More than mere appearance, obesity is seriously bad for your health.

According to medical sciences, you are considered obese if your weight is twenty percent more than the weight considered as standard for your height, calculated by your BMI. While BMI isn’t perfect (some people are muscular and therefore weigh more while others are extremely tall), the correlation between obesity and serious diseases is extremely high.

Here are 5 diseases that are caused by obesity:

Stroke and Heart Disease

If you have extra weight, you will be more prone to high cholesterol as well as high blood pressure. These conditions are some of the leading factors that can cause stroke or heart disease, but all are not doomed. Medical experts suggest that if you lose some proportion of your weight then you can also decrease the likelihood of stroke or heart disease. Just five to ten percent of weight shedding should be enough for you to lower your chances of contracting the diseases.

Diabetes (Type 2)

It is commonly observed that individuals that have type 2 diabetes are either obese or overweight. So, if you want to cut down your chances of having diabetes, you can do so by shedding weight. You must practice consuming a balanced and healthy diet, exercising, and getting the right amount of sleep. Even if you have diabetes, you should attempt to lose weight and to be physically more active since this will allow you to better manage your body’s blood sugar proportions. Moreover, if you are active, your body might demand lesser levels of diabetes medication.

Cancer

Several types of cancer such as of the kidney, esophagus, and colon are associated with obesity. Recent studies have also found out that obesity is associated with cancer of the pancreas and gallbladder. The treatment of cancer is a very lengthy and costly process that is often very painful for the patient, not to mention that cancer can have grave consequences. So wouldn’t it be better if you try to avoid the disease altogether?

Gallstones

Gallstones as well as gallbladder disease are more likely to afflict an overweight person rather than a normal or underweight individual. But beware, as medical science tells us that weight loss (especially rapid loss of large proportions of weight) can also lead to the acquisition of gallstones.

So, if you are obese, it is important that you shed fat in a slow and timely manner. For instance, lose just one pound in seven or eight days at most. This will surely allow you to avoid having gallstones.

Osteoarthritis

This is a joint condition that frequently affects the back, hip or knee area of the body. If you are obese, your body will naturally carry extra weight which will put pressure upon the aforementioned joints. This negatively affects the cartilage that usually safeguards them.

By losing weight, you will put less stress on your lower back, hips and knees, thereby reducing your chances of attaining osteoarthritis.

Losing Weight Is Hard

There’s no doubt about that, but small steps taken each day can lead to results. It’s important to remember that the benefits of losing weight go far beyond appearance. Immediately after eating healthier meals, the following will happen:

1. you’ll feel more energetic
2. you’ll sleep better
3. you’ll have better cognitive function
4. you’ll start to recall facts and items that you previously couldn’t remember
5. your mood will improve
6. you’ll become more productive
7. your appetite will decrease

Just remember that every positive action taken towards a healthy diet is a victory. You can’t expect it all to happen at once. You will build the habits you need in time once your brain recognizes the association between the healthy action and the positive effect.

Be well and #thrive!