OCD and Weight Loss: What You Need to Know This OCD Awareness Week

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) affects over 1 million people in the UK, yet it remains widely misunderstood — especially when it comes to the impact it can have on weight loss and eating behaviours.

During OCD Awareness Week (October 13–19, 2025), we want to shine a light on the complex relationship between OCD, food, body image, and weight management. If you’re living with OCD or supporting someone who is, you are not alone — and there is help available.

What Is OCD?

OCD is a recognised mental health condition involving intrusive, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviours or mental rituals (compulsions) performed to relieve anxiety.

It's more than just being neat or "a little obsessive" — OCD can be debilitating and can affect many areas of life, including eating habits, body image, and routine health behaviours like exercise and medication.

How OCD Can Affect Weight Loss

OCD can impact your ability to lose weight — and your relationship with food — in a number of different ways. These effects vary from person to person but often include:

1. Ritualistic Eating or Obsessive Food Tracking

People with OCD may:

• Fixate on exact calorie counts
• Only eat “safe” foods in specific combinations
• Follow rigid rules that interfere with balanced nutrition

This can make healthy eating feel stressful or overwhelming — or lead to disordered patterns that undermine physical and mental health.

2. Fear of Contamination

For some, food prep or eating out becomes a trigger for compulsions or anxiety. This might result in:

• Avoidance of entire food groups
• Only eating pre-packaged or ultra-processed foods
• Restrictive eating that lacks essential nutrients

Ironically, this fear can lead to unhealthy weight gain, not just weight loss.

3. Compulsive Exercise or Body Checking

Exercise is healthy — but for some with OCD, it can become compulsive or distressing. Repetitive body checking (weighing, mirror-checking) may also feed into body dysmorphia, which sometimes co-occurs with OCD.

This can create a cycle of guilt, overexertion, and burnout — which ultimately makes weight loss harder to sustain.

OCD, GLP-1 Medication and Eating Changes

If you’re using GLP-1 medications like Wegovy, Ozempic, or Mounjaro, you may already be experiencing changes in your appetite and eating patterns. For people with OCD, these changes can sometimes:

• Intensify food obsessions (e.g. hyper-focusing on hunger cues or side effects)
• Trigger anxiety around loss of control or altered routines
• Cause distress if compulsions around eating are interrupted

That’s why a holistic, supportive approach is essential.

How We Support Patients with OCD at The Slimming Clinic

At The Slimming Clinic, we understand that mental health and physical health go hand in hand.

Our doctor-led weight loss programmes are tailored to your individual needs, and we can work with patients who:

• Are managing OCD with therapy or medication
• Have anxiety around food, routines or body image
• Need flexibility and empathy in their weight loss plan

We focus on progress,not perfection — and offer ongoing support through resources like The Slimming Club,free guides, and regular check-ins to help you stay on track without triggering OCD patterns.

This OCD Awareness Week: Let’s Talk About It

If you or someone you love is living with OCD and struggling to lose weight, know that it’s not your fault — and that you don’t have to face it alone.

Start by speaking to a medical professional
Access support from OCD UK: https://www.ocduk.org
Or book a consultation with one of our friendly doctors

You deserve care that considers all of you — body and mind.