Losing weight is all about what you gain
Many people have thought about losing weight over the years, but
often seem to fall short of an actual attempt to do it. The
reason why so many people think about it so much is because deep
down, they know that having that extra poundage is not at all
good for them. The problem is, just knowing that being
overweight is bad is not enough to really push many people to do
something about it. Much like wanting to quit smoking, knowing
it is bad for you don't induce people to quit doing it. However,
if you were to find some really good reasons to quit smoking,
like your doctor told you if you don't quit, you will lose a
lung next year, that might make you act and just do it.
Well, losing weight is just like quitting smoking, the more
good reasons you have to do it, the more likely you are to act
on it and make it happen. If you have something driving your
motivation aside from just knowing it is bad for you, you are
also more likely to maintain your weight loss goal once you
reach it.
First and foremost, losing weight means getting healthier. When
you lose those extra pounds you greatly reduce the risk or heart
disease, stroke, cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes and joint
stress, all conditions associated with being overweight. When
you reduce these risks, it means you can have a much better
chance of being around to see your children grow up and being
around to enjoy your grandchildren. That alone is reason enough
to get that weight down.
Another reason you might want to consider for losing weight is
that you will feel better. As you begin to lose some of those
extra pounds, you will start to notice your energy levels
increasing. Being overweight by 20 pounds is like putting a 20
pound sack of potatoes on your shoulders all day. Extra body fat
is nothing more than an extra burden to carry around with you
everyday, so the extra weight drains your energy. For this
reason, overweight people tend to be less active and this
promotes more fat to collect up on them. As this continues, they
become even less active and so this becomes a vicious cycle
leading to obesity.
As a nice little side benefit, losing weight will make you look
better, and who doesn't want to look better? Each and every one
of us has a vision of what we want to look like. Most people are
not completely satisfied with the way they look. They will
always find something they don't like about themselves and wish
they could change and for people who are overweight; this can be
a great motivator to lose weight. A recent study done concluded
that as early as age 5, girls who had higher body weights had
lower self esteem than girls with normal body weight.
When a person loses weight, what are almost always the responses
of other people who know that person? You hear things like; you
look good; you've lost weight haven't you? And think about how
you would feel when you've lost enough weight to be able to fit
into that dress or that pair of pants you wore back in high
school. Now keep in mind, looking better is a great reason to
lose weight but it should not be the only one.
When you have at least a few good, valid reasons to want to lose
weight, it will be a lot easier to motivate yourself to get
started and stay with it. Let's face it, your health, well being
and self esteem are very good reasons to get rid of those extra
pounds and keep them off for good.