If you’re like millions of other Americans — 1 in 3 adults are overweight and 2 in 5 have obesity — you’re carrying more pounds than is healthy for you. And you’re feeling it.
If we reverse this equation, it stands to reason that you can feel a whole lot better if you lose some weight, and there’s plenty of science to back this up.
As weight loss experts, our team here at Advanced Surgeons certainly understands the amazing number of benefits that losing weight can have on your health and wellness, and we want to share three key ones here.
Let's take a look at why you may want to consider or redouble your efforts to lose weight.
Improving your cardiovascular health
When you’re overweight or obese, the extra pounds can have a dangerous effect on your cardiovascular system.
From high blood pressure and high cholesterol to blockages in your blood vessels and irregular heart rhythms, there are very few cardiovascular conditions that don’t include excess weight as a risk factor.
Going in the other direction, the Obesity Action Coalition reports that if you lose just 5% to 10% of your body weight, you can:
- Raise your high-density lipoproteins by 5 points
- Lower your low-density lipoproteins
- Decrease triglycerides by 40 mg/dL
- Lower your blood pressure by 5 mmHg
- Lower your A1C (blood sugar) by a half a point
These are all significant changes that can greatly improve your heart and blood vessel health and even reverse the course of your life.
Finally get a good night’s sleep
Being overweight or having obesity is a primary driver of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a sleep disorder that affects at least 30 million Americans.
With OSA, soft tissues at the back of your throat collapse while you sleep and block your airways. To help you breathe, your brain wakes you, just enough to clear your throat.
This can happen over and over throughout the night, which means you’re not getting anything remotely resembling restorative sleep.
When you lose weight, you lose it everywhere, including in the tissues around your throat. As a result, these tissues are less likely to collapse while you sleep, so you can finally rest and wake up refreshed.
Putting that bounce back into your musculoskeletal health
We’ve said that when you’re overweight or obese, you’re carrying too many pounds, and we want to focus on that word “carry.”
Your musculoskeletal structure is designed to carry a certain amount of weight. When you exceed that ideal number, your bones and soft tissues pay the price. From early onset arthritis to a greater risk of strains and sprains, extra weight can wreak havoc on your body.
When you lose weight, you’ll likely find a new spring to your step as you, literally, lighten the load and take the added pressure off of your joints, back, and other important structures.
We can help you get healthy through weight loss
If you want to lose weight to improve your health, you’ve come to the right place. We offer a wide range of options, including:
To take your first steps toward losing unhealthy weight, please contact one of our offices in Valhalla, Carmel, or Poughkeepsie, New York, to schedule a consultation.
