I am overweight -- what will losing weight do for me?

Losing weight pays off when you are overweight. A healthy diet combined with at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week demonstrably reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Outside strictly controlled studies the evidence is somewhat less strong, but the direction is consistently positive.

Exercise amplifies the benefits in two ways. Aerobic training such as brisk walking, cycling or swimming produces, on top of a diet, an average of roughly 2 to 3 kilograms of additional weight loss. More importantly, it reduces the dangerous visceral fat surrounding your organs. Strength training has less impact on the scales, but keeps your muscle mass and muscle strength at a good level. That becomes increasingly important as you get older.

Forms of fasting such as the 5:2 diet or eating within a restricted time window can produce weight loss and improved metabolism. However, the research is still limited and there is hardly any long-term evidence available in humans¹. Interesting, then, but still without a solid clinical foundation for the long term.

GLP-1-based weight-loss medications such as semaglutide and tirzepatide also work outside of studies. Even so, the average weight loss in practice is lower than in controlled trials, because people more often use lower doses or stop early^2,3. The most common side effect is nausea and other gastrointestinal complaints, which generally do diminish over time. Real-world studies show no clearly increased risk of pancreatitis, thyroid problems or depression. For rare eye conditions the research is still insufficient^4,5.

Watch out for muscle loss: that is the most underestimated risk with substantial weight loss, especially through medication or bariatric surgery. More than a quarter of total weight loss can come at the expense of muscle and bone rather than fat⁶. This is called sarcopenic obesity: too little muscle and still too much fat at the same time. That is harmful, particularly for older or already vulnerable people. Strength training and adequate protein intake are therefore not optional, but a requirement.