Obesity and overweight are terms often used interchangeably. However, technically they refer to two different states.
Being overweight technically means excess body mass. This includes all the body tissues. Obesity on the other hand refers explicitly to excess body fat e.g. a professional heavy weight body builder is overweight because of excess muscles but is not obese.
Obesity is what should concern you. Losing weight is no longer an issue you can afford to procrastinate, and probably a good health scare is in order. So here are 8 reasons why you should lose weight now!!!
- It is well known that 80 -90% of type-two-diabetes patients are overweight. Diabetes is the third leading cause of death in the U.S., as well as the leading cause of adult blindness in the world. One of the direct causes of obesity is eating wrong foods.
Some of these wrong foods include high glycemic foods. High glycemic foods are energy dense foods that quickly increase the level of blood glucose in your body after been eaten. This results to the body reserving the unnecessarily high glucose/energy into fat. This makes losing weight very difficult.
Releasing a hormone called insulin does this. Type-Two-diabetes occurs because the body cannot produce enough insulin to remove the excess blood glucose and store it as body fat. This will occur after straining insulin production for some time. And that’s how you end up being fat and diabetic.
- Obesity is associated with arteriosclerosis, the build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries throughout your body. This makes them narrow slowing blood flow and among other things increases risk of the blood clotting.
Arteries at risk include those supplying blood to the brain. If clotting occurs due to narrowed artery, it blocks blood supply to an area of the brain resulting to stroke. Losing weight reduces this risk.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates between 25% – 33% of cancer worldwide are overweight and physical inactivity related. Body fat evidently promotes higher levels of insulin production and excess estoregens, a hormone.
Both insulin and estorogens accelerate cell division. (Probably to create adipose tissue; new fat cells to store fat, in addition to the regular cell division)
As research has indicated, the faster cells duplicate the more they increase chances of a cancerous cell developing.
The situation is further complicated as the rapid cell division caused by the excess hormones lead also to rapid cell reproduction of the one cancerous cell, hence cancer starts to develop actively.
In addition fat cells tend to keep carcinogenic i.e. cancer-causing agents, trapped in the body which increases chances of developing cancer.
Types of cancers you will be at high risk to get include:
Breast cancer – affecting the breast in both men and women.
Colorectal cancer – affecting colon and rectum.
Prostrate cancer- affecting the prostrate gland in men.
Endometrial cancer – affecting the uterus.
Esophageal cancer – affecting the esophagus.
Renal cell cancer – the cancer of the kidney, etc.
- Respiratory problems
Obesity causes lungs to “become smaller” in size and chest wall become heavier to lift in the process of breathing in. The most common respiratory problem is sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is a condition where by an individual stops breathing for some time while asleep. A soft tissue in the throat collapses around the air way probably due to weight, blocking it. For the severely obese sleep apnea may get more complicated with hypoventilation.
Hypoventilation is accumulation of toxic levels of carbon dioxide (the gas we breathe out) in the blood, due to inadequate breathing. Losing weight would be the only permanent safe and healthy solution to sleep apnea.
- Urinary Incontinence
This is involuntary release of urine. Being overweight can contribute to urinary incontinence. A heavy abdomen due to body fat deposit may cause valve of urinary bladder to be weakened.
The weight also exerts pressure on the urinary bladder, trying to push urine out. This results to leakage of urine when coughing, sneezing or laughing.
This is because of a slight relaxation of the bladder valve that normally will not result to leakage. It can even result to bed wetting at night. This particular problem can be a very effective motivator to lose weight.
- Varicose veins
Also known as Venous Stratis Disease. The leg and thigh muscles assist the heart in blood circulation just like most large muscles in the body.
They are involved in pumping blood against gravity back to the heart with the help of valves that close to avoid a backward flow.
Pressure as a result of a large abdomen may increase the work load on the valves eventually causing damage. Damaged valves then allow for blood to back up, due to gravity, causing high pressure in these veins leading to swelling, thickening of skin and skin ulcers.
