The non-profit organization Équilibre brings together health professionals and citizens. It aims to promote a positive body image and encourages body diversity. In a press release published Monday, he denounces the diet industry which he considers dishonest in the face of its promise of rapid transformation of a person’s physique.
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Andrée-Ann Dufour Bouchard, nutritionist and spokesperson for Équilibre, believes that the diet industry has adapted its message in recent years to put forward messages of well-being and methods promoted as being less restrictive.
She points out that science shows that the majority of people will regain the weight lost after stopping a diet, “maintaining a vicious circle where individuals wrongly blame themselves for having lacked willpower.”
The Léger survey on behalf of Équilibre was carried out in October 2024 among 1,804 Quebecers aged 14 and over. Nearly half of respondents (48%) reported being obsessed with controlling their weight or appearance.
The results also indicate that 51% of Quebecers feel guilty for not doing more physical activity, 37% feel guilty for not eating better and 32% say that their appearance affects their self-esteem.
“The pressure to meet society’s unrealistic standards is very strong, as are the promises of the weight loss industry. I can understand that many people want to change their weight or their appearance. However, body dissatisfaction does not promote better physical or mental health, on the contrary. It sucks us into a spiral of guilt, pressure and negatively affects the relationship we have with the body, food and physical activity,” declared Ms. Dufour Bouchard in a press release.
The nutritionist instead suggests that people who are dissatisfied with their weight adopt gradual changes in their lifestyle habits.
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