What is weight loss success?
A number of medical studies have shown conclusively that overweight and obesity are associated with or aggravate a wide range of health problems. Health risks associated with overweight and obesity are directly related to how overweight an individual is. The heavier you are the greater the risk.
This is why losing as little as 5 – 10% of your body weight (and keeping it off) provides significant health benefits – even if you are still overweight.
How?
We know that the more overweight an individual is, the higher their BMI will be and the higher the risk of obesity related health disorders. It is no surprise then that as BMI goes up, mortality goes up as well. This is because a higher BMI the greater the risk of developing weight related disease that will shorten life expectancy and a modest reduction in BMI will result in a significant reduction in mortality risks particularly at the higher end of the scale.
Why is this important?
When people start a weight loss plan they tend to think (and in fact may be told) that their goal weight should be their “acceptable” body weight (BMI 20-25). If only moderately overweight this outcome could be a realistic expectation. However, the heavier you are and the longer you have been battling with your weight the less likely you will be able to achieve and maintain an ideal weight. The great news is that there are significant health benefits to be gained with even small amounts of weight loss.
