by Michelle Wilkinson

Created on: April 23, 2009   Last Updated: July 24, 2010

When you are overweight you might not like your appearance, but you get used to it, and so it can be difficult to challenge the habits which caused you to gain weight in the first place. If your husband or wife loves you for who you are and your weight isn't an issue for your friends, it is tempting to simply ignore the problem. Occasionally you may encounter the cruel taunts of passers-by, but they are in the minority, and you try to put them out of your head, or just eat to take away the pain. So much emphasis is placed on losing weight to look good that it is easy to lose sight of the true benefits of losing weight.

It can be difficult to visualise a slimmer version of yourself when you have been overweight all your life, and if you feel that you are defined by your weight and are comfortable with that label there may be no incentive to change your ways and to lose weight. Your perception of yourself is shaped by your interactions with other people, and if they respond positively to you and you have a high self-esteem then why should you do anything about your weight?

Really, you should think about trying to lose weight for the benefit of your health. You might feel well now, but if you are carrying a few too many pounds they will eventually catch up with you. If you have reached the stage where you are classed as obese it means that you have probably adopted some unhealthy eating practices and haven't been getting enough exercise. Losing weight involves addressing the poor lifestyle choices you have made in the past, so that you begin to follow a balanced diet and to get plenty of exercise.

When you are obese you are more likely to develop problems with your heart, suffer a stroke, develop diabetes and certain types of cancer, as well as having problems with your joints. When you are carrying too much weight your heart is under greater strain and your health will eventually suffer, no matter how healthy you feel. Losing weight will significantly reduce the chances of developing such illnesses and reduce their symptoms if you are already experiencing them. It is best, though, to tackle your weight before it starts to affect your health rather than waiting to feel the effects of your obesity.

Society tends to be preoccupied with the fluctuating weights of celebrities, and there seems to be an obsession with skinniness which means that ordinary people start to look at weight loss as the best way to improve their appearance, rather than looking at weight loss as the best way to improve their health. Who says that all skinny people look better than overweight people, anyway?

Maybe it is not so much a case of physical attractiveness, but of confidence, as the best thing for people who have lost weight is generally the confidence they gain. Some people are confident no matter what size they are, but others find that by conforming to society's expectations they are able to convey this confidence to others, and thus they become more attractive to people. Weight loss is therefore significant for a person's well-being in more than one way; from their appearance to their confidence to their health, although people tend to focus on appearance as the best indicator of successful weight loss far too much.

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