable blood sugar, and ultimately, even more weight. Plus, it can seriously damage self-esteem.
Most people lose a bit of faith in themselves with every failed resolution, and guilt and shame often hurt more than the extra pounds.
That said, this is no excuse to ignore our health responsibilities. But health doesn’t start with starving ourselves or obsessing over numbers on a scale. It begins with creating steady, loving, and sustainable habits—ones that don’t punish or focus on lack but celebrate possibilities and mindfulness.
Our Body Isn’t a Project to Restart Every New Year
One major flaw of weight loss resolutions is treating a target weight as the goal. When resolutions focus on results instead of actions, frustration is almost guaranteed. Over-focusing on weight can also lead to disordered eating, obsessive self-monitoring, or even eating disorders. From there, it’s a short step to anxious self-surveillance, fearful avoidance of food, excessive exercise, or losing control over eating.
When we fixate too much on weight, we damage the natural connection with our body that we should nurture every day.
After this year’s experiences, I clearly see that if I’m making any resolution, it won’t be about my weight. It will be about my body—being more attentive and compassionate, building more sustainable habits that last, and steering far away from any form of self-punishment.
