2 Bowling Balls

I came across an article yesterday that I liked on USAToday's Web site.

20 Tips to Lose 20 Pounds

What I liked about this article, is that it points out that carrying around 20 extra pounds is equivalent to carrying around 2 bowling balls. That extra weight has to be rough on the joints, back, etc. The rest of the tips, while good, are pretty generic.

One of the two primary reasons I began losing weight in 2006 was that I had constant lower back pain. I have found that so long as I keep to a 25 pound or more weight loss level compared to my highest, my back pain tends to diminish significantly to entirely. The only times I tend to feel pain is if I am traveling a lot without keeping up strength training and exercise.

A good example of reducing pressure on joints through weight loss comes from a study (written up on WebMD) that found that for every pound lost, it results in 4 pounds of pressure being taken off the knee:

Weight Loss and Arthritis

spine-health.com also discussions extra weight and pressure on the lower back:

Weight Loss for Back Pain Relief

A study of obese patients with lower back pain found that those who had gastric bypass surgery and lost weight had a 44% reduction in back pain (article on Medline Plus through Health Day):

Gastric Bypass May Also Relieve Low Back Pain