There are tons of reasons why you might want to shrink that number on the scale—to get in better shape, to boost your overall health, or even to feel fabulous on your wedding day. But if happiness is your goal, know this: losing weight won’t necessarily make you happier, according to a recent survey for So Fabulous, a plus-size clothing line from the U.K.-based retailer Littlewoods.com.

The survey asked 2,000 women about their current size, happiness, and body confidence. They found that 49 percent of those whose weight had fluctuated in the past few years were happiest at a size 16 (roughly a size 12 to 14 in the U.S.). Plus, 52 percent of size 6 women (size 2-4 in the U.S.) would prefer to be curvier, while women sized 6 to 10 in U.K. sizes were more critical of their bodies than women who wore larger sizes.

The bottom line? Sure, you could get a temporary high from squeezing into your skinny jeans, but losing weight certainly isn’t the key to loving life. “It’s not the external achievement of some goal that’s going to make us happy,” says clinical psychologist Andrea Bonior, Ph.D. “You think that will automatically change your life in some meaningful way, but it could be that your life pretty much remains the same.” That’s because your happiness doesn’t—and shouldn’t—depend on just your weight. “A lot of times there is other stuff going on that’s going to keep you unhappy,” says Bonior. Like, say, your relationships with loved ones, your work-life balance, and your overall health.

So what should you do? Make happiness a part of your get-healthy goals, not an end result, says Bonior. Find healthy recipes that you enjoy cooking, experiment with different workouts until you discover one (or more!) that you love, and buy cute gym clothes that make you feel awesome. “Yes, you can make nutrition and health goals,” says Bonior. “But don’t make them about arriving at a certain size.”

More from Women's Health:

Can You Target Certain Body Parts for Weight Loss?

The New Weight-Loss Strategy: Just Don't Gain Weight

The Habit That's Costing You THOUSANDS of Calories



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