From driving up your blood pressure and cholesterol, to increasing your risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and more, there's no question that being overweight is more than just a cosmetic problem - it's a serious threat to your health.
At the same time, if you're like most folks, even the thought of embarking on a 20-, 40-, or even 100-pound weight-loss plan can seem like a mountain that's impossible to climb.
If this is the way you're feeling right now, take heart. Today, the most progressive weight-loss experts agree you don't have to climb the whole mountain, or even go halfway up, to improve your health. Indeed, taking even a few small steps toward your weight-loss goals can go a long way in reducing your health risks, even if you never reach the ideal number on your bathroom scale.
Even Small Steps Have Big Benefits
--------------------------
At the same time, Sondike tells WebMD that losing weight in an unhealthy manner, for example, by starving yourself or using diet aids like ephedra, can work against your overall health, sometimes leaving you in worse shape than before you attempted the weight loss.
"Depending on what you take or what you do, you could end up with higher blood pressure and a worse cardiovascular profile than when you weighed more," says Sondike.
Along these same lines, University of Utah nutrition expert Shawn Talbott, PhD, cautions that attempting too stringent a weight-loss plan can also backfire, and take its toll on your health.
"Both extreme calorie restriction and placing yourself under a great deal of mental stress about losing weight has been shown to increase cortisol levels, the hormone that is associated with high stress," says Talbott, the author of The Cortisol Connection.
When this happens, he says, it causes your appetite to soar, not only encouraging you to eat more, but also increasing the likelihood that whatever weight you do gain will be stored as abdominal fat.
"This can then increase your risk of heart disease and other significant health problems," says Talbott.
In the end, he says, it's the act of living more healthfully, and not just dieting, that matters most, even if you never reach your weight goals.
Anhalt agrees. "A little weight loss achieved in a healthy way is far more beneficial than a large weight loss that happens in an unhealthy way." If you lose even one pound through healthy living, he says, "You do an incredible service to your body and your health."
Better to Be 'Fat and Fit'
--------------------------
If you simply take some healthful steps in the direction of your weight-loss goals, you are likely to reap some healthy rewards, even if you never drop a single pound.
As remarkable as that sounds, in studies published in March 2003 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, CDC researchers found that those folks who simply tried to lose weight lived longer.
The finding does not surprise dietitian Samantha Heller, MS, RD, who believes effort does count.
"Very often, simply making the effort to lose weight, such as adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet, reducing your intake of sweets, junk foods, and saturated fats (found in foods like meat, cheese, and butter), and becoming more physically active can improve your overall health and reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes, too," says Heller, a nutritionist at New York University Medical Center.
So, Heller tells WebMD, even if you never actually lose any weight, doing these things alone is bound to help you feel better and ultimately, impact your health in a positive way.
And many doctors now believe that even if you are unable to lose any weight at all, keeping yourself from gaining pounds as the years go by will also help you gain some important health benefits.
"If you can focus your efforts on achieving a more healthy lifestyle, if you increase your level of physical activity just a little bit, and maybe incorporate some healthful changes into your daily diet you will not only be successful at preventing weight gain, in the process you will be doing something positive for your health," says Sondike.
"In the end," says Anhalt," it's not about the pounds, it's all about the lifestyle changes, and about understanding that, in the long run, fat and fit is ultimately better than thin and unfit."
If you make the changes that lead to a healthier lifestyle, experts say you will definitely be healthier, and ironically, you'll probably weigh a lot less as well.
Source: WebMD
You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.
About The Author
------------
Michael Lewis has been collecting articles and information on Weight Loss and HGH (Human Growth Hormone) and related health benefits. He has created and edits numerous web sites about this subject. Michael is a staff writer for http://www.ageforce.com and several other websites. If you would like to contact Michael you can e-mail him at Michael@AgeForce.com or if you would like to know more about Weight Loss, HGH (Human Growth Hormone) and related health topics please visit us at AgeForce.com.
