Q: What are the benefits of losing weight?

There is no short answer to that question. A massive list could be made of all the benefits of losing weight. But here are just a few...

A: Along with preventing the onset of diseases like Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease, sleep apnea, and osteoarthritis, there are plenty of worthwhile benefits.

1) Improved relationships - Just about every relationship you have in your life will improve and become better. If you have kids you might be able to do things you couldn't do before. That is a great feeling to spend as much quality time with your kids as possible.

⇆

2) Increased happiness - When you get done with a great workout, how do you feel? Do you feel blue or do you feel like you can conquer the world? You feel so great after working out because of hormones that your brain secretes called endorphins. Endorphins truly are the feel good drug.

⇆

3) Increased self-esteem - Your self-worth and self-esteem will get a huge lift as you lose weight. Just think about, when you look in the mirror and you are thinner than you were last week, last month, or last year. How does that make you feel? It makes you feel amazing! It puts a big smile on your face.

⇆

4) Increased confidence - Number 3 and number 4 go hand in hand. When your self-esteem improves so does your confidence. Getting on the scale can be a brutal reality check if you need to lose weight. But you get a different feeling when you step on the scale and the number is less than the less time you were on there.

⇆

5) Decreased use of medications - Many people, that are overweight need different medications for all types of conditions. But just incorporating some simple lifestyle changes can lead to the same people taking fewer medications while becoming healthier. Medications can get really expensive, so losing weight and getting off of medications will help your bottom line. I'm sure you wouldn't mind saving a few bucks.

Q: How long until I enjoy the benefits of losing weight?

A: This is not as easy to answer as the first question. It all depends on your efforts and your body.

If you have not been taking care of your body for years then it might take some time for your body to respond in a positive way to your new found lifestyle change.

But keep the faith. There have been many amazing transformations in many lives of men and women. If you have a certain amount of weight you want to lose, just picture yourself in the mirror without the extra weight. Then go out and do what is necessary to get to that weight.