This is part 2 of the benefits of weight loss series. You can read part 1 here.

Benefit# 2

Increased Energy

Have you ever had a day where you just couldn’t peel your butt out of bed? And even when you did manage to get up, you still felt tired and rundown?

That was everyday of my life as an overweight guy. Sure I may have only had an extra 30-40 lbs of extra weight on me. But the negative effects of that extra weight made everyday a challenge.

Now, I still dread getting up (I love my sleep) but I know I can get up when I want to without a problem. I’m able to handle anything that is thrown at me during the day and still have plenty of energy to spend with the family.

Improving your energy levels will also improve your quality of life. There is no doubt about that.

How I increased my energy levels naturally

The first thing I did was reduce the amount of processed foods that I was eating. I was amazed to find that only 30% of my calories were coming from natural foods. I don’t think it’s possible for me to cut out all of the man made or altered foods out there. The selection is just too great and besides I enjoy the junk foods when I choose to eat them.

Here are some of the natural foods that I switched to:

Lean Beef
Chicken Breasts
Lean cuts of Pork
Turkey Breast (no deli meats)

Broccoli
Carrots
Peas
Corn
Turnip
Spinach
Brussell Sprouts
Beans
Tomato
Cucumbers

All Fruits (Sparingly as most are high in sugar)
Apples
Oranges
Bananas
Grapes
Cantaloupe
Melon
Pineapple

Skim and 1% milk

The next thing was to increase the amount of exercise I was doing. (which was 0) Exercise is an incredible tool for getting energized. I’ve found it most effective in the morning. A good 20-45 min cardio session will provide all the energy you need to make it to dinner time. Short on time? HIIT is the way to go.

The final step was getting more sleep. No more crazy late nights until 2-3 in the morning. I switched to an 11pm bedtime and it has done wonders. Trust me; there is nothing on TV that is good enough to make you feel like crap the following day.

If you try all of this and I mean really try it for a least 4 weeks and you still have low energy, you might want to check with your doctor. It might be a sign of an underlying health condition (Diabetes, Thyroid issues etc…)

If you do want to try to supplement this with a pill, I would go for a good multi-vitamin or even a B-complex. Again check with your doctor first.

Now whenever I have seen an article or post on the benefits of losing weight they are presented in the usual list format. Each point is not given too much detail.

Over the coming weeks I will be posting on some of the tangible and intangible benefits of losing weight. These will be based mostly on what I have witnessed and experienced during my own transformation.

Benefit # 1

Improved Self Confidence

As an overweight guy I was always embarrassed about the way I looked. Sure I’d make light of it and crack a few jokes about my gut, ” I have washboard abs, there’s just a load of laundry on them right now” or “I don’t have a six pack I have a keg“ Everyone would get a good laugh and I would use it as an excuse to eat whatever I wanted, which almost felt like It was expected of me.

I would also do the little things that all self concise overweight people do. Wear baggy clothes, constantly pull at my shirt so that it didn’t cling to my gut for all to see, avoid eye contact with people and I even made fun of other overweight people in an attempt to take the attention way from myself.

Now that I’m no longer overweight I have changed all that behavior. Most noticeably lately has been the eye contact. It’s an amazing thing to look right into another person’s eyes and not worry about weather or not they think you’re fat.

I know that I work hard, watch my diet, exercise regularly and have taken control of my health. I have already proved to myself that I’m worthy and deserve a better body, a better lifestyle and a better image of how I should act.

Weight loss and self confidence go hand in hand. As your weight goes down your confidence goes up. You being to realize that you are capable of more than anyone has given you credit for.

You may start out wanting to lose weight in order to prove something to someone else. But in the end all that matters is that you prove to yourself that you can do it. No ones opinion of you is as important as your own.