Weight gain isn’t about willpower, it’s the world we’re living in...

Around one in three people in Britain put on weight in 2025 but for many, it wasn’t a year of ‘bad choices’, it was a year where healthier choices became harder to make, and easier to abandon.

The primary cause of weight gain is not just that people stop caring about their health. It happens when life gets busy, budgets get tight, energy drops, and convenience becomes the default.

It’s not just about individual choices. Research highlights just how significantly our routines and environment can shape our weight, with almost one in four adults (24%) reporting that working from home negatively affected their weight last year, according to a study of 5,000 people by weight loss clinic myBMI.

Food is, of course, a major part of the picture. It’s not that people don’t understand what healthy eating looks like, it’s that the way food is marketed and sold can make it difficult to stick to good intentions.

Promotions and bulk-buy deals encourage people to bring more high-calorie foods into the home, and once they’re there, it’s only natural they get eaten. In fact, 31% of adults said supermarket offers such as Buy One Get One Free contributed to their weight gain last year.

Then there’s takeaway culture. Food delivery has become so seamless that what was once an occasional treat can quickly become a regular habit.

With hundreds of options available in seconds, the easiest choice is often the one people default to, especially when time, energy, and mental bandwidth are already stretched.

It is also not simply the case of people needing to move more. For many, exercise comes with real barriers, with nearly one in five (18%) reporting that anxiety and fear of being judged stops them exercising regularly. If people feel embarrassed walking into a gym, they won’t go - and the longer it goes on, the harder it becomes to start.

So where does that leave us heading into 2026? The answer isn’t aiming for perfection, and it definitely isn’t about punishing yourself into a new non-sustainable routine. It’s building an environment where small, realistic changes are easier to repeat.

For some, especially those with a high BMI, medically supported treatment can play a role. Weight loss injections are being talked about more openly now, and the research suggests 32% of Brits are considering them.

For eligible patients, they can reduce appetite and make eating habits feel more manageable but they’re not a shortcut, and they’re not right for everyone.

What matters most is that any medication is used safely, under proper clinical supervision, and alongside wider lifestyle support.

Because the goal isn’t just weight loss, it’s better health: improving long-term wellbeing, reducing the risk of weight-related conditions, feeling better in your body, regaining confidence, and ultimately building a better quality of life.

So, if you gained weight in 2025, it doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It means you’ve been living in a system that makes unhealthy choices the easiest ones.

Start small, keep it realistic, and don’t let perfectionism talk you out of progress. The goal for 2026 isn’t a quick fix, it's a steady change you can actually stick with for years to come.

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Ayesha Bashir, weight loss injection expert and Prescribing Pharmacist at myBMI

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The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official LBC position.

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