Providers, Stop Saying We Need to Lose Weight
Gaining Muscle Has a Greater Long Term Impact
For too long, the healthcare conversation around body size and health has centered on one phrase: “You need to lose weight.”
Raise your hand if you’ve been in your practitioner’s office and that statement has been made, or “You just need to lose a few pounds.”
It’s reductive. It’s discouraging. And most importantly—it’s missing the point.
And, usually the statement is made with little to no insights about what makes your body tick, why your body may be holding onto weight, and what your weight represents. We meet so many people who feel like they’ve tried everything with little to no success.
This is most common in men and women as they near 40 and embrace the belief that their metabolism is slowing down and there’s nothing they can do to stop it.
Let’s shift the narrative to something far more impactful, empowering, and evidence-based: gaining muscle.
Weight Loss Isn’t the Whole Story
When a provider tells someone to “lose weight,” it usually implies they should shrink their body, often with little guidance beyond eating less and exercising more. But what kind of weight are we losing? Fat? Water? Muscle?
Which leads to disordered eating, yo-yo dieting, and a majority of people feeling discouraged and unsuccessful.
Muscle loss during generic weight loss efforts can actually worsen health outcomes—slowing metabolism, reducing strength, impairing insulin sensitivity, and increasing the likelihood of regaining fat.
The goal should never just be to weigh less. It should be to weigh better.
Why Gaining Muscle Is a Game-Changer
Whether you’re 25 or 65, male or female, active or sedentary—muscle is your metabolic gold. Here's why:
1. Improved Metabolism
Muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than fat, making it a metabolic engine. More muscle means your body becomes more efficient at using energy—even while sleeping.
2. Better Blood Sugar Control
Muscle acts like a sponge for glucose. Gaining lean mass improves insulin sensitivity and lowers risk of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
3. Hormonal Support
Muscle promotes better hormonal balance, particularly in women over 40 navigating perimenopause and menopause. It supports testosterone, growth hormone, and estrogen modulation in both sexes.
4. Stronger Bones
Lifting weights builds muscle and bone density—helping prevent osteoporosis and fractures with age.
5. Improved Mental Health
Resistance training has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression. And the feeling of getting stronger? That builds self-confidence in ways the scale never could.
6. Longer, Healthier Life
Research consistently shows that higher muscle mass is associated with lower all-cause mortality. More muscle = more resilience.
How Easy Is It to Build Muscle?
Contrary to what fitness culture might have you believe, building muscle doesn’t require two hours in the gym or heavy barbell squats.
Just 2–3 sessions a week of strength-based movement (bodyweight, resistance bands, dumbbells, machines) can start building lean tissue.
Protein intake matters. Aim for 0.7–1g per pound of bodyweight daily from clean sources—eggs, fish, grass-fed meats, plant protein blends.
Recovery is part of the process. Muscles grow in rest, not just reps.
It’s not about being a bodybuilder—it’s about being strong enough to carry your life.
Let’s Reframe the Conversation
Instead of saying:
“You need to lose 20 pounds.”
What if providers said:
“I want you to work on gaining muscle, and this may mean the number on the scale goes up, for a little while. But I can guarantee your body will intuitively do what it needs to be healthy as you gain muscle.”
This subtle but powerful change:
Encourages positive behavior change without shame.
Focuses on function and vitality, not aesthetics.
Empowers patients to feel capable, not broken.
It also gives me something you can actually DO!
The Bottom Line
Gaining muscle is the most underrated, underprescribed, and universally beneficial health intervention available.
It’s not just for athletes. It’s for:
The exhausted mom.
The desk-bound executive.
The aging grandparent.
The 20-something tired of the scale defining their worth.
Providers, your words carry weight—so let’s start using them to build muscle instead of shame.