Benefits of Weight Loss for Women Who Are Overweight

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Women are physically different!

Women’s bodies are inherently different than those of men; for instance, if a couple decides to go on a weight-losing journey, the female will probably find it more challenging to lose those extra pounds.

The reason behind this is multifactorial and involves the low body muscle mass in women, metabolism, and hormonal fluctuations.

This does not mean that women shouldn’t try to lose weight; on the contrary, women must keep their weight in a healthy margin, as it provides multiple health benefits.

In this article, we will discuss 7 benefits of weight loss if you are overweight.

Heart disease

It is true that men are more susceptible to developing cardiovascular diseases than women; however, the risk for women is also at an all-time high!

One of the significant risk factors for myocardial infarction (Heart attack) is obesity.

This doesn’t mean that you have to be obese to be at risk for heart attacks; in fact, there is a relatively new term used in the medical field today that describes another type of obesity; “metabolically obese.”

Being metabolically obese means having a weight that falls in the normal range, but your body’s composition is disrupted.

This means that you can weigh 120 pounds while having a higher than normal fat: muscle ratio. As a result, you will have elevated levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood glucose.

By working out and dieting, you will gain more lean muscle mass that will help your body balance its composition.

Gallbladder stones

Gallbladder stones can obstruct the normal flow of bile, which irritates the gallbladder and cause cholecystitis.

When this condition is recurrent, it may require surgical removal of the gallbladder. As a result, many dietary changes have to be made, since bile is essential for the breakdown of fats.

Some of the risk factors of developing gallbladder stones and cholecystitis include:

Obesity
Female gender
Age (40s)
Reproductive age

As you can see, all of the risk factors listed above describe an obese woman in her forties. This explains the high incidence of cholecystitis in women compared to men.

Losing weight can significantly reduce your risk of gallstones, as most stones form in the presence of high levels of triglycerides and cholesterol.

Joint and back pain

Our joints are composed of two bones connected together, separated by something called the “synovial fluid,” which acts as a lubricant to reduce the friction between the two bones.

Osteoarthritis is a medical condition when this fluid is reduced, and the two bones start grinding against each other; it can be a debilitating condition where even moving becomes extremely difficult.

This disease has many risk factors, including advanced age and obesity.

Decreasing your Body mass index (BMI) has been shown to reduce both the severity and the frequency of osteoarthritis.

Better sleep

Obese people often suffer from sleep apnea; it is a medical condition that is characterized by obstruction of upper airways during sleep.

Sleep apnea is caused by an increase in fat tissue in the body, especially in the upper airway region. As a result, patients often suffer from recurrent interruptions of sleep.

This is bad because it will disturb your sleep cycles, which can damage metabolism, increase oxidative stress inside the cells, and predispose patients to a wide range of chronic diseases.

No more allergy!

You are probably asking yourself, “what does weight have to do with allergies?”. Well, and as it turns out a lot!

You see, being overweight means having an excessive number of adipocytes (fat cells). This will create a constant state of inflammation that will trigger your immune system to overreact to any foreign substance, including harmless chemicals that’s making you miserable.

Losing weight will reduce the number of adipocytes and the intensity of the allergic response, as a result.

Taste your food!

Did you ever think that losing the extra weight can make your dinner taste better? Well, this is true.

In a study done by the University of Stanford, researchers found that losing weight can stimulate the taste buds located on your tongue, and make your food taste a lot better.

The exact mechanism of how this happens is still unknown; however, it is believed that obese people have overused their taste buds, making them less sensitive.

Childbirth

In recent years, the use of a Cesarean section is at its peak.

It is becoming the preferred way to give birth to a lot of women. The main reason behind this is because it involves no pain during delivery.

While C-section can be beneficial in some obstetric complications such as Placenta Previa, it is still surgery after all, and all operations have potential complications.

These complications are drastically increased in patients with high body fat composition. Here’s why:

Overweight patients are more difficult to intubate.
Extra time during surgery, which increases the chances of complications.
Increased risks of post-operational complications, including severe infections.

Better sex!

Researchers have found that excessive belly fat in women will increase the secretion of a hormone called “cortisol,” which is a stress hormone released when the fight or flight system (sympathetic nervous system) is activated.

High levels of circulating cortisol in the bloodstream will interfere with sexual arousal. Moreover, having that belly fat can make you self-conscious during sex, which in return will increase the secretion of cortisol and other stress hormones.

Conclusion

Losing weight is crucial to stay healthy, especially if you are a woman. It is associated with lower disease risk, improved reproductive system health, and an enhanced quality of life.

In this article, we covered some of the reasons women should lose the extra body fat, and how it makes their lives much better.

However, what would be more interesting is to read stories directly from our audience, so if you suffer from overweight or if you have benefited from losing extra weight, we would be thrilled to read your stories in the comment section below.

– Shameka Renee

Results may vary. Information and statements made are for general purposes and are not intended to replace the advice of your doctor. Her Own Health does not dispense medical advice, prescribe, or diagnose illness. The views and nutritional advice expressed by Her Own Health are not intended to be a substitute for conventional medical service. If you have a severe medical condition or health concern, see your physician.