Looking good and losing weight is one of those topics that are always on people’s minds. We all want to lose weight, but it’s difficult to find the time and motivation. If you’re looking for that extra push to get you over the hump and to start losing weight, here are facts about being overweight that may shock you into living a healthier life.
1.) In 2011, Australian research found that, among diabetic obese men, losing 5 to 10 percent of bodyweight led to improvements in erectile function and libido. Health.com reports that this is likely due to the strain obesity puts on the heart and blood vessels.
2.) When you’re overweight, your entire system is out of balance, including the hormones that impact your mood. As a result, losing weight increases your well-being and decreases the severity of depression.
3.) Being overweight puts a burden on the adrenal glands, which manage asthma and allergies. Being overweight is also a strain on the respiratory system and can exacerbate asthma symptoms.
4.) A recent study on people who lost an average of 90 pounds after bariatric surgery found their complaints of foot pain dropped by 83 percent. Pestered by foot pain? Getting foot pain relief is great weight-loss motivation.
5.) Weight loss and arthritis have a strong connection to inflammation in the body. Some studies note that weight loss improves arthritis pain.
6.) A father’s diet before conception plays a crucial role in a child’s health.
7.) Excess weight may be associated with a wide variety of changes to the body’s largest organ. More studies are needed to understand how obesity plays a role in blemishes and infections of the skin. However, existing research suggests losing weight can improve psoriasis.
8.) If morbidly obese people are too big for conventional MRI machines, they are sent to Sea World to use their machines.
9.) Mental weight loss benefits extend even further, boosting memory. One study compared 109 people who underwent bariatric surgery to 41 people in a control group who lost no weight. After 12 weeks, the researchers discovered that those who’d had the surgery had improved memory, compared with the control group.
10.) The bigger you are, the more likely you are to suffer a heart attack earlier in life—12 years sooner for the most obese people.
11.) Overweight women have four times the endometrial cancer risk. This is likely for the same reason they’re at increased risk for breast cancer: Body fat produces estrogen, a hormone linked to both diseases.
Being overweight can be cured. You need to have the motivation to do it. Now get out there and conquer the world!
