Women Try To Lose Weight 7 Times In Their Lives, And Fail Nearly Every Time, Survey Finds

Most women have attempted to lose weight at least once — and for many, its a cycle that repeats over and over again. A new survey found that the average American woman tries to lose weight seven times over her lifetime, but fails six times.

The findings come from a national survey of 2,000 women between the ages of 30 and 65, conducted online by Talker Research on behalf of Boston Scientific. The data reveals that 78% of respondents have tried to lose weight before, yet many struggle to meet their goals despite numerous efforts.

Most women who have attempted weight loss say theyve tried a healthier diet (78%), weight-loss supplements (41%), weight-loss beverages (39%), and fad diets (31%). Some have also explored medical options: 14% reported trying GLP-1 medications, such as Ozempic, while 7% had undergone either bariatric surgeries or endoscopic procedures.

“Losing weight is an extremely relatable goal among women and something most have tried to do at some point in their lives,” said Reem Sharaiha, MD, MSc, attending physician and director of endoscopy at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and Boston Scientific consultant. “It can be a challenging and overwhelming process that often involves many factors and motivators to be successful.”

Nearly three in four women (74%) said weight loss is important to their personal overall health and wellbeing. Their top motivators for trying to lose weight include maintaining their appearance (65%), improving physical health (63%), and achieving personal satisfaction (59%). Forty-one percent said theyre currently unhappy with their weight, and 43% said their weight has negatively impacted their self-confidence.

When asked what influences them to try new weight-loss methods, 42% cited personal research and 34% said they seek advice from healthcare professionals. A third of respondents said they would consider a weight-loss procedure or surgery — but 48% expressed hesitation, stating they would not consider undergoing weight-loss surgery to meet their goals.

Awareness of non-surgical endobariatric procedures remains low: nearly half (47%) of women who have tried to lose weight said they were not aware of these minimally invasive endoscopic options, and just 2% had actually undergone one. However, 51% said they would be interested in learning more, and among women unhappy with their weight, 74% believe its important to have multiple weight loss options to choose from.

“It is important to understand that obesity is not anyones fault and can be multifactorial,” Sharaiha said. “We need to treat obesity as a chronic condition requiring multiple different treatment options during different stages of a persons life.”

Seven in 10 women who are unhappy with their current weight said ease of implementation and access is important when considering a new method. The most common factors they believe would help them succeed include stronger self-motivation (61%), improved finances or insurance coverage (37%), greater focus on health goals (33%), access to structured weight loss programs (30%), and better access to procedures (27%).

“Endobariatric procedures may be an excellent option for women looking to lose weight and maintain their weight loss through a healthy diet and exercise,” Sharaiha said. “For those who want to avoid weight loss medications and surgery, an endobariatric procedure can be an effective alternative to kickstart healthy weight loss. I encourage women to talk to their doctor to determine if this may be a good option for their weight loss journey.”