Weight Loss Axiom Number ThreeInsulin and GlucagonThese are the two... Read More
Body temperature is the result of your body generating and... Read More
There's one thing that most people forget about when it... Read More
It is estimated that about 32 million Americans are following... Read More
If you are among the millions of people searching for... Read More
I just read this conventional diet tip ? and we've... Read More
Every regime has its supply of useless folk lore and... Read More
Obesity raises the risk of various types of cancer. And... Read More
People usually quit weightloss and exercise programs for one of... Read More
Cellulite is not a medical condition or an aesthetic mutiny... Read More
One of the biggest scams ever successfully pulled on the... Read More
According to a new study appearing in the American Journal... Read More
The people of earlier times depended on the rich resource... Read More
Food Cravings: How to Practice PatienceDuring holidays and parties you... Read More
First? establish realistic goals. Start with a target you can... Read More
According to Veronica Atkins, the widow of Dr. Robert Atkins,... Read More
The diet that worked for meI have had a lot... Read More
Fifteen years ago the doctor's suggested that we eat pasta... Read More
Water is useful when we are trying for losing weight.... Read More
In 1994, I had a RNY surgery. At 350 lbs... Read More
Getting Started on The Clean DietIf you want to lose... Read More
Resistance training, also known as strength training, does not require... Read More
In a culture of blame-shifting we often look for someone... Read More
Today, Ephedra is an herb of controversy. It contains ephedrine,... Read More
The human body is designed to run best on a... Read More
You are ready to shed those energy draining, body crippling,... Read More
One of the biggest misconceptions about exercise is that there... Read More
Are you sick of the hype? Wondering what diet products... Read More
Obesity still remains one of the commonest avoidable causes of... Read More
It is well known that about two-thirds of the U.S.... Read More
I am so grateful that you're taking steps to take... Read More
Patrick Henry once said, "I have but one lamp by... Read More
Have you heard about it lately? Everywhere you look, women... Read More
LivingAfterWLS reader feedback indicates snacking is the single biggest problem... Read More
If you are fighting the battle of the bulge (overweight... Read More
Do you remember nodding your head with understanding during your... Read More
What a great world we live in. You want something,... Read More
Gastric bypass surgery involves stapling the stomach to make it... Read More
Most men and women put on weight differently. But on... Read More
Diet advice ? a million "experts", hundreds of snake-oil miracle... Read More
Recently, a Japanese study showed dramatic results of organ fat... Read More
WOW!! Here we are on lesson #10. Hasn't it been... Read More
How many meals do you eat in one day?Close study... Read More
"Your Eyes are Bigger Than Your Stomach""Your eyes are bigger... Read More
Getting into a weight loss program or any type of... Read More
Weight Loss ? Basic Lessons for Sustained SuccessWeight loss is... Read More
It was bad enough hearing almost daily that obesity in... Read More
Fat burners have become very popular in today's society, especially... Read More
If you're serious about losing weight and getting fit, you... Read More
I wonder how much it is generally known that the... Read More
Reading labels is an essential part of any weight loss... Read More
Okay, so you've read some of these articles, done your... Read More
We know that children are becoming obese at an alarming... Read More
In many cases conventional dieting wisdom simply doesn't work for... Read More
All of the things we tell sick people so that... Read More
It happens every morning when you mosey out of bed,... Read More
Two basic approaches to losing weight; one approach is correct... Read More
Cut the Calories, Bring Out the BikiniSummer's almost here and... Read More
ObesityToday, 64.5 percent of adult Americans (about 127 million) are... Read More
Repeat a lie often enough and people take it as... Read More
Watching television exercises our eyes but nothing else. Unfortunately, it... Read More
Make sure you check out the meaning of many common... Read More
Chances are if you've stepped foot in a gym or... Read More
Weight Loss is something that many Americans struggle with. In... Read More
The story broke in the international press on October 4th,... Read More
Some of you will not like what I have to... Read More
Weight Loss |