Читать книгу Intermittent Fasting For Dummies - Janet Bond Brill - Страница 26

Following a reduced calorie healthy diet and exercise plan can unquestionably help you lose weight. Analyzing the reasons that drive you to lose the weight in the first place will aid you in your efforts to keep weight off. Being introspective about the real reason you want to lose weight facilitates your success in achieving your goals and is a powerful motivator for acting on and maintaining your goals.

Here are many of the most common reasons people want to lose weight. Figure out which ones motivate you the most:

 Maintaining good health: Being overweight is bad for your health; it raises blood pressure (the silent killer) and increases risk of heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancers (such as breast cancer). Avoiding these diseases can be a strong motivator for people to want to lose weight. Living a healthy lifestyle leads to living a longer and higher quality of life.

 Boosting your energy level: This reason may seem counterintuitive, but intermittent fasting leads to an energy boost. Extra body fat requires energy to maintain, so lose the fat and you redirect all that energy to living life.

 Feeling better about oneself: Society denigrates the overweight with a barrage of messages that thin is in and fat is ugly. This very real social shaming can take a toll on peoples’ self-esteem. Embarrassment about one’s looks can diminish self-confidence, which can lead to anxiety and depression. Feeling better about oneself and looking good is a compelling incentive to shed those pounds.

 Decreasing joint problems: One of the common side effects of excess body weight is joint pain, especially in the knees. Too much body weight stresses the joints and can lead to wear and tear, potentially resulting in arthritis. Joint pain can be extraordinarily painful, which creates a viscous circle, increasing weight gain by curtailing the ability to exercise.