Why Weight Regain Happens (It’s Not Just Willpower)

Why Weight Regain Happens (It’s Not Just Willpower)

From Confident Eaters by Georgie Fear and the Confident Eaters Team

September 26, 2025 · 23 min · Episode 54

About this episode

This episode discusses the biological and psychological reasons behind weight regain and offers strategies for long-term weight maintenance.

Why is it so easy to regain weight after losing it? You follow the plan, you see the scale go down, your clothes fit better, and then somehow the weight comes back. The worst part about weight regain for some people is that it feels like a personal failure. But in today's episode, we are here to tell you the truth: weight regain is a biologically and psychologically driven response. Not a sign of a person being weak, lazy, or lacking willpower. Join us as we break down a recent research review published in the Journal Nutrients (see The Interplay Between Psychological and Neurobiological Predictors of Weight Regain: A Narrative Review ). You will learn how self-efficacy, emotional regulation, and traits like impulsivity, perfectionism, and dichotomous thinking play significant roles in weight maintenance. Discover practical strategies for boosting self-control, managing stress, and employing flexibility to achieve lasting success. We also explore how brain activity and hormonal changes impact weight and discuss the benefits of cognitive behavioral therapy and medications like GLP-1 receptor agonists. Whether you're beginning your weight loss journey or focusing on maintenance…

People in this episode

Host: Georgie Fear

Topics covered

  • weight regain
  • psychological factors
  • biological factors
  • self-efficacy
  • emotional regulation
  • long-term weight maintenance

Keywords

  • weight loss
  • self-control
  • stress management
  • cognitive behavioral therapy
  • GLP-1 receptor agonists
  • impulsivity
  • perfectionism

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Journal Nutrients

More episodes of Confident Eaters

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Confident Eaters podcast page.