Excess weight is bad for you. Your body is not designed to be carrying excess weight around. I’m sure you already know this though! This is in addition to excess weight making you look less than glamorous in your bathing costume! Being overweight is just plain unhealthy.

Exactly how unhealthy is it to carry around extra pounds? The answer in a word is very. If you have ever needed to boost your motivation to eat better, exercise more and peel away that excess poundage, then read on.

Not wishing to frighten you but first and foremost, you should know that being overweight has been directly linked to the leading causes of death in this country today. Namely, heart disease, certain types of cancer, strokes and diabetes. In addition, excess weight is linked to a host of other complaints with varying degrees of severity. These range from varicose veins to insomnia.

In short, the statistics are staggering in favour of achieving and maintaining your ideal weight if you want to live a long and healthy life. Whilst the most significant health problems crop up when a person is more than 20% above their ideal weight, it doesn't take a big weight loss to achieve substantial health improvements. If you have high blood pressure for example, losing just 10 pounds can help improve it.

Doctors also suspect that keeping your weight down will help prevent osteo-arthritis by taking a load off your already overworked joints, particularly knee joints. Nearly 10% of people over 65 (and more women than men) suffer joint wear and tear and knee problems. Being overweight is a major risk factor. However, if for example, a 5ft 4in woman weighing 12 ½ stones can lose 11lbs and keep it off, they can reduce their chances of developing this condition. Your hip joints as well will thank you if you keep your weight down. When losing weight by reducing fat you are also giving a big boost to your immune system, as well as giving your body parts a chance to stay healthy.

If you think that fat just makes your stomach bulge we’re afraid it means more than that! Obesity can affect almost all of your body parts in ways that won't make you too happy. Here is a list of just some of the diseases and ailments we can develop. With all of these conditions you have an increased risk if you are overweight.

Weight Gain Health Problems

Brain - stroke

Windpipe - intensified snoring

Armpits - increased perspiration

Heart - clogged arteries, other types of heart disease

Breasts - cancer

Liver - Cirrhosis

Gall Bladder - Gallstones, cancer

Kidneys - Kidney stones, kidney failure due to high blood pressure

Pancreas - diabetes

Ovaries - sterility, cancer

Uterus - cancer

Cervix - cancer

Hip, knee and ankle bones - arthritis

Legs - varicose veins