By Losing A Little, You Gain A Lot

I recently attended a live seminar by Dr. William Li. He is a medical doctor, but specializes mostly in functional medicine. In his recent book, Eat to Beat Your Diet, he says that "Losing even a little weight is good for your heart and brain."

He broke down weight loss and the benefits of weight loss into losing one to four pounds, losing five pounds, losing ten to twelve pounds, and finally losing up to twenty pounds.

I'd like to share with you the benefits that he mentioned for each of these categories, in hopes that you can see that by losing a little weight, you can reap big benefits.

Losing One to Four Pounds - researchers found that for every two pounds of weight lost, there was a one-point reduction in systolic blood pressure (the top number). High blood pressure (hypertension) increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and later in life, dementia. An analysis of six hundred thousand people involved in clinical trials of blood pressure reduction showed that for every ten-point drop in systolic blood pressure, participants had a 28 percent reduction in risk of heart failure. Just losing two pounds lowers the risk of heart failure by 2.8 percent and losing four pounds reduces the risk by 5.6 percent.

Losing Five Pounds - "five pounds of weight loss hits a sweet spot when it comes to reducing cancer risk." A study conducted by the American Cancer Society indicated that women who lost five pounds or more - and sustained it - had an 18 percent decrease in the risk of developing breast cancer. At ten pounds lost, there was a 25 percent lower risk of breast cancer. At twenty pounds, the risk declined even further to 35 percent. Even five pounds can make a significant difference.

Losing Ten to Twelve Pounds - Losing just ten pounds includes reducing the risk of endometrial cancer. This cancer develops form the lining of the uterus (the endometrium) in postmenopausal women. There is strong evidence that excess body fat heightens the risk of developing cancer. Studies found that women who lost ten pounds or more had a 39 percent reduced risk of endometrial cancer over the next decade. "Even moderate weight loss can have a long term effect of reducing the risk of this deadly cancer in women."

Losing Twenty Pounds - Losing twenty pounds reduces your risk of dying from diabetes. Research studies found that those who intentionally lost up to nineteen pounds had a 22 percent reduced risk of mortality caused by diabetes-associated conditions.

While fat does play a role in our bodies, to protect our organs and help with our overall well being, too much fat can be detrimental to our health.

Losing just a little bit of weight can provide amazing benefits for your health.

If you have struggled with your weight for most of your life, I understand. Most of the time, this is an emotional weight and won't go away by just going on a restrictive diet. As I always say, "Anyone can lose weight, but until you deal with the emotional side of weight, it will come back every time." Let me help you deal with your emotional side of weight.

Check out my six module course: The Emotional Side of Weight

Until next time...Take Care of You!