How Do You Know If The Time Has Come To Lose Weight?

Are you one of the many millions of people who look in the mirror every day and say to themselves "I have got to lose a bit of weight"? Almost all of us have done this at some point and in many cases you really do need to lose a bit of weight. This is not however always necessary and so just how can you tell whether or not you really should lose that excess weight?

A great problem with weight gain lies in the fact that it tends to creep up on you when you are not looking and this is being witnessed particularly in countries like the USA where obesity is now officially said to be an epidemic. As however your weight frequently increases slowly over several months, you frequently simply do not notice the increase in terms of changes to your looks and only notice it when you step onto the bathroom scales. Accordingly, it is good practice to get yourself into the habit of weighing yourself regularly (approximately once a month is quite sufficient) and if you discover that it has risen noticeably then it is time to lose that excess weight.

There are differences of opinion about exactly what constitutes obesity but if your weight has increased by in excess of about thirty pounds then you are in all probability heading towards obesity and a host of medical problems that accompany it.

Yet another sure sign that you probably ought to to go on a diet is if a friend remarks that you are putting on weight. Now you could well get upset if a friend informs you that you should lose some weight but bear in mind that they most probably found it hard to pluck up the courage to tell you and are also practically always showing a genuine concern about your state of health and not passing comment about how you look.

Another indication that you have gained too much weight is when you start to have difficulty with normally simple tasks like running to catch a bus or climbing the stairs and discover that you are getting short of breath. This is not necessarily the result of being overweight and can be caused by other medical problems, however you will be surprised at just how many times the cause is indeed weight. Your body is beginning to sound its alarm bells and these should not be ignored.

A last and very common, though often dismissed, indication of weight gain is quite simply discovering that your clothes no longer fit as they used to. A somewhat tight waistband post Christmas is normal for many of us but when it continues getting tighter and you find yourself buying bigger and biggersizes every time you shop then the time has come to go on a diet before your waist stretches not only your clothes but also your credit card.

Here we have of course examined just some examples of the many signs that you are overweight to the point at which you need to take some corrective action. Excessive weight tends to creep up on you gradually and it is all too easy simply not to notice it at all. The key to both looking and feeling good is relatively simple - know your ideal weight and jump on the scales every now and again to ensure that you are not exceeding it by too much.