An Investigation into the Impact of Weight Loss on Self-Esteem and Body Satisfaction

Aims – Obesity poses a huge threat in modern society, physical health issues are often a consequence however so are psychological issues. Research confirms this however self-esteem (SE) and body satisfaction (BS) issues can occur in individuals classified as a normal weight but still wish to lose weight. This study aims to investigate the role that weight loss plays in self-esteem and body satisfaction regardless of BMI. Methods – 295 participants completed the Body Self-Esteem Scale and then the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, this took approximately 10 minutes to adequately complete. Participants were categorised into three groups 1. No desire to lose weight (n = 81), 2. Attempting with a support group (n = 96) 3. Attempting without a support group (n = 118). Results – Analysis, using ANOVAs, show that individuals with no desire to lose weight have higher body satisfaction than those attempting to lose weight while higher percentages of weight loss (with respect to the individual’s goal) are correlated with higher levels of self-esteem and body satisfaction, thus proving hypotheses 2,5 and 6 true. Discussion – Findings demonstrate that weight does in fact have an impact on self-esteem and body satisfaction while previous research along with limitations are also discussed