by A. Y. Ford

Created on: March 07, 2009   Last Updated: September 30, 2009

For individuals who are overweight, weight loss is important for many reasons other than just appearance. People living above their normal body weight can often have increased issues with health problems, low self esteem, prejudice from society, and simply the inability to live their lives to their full potential.

*Health Issues*

When bodies are overweight they have to work harder to do normal metabolic activity and have less energy to fight the viruses and bacteria that come at us all the time. Americans stray from ideal weight by being overweight far more than they stray by being underweight. Weight loss considerations should be a major part of our personal health care plans.

Ideal body weight is based on height, bone structure, and muscle mass. It is not as easy to determine as stepping on the scale and realizing the number is too high. There are various charts on ideal weight based on height, but a doctor is the best place to establish personalized weight loss goals. If a doctor doesn't want to help establish a plan for a person to reach a healthy weight then that doctor may not be interested in preventative medicine and the patient might want to find support from one who does. If a person is overweight, even a 5% drop in body weight improves his body's ability to fight disease. Living close to ideal body weight is one of the best ways to stay healthy.

*Self Esteem Issues*

Okay, this is an area where appearance and weight loss go hand and hand. Our weight plays a big part in how we feel about ourselves and at what level our self esteem resides. There are overweight people who are not drowning in low self esteem, and there are plenty of people without weight issues who are. There are too many other factors involved in self esteem to examine how weight measures against the others, but it is safe to say that not having weight issues takes concern off one area of self esteem.

*Issues with Society*

Society seems to be more and more accepting of the issue of being overweight, because clothes and even furniture are easier to purchase in larger sizes. But the truth is there is still a lot of pressure from society to be around normal weight or even to be too thin. You see some actors or musicians that are overweight, but the number of those underweight or at least on the lower end of normal far exceed them. Human resource managers will tell you that a person can not be discriminated against based on weight, but how this can be %100 prevented is still under examination.

*Living life to the Fullest*

When a person thinks of dreams and visions for his life, does weight ever come in as a major obstacle to their accomplishment? If so you can see where weight loss can help a person achieve more. If an individual wants to get a college degree, but often feels too tired to get through their normal day, a healthier weight might be part of the solution. If another individual wants to be able to play more with her kids, but is uncomfortable or unable to play the things they want to play, then she can identify another area where losing weight will make her life and even the lives of those she loves more enjoyable. Whatever areas an individual sees himself held back by being overweight are areas that will be positively affected by weight loss.

A big bonus to weight loss is of course being able to look in the mirror and be more content with personal appearance. But being able to feel healthy, feel good about who he is, not feel he is being judged when he goes out in public and being able to accomplish goals set for his life are just as important, if not more important than the way a person looks.

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