The craving to be thin can set many people up for disappointment. The women wrote down what they considered their dream weight, a weight they could be happy with, an acceptable weight and a weight they would be disappointed with. But the goal has been set because it represents the average weight loss found to be achievable in studies of diet and exercise, whether accompanied by drug treatments or not. A 10 percent weight loss is also known to have medical benefits. Losing a modest amount of weight can decrease the risk of developing type II, or adult-onset, diabetes, and can alleviate diabetes that has already developed.
Blood pressure can drop with every pound lost.
And although not as clear-cut, a modest weight loss is associated with better cholesterol readings. This is our best knowledge at this time. Doctors have different opinions on why it's harder to lose much more than 10 percent of body weight. It's known that smaller bodies need fewer calories just to stay alive. So when people lose weight, their calorie requirements go down, too, meaning they have to eat less food in order to maintain their new, lower weight.