Don't Wait to Lose It

The weight, that is. Why? The obvious reasons include the fact that you'll be healthier and in all likelihood, happier; especially if your weight has been, well, weighing on you for some time. The not-so-obvious reason is a big one, too: losing the weight will reduce your risk of health issues and early death as you get older.

In a long-term study involving nearly 30,000 adults with an average age of 40 years at baseline, being overweight or obese compared to having a normal body-mass index (BMI) significantly increased "morbidity burden" at age 65: presence of health issues / disease and amount of time spent living with health issues / disease.

Health care costs after age 65 were also significantly higher for people who were overweight / obese at midlife. According to the researchers, whose findings appear in JAMA Network Open, being overweight at age 40 added $12,390, on average, in excess health care costs after age 65. Being obese at age 40 proved even worse in terms of excess costs: an average of $23,396 after age 65.

Bad for your health, bad for your wallet; how many reasons do you need to lose the weight? If you've been struggling to lose weight – or keep it off once you've lost it – ask your doctor for help designing a safe, sensible weight-loss plan that can change your life ... and as this study shows, change your outlook for the future as well.