5 Reasons to Not Wait ’til New Years to Lose Weight

Article posted in: Lifestyle

You may well be looking at the calendar—and your waistline—and thinking, “Starting on January 1st, or maybe January 2nd, I’m really going to lose some weight.” But losing weight is like saving money: the best time to do both is right now. There’s no need to wait. Here are five reasons why you should start losing weight right now. After all, there’s no time like the present.

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1. You’ll Avoid the Holiday Weight Gain Many Americans Experience
In a Harris Poll conducted for The Leaf’s parent company, Nutrisystem, more than one-third of those surveyed said they gained weight during the last two months of the year, the period between Halloween and New Year’s Day, and 40 percent said either they or their spouse went up at least one full clothing size during that same period. If you make a concerted effort to lose weight during the time of the year when many Americans gain weight, you’ll be ahead of the crowd, the curve and the game.

2. You’ll Reduce Your Risk of Developing Diabetes
If you lose just 10 percent of your body weight, you’ll cut in half your chance of developing diabetes, a silent killer that is reaching epidemic proportions in the United States. If your body mass index (BMI) is above 25, you are 20 to 40 times more likely to develop diabetes than someone who’s at a healthy weight. Jump on it now.

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3. You’ll Reduce Your Risk of Developing Cancer
Body fat produces estrogen, a hormone linked to the development of both breast cancer as well as endometrial cancer. By starting to lose weight as soon as possible, you are very likely reducing your risk of developing these and other forms of cancer.

4. You’ll Be Mentally Sharper
Obese people are more likely to develop dementia later in life, particularly if they are obese at midlife. In one study, people with big bellies at midlife were found to be 260% more likely than non-obese people to develop dementia than people without big bellies. And in a study in California that measured upper arm circumference, people with the fattest arms at ages 40 to 45 were 59 percent more likely to have dementia later in life.

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5. You’ll Reduce Your Risk of Heart Attack
The bigger you are the more likely you are to suffer a heart attack earlier in life—12 years sooner for the most obese, says a study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. And overweight people are more likely to have diabetes and high cholesterol. So get started now.