You don’t have to lose hundreds of pounds to enjoy the physical health benefits of weight loss. If you are currently overweight or obese, you may be able to lose just a small amount of weight to improve your overall health. In fact, some studies show that just a 5% to 10% decrease in your weight can change your health.1 Losing weight can mean:
- Decreased risk of diabetes
- Lowered blood pressure
- Improved cholesterol levels
- Decreased risk of heart disease
- Decreased risk of certain cancers
- Improved mobility
- Decreased joint pain
- Improved blood sugar levels
- Decreased risk of stroke
- Reduced back pain
- Decreased risk or improvement in symptoms of osteoarthritis
- Decreased risk or improvement in symptoms of sleep apnea
Your doctor can provide more personalized information about the health benefits you can expect to see when you lose weight. For example, you may be able to decrease or eliminate certain medications or reduce your risk of disease. Your doctor may also be able to provide a recommendation or referral to a registered dietitian or physical therapist to help you build a healthy weight loss program.
Lifestyle Benefits
In addition to the medical benefits, you may also experience an improved lifestyle if you lose weight. People who have successfully lost weight report. The medical and lifestyle benefits may be enough to motivate you to stick to a weight-loss program.