50 Awesome Weight Loss Transformations That Prove Change Is Possible

Obesity is not something we should romanticize or normalize. But we should be mindful that there are healthy and unhealthy ways to lose weight. Crash dieting, shady supplements, and unrealistic goals only hinder efforts for long-term weight loss. It should be about lifelong habit changes and the desire to live a healthier and longer life.

Our fixation on weight as an indicator of health might also be misguided. BMI, a formula used to calculate body fat, recently has been under fire by health experts. They claim that it might lead to missed diagnoses, mistrust between the doctor and the patient, and delay the patients from getting medical care because of shame.

To find out more about why our society's obsession with weight can be dangerous, Bored Panda reached out to registered dietician Samantha Gollup. She helps families achieve a better quality of life by improving their nutrition and stopping restrictive eating. Samantha claims that we live in a culture that's obsessed with thinness and individual control.

"We're constantly exposed to media that glorifies weight loss: 'before and after' photos, magazine headlines about how to lose 10 pounds fast, celebrities revealing their diets, and TV shows that use body shaming as a punchline," she lists. "From a young age, we're taught that our bodies are a problem to be fixed."

This diet-obsessed culture creates a false belief that we can control our body size and that thinness equals health, success, and morality, Samantha says. "In reality, health is multifaceted," she points out. "It's influenced by genetics, environment, access to care, sleep, stress, social support, and more. Weight alone tells us very little."

Weight-shaming is also a big problem in our culture. "When someone gains weight, they're often met with unsolicited comments or concern, regardless of how they're actually doing," Samantha notes. "And when someone loses weight – sometimes due to stress, illness, or disordered eating – they're often praised. That's the problem."

In her line of work, Samantha is noticing a gradual shift in people's attitudes toward bigger bodies, so she's hopeful. "I've seen growing momentum toward body neutrality and body acceptance – especially among younger generations."

"There's more conversation about intuitive eating, body diversity, and unlearning diet culture. That said, we're also seeing an increase in eating disorders, particularly in adolescents, so we still have a lot of work to do," the dietitian observes.

Samantha's goal is to shift people's thinking from trying to change their bodies to taking care of them – no matter their size.

"Let's stop equating appearance with health, and start centering respect, evidence-based care, and compassion. Bodies change," Samantha says. "They age, stretch, grow, and shift. That's not failure—it's being human."