Dying to look good? – The toxicity of weight-loss culture
Kaelyn Blessinger
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — As temperatures rise and summer activities ramp up, many people feel increased pressure to lose weight and achieve a “summer body.” However, health and nutrition experts warn that this seasonal fixation can do much more harm than good.
A summer body often emphasizes the importance of weight loss as well as having a flat stomach, visible muscle definition, and lower body fat. Social media trends have been pushing this ideal lately. From advertisements on products to keep you from eating, extreme fitness challenges, and unrealistic expectations about appearance.
Some people feel as though they need to dramatically change their bodies before stepping onto a beach, attending a barbecue, or simply enjoying the warmer weather. Health and nutrition experts say that mindset can be harmful.
“There’s the emotional component to it,” Dr. Brady Wirrick, Intermountain Wellness Clinic, stated. “We all want to look like the people in magazines or movies. People think they’re doing the right thing by exercising as hard as they can every day and drastically cutting calories. They see the scale move, but then they start feeling terrible.”
While exercise and mindful eating are important components of overall health, experts warn that taking either to extremes can have serious consequences. Excessive exercise and severe calorie restriction can negatively affect organs, bones, metabolism, and mental health.
For some individuals, the pressure to lose weight can contribute to eating disorders.
“I did have an eating disorder growing up,” Chole Goodspell-Hall said. “Because I was the bigger kid, I suffered from bulimia, and it eventually turned into anorexia when I was a teenager. A lot of my family didn’t know.”
Eating disorders are complex mental health conditions characterized by unhealthy obsessions with food, weight, or body shape. They can lead to dangerous behaviors such as restrictive eating, binge eating, or self-induced purging.
Mental health advocates and nutrition experts stress that healthy weight loss should never come at the expense of physical or emotional well-being.
“Anytime there’s an obsession or a feeling that you need to restrict a certain food group or a specific number of calories, that’s unhealthy,” Emily Sucher, Registered Dietician for Live Well Dietitian, said. “Even the guilt that comes from eating a brownie. A healthy mindset is being able to enjoy a brownie and move on. An unhealthy mindset is feeling like you have to work out for an extra hour to make up for it.”
Now, Goodsell-Hall promotes healthy eating habits and body acceptance within her family and community. Her message is simple: health is not defined by unrealistic beauty standards.
“You don’t need to deprive yourself of the little things in life to maintain an unrealistic beauty standard,” Goodsell-Hall said. “Every body is a summer body. If your body exists in the summer, it’s a summer body.”
Experts recommend focusing on sustainable habits such as balanced nutrition, regular physical activity, adequate sleep, and realistic goals rather than quick-fix diets or punishing workout routines.
Ultimately, achieving a healthy weight starts with understanding your body’s unique needs and working with them, not against them.
The pursuit of health should be about feeling stronger, more energized, and more confident, not meeting an impossible standard set by social media or popular culture.
For more information on healthy recipes, click HERE for Goodsell-Hall’s TikTok page.