The secret to successful weight loss is social

Conversely, the research from Slimming World shows that feeling connected in a group of kind and understanding people, who care about your success and    positively support you to succeed, makes all the difference when you are trying to lose weight, and highlights the slimming power of social connection. 

More than a third (38%) of those questioned in a survey of 2,000 adults* said they feel less socially connected now than they did before the pandemic, and only 36% currently feel a sense of belonging within their local community. Meanwhile, nearly half (44%) say they are meeting fewer people in real life than before March 2020 and 31% say they feel socially isolated even when with other people. 

What’s more, amid an increase in people working remotely and with a growing reliance on technology to keep in touch with friends and family, 34% of adults questioned agreed they were communicating with people on social media and online now more than before the pandemic.

When asked about the challenges of trying to manage their weight since the pandemic and lockdowns, 31% said they found it more difficult, with 12% of those stating it was much more difficult. Of those surveyed, more than one in three (36%) reported that they had gained weight over the course of the past two years (compared to 19% who had lost weight). Among respondents who had gained weight, more than half (58%) reported gaining between 1 stone and 3 stone 13lbs, while 16% reported gaining 4 stone or more. Women were more likely to say they had gained weight (42%) than men (30%). 

Of those who gained weight, seven in 10 (72%) have tried to lose weight in the past two years, with almost half (49%) embarking on a weight loss campaign more than once. These respondents were most likely to cite going it alone (32%) and using a weight loss or fitness app alone (13%) when asked how they attempted to slim.

Some 30% of those who said they’d gained weight and 29% of those with a BMI higher than 25, which sees them classed as overweight, said they have experienced bullying or discrimination because of their weight. Of those respondents whose BMI categorised them as overweight or very overweight, 40% said they avoided going out as a result of this bullying and discrimination and a third (32%) felt isolated.

The research also polled members of Slimming World’s 7,700 community weight loss groups**. Three in four people who joined a Slimming World group said they were more confident and self-assured (74%) as a result. They had also made new friends (73%), felt more connected (68%) and, crucially, 93% of Slimming World members felt committed to their weight loss. Slimming World, the UK’s and Ireland’s leading weight management organisation who commissioned the research by Censuswide, says the findings show that providing opportunities for real-life connection with others, in a powerfully motivating weight loss group setting, is key to stemming the tide of the obesity epidemic and provide the authentic sense of belonging that people are searching for.

Dr Jacquie Lavin, Special Advisor on the Science of Weight Management at Slimming World says: “After years of lockdowns and social distancing, it’s unsurprising that people are feeling less socially connected than ever before and missing that connection. And struggling with your weight can be an especially lonely place to be. Technology played a vital role in keeping us in touch when we couldn’t be together in person, but there is no substitute for the benefits of real-life, face-to-face connection.

“The sense of belonging our members instantly feel within our groups helps to lift them out of the loneliness and isolation they tell us they feel, to shed any burden of guilt and shame they carry as a result of the way they feel they’re often treated in society and to make them feel more valued. We believe this feeling of being part of something and knowing that others genuinely care about your success is as important as our healthy eating plan when it comes to successful weight loss, as it’s what helps keep members coming back to group on those weeks when their commitment might falter, to get the support they need.

“As their self-esteem and self-belief grows, which we find happens in our groups within just a few weeks, they feel safe enough to open up and do the deeper thinking needed to break ingrained habits and make changes. What’s more, they also have more confidence in their ability to adopt the new healthy, life-changing habits which the group supports them to build, and which makes losing weight easier and more successful in the long run. Slimming World’s whole person, mind-and-body approach equips members with the knowledge, skills and confidence to lose weight and to successfully keep it off, to change their eating habits, become more active at their own pace, and to develop and share real-life strategies to deal with potential pitfalls, such as increasing mental toughness and learning to be kinder to themselves if they lapse.”  

When looking at both the general population and Slimming World members, the majority reported that a lack of judgement and humiliation (84%), feeling helped to succeed (82%), receiving kindness and understanding (82%), feeling completely safe (79%) and being able to open up to others to share successes and difficulties (79%) were important for losing weight successfully. Slimming World members were three times more likely to say they experienced no judgement or humiliation when losing weight than non-members, nearly five times more likely than non-members to feel they had received kindness and understanding and more than four times more likely to say giving and receiving support had been part of their experience than non-members.***

Harriet Peacock, who lost 20st with Slimming World, says after years of experiencing cruelty from strangers about her weight she was worried about joining a weight loss group, so much so that her sister phoned ahead before her first visit. She says: “I’ve always been lucky to have a wonderful family and close friends around me so I wasn’t lonely in that sense, but I felt very alone in my struggle with my weight. Even years before lockdown I was in my own personal hell of a lockdown because of my weight. 

“That changed almost instantly when I joined Slimming World. The fear I had about walking through the doors was immense, but straightaway it was such a safe space and I felt utterly accepted in a way I hadn’t for a very long time. There’s no judgement or humiliation, just kindness, care and respect. I became part of a community of people who understood what it felt like to be unhappy with your weight and I wasn’t looked down at in any way. My faith in strangers was restored, and I knew I was in the right place – physically and emotionally – to get the help I needed..” 

*Data relates to a nationally representative sample of 2,003 people in the UK surveyed between 25^th and 28^th July 2022

**A random sample of 1,113 Slimming World members were polled via Slimming World’s member website during the same period

***Data compares results from 1,113 Slimming World members and 1,662 people in the nationally representative sample who were not members of Slimming World