Medical director at Felix Health explains why diet and exercise alone won't fuel weight loss success, outlines a few prospective solutions for the workplace
Many Canadians are grappling with unfulfilled weight loss resolutions, a recent virtual healthcare study found.
Dr. Kelly Anderson explained while such resolutions are increasingly common, up to 60 per cent of Canadians have failed to achieve them, resulting in people often blaming themselves.
"When you talk to people around their emotional state about resolutions, they're very negative," the medical director at Felix Health, said. "Twenty percent say anger, annoyance, and frustration; 16 per cent say sadness; 14 per cent say indifference. We think it's purely about us and our willpower."
With nearly one in three Canadians living with obesity, employers are uniquely positioned to help their staff tackle these challenges. Anderson emphasized that obesity doesn’t just impact physical health, it also has significant implications for mental health and workplace performance. She noted that obesity can lead to other health challenges, like cardiovascular disease, mental health concerns, and even depression.
"Ideally, whenever you're looking at any health issue, you want to go upstream to the root cause, as opposed to treating the mental health that results from weight loss concerns,” said Anderson.
Anderson emphasized that successful weight loss goes beyond just diet and exercise.
"When we asked Canadians what they thought they needed to do to lose weight, 93 per cent said they needed to eat better, and 80 per cent said they needed to exercise more," she said. While those are important, she asserted all three need to happen together.
“It would be a misconception to say you could take a weight loss medication and not have to do the other things, because we all need to do the other things,” she said.
“Once you start getting on workable trajectory with weight loss, it really helps with your resolutions.”
The combination of medical treatments and lifestyle changes essentially creates a positive feedback cycle, explained Anderson.
"It creates more positive emotions, and you can lean into your own willpower on the lifestyle side when you're getting that support on the medical side," said Anderson, noting that Felix's weight loss participants report an average 6.8 per cent body weight reduction in three months, a figure that’s consistent with clinical studies.
What can employers do to ensure they’re getting to ‘the root cause’? For one, Anderson said employers should ensure employees have access to medically supervised weight loss programs, which virtual healthcare platforms often provide.
"Patients can come to us and see a healthcare practitioner same day. They can start treatment and get medication in their hands within a couple of days, with access to resources around lifestyle, exercise, and diet. You don't have to miss half a day of work to get a doctor’s appointment or sit in a walk-in clinic for hours," added Anderson.
Additionally, Anderson pointed to incorporating wellness benefits that address the multifaceted nature of weight management, like subsidized gym memberships, healthy meal prep solutions, and partnerships with virtual care platforms like Felix.
"When we feel like we're meeting our goals, it really helps us succeed in all facets of our life,” she added. "A healthcare practitioner can guide not only around medications but also ways to mold your lifestyle to support your treatment goals.”
Access and time are other critical factors that employers must address because as Anderson noted, “it can be very difficult to see a healthcare practitioner because you're working.”
That’s why Felix offers asynchronous visits via secure messaging so employees can access a practitioner in the evenings, on weekends, or overnight.
“Being integrated with a pharmacy means we deliver medication to your door, so you’re not worried about picking it up or running out,” said Anderson.
Employers will also need to dismantle the stigma around weight issues, which often prevents individuals from seeking care. According to Anderson, half of Felix's first-time weight loss patients have never addressed weight with a healthcare practitioner, despite the growing availability of effective treatments like GLP-1 receptor agonists.
"Obesity is highly stigmatized. It can feel embarrassing to talk about, especially in the realm of these new medically backed treatments. Not all physicians are well-versed in using them," she said.
"What we try to do at Felix is make a very easy-to-access, stigma-free place where you can get support from a healthcare practitioner on your own schedule."
The narrative of personal failure is misplaced, Anderson noted, as science increasingly points to biological factors like genetics and hormones as key determinants of weight.
"It's so incredible to have this basis of scientific literature that's starting to show us that it's not actually all about our willpower, and that there are other ways we can address this medically," she said.
