Good reasons: What motivates us to lose weight

Did you know that from a BMI of 25, the general health risk increases with each additional point? Or that people with obesity live on average up to ten years shorter? 75 percent of all Austrians want to lose weight. There are many good reasons for this. We reveal the most important:

The big WOMAN themed special for your feel-good weight

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Small successes, big impact

The increase in body fat and thus the increase in BMI are directly related to the occurrence of dangerous secondary diseases such as diabetes or high blood pressure. Conversely, this means: Every kilo you lose is a step towards a healthy, carefree life! From a medical point of view, even a weight reduction of five to ten percent of the initial weight is a great success. Important medical parameters “only” improve by losing weight - the health risk is reduced. A large-scale study examined the health data of 550,000 British people and came to the following conclusion: Around 60,000 test persons recorded an average weight reduction of 13 percent within the eight-year study - the cholesterol values fell by 20 percent, the blood pressure values on average by 25 percent and the risk of diabetes by a whopping 42 percent.

Back to the younger me

Two thirds of the people living in Austria would like to lose weight, an average of ten kilos. In addition to health, the main motives are above all an attractive figure and a young, vital appearance. Because regardless of whether you are slim, curvy or muscular - according to a market research survey, people report that when they are overweight, they no longer feel like their "figure self". And in fact, losing weight is a beauty factor: Those who lose weight not only promote their health, but also immediately feel more vital and younger - and are perceived as such. Ten years on average.

Less pounds, more lifetime

While the risk of serious secondary diseases increases with every extra kilo, the lifespan is shortened at the same time. Studies show: If the waist circumference increases by just ten centimeters, the risk of premature death increases by eleven percent. In absolute numbers: Anyone with a BMI between 30 and 35 lives an average of two to four years shorter, just because of their weight. If the BMI is between 40 and 45, the lifetime is shortened by eight to ten years. By the way: The specialist journal "Obesity Reviews" published a study according to which people with obesity who contracted SARS-CoV-2 were 113 percent more likely to end up in hospital than people of normal weight, 74 percent more likely to be admitted to an intensive care unit and 48 percent more likely to die. Those who reduce weight live longer!

The "easy" way to family happiness

Obesity has a direct influence on the hormonal balance, and this is not long without consequences for women: the cycle becomes unbalanced, the desire to have children often remains unfulfilled. One study showed that, from a BMI of 29, the occurrence of a spontaneous pregnancy is reduced by four to five percent with each additional BMI point. The following insight is even more motivating: With every kilogram of body weight that overweight women lose, the time to pregnancy is reduced by an average of 5.5 days. In addition, the risks of possible complications during pregnancy and the birth process are significantly reduced.

Less belly fat, less cravings

75 percent of all women and 60 percent of all men in Austria want to lose weight. However, very few people achieve long-term success - according to statistics, one in ten diets fails. The combination of hunger is partly responsible for this

(68 percent) and limitless, unhealthy eating (89 percent). Particularly exciting: Overweight people in particular often fail because of food cravings. The reason: The so-called visceral belly fat sends food cravings to the brain and thus ensures its own increase in a clever way - a vicious circle. Those who lose weight are therefore less hungry. Modern weight loss medicine supports this.

Setting a good example

Particularly worrying is the fact that in this country every third child between the ages of nine and ten is overweight. In boys, 11.8 percent are obese, in girls it is 8, 5. What many do not know: 80 percent of overweight children also struggle with being overweight in adulthood. The causes for this often begin in the womb: Statistics show that overweight mothers are more likely to give birth to macrosomal children that are significantly larger and heavier. By the way: If crying children are calmed down with food, they quickly learn: "If I feel bad, eating helps." - a pattern that they later adopt. It is all the more important to lead by example. Those who eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly as a child will continue these habits later and thus set the course for a healthy life.

The 5 biggest weight loss enemies

There are many good reasons to lose weight. But just as long is the list of "enemies" who are often directly in the way of the project. Which factors make losing weight difficult? We have summarized the most important ones for you:

Enemy 1: THE GENDER

Women are more often affected by gene variants that promote increased fat storage. In addition, the biological change during pregnancy promotes fat deposits. In addition, the lack of estrogen during menopause promotes an unhealthy redistribution of fat to the abdominal region (keyword: visceral fat). So women have to deal with special challenges.

Enemy 2: THE AGE

The older we get, the harder it becomes to lose weight. The reason: From the age of 40, the body switches to the maintenance phase. It stores a lot of fat and uses fewer calories. This is due to the reduction in muscle mass from the age of 30 (approx. Ten percent per decade). This reduces the basic energy metabolism. If the energy supply remains the same, you gain weight.

Enemy 3: LACK OF SLEEP

If you get enough sleep, you will be full more quickly when you eat. Conversely, this means: poor sleep quality is at the expense of the feeling of satiety. Because lack of sleep affects the region in the brain that is responsible for the release of satiety hormones.

Enemy 4: STRESS

He is no longer omnipresent - he who saved our ancestors' lives in battle and on the run. On the contrary: constant stress makes you sick and floods our organism with hunger signals. The hunger for fatty and sweet foods is increasing in particular.

Enemy 5: OUR ENVIRONMENT

In our modern society there is an oversupply of high-calorie food - this clashes with the genetic makeup of humans: to eat in order to survive. We therefore eat more and with more calories than our organism would need. By the way: Despite all the myths, will and discipline have little to do with actual customer success.

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Crash diets - why they lead to more body fat in the long term Annemarie Kocijan, nutritionist & pharmacist

Annemarie Kocijan, nutritionist & pharmacist

For someone who wants to lose weight, of course, it sounds tempting - "lose seven kilos in two weeks, reach the bikini figure in time!" The range of crash diets seems limitless. But be careful! This very low-calorie and one-sided form of nutrition is anything but recommendable. The smaller food choices result in a lack of vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients. In addition, the body switches to the back burner due to the reduced calorie intake, as the human body had to protect itself from starvation phases in evolution and this protective mechanism is still in our genes. Therefore, more fat is stored in order to survive. You actually want to burn fat! Exactly the opposite happens. Crash diets cause us to lose water and muscle mass, which means that less energy is burned. If you eat normally again after the crash diet, the so-called yo-yo effect occurs. The body is in storage mode in order to be prepared for the next phase of hunger. More fat is stored, which means that we gain weight again. In addition, the short-term hunger phase has a negative impact on the feeling of satiety, which means that we suffer more from food cravings. So all the effort was in vain. To avoid this frustration, it is better to avoid crash diets. A healthy lifestyle with sufficient exercise and a balanced diet makes sense. In order to lose weight, a long-term change in diet is immensely important. Certified nutritional advice can provide lasting support for this lifestyle change. With an individual concept that fits into everyday life and tastes good at the same time. If the body is supplied with all the essential nutrients in a balanced amount, not only is fat burned more easily, but muscles are also built - for long-term weight loss and for the benefit of health!

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