Trying to get your body in better shape or build healthier habits? You’re not alone. According to a 2024 Gallup poll, 4 in 10 U.S. adults identify as overweight, and over half (55%) report wanting to lose weight. Conventional wisdom about weight loss often focuses on two types of behavior change: eating a healthier diet and exercising regularly. While both are essential components of a healthy lifestyle, they don’t tell the whole story. In reality, our body weight is influenced by a wide range of physical, emotional, and environmental causes, including:

• Genetics and inherited conditions: Family history and genetic predispositions to conditions like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease can play a significant role in metabolism, body composition, and how your body stores fat.
• Aging: As we get older, we lose muscle mass and experience other physiological changes that impact our ability to burn calories and do aerobic exercise.
• Sleep: Getting fewer hours or reduced quality of sleep can impact hormones that control your appetite. Sleeping for shorter periods of time is associated with increased hormones that produce feelings of hunger, as well as higher cortisol levels.
• Chronic stress: High levels of stress and anxiety produce more cortisol, a “stress hormone” that can lead to overeating, especially sugary or high-fat foods, and promote fat storage around the abdomen.
• Medication side effects: Certain prescription medications, including antidepressants, antipsychotics, and steroids, can contribute to weight gain or make weight loss more difficult.

Everyone’s body is unique, and navigating the many complex factors that impact your weight can be confusing and overwhelming. Whether you’re trying to lose weight or just improve the way you feel, Whittier Street Health Center is here to support you at every step of your wellness journey. Our Adult Weight Management Clinic and Wellness Center provide personalized and compassionate care to help you make realistic, lasting changes to your health and lifestyle. We offer a whole-person approach that addresses the impacts of physical, emotional, and behavioral health on weight gain, and work with patients to create a customized care management plan that targets all of these areas. Our clinic aims not only to manage conditions like obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, but to prevent future hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and other procedures that contribute to high health care costs. Recognizing the impact of social and environmental determinants of health on weight, our clinic also works to refer patients in need to our Food Pantry and other Wellness Center initiatives to improve access to nutritious and culturally relevant food options.

To learn more about our Adult Healthy Weight Clinic or schedule a consultation, please call (617) 858-2421 or visit https://www.wshc.org/services/specialty-services/.