We live in a wonderful age where, thanks to a lot of acceptance movements, we are allowed to look however we want to. But, weight goes quite a bit beyond looks, and it can have detrimental effects on your health. And while you can never tell the state of someone’s health just from looking at them, excess weight is linked to a lot of different conditions and diseases. So what are the tell-tale signs that your life would be improved if you lost some weight?

You struggle to get through the day

People’s weight often comes on slowly. You don’t notice it piling on, so you don’t think it is affecting you and your daily life. But at some point, if you take a long hard look at your days now and a couple of years ago, are there some areas that were simply easier before? Did you have more energy, or didn’t have problems walking up several flights of stairs? Could you go out and play with kids or participate in group sports activities without feeling extremely tired or sore afterwards? These are all signs that your weight is affecting the quality of your life, and that you would have an easier time running through your daily tasks if you weighed less.

It is getting expensive:

If you weigh a certain amount, it can really slim down your wallet. If your legs hurt from regular walking and you need to order food when you want to go somewhere, it adds up. If you need to hire a personal assistant that will help you around the house if you can’t move because of your size, it will cost you. And, of course, there are the infamous plane seats. If you are too large to fit in one seat, you will be asked to buy an additional plane ticket, which can be very expensive, especially if you are not planning to do it in advance. All of these things can add up, and ifyou notice that your weight is costing you more money, then it’s time to invest that cash in training, healthy eating and professional help.

Your doctors recommend it:

Let’s get one thing out of the way: many doctors are weight-biased. If they see a larger person walk into their office, they are far more likely to assume that whatever problems they have are due to their weight. However, if you go to a doctor who is not biased, who will look at the whole of you, do an exam like they would on any smaller person and tells you that you are likely to have medical problems (or that they are already happening) because of your weight, then it’s a sure sign it’s time to do something about it. They might recommend getting some good quality gym equipment equipment and exercising at home every day, as well as adapting your diet.

Your social life is suffering:

Either because of low self-esteem or because some activities simply can’t accommodate you anymore, your social life has been suffering. If you only see your friends when they come over to visit you, you can easily become lonely and even depressed. Simply, your friend group doesn’t have to adapt to your size. If they want to go to an amusement park where you won’t be able to fit into the rides, then they might even not invite you, out of fear you’ll have a bad time. If you see that your weight and size have started to take a toll on your social life, then it’s time you reconsider what has more value to you in your life.

None of these reasons have anything to do with the way you look. You can be happy and confident at any size, but your health – both mental and physical – can suffer from carrying extra weight, and much of it can improve if you choose to lose some weight in a healthy way.