- High Blood Pressure
The BMI (Body Mass Index) and age together are the strongest indicator of risk of hypertension or high blood pressure. At least a third of hypertension is related to obesity.
- Other Diseases
Other diseases which MAY occur as a result of being overweight include;
Coronary heart disease
Lower back pains
Pregnancy disorders such as
- Neural tube defect,
- Prenatal mortality,
- Maternal hypertension,
- Gestational diabetes etc.
Impaired immune response
Bad body smell
Research shows that even a modest weight loss of 10 pounds for the overweight significantly reduces the risk of developing these diseases. Weight loss is in fact a challenge taken by many every year.
Unfortunately, many fail in this healthy endeavor. And all because of one thing; they lack proper information on how to lose weight effectively.
Learn How I Lost 150 Pounds in Just 14 Months Through Walking.
This is not just another fad diet book – of which fill libraries, bookstores, and the internet, but the true story of how I lost 150 pounds in about 14 months (and kept the pounds off). A story, which I believe anyone who can walk, will benefit from.
First, let me back up a bit and explain how I got to be 335 pounds. Well, it wasn’t hard and didn’t seem to take all that long. It was eating lots of fast food, burgers, and little to no exercise over the course of a few years. Sound familiar?
In my early to late twenties I was fairly active with scuba diving and just in my job itself. Then all of a sudden my job changed to where I sit at a computer eight hours a day (and still do), instead of being a busy technician building and testing things.
With age also came the slowdown of my body’s metabolism, coupled with a sit down job and eating lots of fatty burgers and other high calorie meals. Especially bad was eating big meals just before going to bed. It didn’t take long to find myself at 335 pounds.
I blew up like a big fat whale and my huge belly hung way over my belt line. I had to buy 3X shirts and 50” waist trousers to go around my bulk. I looked and felt just awful.
The time came when I finally said enough is enough! I was not feeling good, was out of breath all the time, and could hardly walk up the stairs to the bedroom.
I went out and bought a good digital bathroom scale and weighed myself the next morning (undressed and after using the bathroom). The max limit on the scale was 330 pounds.
The scale gave me an error message (a big fat capital E). That meant I was heavier than 330 pounds! Oh my God I thought! It can’t be! That morning, I weighed myself at work on the shipping scales.
My weight was about 340 pounds fully dressed and after eating breakfast. That meant my true morning weight was around 335 or so.
Steps I took to lose the pounds…
I knew I didn’t want (or could afford) to buy expensive exercise equipment. Nor did I want to spend a lot of money to join a health club. There had to be a better way.
I did some research on the internet about aerobics and metabolism (the rate at which the body burns fuel) and came to the conclusion the answer to my weight problem was to increase my metabolism through aerobic exercise, and by changing my eating habits.
The strict definition of aerobic is “with oxygen”. The body uses oxygen to burn fuel. Aerobic exercise improves oxygen consumption by the body and burns fuel more efficiently.
I learned that aerobic exercise (like walking at a brisk pace for 20 or more minutes without stopping), will increase the body’s metabolism (perhaps up to several hours), even after you stop exercising. This is just one of the added perks of aerobics.
I would encourage everyone reading, to search the internet on “metabolism” and “aerobics”. There is much more information there than I can possibly put here, or need to. The information is abundantly available – no need for me to re-invent the wheel.
After getting freaked out when my new digital bathroom scale went “Tilt”, this is what I did…
1. I created a spreadsheet on my home computer so I could track and record my weight each Saturday morning (you can choose any day you wish, as long as you are consistent on when you weight yourself). Once a week is best.
2. I researched the internet about losing weight, and learned about metabolism, aerobics and aerobic exercise (and how they affect the body and calories). I figured I should be about 180-185 pounds for my height and frame, so I adjusted my daily calorie intake for that body weight. No special diets to speak of, just calorie intake adjustment, although I do try and eat healthy foods most of the time.
