Diet & Weight Loss: All You Need to Know

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.

What are the Benefits of Weight Loss?

Now that we have established why weight loss is important, it’s time to talk about the benefits that it can provide.

Here are some of the benefits of knowing how to lose weight:

It can lower your risk for certain diseases

If gaining weight puts you at risk for certain diseases, then the opposite is true. Losing weight can significantly lower your risk of acquiring common ‘lifestyle’ diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.

The great thing about losing weight is that it’s never too late to do so. You’ll actually feel the immediate effects of losing weight once you start. You’ll feel healthier, and you will have a good sense of well being, knowing that you are making changes to improve your health.

Weight loss makes you stronger

Another benefit of losing weight is that you will generally feel stronger and healthier compared to when you were obese or overweight.

You will also be able to do more physical activities, and you will surely enjoy your newfound mobility an athleticism!

Losing weight improves your self-esteem

One significant effect of weight loss is that it improves a person’s self-esteem. There is a feeling of satisfaction knowing that you look and feel healthy, and this greatly improves a person’s confidence.

Weight loss can make you live longer and happier

Lastly, losing weight can help you live longer, and you’ll have a much better quality of life.

Losing weight can help you avoid developing serious health problems, as well as the symptoms that come with being obese or overweight. You’ll suffer from fewer aches and pains, and generally feel much better once you start losing weight.

How Can You Lose Weight?

When it comes to weight loss, nothing beats hard work.

The two things that you need to remember about how to lose weight is to exercise daily, and eat a balanced, healthy diet.

These 2 simple things, when done properly, not only can help you lose weight but also helps you keep the weight off.

Remember, it’s not enough to simply lose weight. The more important thing would be to stick to your ideal weight as much as possible.

Most people would agree that sticking to your weight goals is the most difficult thing when it comes to staying healthy. After all, it’s tempting to skip some days exercising, or eat a bit more food once you reach your target weight. But if you slack off, you might find yourself right back where you started.

So it is important to make it a part of your lifestyle, and not just something you stop doing once you reach your goal.

What Are Some Hurdles to Weight Loss?

Of course, losing weight is not without its hurdles. After all, if losing weight was so easy, then everyone would do it right?

Here are some common hurdles that people experience when trying to lose weight:

• Losing motivation
• Making excuses to avoid exercise
• Eating too much, thinking that exercise would compensate
• Going on a diet without exercising
• Being too focused on weight loss itself, and not being healthy in general
• Not having any long-term or sustainable goals
• Having too many expectations early on
• Not being able to maintain their target weight

By keeping yourself aware of these hurdles, you can better prepare for your weight loss journey. It helps if you have someone you can exercise and lose weight with so that the both of you can support each other as you both get fit and healthy.