Overweight
Being slightly overweight isn’t always an issue as some people find that they are able to carry a few extra pounds without any problems to their health.
It is when being slightly overweight turns into being obese that problems do arise.
Excess weight can put a strain on the joints, cause back pain and increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease and some forms of cancer. Psychologically it can cause low self-esteem, anxiety and depression. And, it has been claimed that obesity can reduce life expectancy; as much as 10 years in severe cases!
If your body mass index (BMI) indicates that you are overweight then just a few changes to your diet and lifestyle can work wonders. If you eat a little less and move a little more then you will start to lose excess weight.
Avoid ‘crash dieting’ and any other form of excessive weight loss. The stricter the diet the more chance there is that you will regain that weight. Plus, excessive weight loss can cause the metabolism to slow down which means that it becomes progressively harder to lose weight. Your body has effectively ‘shut down’ as it perceives the sudden drop in calories as an approaching famine and is trying to conserve energy.
This means a lowered metabolic rate.
The problem with this is that if you consume a few extra calories then weight will be regained. This can lock you into a vicious cycle of extreme dieting and weight gain.
So, the best way to avoid this is to aim for sensible weight loss. If you reduce your food intake by 500 calories a day then you will lose around 1lb a week. Your body will adjust to this accordingly but won’t go into energy conserve mode as you have not drastically cut your calorie intake.
If you combine this with exercise or increase the amount of activity that you do then the weight will stay off.