How Can You Tell If The Time Has Come To Lose Weight?

Are you amongst the millions of men and women who look in the mirror each day and say to themselves "I need to lose that excess weight"? Almost all of us have done this at one time or another and in most instances you really do need to lose some weight. However, this is not always the case and so how do you know whether you really ought to lose some weight?

A major problem with weight gain lies in the fact that it often seems to arrive when you are not looking and this is increasingly being witnessed especially in countries like the USA where obesity is now officially said to be an epidemic. Because your weight often rises slowly over many months, you frequently simply are not aware of the increase as far as changes in your looks are concerned and are only conscious of it when you jump on the bathroom scales. Therefore, it is a good idea to get into the habit of checking your weight regularly (roughly once a month is usually sufficient) and when you discover that it has risen appreciably then it is time to lose some weight.

There are differences of opinion about precisely what amounts to obesity but for our purposes here if your weight has increased by more than perhaps thirty pounds then you are most likely heading for obesity and a raft of associated health problems.

The next sure sign that you need to lose weight is if a friend tells you that you are overweight. Now you might well be offended when somebody tells you that you ought to lose some weight but bear in mind that they probably found it hard to find the courage to tell you and are also more likely than not showing a very real concern about your health, rather than passing comment about the way you look.

Another indication that you have put on too much weight is when you start having difficulty with normally simple tasks like climbing a flight of stairs or running to catch a bus and discover that you are getting short of breath all too quickly. Of course this will not necessarily be the result of carrying too much weight and can be caused by other health problems, however you would be surprised at how many times the cause is indeed weight. If this happens your body is beginning to ring its alarm bells and these should definitely not be ignored.

A last and very simple, although often dismissed, indication of weight gain is simply finding that your clothes do not fit as they used to. A bit of a tight waistband post Christmas is normal for many of us but when it continues to get tighter and tighter and you find yourself buying larger and larger clothes every time you shop then it is time to go on a diet before your growing waist stretches not only your clothes but also your credit card.

Here we have looked at just a small number of examples of the many signs that you are overweight and need to take some corrective action. Excessive weight has a habit of creeping up on you gradually and it is far too easy simply not to notice it at all. However the secret to looking and feeling good is quite simple - know your ideal weight and hop on the scales regularly to make sure that you are not putting on too much weight.

Obesity, and particularly teenage obesity, nowadays is a rising problem and one which has serious medical complications. It is also wise therefore to learn how to calculate BMI which is the medical indicator for obesity.