Each time a person goes on a diet and fails, they feel ashamed and out of control. This shame is compounded by messages from the media, medical professionals, rude passersby, and even friends and family. It’s a vicious cycle that is often downright deadly. Add to that the additional intersectional complexities of sexism and racism experienced by women and people of color, and we come face to face with endemic misery and a far-ranging sense of inferiority that stops people from not only following their hearts’ path but also redirecting all of that weight-loss-related energy toward what’s more effective and worthwhile: Advocacy. Career switches. Compatible, supportive relationships. Radical shift in how we treat ourselves. Spiritual growth.

Why is today’s diet industry pulling in 60 billion dollars every year, while when people go on a diet, only five percent of them succeed and the rest gain weight or stay the same? Here’s why: A heavy, shamed body is a body with an unheard message and a thwarted quest, and until the secrets are unlocked and the wisdom is harvested, that impasse will be unbreachable.