Common Problems Associated with Overweight

Even Though Health Considerations are probably the strongest argument in favor of losing weight, being overweight can make your life difficult in many other ways. If staying healthy and preventing disease do not motivate you, maybe the aesthetic, social, emotional, and financial Consequences of being overweight will give you the push you need.

Aesthetic

Especially in our society, overweight is not the "look we like." The most attractive clothing is designed for slimmer folks. Even if you have given up on dressing in the latest fashion, it is hard to look your best when your clothes are either too tight or utterly shapeless to hide your form.

Social

Not looking your best has social consequences as well. First impressions count for a lot, and, like it or not, first impressions are usually visual ones. Whether you're hoping for a date, a friend, a job offer, or just not to be the last one chosen for the Saturday softball game, you're at a disadvantage if you're overweight. It may feel unfair, and it probably is, but that's the way it's been since grade school and the way it is now.

Plain and simple, there are strong social biases against fatties. Many people regard being overweight as a character flaw, a sign of slovenliness and lack of self-control.

Emotional

Many of the negative responses of others are shared by heavy people themselves. Self-esteem and a positive self-image are harder to come by when you are overweight. Depression often accompanies weight problems, sometimes as cause and sometimes as a result. People who are depressed tend also to be physically inactive. It's another one of those vicious circles.

Being more active can help lift depression just as it helps you lose weight. Many of the body chemicals that influence mood are influenced in turn by physical exertion.

Financial

Obesity makes a dent in the American economy of more than $100 billion every year, including the cost of health care and productivity that is lost to death and disability from weight­related causes.

On an individual level, people who are overweight spend more money on medical care than people of normal weight.

Overweight people suffer from higher rates of disease and more complications. They also are involved in more accidents that result in injury. They are hospitalized more often and tend to suffer more complications from surgery and other medical procedures. People who are overweight may also experience more difficulty in getting life insurance because of their high-risk status. Those who are able to get insurance will often pay higher premiums.

All of this costs money. So if saving your life is not enough to make you lose weight, maybe saving your money is!

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