7 Ways Your Health Improves When You Start Losing Weight

About three-quarters of Americans are overweight or obese, meaning every one of those millions of people is also at risk of serious, weight-related health problems. Weight loss can help, but it’s not easy. Fortunately, medically supervised weight loss is available.

Clarksburg Urgent Care in Clarksburg, Maryland, is a leading provider of medically supervised weight loss, including nutrition counseling, exercise guidance, and weight loss medications when appropriate, along with ongoing, individual support. 

In this post, our team reviews seven important ways losing weight could improve your health and wellness now and in the future.

1. Improves your heart health

Perhaps the most well-known benefit of weight loss is its positive effect on your cardiovascular health. When you’re overweight, those extra pounds add stress and strain on your heart muscle, making it work harder. As a result, your risk of heart disease, heart attack, hypertension, and stroke is elevated. 

When you lose weight, you reduce these risks and make it easier for your heart to do its job. Weight loss also lowers your cholesterol to preserve healthy arteries. 

2. Reduces your risk of type 2 diabetes

Obesity is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Excess fat, especially belly fat, interferes with your body’s ability to use insulin, a hormone that helps manage blood sugar (glucose) levels. 

Over time, this interference leads to a condition called insulin resistance, a risk factor for diabetes. Dropping those extra pounds improves your insulin sensitivity, reducing your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. 

Already have diabetes? Losing weight can help you manage it more effectively.

3. Relieves your joint pain

Excess body weight can take a heavy toll on your joints, especially your weight-bearing joints like your knees, hips, ankles, and spine. Weight places extra pressure and strain on your joints, increasing your risk of joint damage and osteoarthritis, along with pain, stiffness, and reduced mobility. 

Losing weight helps alleviate this strain, allowing your joints to function more effectively and reducing pain. Even losing a small amount of weight can significantly reduce joint strain and discomfort.

4. Boosts your mood

Being overweight can alter your hormone levels, resulting in imbalances that can affect your mood and contribute to chronic issues like depression and low self-esteem. 

On the flip side, shedding those extra pounds can improve your mood, boost your energy levels, and increase your confidence. Weight loss plans that include exercise magnify this benefit by releasing feel-good chemicals called endorphins for natural mood enhancement.

5. Improves your sleep

Being overweight can affect the way you breathe, especially when you’re lying down. If you’re overweight, you’re more likely to suffer from sleep apnea, a breathing disorder that increases your risk of heart troubles and stroke.

Losing weight helps you avoid sleep apnea and its complications, so you can get better quality sleep. Interestingly, better sleep can help you manage your weight more effectively, a win-win for your health.

6. Lowers your cancer risk

Obesity increases your risk of certain types of cancer, and while researchers don’t exactly understand the link, they believe it involves several factors. For instance, fat cells produce the hormone estrogen, which in turn fuels the growth of breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancers. 

Being overweight also leads to increased inflammation, another factor in many types of cancer, and elevated expression of certain growth factors associated with tumor development and growth. While losing weight isn’t a guarantee against cancer, it could help reduce your risk. 

7. Strengthens your immunity

Your immune system plays a critical role in protecting your body against infections and diseases. By contributing to chronic, low-grade inflammation, the extra pounds you’re carrying weaken your immune system and its fighting action against dangerous germs.

On the other hand, weight loss lowers inflammation for a stronger immune system and, ideally, fewer illnesses, along with a more robust response to infections. 

Start your weight-loss journey today

There’s no denying that losing extra weight offers significant benefits for your health. Best of all, just a modest amount of weight loss can yield major benefits, which means you can enjoy better health even before you reach your goal.

If you want to lose weight, we can help. To find out more about our medically supervised weight-loss program, request an appointment online or over the phone with our team at Clarksburg Urgent Care, or simply walk into our office today.