3. I invested in a good pair of walking shoes. This is critical!
4. I measured out one mile (using the odometer of my car), and timed how long it took me to walk one mile at a brisk pace (brisk pace meaning walking fast enough to elevate my heart and respiration rate). It took me 20 minutes to walk one mile.
A 20-minute mile is not all that fast, but fast enough for someone weighing 335 pounds. And 20 minutes is the minimum workout time for aerobic exercise to be beneficial to the heart.
My course was nothing more than the sidewalks of my neighborhood. Partly homes and apartments, and partly businesses.
5. I walked one mile per day, every day, for about the first month (a 20-minute walk after dinner). I noticed my energy level was building and I felt better. After about the first 10 days, my digital bathroom scale began to give me a number instead of the big fat E error message. Definite progress!
6. The second month I increased my distance to one and a half miles a day (or a 30-minute walk after dinner). The soreness in my legs gradually disappeared.
7. I continued this pattern of increasing the distance by one-half mile until I was up to six miles per day (doing three miles before work and three miles after work). Six miles a day may be a bit extreme, so you may want to adjust your walks accordingly. But it worked for me and got to the point where I could walk three miles without breaking into a sweat. The pounds melted off!
8. After I lost nearly 100 pounds, I scaled back to four miles a day (two before work and two after work). I walk the miles faster too, about a 17-minute mile).
9. After 14 months, I reached 185 pounds and that’s apparently where my body wants to be. I continue to walk four miles every day, watch my daily calorie intake, and have stabilized at 185 pounds.
Do I still eat a big fat juicy burger and ice cream once in awhile? OH YES! I love that stuff! But I religiously weight myself each Saturday morning and my weight seems to be happy and steady at 185.
I don’t deprive myself of the foods I love, but I have learned what, when, and how much I can eat and get away with. One has to experiment and adjust accordingly.
I look forward each day to my walks. In fact, I get a sense of accomplishment after each walk. A fringe benefit I guess. Another fringe benefit is that walking is a great stress reliever… especially after a hard day at the office.
All in all, I am in much better health. That 150-pound barbell I was carrying around all day is gone. My heart and cardiovascular system is much healthier… all due to walking.
Perhaps one of the greatest benefits (other than the obvious health benefits) is that the people in the neighborhood and the storekeepers stop me all the time and comment on how I look.
These are the people who would see me walk by their homes and stores each day. They saw a once very fat person transformed into a thin person.
The bottom line…
I was sick of being obese and I knew it was killing me and that I needed to do something and quick. I was a sure candidate for a heart attack or stroke. After doing a little research, I found the best way for me was aerobic walking coupled with a change in eating habits.
There other types of exercises that will work too, but I believe nothing is as good for the human body then walking. The benefits are enormous and the cost is, well, the price of a good pair of walking shoes and comfortable clothes.
It’s enjoyable too! Forget those expensive boring indoor treadmills! Go for a walk in the great outdoors!
If you can walk, have a place to walk, by all means go for it! If you are like me, you will increase your energy a hundred fold. Start off slow at first if you are way out of shape, a few minutes a day.
Walk briskly and swing those arms. Increase until you can do a mile, then a mile and a half, and so on and so on until you reach your goal weight. This is a lifelong commitment, so don’t stop after reaching your weight goal.
My family and friends at work all say I am half the person I used to be. They are not very far off! I went from wearing 3X shirts and 50” waist trousers, to wearing large shirts and 34” waist trousers. Yeah, I had to buy all new clothes but I didn’t mind the expense one bit.
Take care and happy walking.
Losing weight is no longer an issue you can afford to procrastinate, and probably a good health scare is in order.
Obesity is the second leading cause of death after smoking. It is associated with an increased mortality rate of all ages including children. Losing weight though commercialized is still to your benefit if you carry more weight than you should.