Reasons
To Start A Healthy Diet
Carolyn
Classick-Kohn,MS,RD
Finding some good reasons to lose weight can take you
from just thinking about losing weight to actually doing something
about it. People don’t
take action unless there are good reasons for it! And,
most importantly, having good, meaningful reasons to
reach your goal can help you maintain your weight goal
once you get there.
Reason #1
No matter what age we are, we have an ideal of what we
want to look like. How we look to ourselves (and to
others) is rarely “good enough” and for anyone who is
overweight, it’s a real motivator to lose.
Unfortunately, this starts at a very young age. A recent
study published in Pediatrics concluded that as early as
age 5, girls with higher body weight reported lower
self-esteem than girls with lower body weight.*
Men typically want a
flatter stomach,
and women are usually concerned about having smaller
hips and thighs.
This makes sense since women tend to gain weight in the
lower part of their body and men tend to carry extra
weight around the mid-section. How long can you cover up
extra body weight by choosing looser clothing?
What’s the first thing that happens when you lose
weight? People say “you look good, have you lost
weight?” Have you ever heard anyone say, “I bet your
arteries look great” or “how’s that blood pressure now
that you’ve lost 20 pounds?” And, doesn’t it feel good
when you can fit into the “thin” clothes you hid in the
back of your closet?
So, looking better is a great reason to lose weight, but
you might want to be concerned if it’s your only
reason.
Reason #2
When you carry
extra
body fat,
it’s like dragging around a 20-50 pound case of butter.
Extra fat weight drags the body down and zaps energy.
Studies of body movement and calorie burning have shown
that obese people tend to move less. This makes for a
cycle of - extra body fat - less energy - move less -
gain more weight - move even less!
Do your
joints ache?
Extra body weight
takes it’s toll on joints, particularly ankle, knee and
hip joints because they have to bear the weight. This
joint pain, of course, makes it much harder for people
to move and once again, makes it harder for an
overweight body to burn the calories needed to lose
weight.
But going
on any diet doesn’t necessarily make you feel better.
“Crash” diets can make the problem worse!
Quick weight loss
leads to loss of water and muscle, and less fat. Eating
too few calories doesn’t give you enough energy to lose
the right kind of weight!
Reason #3
If you’re under the age of 30, you may not be too
motivated to lose weight for
health reasons.
After all, the diseases that are strongly associated
with obesity like heart disease, cancer, high blood
pressure, and diabetes typically happen to those over
30. You’ve got other things to think about now - your
education, career, finding someone to share your life
with. Your reasons for wanting to lose weight are just
as valid, but good health may not be one of them yet.
For those who are over 30 and are overweight, health
concerns can become a major priority and it can hit home
very quickly.
Eating well
and
getting into better shape
so that you can be around to enjoy your children and
live life to its fullest are great reasons to make
changes to your eating habits. And of course, looking
better and feeling better is part of the whole package.
