by Mario Carini

Created on: December 12, 2009

In today's modern society, weight loss is a major concern for many. They know they need to lose weight for health reasons, but the incentive just isn't there. Those that attempt to shed the pounds become frustrated when the weight loss programs, pills and clinics don't help. They may lose the pounds only to get it all back again.

Take a look at television advertising and fashion magazines and you see dozens of slim models, all touting the benefits of the products they sell. The media has successfully projected the idea that youth and looks are what counts most. It's the outward appearance that matters more than what goes on inside that slim body and many have fallen for this brainwashing.

The emphasis of any weight loss program should center on health and not looks alone. You simply need to see the dangers of being overweight. It's a fact that the majority of Americans today are overweight and that condition is what is leading to the explosion of diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Looks alone isn't enough to get anyone on a fitness program. What needs to be looked at is the avoidance of diseases and the health benefits that comes with losing weight and not how you look wearing those old clothes than once fit you. So take a look at what can happen from shedding that spare tire:

Better Energy:

Carrying around all that excess weight is tiring. Many people find it difficult to get started changing their diet or exercising more because they don't have the energy to make a start. This is compounded by a stressful lifestyle. Endurance and stamina doesn't exist under an overweight condition.

More Self-Confidence:

Few who are overweight would like their appearance known inside the gym room where the flab around their stomach gets more of a workout than they do! To be seen half-dressed in public or on a beech is a blow to that self-confidence. A lack of self-confidence often feeds on itself. Overweight people feel depressed and to alleviate that depression they eat more, drink or resort to drugs. This behavior only compounds the existing problem.

Better Body Functions:

That extra blubber, it has been discovered, secretes chemicals that interfere with the body's natural functioning. The cells of the body need the glucose that comes from the food you eat. But those chemicals from fat prevent the cells from absorbing glucose. And more glucose in the bloodstream translates to diabetes. It's not just the cells that suffer. Poor circulation means less oxygen to the extremities of the fingers and toes where the nerves die.

Better Job Advancements

If you're overweight, there's a good chance that someone else got the promotion and the new job you wanted. Companies are as concerned with their self-image as you are of yours. And they don't want an obese individual representing their company at corporate sales meetings or servicing customers. Not only do they look for someone who is a go-getter, but that someone has to be reasonably fit. That makes it harder to advance through the company's ranks.

None of these mentions the ability to fit into your old jeans, though that is important. Many people look fit, but they've had tummy tucks, liposuction and plastic surgery to look that way. Not everyone who looks fit is healthy. Age, of course, takes its toll and few will be able to look as youthful as they were as teenagers. There's little you can do to hide those gray hairs and liver spots.

When you get down to it, it's recognizing the importance to your health that's far more important and not what you see in your mirror. Vanity is what has many spending fortunes when the best and only way is to get yourself into good shape through the right diet and exercise.

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