Little Weight Loss Goes a Long Way

From driving up your blood pressure and cholesterol, to increasing your risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and more, there's no question that being overweight is more than just a cosmetic problem - it's a serious threat to your health.

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At the same time, if you're like most folks, even the thought of embarking on a 20-, 40-, or even 100-pound weight-loss plan can seem like a mountain that's impossible to climb.

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If this is the way you're feeling right now, take heart. Today, the most progressive weight-loss experts agree you don't have to climb the whole mountain -- or even go halfway up -- to improve your health. Indeed, taking even a few small steps toward your weight-loss goals can go a long way in reducing your health risks, even if you never reach the ideal number on your bathroom scale.

Even Small Steps Have Big Benefits

"It's not just about losing weight, it's about being healthy, and when you take even small steps towards establishing a healthier diet and lifestyle you are going to reap big health rewards, even if you don't lose as much weight as you would like," says Henry Anhalt, MD, director of obesity and diabetes at Maimonides Medical Center in New York.

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In fact, says Anhalt, when you look at large population studies, relatively modest amounts of weight loss can result in a marked improvement in a number of key health factors, including cholesterol and blood sugar.

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"In a person who is 400 pounds, a loss of just 20 pounds can literally turn their health around," says Anhalt.

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According to the 2001 U.S. surgeon general's report on obesity, a number of studies show that weight loss as modest as 5%-15% of excess body weight reduces risk factors for a variety of serious medical concerns, particularly cardiovascular disease, at least in the short term.

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And, the benefits may be even greater -- and come sooner -- if you are one of tens of thousands who suffer from "metabolic syndrome." This little known phrase describes a relatively common disorder that includes not only toting around some extra pounds, but also falling prey to related abnormalities including high blood pressure, high fasting blood-sugar levels, abnormal cholesterol with low HDL "good" cholesterol, and a large waist circumference.

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Experts from the Baylor College of Medicine report that metabolic syndrome may affect up to 40% of people over 50 and nearly one-third between 40 and 50 who have three or more symptoms.

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If this is the case for you, studies conducted at Baylor and published in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism in 2002 revealed that even a modest weight loss -- just 7%-10% of body weight -- can return all these metabolic levels to normal in just 30 days.

In a second study, the researchers showed that walking just 130 minutes per week, combined with losing just 5%-7% of body weight, offered a 60% reduction in the risk of diabetes.

Regardless of what is causing your weight problem, doctors say you can dramatically increase the health benefits of every single pound you do lose, if your loss is the result of healthy lifestyle changes.

"If your method of losing weight includes things like lowering your cholesterol and fat intake, increasing your metabolic rate through exercise, and eating less junk foods, then in addition to any benefits you get from the actual weight loss, you will also experience other benefits and positive changes in your overall health profile," says Stephen Sondike, MD, director of wellness and nutrition at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York.