If you are one of the few people around the world who can look in the mirror naked and love what they see, then you should write a book! Very few people around the world are actually happy with their bodies, and therefore they have a negative outlook on life.
However, even though there are people who are overweight and happy with their body, it is still vitally important to lose weight to be in a healthy weight range.
So even if you know you have a few extra kilos, there are some very important reasons for losing weight.
Disease There is no doubt in the minds of thousands of doctors and health professionals around the world there is a definite link between being overweight and the risk of disease.
Heart disease is the main culprit here, which of course can lead to heart attacks.
Everyone knows that heart attacks can be fatal.
Heart disease is the result when your heart has to work harder than it is made to work.
The heart can become quite fatigued and lead to actual heart failure.
Overweight people may have their arteries clogged due to cholesterol, which is another reason the heart has to work harder to push enough blood through a person's body.
Even having an exercise program may not help you if you have high blood pressure.
Remember, like a car engine, the heart can only work so hard before damage is done.
This damage can be permanent! Being overweight means your heart has to work that much harder to allow you to move.
By losing some weight, your heart won't have to work as hard and will probably work more efficiently.
Stroke Having high blood pressure combined with high cholesterol levels means that you can be a prime candidate for a stroke, which can be more permanently debilitating than a heart attack.
Having high cholesterol can lead to fatty deposits in the bloodstream.
When this happens, the amount of oxygen the body can use is decreased.
If this blockage happens in the heart, it usually leads to a heart attack.
However, people can make a full recovery from a heart attack.
If this blockage happens in the brain, a stroke can result from this, and this will lead to permanent brain damage if the stroke is sever enough.
There are many stroke victims who are left permanently disabled as a result of a stroke.
Pregnancy Obviously, this part only relates to women.
If you are wishing to become pregnant, being overweight can actually prevent you from falling pregnant.
This is because while you are overweight, there are hormones that are constantly changing.
If you are overweight, your body may not get the correct nutrients that are required to produce the right levels of hormones that are essential to ovulating, or even setting up the right conditions for carrying a fetus.
Therefore, it's like a double edged sword, as being overweight before pregnancy can prevent the right conditions to get pregnant, while being overweight (ie gaining more weight than is normal during pregnancy) can even lead to a miscarriage).
So, being in the right weight range before and during pregnancy can prevent a lot of problems.
Make sure you check with your doctor in order to find out what the correct weight range during pregnancy is.
Everyday life We've talked about your inner health and why being in a healthy weight range is important.
However, you need to look at what affects your everyday life by being overweight.
For example, finding the right fit of clothes can be very difficult for overweight people.
If they do find the right clothes, chances are they are also much more expensive because they come from a specialist shop.
Public transport may be very difficult as well, as seats are generally designed for people at a healthy weight range.
Some airlines may charge an obese person double the fare because they would be taking up the space of two people.
Therefore, losing weight will also have a financial benefit.
Although having a positive outlook on your body and life while you are overweight is commendable, but there are some serious reasons why losing weight if you are above the healthy range.
There are the obvious health reasons that are well-documented, but there are also the financial reasons.
Talk to your family doctor or health care professional about how you can go about losing the right amount of weight in order to be in the healthy weight range.
It will pay off great dividends over your lifetime!