As we all know, people who are obese face a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. At present, BMI is commonly used to determine whether a person is overweight or obese. BMI stands for Body Mass Index, which is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by the square of height in meters. To a certain extent, this ratio reflects body density. A normal BMI ranges from 18.5 to 23.9 kg/m².
From the BMI formula, we can see it depends on two key factors: weight and height. For adults, height is generally fixed, but weight is a variable that can be managed in many ways.
For overweight people who do not have diabetes, controlling weight can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes as well as many other diseases. For people with diabetes, BMI also shows that weight loss is not only possible but also practical, as proven by many real‑life examples. Weight loss in people with diabetes helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and offers many other benefits.
There are many positive examples of successful weight loss, including celebrities and public figures. They pay close attention to their weight and physique and maintain strict weight and body management because they often appear in public and care deeply about their image. My purpose in giving this example is not to encourage overweight people or those with diabetes to become celebrities, but to show that weight can be managed and body shape can be improved.
Today, there are various ways to lose weight, such as healthy diets (including the Mediterranean diet), exercise, and weight‑loss medications.
However, after learning about these different methods, what matters more for people trying to lose weight is having motivation.
We will not discuss weight‑loss medications for now. For most people, a healthy diet and scientific exercise are the two pillars of weight loss. Yet neither should be underestimated — either one alone can feel like a struggle for many overweight individuals.
Take healthy eating for example. There are many recommended dietary patterns, such as the Mediterranean diet and light meals. Choosing a healthy diet means changing your eating habits and letting go of old ones. In reality, this is no easy task. For instance, some people often use the excuse “I need to eat enough to have energy for losing weight” and end up returning to their old eating habits.
As for losing weight through exercise, overweight people often find physical activity more difficult and tiring than others, making it hard to stick with.
Therefore, I believe we should not underestimate BMI or the challenge of weight loss. In my opinion, before starting to lose weight, it is even more important to clarify why you want to lose weight. From a health perspective alone, the goal is to maintain a healthier body and lower the risk of illness.
Once you understand this, weight loss becomes essential rather than optional — a priority, not just a to‑do item. This can be simply called your motivation for weight loss.
Some people may ask: What if I lack motivation? This is indeed an important question. The key is to build a self‑rewarding system to help maintain consistent motivation.
In short, set a weight‑loss goal first and achieve it through healthy eating and scientific exercise. When you reach the goal, reward yourself with a small gift as encouragement.
Instead of setting one large final goal, break it into small, achievable stages. For example, if your overall target is to lose 10 kg, start with a goal of 1 kg. Once you see your plan works and you hit the target, set the next one. (Of course, I advise against setting goals that are too difficult to reach.)
When you feel lazy or unmotivated during the process, remind yourself again why you started losing weight. This will help you remember that weight loss is important and necessary.
The main reason for avoiding overly ambitious goals is to confirm, after consistent effort, that your method is practical, effective, and achievable. If a goal is not met, reflect on what went wrong, adjust your plan, and keep going — do not give up.
To summarize: clarify your reason for losing weight — your motivation — and build a system to strengthen that motivation, so you can take action and see it through instead of quitting halfway.