Although it may take losing as much as 20 percent of your weight to realize significant improvements in quality of life for most individuals with severe obesity,464 disease risk drops almost immediately. At 3 percent weight loss (only six pounds for someone weighing two hundred), your blood sugar control and triglycerides start to get better.465 At 5 percent weight loss, blood pressure and cholesterol improve. Furthermore, a 5 percent weight loss—just ten pounds for someone starting at two hundred—may cut the risk of developing diabetes in half.
