The Health Benefits of Losing 20 Pounds
What are the health benefits of losing 20 pounds? Changing your lifestyle habits to achieve a healthy weight can have remarkable results for your health and fitness even if you are only 20 pounds overweight.
And if you are 20 pounds or more overweight, you are not alone. Seventy-five percent of the adult population in the United States are overweight or obese.
And to make matters worse, a large and ever-growing percentage of the world’s population is overweight or obese.
The Scourge of Obesity
Obesity is the accumulation of so much body fat that ill-health is the result. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 4 million people die each year as a result of being overweight or obese.
WHO also states that “Rates of overweight and obesity continues to grow in adults and children. From 1975 to 2016, the prevalence of overweight or obese children and adolescents aged 5–19 years increased more than four-fold from 4% to 18% globally.” ¹
Because of this, a lot of people take steps to avoid weight gain and try to lose weight. Unfortunately, losing weight is not always easy, and it takes time too, which can chip away at your motivation and resolve.
However, some pretty magical things start to happen when you lose weight, and especially as your weight loss approaches 20 pounds.
There is nothing especially significant about the 20-pound figure other than, for a lot of people, it represents about 10 percent of your body weight.
The next time you feel your weight loss motivation starting to fail or need a trigger to get you started in the first place, check out the extraordinary benefits of losing 20 pounds.
Body Fat vs. Body Weight – What’s the Difference?
But, before you deep-dive into the benefits of losing those extra pounds, you need to know the difference between weight loss and fat loss.
You might think that weight loss and fat loss are the same things, but they are not.
Your weight is the total mass of all the materials that make up your body, including your bones, blood, skin, muscles, and internal organs. It also includes things like the food in your stomach and the water in your bladder.
In contrast, body fat is precisely that – it’s the fat stored in and around your body.
Losing weight is relatively easy – go to the bathroom, lose water through sweating or completely cutting out carbohydrates. Any of these interventions will lead to weight loss but won’t provide any health benefits.
In contrast, losing fat will have a significant impact on your health as it’s high levels of body fat that are responsible for the risks associated with being overweight.
As a result, you should pay attention to how much of your weight is body fat, which is called your body fat percentage.
Tracking your body fat percentage is the reason that a body composition scale is an essential tool for your fitness transformation journey.
So, work towards losing weight, but make sure that the weight you lose is fat and not something your body needs, like muscle tissue or water.
What Losing 20 Pounds Does for Your Body
Now that you know the difference between weight loss and fat loss, here is a look at 15 of the most incredible benefits of losing 20 pounds.
#1. Lower blood pressure
High blood pressure, properly called hypertension, is often known as the silent killer. That’s because it gives you no warnings, and only a blood pressure test will reveal if you have hypertension or not.
High blood pressure can increase your risk of:
- Heart attack or stroke
- Heart failure
- Aneurysm
- Kidney disease
- Vision loss
- Memory loss and dementia
Obese people have an increased risk of developing hypertension. Losing weight, combined with a healthy diet and regular exercise, can reduce blood pressure and lower your risk of developing any hypertension-related complications.²
#2. Reduced Risk of Heart Disease
Heart disease leads to a narrowing of the arteries that keep the heart muscle supplied with oxygenated blood.
This progressive damage to your arteries is the leading cause of death in the developed world.
Fortunately, research shows that losing 20 pounds or 10 percent of body weight can significantly reduce all of the risk factors associated with heart disease.
Losing 20 pounds will lead to lower triglycerides, lower cholesterol levels, reduced blood pressure, and lower resting blood glucose. ³
#3. Prevent or Cure Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Excess weight on the abdomen and chest can trigger a condition called obstructive sleep apnea, which is a medical condition characterized by pauses and gaps in breathing during sleep that results in insufficient oxygenation.
This lack of oxygen puts a lot of strain on your heart and, if undiagnosed, could cause death.
Losing excess weight takes the pressure off your chest and abdomen, allowing more comfortable breathing.
People diagnosed with sleep apnea often have to wear oxygen masks to keep their airways open.
Such devices are invasive and can be cumbersome.
The bottom line is that losing weight is an effective treatment for sleep apnea. 4
#4. More Energy
Imagine wearing a 20-pound backpack all day long as if you were going rucking, a relatively new fitness trend that burns tons of calories, modeled on U.S. Army training.
Whatever you have to do, from going to the store to playing with your kids, or climbing the stairs to go to bed, will rob you of energy.
Even getting up from your chair will be harder than it needs to be.
And all the more so, starting a beginner deadlift program, which can lean out your body faster than a speeding bullet, will be next to impossible.
Now imagine taking that backpack off.
Suddenly, all those activities will feel a whole lot easier.
