The Connection Between Unforgiveness and Weight

It might not be your slow metabolism or your genes that keep you from losing weight. It might not even be what you are eating. Furthermore, it might be what's eating you. If you have tried every diet and nothing worked, it could be your inability to forgive that's keeping you fat.

The stress we experience by holding on to feelings of anger, resentment, hatred, and negativity can weigh us down in many ways. Also, unforgiveness in our hearts manifests itself in our outward appearance.

Forgiving yourself and others might be the key to losing weight. Try one last diet.

The Forgiveness Diet

If you have tried every diet, let this be the last one you try. Try the “Forgiveness Diet.” On your “Forgiveness Diet,” you can write a letter of forgiveness to the person who hurt you. You don't have to deliver it. Just write it to get it out of your system. Then write a letter of forgiveness to yourself. This will bring changes in your life, including losing what may be pounds of “unforgiveness.”

Can Unforgiveness Really Keep You From Losing Weight?

The short answer is that unforgiveness by itself doesn’t directly stop weight loss, but it can affect things that make weight change harder or easier. Unforgiveness itself does not directly prevent weight loss, but the stress, emotional strain, and physiological effects that come with holding onto unforgiveness can make weight loss significantly harder. The research and reflections available point to a strong mind-to-body connection. That means chronic stress, emotional tension, and unresolved hurt can influence hormones, appetite, sleep, and habits in ways that interfere with weight‑loss efforts.

How Unforgiveness Can Indirectly Affect Weight Loss

Holding onto hurt or resentment keeps the body in a low‑grade stress response. Chronic stress increases cortisol, and sleep is disruptive,

When the heart is heavy, the body often seeks comfort. There is an increased appetite because the body craves food, especially sugar and carbs. Fat is stored, especially around the midsection.

Unforgiveness can create an inner “gap” where peace should be, and food becomes a filler.

Unforgiveness takes up mental space. That emotional clutter can drain the energy needed for consistent habits like meal planning, exercise, rest, and mindful eating.

Emotional stress from unforgiveness can increase inflammation in the body. Inflammation is linked to weight gain, difficulty losing weight, fatigue, and digestive issues.

People who struggle with unforgiveness often also struggle with self‑forgiveness. This can lead to harsh self‑talk, shame-driven dieting, “all or nothing” cycles, and giving up quickly.

Spiritually Speaking

Unforgiveness is heavy. It weighs the spirit, the mind, and the body. When the heart releases weight, the body frequently follows.

Unforgiveness is not only a spiritual weight—it is a physical one. It settles into shoulders that lifted, jaws that stay clenched, and breath that stays shallow. The body becomes a quiet archive of every unspoken ache.

Forgiveness is a choice that opens a door. It is a letting‑go that begins in the heart and ripples outward until even the body feels the shift. When we forgive, our shoulders stay lower where they belong. Our jaws are no longer clenched, and we can breathe normally. The heart finds its rhythm again. The body, long burdened, begins to rest.

Keep these things in mind:

• This does NOT mean “you can’t lose weight unless you forgive.”
• Forgiveness is not a requirement for losing weight.
• Unforgiveness does not directly prevent weight loss, but it can indirectly make it harder through stress-related pathways.
• Holding on to anger or resentment can keep the body in a low-level state of stress.

For most people, the relationship between weight loss and unforgiveness is small to moderate. Unforgiveness alone won’t stop weight loss, but it can keep stress levels high over time. It increases hunger or cravings.

It is wrong to say:

“All overweight people have unforgiveness in their hearts.”

“All slim people have no unforgiveness in their hearts.”

Author's Note

This content is based on research. It is accurate, and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.