Weight Loss is not the Motivational Health Hack we were Promised
You may have heard me say before that weight loss is a barrier, not a goal - and I say this with my full chest not only as someone who experienced this first hand (you probably know the story, all or nothing cycles of dieting and punishing your body with exercise to be smaller) and as someone who has read the research on why this happens.
One of my favourite papers to share with my fitness community, is a 2019 systematic review about how exercise motivations can impact body image and eating habits/behaviours.
With this paper now being 7 years old, it’s important that we keep up to date with where this research is currently at and what more recent research can add to this conversation.
Autonomous Motivations Vs the Culturally Endorsed Nightmare
The 2019 systematic review asked a deceptively simple question:
Does why we exercise affect how we feel about our bodies and how we eat?
Short answer, yes massively so. Which feels weird to say because when you read most research papers the answer is almost always, it depends.
The authors reviewed 26 studies looking at adults who exercise and examined how different types of motivation relate to:
Body image (body appreciation, dissatisfaction, shame, self-worth)
Eating behaviours (intuitive eating, disinhibition, dieting, emotional eating)
The framework behind it all is Self-Determination Theory (SDT) – which basically says motivation exists on a spectrum from autonomous (I do this because I value it or enjoy it) to controlled (I do this because I feel pressure, guilt, or want approval).
If you’re a Snack Pass member, you might have watched the video in the Unf*ck It Course all about this piece of research. This course is designed to help you reframe your relationship with movement and is included in the membership.
And spoiler, your fitness instructor yelling ‘summer bodies are made in winter’ is not neutral on this spectrum.
Encouraging Exercise for Weight Loss in Young People May Hinder Future Exercise Adherence
A 2022 article looked at whether exercise motivated by weight loss actually predicted high physical activity over time, from being a kid into adulthood.
Absolutely no one will be surprised to learn that…
Weight-motivated exercise does not reliably predict more physical activity long term.
And this disproportionately impacted people at higher weights.
In other words, weight as motivation is not a strong driver of sustained physical activity over time. That flies in the face of the old assumption that harsh motivation will make you stick with exercise forever - another reason why Joe Wicks shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near kids PE lessons or on Cbeebies.
I will however state the nuance (because we’re grown). Most studies were cross-sectional (a snapshot in time), so we can’t say cause and effect with total certainty.
But the pattern across 26 studies?
Very consistent.
The authors conclude that promoting autonomous motivation should be a key focus for health and exercise professionals.
Which means fitness spaces that centre:
Joy
Function
Strength
Community
Internal cues
…aren’t soft. They’re evidence-based.
Health Centric Eating Behaviours are Significantly Related to a Broad Range of Positive Health Outcomes
A 2024 systematic review pooled data from 86 observational studies (≈95,000 people) to look at weight neutral or health centric eating behaviours including intuitive eating, mindful eating, and eating competence.
These behaviours are:
Eating based on internal hunger/satiety cues
Mindful attention to food without judgment
Competence trusting yourself around food
People who score higher on these gentle, non weight focused eating patterns also tended to have:
Better diet quality and more fruit/veg intake
Lower disordered eating
Lower depressive symptoms
Better physical activity habits (the two tend to go hand in hand)
Better psychological wellbeing and self-compassion
In this study, eating that didn’t centre weight was just plain healthier.
It wasn’t focused on weight loss but on relationship with food and body experience and it correlated with positive physical and mental health indicators. Which feels absolutely shocking in a world OBSESSED with weight loss and demonising certain foods.
The Takeaways
Western culture tells women (and increasingly men, but let’s be real, mostly women) that
Your body is a project.
Exercise is punishment.
Health is a moral obligation.
Thinness = virtue.
This growing body of research shows that when people internalise appearance-driven motivations, it correlates with worse psychological and eating outcomes.
So all that ‘no excuses’ and ‘burn it off’ rhetoric? It’s not just cringe. It’s psychologically corrosive.
The 2019 paper suggests that environments promoting autonomy, competence and relatedness (core SDT needs) foster healthier motivations - and it’s one of the main research papers I used to inspire how The Snack Pass is set up.
Regardless of whether you plan on signing up to be a member of my gang, or you’re doing it solo, fitness behaviours that are built on feeling strong, clearing your head, supporting your future self and celebrating what your body can do - that’s where the psychological gold lives.
And frankly, in 2026, we deserve better than bootcamp misogyny disguised as empowerment.