Want to Get a Whole Lot Healthier? Lose 13% of Your Body Weight.
How much weight do you really need to lose to see a big difference in your health? Well, it depends. But a new study came up with a number the average person should try to hit if they’re really overweight…
This isn’t for people who are already in decent shape. But researchers tracked 553,000 middle-aged adults who were obese. And they found that losing 13% of their body weight made a huge difference.
That isn’t exactly a small number. For someone who’s 250 pounds, 13% is about 32 pounds. But if you can get that weight off, it comes with a huge list of health benefits.
People in the study who lost 13% of their body weight cut their diabetes risk by 42%, their risk for high blood pressure and sleep apnea by 25%, high cholesterol by 22% and arthritis by 20%.
If 13% sounds impossible, just start small. Other studies have shown that even losing 5% of your body weight makes a difference.
(To be clear, not everyone needs to lose that much weight. If you’re already in pretty good shape, then losing weight could actually be BAD for your health. So don’t overdo it!)