These techniques focus on unconscious eating habits, compulsive eating, binge eating, lack of resistance to social pressures for eating, use of eating to relieve anxiety and depression and lack of self control. Dieting is not an all or nothing thing. Even if a person loses a little bit, they have still benefited themselves. The goal is to promote health , not to look great. No one should declare themselves a diet failure and give up completely just because they cannot reach their ideal weight.
Weight loss helps prevent and control high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease.
Being overweight can result in breathing disorders, including sleep apnea syndrome. It also puts a strain on the joints in the legs and promotes the development of arthritis. Being overweight makes it difficult to have needed diagnostic or therapeutic medical procedures. For example, it is generally not possible to perform a coronary angiogram on people over 300 pounds and those people cannot get an angioplasty or bypass operation as a result. The International Task Force for Prevention of Coronay Heart Disease has a comprehensive table of dietary recommendations that is quite helpful.