Finding the motivation to lose weight can be incredibly hard. Recently I noted some of the psychological concerns associated with obesity, and certainly these are motivating factors to want to lose weight. Unfortunately, those same psychological factors that make you want to lose weight can also get in the way of weight loss and make the whole process much more difficult and/or lead to failure.
Physical health is another concern related to obesity, and there are multiple negative physical health symptoms and disorders caused or worsened by excessive weight gain/obesity. While many understand there are physical health effects, we do not always know what those effects are, and how many effects there are. Fully understanding the impacts of obesity can be a motivating factor for change.
Here are a few of the physical health concerns associated with obesity, and those with which obesity can create risk for, or worsen, the disease/problem…
- Coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancers (endometrial, breast, colon), hypertension, dyslipidemia, stroke, liver and gallbladder disease, sleep apnea and breathing problems, osteoarthritis, gynecological problems (abnormal periods, infertility)
- When pregnancy does occur, the woman is at greater risk for miscarriage, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and congenital birth defects in the infant.
- Men can struggle with impotence associated with obesity.
It can also be easy to forget how detrimental obesity is to children and the negative health effects associated with childhood obesity…
- In children: heart disease caused by high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, asthma, sleep apnea.
- 60% of overweight 5-17 year olds had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease, 25% had two or more risk factors.
Health effects associated with obesity can be motivating, especially when the effects are being noticed. Unfortunately, sometimes people do not understand the risk enough to make changes until big problems arise. It is difficult to consider risk of health problems when you are not yet experiencing them. This takes objectively reminding yourself that the risk is there, and can present itself at any time. Your risk for these, even when young, is so much higher every year you stay in the obese range. Even slight weight loss can have huge positive implications for your health!
Let this help motivate you toward healthier behaviors, even small weight loss, and encouraging children to make healthier choices as well!