Skip to main content

Military Health System

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.

Recommended Content:

Physical Fitness | Women's Health | Heart Health | Nutritional Fitness | Psychological Fitness | Sleep

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...

Ensuring Access to Reproductive Health Care

Policy

Memorandum for Senior Pentagon Leadership, Commanders of the Combatant Commands and Defense Health Agency Field Directors about Ensuring Access to Reproductive Health Care after the Supreme Court Ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.

  • Identification #: N/A
  • Date: 10/20/2022
  • Type: Memorandums
  • Topics: Women's Health

Message to the Force on Comprehensive Contraceptive Access

Policy

Memorandum for Senior Pentagon Leadership, Commanders of the Combatant Commands and Defense Health Agency Field Activity Directors about access to comprehensive contraceptive care.

  • Identification #: N/A
  • Date: 10/5/2022
  • Type: Memorandums
  • Topics: Women's Health

Ensuring Access to Essential Women's Health Care for Service Members, Dependents, Beneficiaries and Department of Defense Civilian Employees

Policy

Memorandum for Senior Pentagon Leadership, Defense Health Agency and DOD Field Activity Directors about access for essential women's health care services.

  • Identification #: N/A
  • Date: 6/28/2022
  • Type: Memorandums
  • Topics: Women's Health

Interim Guidance for Prevention of Sexual Transmission of Zika Virus

Policy

With this update, CDC is expanding its existing recommendations to cover all pregnant couples, which includes pregnant women with female sex partners. This guidance also describes what other couples (those who are not pregnant or planning to become pregnant) can do to reduce the risk for Zika virus transmission. CDC’s recommendations for couples planning to become pregnant have been published separately (9).

DoD Directive 6495.02: Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) Program Procedures

Policy

This directive implements DoD policy and assign responsibilities for the SAPR Program on prevention, response, and oversight to sexual assault.

  • Identification #: DoD Directive Number 6495.02
  • Date: 7/7/2015
  • Type: Instructions
  • Topics: Psychological Fitness

DoD Instruction 1010.04: Problematic Substance Use by DoD Personnel

Policy

Establishes policies, assigns responsibilities, and prescribes procedures for problematic alcohol and drug use prevention, identification, diagnosis, and treatment for DoD military and civilian personnel.

  • Identification #: DoD Instruction 1010.04
  • Date: 2/20/2014
  • Type: Instructions
  • Topics: Psychological Fitness
Showing results 1 - 6 Page 1 of 1
Refine your search
Last Updated: January 31, 2023
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on YouTube Sign up on GovDelivery