Can weight loss cause depression?

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Wondering if weight loss can cause depression? The simple answer: it depends on how you do it.

Losing weight isn't easy. Overhauling your lifestyle and cutting calories can be a real test of willpower. In fact, it can sometimes feel like a bit of a chore.

That's normal. However, if you start to experience depressive symptoms – such as a persistent low mood or constant fatigue – it should ring alarm bells.

Many people find that losing weight improves their day-to-day mood. But sometimes, the opposite happens – weight loss actually harms a person's mental health.

While everyone is different, this often happens when a person relies on harmful weight loss methods like skipping meals. In other words, it's not just about losing weight, but the way you go about it.

Let's explore the link between weight loss and depression, plus everything you can do to protect your mental health while losing weight.

Harmful ways of losing weight can make depressive symptoms more likely

Experts agree that eating a balanced diet and doing a sensible amount of exercise are the foundations of healthy weight loss. While treatments like Wegovy, Mounjaro or even weight loss surgery can help, they're not a replacement for these healthy fundamentals.

However, some weight loss methods don't follow these principles. Skipping meals and other harmful weight loss methods may initially yield fast results, but this often comes at a cost.

Not only do these diets often cause rapid weight fluctuations, which can carry physical health risks, but they also appear to be bad for mental health.

A study involving more than 9,000 participants found that using harmful weight loss methods increased the odds of experiencing depressive symptoms. These harmful methods included misusing diet pills, skipping meals and deliberately vomiting after eating.¹

Certain groups became more depressed while using harmful weight loss strategies, too. That included men, young people and those without certain conditions such as diabetes and high cholesterol.¹

Protective weight loss methods can decrease the odds of experiencing depression

Picture of an assortment of fruit and vegetables.

As well as looking at harmful weight loss methods, the study examined the effects of 'protective methods'. These are strategies often associated with healthy weight loss, such as:

Switching to lower-calorie foods
Eating more fruits and vegetables
Exercising

What they found was interesting. These protective weight loss methods had the opposite effect of the harmful methods. They reduced the odds of experiencing depressive symptoms among the participants.¹

Overall, protective methods reduced the odds of depressive symptoms by 50%, while harmful methods increased the odds by 172%.¹

Weight loss method	Type	Odds of experiencing depression¹
Exercise	Protective	39% lower odds
More fruits and vegetables	Protective	22% lower odds
Lower-calorie foods	Protective	20% lower odds
Skipping meals	Harmful	71% higher odds
Abusing diet pills	Harmful	90% higher odds
Vomiting	Harmful	161% higher odds

It's not clear exactly why these methods created such drastic differences in depressive symptoms. The study found an effect, but – as the researchers note – more research is needed to understand the cause.

In any case, there's an important lesson to take away. The study underscores the importance of promoting healthy weight loss – not just for the body, but for the mind, too.

How can losing weight benefit your mental health?

The idea that weight loss makes you feel good might seem like common sense. It's rewarding to see hard work pay off, whether that's noticing the numbers go down on the scale or your clothes fitting better. Plus, weight loss has numerous health benefits that can contribute to improved mental and emotional well-being.

But 'feeling good' is different for everyone. What do these positive mental health benefits actually look like for real people who have experienced weight loss?

The University of Oxford spoke to people who had lost weight and asked about the mental and emotional benefits they had experienced. The responses included:²

Feeling less self-conscious
Better self-esteem
Feeling happier
Being more assertive at work
A sense of achievement
More self-confidence
Being more sociable and having more fun

Losing weight for a healthy mind and body

As we've seen, it's not just about how much weight you lose – it's also about how you lose it.

Healthy weight loss is about long-lasting lifestyle changes. Making more healthy choices more often is a much more sustainable way to lose weight than chasing quick fixes.

That doesn't mean being perfect every day. Aiming for perfection only means you'll feel worse when you slip up.

Instead, aim for achievable goals and focus on healthy patterns, not hard-and-fast rules. That means:

Choosing a healthy, balanced diet with the right mix of nutrients
Aiming for sensible portion sizes
Eating more fruits and vegetables
Doing more physical activity
Being kind to yourself

Following these steps doesn't guarantee mental wellness. Everyone is different, after all.

However, it does mean setting the stage for a healthier future – and, as the research shows, reducing your odds of experiencing depression compared to harmful weight loss strategies.

How Semapen can help you lose weight and feel good

When it comes to healthy weight loss, knowing what to do and actually doing it are two different things.

At Semapen, we offer guided weight loss programmes from real UK experts. Our programmes are designed to teach you lifelong habits and support healthy weight loss, while harnessing science-backed treatments like Wegovy, Mounjaro and total diet replacement.

Wegovy and Mounjaro are clinically proven weight loss injections that work by helping to regulate appetite and fullness. SemaHealth, our total diet replacement programme, sees you switch to a temporary diet of low-calorie shakes and soups with support from qualified dietitians.

And because we know structured support leads to better outcomes, we stick by you every step of the way. When you join a Semapen programme, you can expect:

Easy access to support via WhatsApp or the Semapen app
Smart scales to track your weight and health in the app
Regular check-ins to keep you on track and motivated to meet your goals
10 months of online fitness tailored to you from Sword Health (with selected care plans)
Helpful tools for maintaining healthy habits, including exclusive Semapen Academy lessons on diet, exercise and mindfulness

It all starts with a quick online consultation. Simply answer a few questions and we'll let you know right away whether you're eligible for our weight loss treatments.

Sources

1. Xu, H. et al. (2025) "Weight loss methods and risk of depression: Evidence from the NHANES 2005-2018 cohort" Journal of Affective Disorders, 380 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2025.03.199

2. University of Oxford (2024) Weight change & associated health problems: Mental and emotional benefits of losing weight. Retrieved from https://hexi.ox.ac.uk/weight-change-associated-health-problems/mental-and-emotional-benefits-of-losing-weight

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