Losing weight will have much the same effect, and, as a result, you will significantly improve your energy levels.
Tasks that used to leave you exhausted will be much less demanding, and you’ll have more energy as a result.
Excess body fat is nothing more than dead weight.
Losing it will make the tasks of daily living much less tiring, so you’ll have energy left over for activities that bring you enjoyment.
#5. Less Pain
Being overweight can cause pain in a couple of different ways.
For starters, carrying extra weight puts a lot of stress on your bones and joints, mainly your knees, hips, and lower back.
Losing weight means less joint stress and fewer aches and pains.
You’ll also find it easier to get around as excess weight can impede mobility.
Secondly, being overweight or obese increases inflammation throughout your body.
Inflammation is the swelling and reddening of tissue – like a rash on your skin.
Inflammation can affect the tissues and organs inside your body.
Losing weight will reduce inflammation, and that means less pain.
Less pain will make life a whole lot more enjoyable. 5
#6. Reduced Risk of Developing Type 2 Diabetes
High levels of body fat can increase insulin resistance, leading to chronically elevated blood glucose levels.
If left unchecked, this can increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a potentially catastrophic disease.
Diabetes is a metabolic disease in which the body is unable to metabolize carbohydrates properly.
People with diabetes have an increased risk of heart disease, circulatory problems, nerve damage, blindness, kidney disease, skin problems, hearing impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, and depression.
Losing weight can reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and lessen the seriousness of your symptoms if you currently have type 2 diabetes. 6
Also, weight loss will not only prevent but can even reverse type 2 diabetes.
Yes, it is highly likely you will no longer need Metformin.
The ability to reverse type 2 diabetes is one of the most significant health benefits of losing 20 pounds.
The Perfect Treatment for Diabetes and Weight Loss
See The Obesity Code Summary by Dr. Fung for More Details
#7. Better Mental Health and Reduced Risk of Depression
The health of your body and the health of your mind are inseparable.
Being overweight can affect many aspects of mental health, including your susceptibility to stress, self-esteem, and even increasing the risk of depression.
Losing weight can have a very positive effect on all aspects of mental health, not least treating depression. 7
If you are currently struggling with depression, make sure to try out SIGECAPS Mnemonic: A Guide to Help Major Depressive Disorder before going down the road of antidepressants.
#8. Look and Feel Better
Before even thinking about how losing 20 lbs improves your invisible health, think about this; a 10 percent drop in body weight is enough to change how you look and feel dramatically.
If you are the average American man weighing in at 195.7 pounds, you will look like a new man at 175 pounds. Forget about all the significant effects of weight loss on your health.
Right now, you only have to think about your vanity.
Do you like the way you look in the mirror? Can you still get into your favorite jeans or suit?
From a purely exterior view, you will look and feel much better when you reach a healthy weight for your height.
Even Ben & Jerry’s Vanilla Heath Bar Crunch, Snickers, Oreos, M&M’s, or vanilla cookies ( night time binge favorites) won’t taste as good as how you will feel after experiencing the benefits of losing 20 pounds for your body and life!
#9. Fit into your favorite clothes
All those suits, slacks, and shirts that you could not wear for the last ten or twenty years, well, you can wear them now.
And you will find you need less or even no tailoring when you want to get new clothes.
Finally, you will fit into a suit right off the rack!
#10. No More Fear of the Gym or Weight Training
You will no longer suffer from fear of working out in a free weight training area if you were reluctant to do so in the past.
Weight training is an excellent way to improve your body tone and conditioning.
But, if you have been overweight or obese for many years, you might not have felt resistant to resistance training.
However, after you lean out your body by following this easy 20-pound weight loss program, which requires minimum exercise, you will want to apply more conditioning and fitness to your body through resistance training, whether using your bodyweight or weights, such as;
More hidden benefits of losing 20 pounds
Most of the benefits of weight loss are quantifiable.
You can measure your blood pressure and triglyceride levels, for example.
Other benefits are a little harder to quantify and could even be described as hidden.
Five of those benefits include:
#11. Rocket Your Confidence and Optimism
Beyond less depression is the prospect of improving your confidence.
Between your weight loss and weight training, you will look and feel like a new person.
Your confidence will soar, and you will be open to endless possibilities in your new exciting future.
#12. Become More Attractive
Once you like how you look and feel, others will too.
Few people enjoy a gray, dark, and gloomy day, raining tears of self-pity or self-persecution.
Confidence, optimism, and taking care of yourself are attractive traits.
Who knows, you might reconnect to or find the love of your life.
#13. Financial Savings
Being overweight can make health care more expensive.
Your weight affects your risk of illness, and that means your coverage costs more.
