What Each Pound You Lose Can Do for You

We all know that it is important to be at a healthy weight. Healthy weights are determined by your age range, your sex and even your height. There are many overweight people in the world. Just that few extra pounds around the middle can put you at higher risk for heart disease and diabetes. For some people losing weight seems like a no win battle, but here is some information that is sure to strike some motivation in most people.

For every one percent of your body weight that you lose you lower your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by sixteen percent. So, if you weight two-hundred pounds and lose just two pounds you have lowered your risk of diabetes a small amount, imagine your lowered risk after you have shed twenty pounds!

Women who shed at least five percent of the body weight raise their chances of getting pregnant. That's right, obese women can find it difficult to get pregnant. So, if you want to have a baby then now is the time to drop some extra pounds, it will raise your chances of getting pregnant by nineteen percent.

Dropping just seven percent of your body weight can decrease your aches and pains. People who suffers from knee and back pains often notice a difference in the severity of their pain as soon as they start shedding pounds. It is that excess weight on the joints, muscles and bones that causes all of the pain, so getting rid of the excess weight will alleviate much of the excess pain.

Lose nine percent of your body weight and lower your risk of hypertension (high blood pressure)by about twenty-eight percent. Losing weight is great for heart health. Especially if most of the weight you carry is around your waist. Get going on those crunches and your heart will thank you for it.

Women who can get themselves fit and drop just eleven percent of their body weight lower their risk of developing breast cancer, by as much as nineteen percent. It is believed that fat cells may produce excess estrogen which can lead to the growth and spread of cancer cells.

And for those of you who are underweight, you too can benefit, by gaining a few pounds. If your BMI is less than eighteen point five you run the risk of dying faster than your obese counterpart, of non-heart related and non-cancer related illnesses.

Resources:

Self Magazine, January 2011

Fit To Be Well by Alton Thygerson