Being overweight can be a huge struggle. It can be very hard to lose weight, and it is much harder for some people than others. The reason it is harder is not simple. It has to do with genetics, gut bacteria, upbringing, and how active you are. Regardless, obesity has become an epidemic and needs to be addressed as obesity can lead to many medical problems.

Did you know obesity can be the direct cause of high blood pressure, heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, arthritis, and many more diseases? We can cure many of these diseases with weight loss alone. If you lose weight, there is a good chance you will be able to come off or decrease the dose of some or all of your medications. A recent article in the Journal of American College of Cardiology to evaluate the statement that there is a such thing as “Fat but Fit.” The conclusion of the study was that metabolically healthy obese individuals had a higher risk of coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and heart failure than normal weight metabolically healthy individuals. There is no such thing as “Fat but Fit.”

There is hope. There are healthy ways to lose weight with both diet and exercise. There are healthy diets and unhealthy diets. Please be careful listening to those outside of the medical field when starting a new diet they recommend. These can be dangerous. Consult a physician to ensure these are safe.

Also, do not take supplements given outside of a medical professional’s recommendations. These supplements are most of the time not FDA approved and not clinically tested for side effects or bad outcomes. There are FDA approved weight loss medications as well.