Losing weight and keeping it off will mean cheaper health insurance premiums.
#14. Better Income
Losing weight can increase work productivity, leading to an increase in salary and better job prospects.
Also, being overweight may stand in the way of a promotion or securing a better-paid job. 8
#15. Better Love Life
Men and women who lose weight often report that their romantic life improves. 9
Increased self-confidence, more energy, increased mobility, and less pain make intimacy a much more enjoyable prospect!
Losing weight can also increase fertility and virility because of higher testosterone levels.
You will be shocked at what more testosterone can do for a man.
The Gear You Need to Lose 20 Pounds
You don’t need a lot of expensive equipment to reach your weight loss goals.
The main thing you need is a proven diet and exercise plan to lose 20 pounds by someone who has gone through an obese to fit transformation and to become more physically active.
That said, here are a few things you can use to make losing weight easier.
Body Composition Scale
A good body composition scale is the first step of your weight loss transformation.
Find out what you weigh today and track your weight loss and fat loss progress.
See the Etekcity ESF24 digital weight scale review.
Walking shoes
One of the best ways to lose weight and keep it off is to incorporate walking into your daily schedule.
Walking is a low-impact activity, which means it’s easier on your joints than jogging or running.
Make your walking workouts as comfortable as possible by wearing supportive shoes designed for the purpose.
- Skechers Women’s D’Lites Memory Foam Lace-up Sneaker
- Skechers Sport Men’s Stamina Nuovo Cutback Lace-Up Sneaker
Adjustable Dumbbells
While cardio workouts like walking can help you lose weight, strength training is vital too.
Building even a little extra muscle mass will increase your resting metabolic rate, leading to faster and easier fat loss.
You don’t need to go to the gym if you have a good set of adjustable dumbbells at home.
Kitchen Scales
Losing weight means exercising more and eating less.
That’s how you create the calorie deficit that will force your body to burn fat for fuel.
Weighing your food will ensure you know exactly how much you eat.
Some kitchen scales even count calories too!
- GreaterGoods Digital Food Kitchen Scale
-
Ozeri ZK14-S Pronto Digital Multifunction Kitchen and Food Scale
Jump Rope
Jumping rope is one of the most convenient ways to work out for weight loss at home.
All you need is a few square yards of space and a suitable rope.
Jump ropes are very affordable and easy to use.
Just a few minutes a day will help speed up weight loss.
Is 20 Pounds a Big Deal?
The next time you wonder if losing 20 pounds is worth it, go to your garage or gym and pick up a 20-pound dumbbell.
That is the amount of extra weight you are forcing your skeleton to carry, every day of the year.
Over time, this additional poundage increases the wear and tear on your body.
Can You Lose 20 Pounds in a Month?
The short and long answer is NO.
Do not lose or try to lose 20 pounds in a month.
It took you years to put on the weight, and the best thing you can do for your body is to take it off gradually.
Don’t suffer your body more than it has already gone through.
See What Happens If You Lose Weight Too Fast
The good news is that you can safely lose 20 pounds in 3 months.
Benefits of Losing 20 Pounds – Final Thoughts
Losing 20 pounds is arguably the most important thing you can do for your health – both mental and physical.
Use the information in this article to inspire you to start your weight loss journey or motivate you to stay on course if you have already begun.
You know that dropping 20 pounds is going to change your life; now you need to know how to do it.
What’s Next
Of course, people say losing weight is not easy and that it will take effort, dedication, and sacrifice too, but the rewards are amazing.
With more energy, less illness, and a better state of mind, you’ll be able to enjoy your best life ever.
And there is truth to that, however, reaching an ideal body weight for your height is not as complicated as you think.
The hardest part of losing weight is not the weight loss, it is changing your lifestyle habits!
Yes, those common habits that got you fat in the first place.
Use the Ultimate Guide to Lose 20 Pounds in 3 Months. to reach your ideal weight – you will not fail!
Free Body Transformation Guide
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Footnotes:
¹ Obesity – World Health Organization
² Effects of exercise, diet and weight loss on high blood pressure – PubMed
³ Effects on cardiovascular risk factors of weight losses limited to 5–10 % – PubMed
4 Losing Weight Can Cure Obstructive Sleep Apnea In Overweight Patients, Study Shows – Science Daily
5 Obesity and inflammation: the effects of weight loss – PubMed
6 The importance of weight management in type 2 diabetes mellitus – PubMed
7 ‘Strongest Evidence Yet’ that being Obese Causes Depression – Science Daily
8 Study Shows Being Overweight Can Damage Your Career – Reuters
9 Sex and Weight – Want a better sex life? Lose 10 pounds – Psychology Today
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Rich is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer (NASM-CPT), an