Skip main navigation

Military Health System

Hurricane Milton & Hurricane Helene

Emergency procedures are in place in multiple states due to Hurricane Milton & Hurricane Helene. >>Learn More

Six Immediate Health Benefits You Will See If You Lose a Little Weight

Image of A soldier assigned to the 256th Combat Support Hospital, Twinsburg, Ohio, drinks water from a gallon-sized jug during Combat Support Training Exercise 18-03 at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, March 26, 2018. The 256th CSH implemented a goal setting competition, dubbed Dandy Camp, to teach and encourage soldiers to monitor their total carbohydrate intake during the field exercise. The overall goal of Dandy Camp is to educate soldiers about healthy eating choices and encourage soldiers to set and meet goals for themselves. . A soldier assigned to the 256th Combat Support Hospital, Twinsburg, Ohio, drinks water from a gallon-sized jug during Combat Support Training Exercise 18-03 at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, March 26, 2018. The 256th CSH implemented a goal setting competition, dubbed Dandy Camp, to teach and encourage soldiers to monitor their total carbohydrate intake during the field exercise. The overall goal of Dandy Camp is to educate soldiers about healthy eating choices and encourage soldiers to set and meet goals for themselves. Photo by Army Sgt. First Class Debra Richardson

Did you know that dropping just 10 pounds of body weight takes 40 pounds of pressure off your knees? That's equivalent to not carrying around a cinder block.

Losing even a little weight now can have a major impact on your health and quality of life. This long list of benefits might help motivate you to adjust your habits to achieve a happier, healthier lifestyle.

Reduce Blood Pressure

Eating more nutritious foods and drinking more water can reduce high blood pressure, and its risk of stroke and heart attack. Nearly half of service members diagnosed as overweight or obese are also diagnosed with hypertension, Defense Health Agency data shows.

Reduce Joint and Back Pain

Carrying less body weight will reduce stress on your entire body. DHA data shows that one in five overweight service members reports lower back pain.

Women's Health

Obesity can also have significant consequences for women's reproductive systems, including menstrual disorders, infertility, miscarriage, and poor pregnancy outcomes. If you plan to get pregnant, now's the time to shed some weight.

Better Sleep

The more weight you lose, the less likely you are to snore or have sleep apnea, where your breathing actually stops for short periods of time throughout the night. You might even get to stop using your C-PAP device.

DHA data finds that 1 in 4 service members who are overweight share a diagnosis of sleep disorder like apnea and snoring.

The result of better sleep? You're less fatigued, have more energy, and a happier bedroom partner.

Reduced Risk of Diabetes

Another bonus of losing weight? Your chances of developing prediabetes or full-blown type 2 diabetes drop significantly as your blood sugars drop.

Mood improvements

As you take more control of your weight, you may see a decrease in symptoms of depression and an improvement in self-image.

Finally, you likely will reduce the anxiety that hovers over you knowing that you're going to have to pass that fitness test.

How to Start

So get started. Talk to a nutritionist, dietitian, or physical trainer about getting your weight loss plan in place. In the long run, finding and sustaining a healthy weight lowers your risk of serious chronic diseases. Now's the best time to start.

Pro Tip 1: Drink More Water

What should be your first step and how quickly can that help you? The answer is as simple as drinking more water.

Drinking water throughout the day fills you up, lubricates your joints, improves your skin, eliminates toxins faster, and helps with digestion. No more acid reflux, also known as GERD, or eating handfuls of antacids like candy!

Start carrying water with you at all times and sip it until you need a refill. Then do it all again.

Making this one change can help with joint pain which comes with being overweight, as well as reducing arthritis symptoms.

Pro Tip 2: Start Small

The best advice from nutritionists is to start small and then make more changes as your health improves.

Start with a specific, measurable goal that is achievable within a short period of time. That will make it relevant to you.

For example, try to lose 5% of your body weight, dropping 1 or 2 pounds a week. For a 230-pound man, that's about 11-1/2 pounds.

You also may be interested in...

Fact Sheet
Dec 14, 2023

PTSD and Other Stress-Related Disorders Following Concussion/Mild TBI Fact Sheet

.PDF | 542.68 KB

Co-occurring concussion and stress-related disorders, including PTSD, are common among service members. This fact sheet defines concussion, also known as mild traumatic brain injury, and provides an overview of common stress-related disorders, the overlapping symptoms, and how to manage those symptoms.

Fact Sheet
Aug 30, 2023

Breathe2Relax App

.PDF | 384.67 KB

Initially designed for the military community but beneficial for use by anyone, the relaxation app trains you on the “belly breathing” technique that has proven benefits for your overall mental health. Use the app’s breathing exercises to learn and practice the breathing technique on your own or as part of a stress management program supervised by ...

Fact Sheet
Aug 30, 2023

Virtual Hope Box App

.PDF | 778.13 KB

The Virtual Hope Box is a smartphone application designed for patients and their behavioral health providers as an accessory to treatment. The VHB contains simple tools to help patients with coping, relaxation, distraction and positive thinking.

Fact Sheet
May 22, 2023

Changes in Behavior, Personality or Mood Following Concussion/mTBI Fact Sheet

.PDF | 977.73 KB

This TBICoE fact sheet can be used by health care providers to educate patients with a concussion, or mild TBI, on how to manage changes in mood related to their injury. Patients and caregivers would also find this information useful.

Fact Sheet
Feb 15, 2023

Travel for Non-Covered Reproductive Health Care Services

.PDF | 64.31 KB

This regulation ensures Service members and eligible dependents are eligible for travel and transportation allowances to access non-covered reproductive health care services when timely access to non-covered reproductive health care services is not available within the local area of the member’s permanent duty station, temporary duty location, or the ...

Fact Sheet
Feb 15, 2023

Command Notification of Pregnancy

.PDF | 68.62 KB

This policy clarifies when a Service member’s pregnancy status is shared with commanders, standardizes and extends the timeframe for Service members to inform their commanders about a pregnancy, and reinforces that commanders must always exercise objectivity and discretion when handling reproductive health care issues.

Fact Sheet
Sep 27, 2018

Anger Myths

.PDF | 162.36 KB

A fact sheet dispelling myths about anger and anger self-management

Fact Sheet
Sep 27, 2018

Sleep Problems

.PDF | 475.67 KB

A fact sheet describing how to identify and tips on how to resolve sleep problems

Skip subpage navigation
Refine your search
Last Updated: September 28, 2023
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on YouTube Sign up on GovDelivery