They Lost Weight—and Say It Helped Their Careers

livemint.com:

Tynan Phelan resolved to get in shape last year because he wasn’t happy with his appearance. He started taking 5- to 10-mile walks with his dog and worked his way up to jogging, indoor rowing and moderate strength training. His weight dropped from 270 pounds to 200 pounds.

The resulting boost to his self-esteem, he expected. More shocking, he says, was suddenly getting noticed at work. As a recruiter in the cannabis industry, Phelan often attends networking events and says he used to be a “sad, sweaty guy in a corner." Now he says people approach him warmly and, though he can’t prove it, he believes his new look and confidence have helped him land executive-search contracts he might have lost before.

“It’s unfortunate, but people treat you differently," says Phelan, who leads U.S. operations at the White Ash Group. They aren’t sure whether it is fair, but people who have lost weight say that getting in shape has helped their careers.

In the age of Ozempic, when weight loss feels more attainable than ever for many Americans, the benefits might not be limited to a number on the scale. Weight bias in the workplace is well documented, with studies showing that people with obesity are paid and promoted less on average than trimmer colleagues. A few say shedding weight and gaining energy has made them better at their jobs.

Mostly, though, they attribute newfound success—from extra attention to new clients and bigger commissions—to the way others perceive them. Flawed logic People who appear to be physically fit often enjoy a “health halo," and we assume they are hardworking, goal-oriented types, says Susan Albers, a psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic who has written several books about mindful eating. Weight bias is one of