Weight-loss treatments lead to improved quality of life: Study
· Toronto Sun
Sometimes it’s more than just shedding a few pounds.
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When it comes to weight loss, it changes many aspects in life, including daily routines, how we spend money and socializing with others.
According to a new study by online prescription and consultation site MedExpress, 77% of Canadians feel their overall quality of life has improved since starting weight-loss treatment.
Last month, MedExpress surveyed 551 Canadians who were using a weight-loss treatment or seriously considered one. Participants ranged in generation, including Gen Z, millennials, Gen X and baby boomers.
What they found revealed positive changes for participants, including a change in eating habits and confidence boosts, benefits that surprised them, with most not seeing it coming.
Shifts in routines, eating habits
Sometimes changes are small, other times they’re bigger. What matters is consistency in change.
When it comes to food, weight-loss treatments are influencing how, when and why Canadians eat.
Of those surveyed for the MedExpress study, 94% of them reported a change in their eating habits. Many stated they’re eating out less, with 83% of them cutting back on eating takeout or at restaurants.
Cutting back on take-out food also positively hits the wallet, with the typical user spending $50 less a week on grub.
Life quality also improved along with the change in eating habits. Seventy-seven per cent of those surveyed reported feeling better overall after starting treatment.
Those considering trying a weight loss treatment were already making adjustments to their lives, which include: choosing healthier foods (55%), reduction on snacking (46%), eating fewer meals a day (36%), and buying less food overall (32%).
Sixty-four per cent of Canadians said they are already cutting back on eating out, which suggests that shifts in lifestyle can started before weight-loss treatment.
Evolving social life, confidence level
With weight loss also comes a growing sense of confidence and a willingness to engage physically and socially.
Of those surveyed, 72% reported feeling more confident upon starting a weight loss treatment. Their social life also changed, with 54% stating they were more willing to partake in social activities than before — especially among Gen Z, with 67% of them reporting an increased willingness.
With increased confidence, many of those surveyed tried out new forms of movement, including: walking (36%), working out (27%), running or jogging (19%), yoga or pilates (16%), swimming (15%), cycling (12%) and group fitness/team sports (9%).
About 67% of Canadians in the study felt more motivated to grow and stick to a long-term wellness plan, while 65% reported an increased willpower.
Those who considered weight-loss treatment reported early changes such as: trying a new physical activity (49%), feeling more confident (39%), and becoming more socially engaged (32%).
Not all are open about their experiences though, with more than half of those surveyed stating they have hidden their weight loss treatment from someone in their life.
Unexpected benefits
Canadians are also rethinking what weight care looks like, something beyond emotional and physical changes.
One of the benefits those surveyed didn’t expect was that more than half of them (52%) had fewer food cravings or less “food noise” as a result of weight loss treatment. Fourteen per cent of them were surprised by a reduction in emotional eating.
Sixty-nine per cent of Canadians felt that weight loss treatments are helping them return to a healthy body size. However, only 32% of them saw treatment as a “natural” for of weight loss, showing mixed opinions on the subject matter.
Support for broader access to weight loss programs was strong, especially from women, with 82% of women and 70% of men thinking treatments should be covered by Canadian public health insurance.
Differences by generation stood out in the study, with 82% of millennials and 81% of Gen X supporting coverage, while Gen Z showed lower support at 65%.
For many Canadians, these changes from weight-loss treatments feel like a reset rather than a restriction. The study’s findings highlight a broader shift toward sustainable, lifestyle-focused wellness.
It’s not about losing weight; it’s about what people gain along the way.