4 Things To Expect After Losing Weight

What happens after you lose weight While our culture is obsessed with dieting, especially for appearance’s sake, the real benefits of losing weight are to your health. Like quitting smoking, losing weight can have both immediate and long-term benefits to your health.

As you start to lose weight, here’s what you can expect:

Lower Blood Pressure

While dieting and exercise lower blood pressure, just losing weight can bring it down, too. For every 20 pounds you lose, you can expect your systolic (top number) blood pressure to drop to 20 points. This can be the difference between high blood pressure and healthy blood pressure, reducing your risk for both heart attack and stroke.

Healthier Bones and Joints

If you are exercising to lose weight, particularly if you are performing resistance exercises, you will increase your bone density. A better bone density reduces your risk for osteoporosis and bone fractures.

But weight loss also relieves stress on your joints—and it doesn’t take much weight loss to make a big difference. For instance, every pound of your weight equals about four pounds of force on your knees. So if you lose five pounds, you’ve reduce the load on your knees by 20 pounds. With less stress on your joints, you’ll have a lower chance of arthritis as you age.

Better Sleep

Regular exercise and a healthy diet, both required for weight loss, also improve your sleep. But as those pounds drop, you should also see an improvement in sleep quality and a lower risk for obstructive sleep apnea. Quality sleep can also reduce your risk of weight gain as you maintain your new, lower weight.

More Energy and a Better Mood

As you start to lose weight, you improve your body’s ability to pump blood and use oxygen. This leads to more energy throughout your day. Exercise and better sleep also improve energy levels and even improve your mood.

Though you’ll start to see these benefits fast, sometimes just after 10 pounds of weight loss, if your diet or exercise regimen is too strict, you might find yourself frustrated, tired, and out of energy. A healthy approach to weight loss can help you feel great even if you are eating less and moving more.

At Bon Secours, our Fitness and Weight Loss program offers you the evidence-based support you need to drop those pounds and improve your health. Our Registered Dieticians can also work with you to determine proper nutrition for your weight loss goals. We create personalized plans to fit your lifestyle and help you maintain long-term healthy habits.