Research
Adherence
Psychological factors, including anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem, are significant barriers to weight loss, often leading to emotional eating and avoidance of exercise.
Address mental health first. If you are anxious or depressed, seek support (therapy, counseling) to manage emotions without food. This reduces the psychological barrier to exercise and improves adherence to dietary changes.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
I think it is the compulsivity and anxiety. Every time I was nervous, I wanted to eat a sweet... Also, family issues. All the sadness, all the anguish also affected me. It was something that prevented me from eating properly” (P12)
Why this rating
Qualitative data; self-reported psychological states.
Source
Views and Experiences of Overweight and Obese Adults on the Barriers and Facilitators to Weight Loss in Southeast Brazil: A Qualitative Study
Caroline Morgan et al. · Research Square (Research Square) · 2020
DOI 10.21203/rs.2.21048/v1
clinical_guideline · n=15
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- High financial costs of healthy food and gym memberships act as primary barriers to weight loss, making unhealthy lifestyle habits more accessible and affordable than healthy ones.Moderate
- Multidisciplinary care involving psychologists, nutritionists, and doctors is a key facilitator for successful weight loss, providing comprehensive support and addressing psychological barriers.Moderate
- Expert patients (peers who have successfully lost weight) serve as powerful motivators and educators, providing realistic expectations and inspiration for weight loss.Moderate
Related findings · Adherence
- Regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity) reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality by 20-30% and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes by 25-35%.Strong
- Increasing physical activity from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one in middle adulthood significantly reduces the risk of coronary events compared to remaining sedentary.Strong
- Resistance exercise is the only intervention capable of consistently restoring muscle function and strength in sarcopenia, partially overcoming age-related anabolic resistance.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →