Figuring out how to lose weight is one of the most common concerns that people have when it comes to their health. After all, people tend to associate weight loss with good health, staying fit, and looking good.
Surprisingly, people have not always associated weight loss with good health. In fact, the idea that being slim and fit made you healthy is a fairly recent concept.
During the 1500s to the 1900s, most people felt that being slim or fit was a bad thing. It meant that a person was not well-off, or that they did not have enough food to eat. But over time, our notion of weight loss has changed.
Why is Losing Weight Important?
Now, losing weight is something that people actively do, not just to be healthy, but to also look good and feel good.
These days, doctors know a lot more about how our bodies work, and what role weight loss plays when it comes to our health. This is also the reason why obesity is now considered a disease, and doctors are trying to help their patients lose weight in order to maintain their health.
What Should the Ideal Weight be?
One question that frequently pops up when the topic of weight loss is discussed is what the ideal weight should be.
After all, knowing how to lose weight is just one part of the equation. You need to have a target weight to give you an idea if you’re on the right track.
One commonly used method is understanding BMI or body mass index. This refers to how much weight a person has with regard to their height.
However, one problem with using BMI is that it is based on an average person’s height and weight. One flaw with this is that it does not distinguish between muscle and fat.
Muscle is much denser compared to fat, so a muscular person might be overweight or obese based on their BMI. But in reality, they are perfectly healthy and fit.
This is why it is important to treat BMI as a rough guide when it comes to your ideal weight.
It would be best to talk to your doctor and a registered nutritionist dietitian, so that you can come up with a fitness and dietary plan if you are trying to lose weight.
What effect does being obese or overweight have on the body?
Weight plays a big role when it comes to a person’s health. Being overweight or obese puts a person at risk of a number of diseases, and most of these diseases tend to worsen over time.
Our bodies are not designed to carry extra weight. Having too much fat in the body can put a lot of strain on our organs, cause inflammation, and fat can also build up inside our blood vessels, and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Another problem is that our bones and joints are not designed to handle too much weight. This means that obese and overweight people tend to have more bone and joint problems compared to those who have a healthier weight.
People who suffer from weight problems can also suffer from body image and self-esteem issues. It’s not uncommon to see people ashamed or embarrassed about their weight, and this can even lead to anxiety and depression.
These are just some of the reasons why losing weight is important when it comes to our overall health.
What health problems result from having too much weight?
Here are some of the possible diseases and health problems that an overweight or obese person can have:
- Hypertension
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- Atherosclerosis
- Back pain
- Aneurysm
- Chronic kidney disease
- Stroke
- Sleep apnea
- Arthritis
- Anxiety
- Depression
For someone who is obese or overweight, losing even just 10% of their current weight can have a significant impact on their health. This just emphasizes how important weight loss is.
