Being overweight is a separate risk factor from high blood pressure, or diabetes, or even physical inactivity, and it is not a fun one to talk about (as if any of them are). But being overweight (which I have been) always feels more like its about everything else — how I look, how I feel about that, what others think of me, whether I care about that — than it does about risk for disease, heart or otherwise.

But here’s the good news: Any amount of weight loss helps decrease your risk of heart disease. Even 10-15 pounds makes a difference, and I think this is so important. It can seem too overwhelming and pointless to even begin trying to lose if you have 50, 75, or 100 pounds to take off. Would it feel more worth doing if you knew that even a little weight loss goes a long way to heart health? I hope so.

overweight info graphic