Based on World Health Organization data from 2022, 2.5 billion adults around the world were overweight, 890 million of whom were obese.
The reality is that carrying too much weight is awful for your physical and mental health, overall happiness, and longevity.
Research shows that obesity increases the risk of heart disease, various cancers, stroke, depression, asthma, liver disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, fertility issues, gallstones, and reflux.
Obesity can also lead to chronic exhaustion, breathlessness, and back and joint pains. Your quality of life drops, your confidence suffers, you have less energy to do the things that you want to, and you might find yourself increasingly socially isolated.
The NHS recommends being active for at least 150 minutes each week, broken up into several shorter sessions.
You should also aim to lose 1 to 2 pounds or 0.5 to 1 kilograms of weight each week. Meanwhile, it is recommended to swap sugary drinks for water (flavored with lemon, for example, to make the switch easier) and to cut down on foods that are high in sugar and fat.
There’s a deeply social aspect to losing weight, too. While you’re the one in the proverbial trenches, sharing your journey with friends, exercising with people you care about, or having someone you’re accountable to can keep you motivated even when you have awful days.
The NHS warns against losing weight quickly with diets. You should also avoid skipping meals because you may end up snacking more as you get hungrier.
The CDC also recommends losing 1 to 2 pounds per week. Going for a more gradual and steady pace means that you’re more likely to keep the weight off in the long run than someone who loses a ton of weight very rapidly.
“A lifestyle with good nutrition, regular physical activity, stress management, and enough sleep supports a healthy weight,” the CDC says. “Factors, such as medicines, medical conditions, stress, genes, hormones, environment, and age can also affect weight management.”
Dropping weight—like making any other serious change—doesn’t happen overnight. It’s hard to maintain your energy, drive, and motivation if you have to juggle a dozen different new healthy habits.
So, it’s better to take an incremental approach. Pick one major habit to focus on at first and make it your priority.
Think about what could have the biggest impact right now. For some, it might be walking more or trying out a team sport because they live a mainly sedentary lifestyle.
For others, it might mean gradually reducing how much ultra-processed food, soda, junk food, cigarettes, or alcohol they consume by slowly replacing these things with healthy alternatives.
