Day in and day out there are advertisements on television to help you lose weight, but they never tell you just why you should lose weight, other than for vanity reasons.

Being overweight does not just affect your self-esteem or your social life. It also has a big impact on your health. Fat affects your heart, lungs, muscles and bones. An unhealthy lifestyle has a huge impact on your life too. Many of the common problems associated with being overweight are life threatening and could result in an early death. Here are just three of the many reasons why being overweight is unhealthy for you:

When you decide to lose weight, you probably want it gone sooner rather than later. However, there are some serious dangers of rapid weight loss that should be considered before you jump on the latest fad diet bandwagon.

Far too often people are turning to the newest fad diet or the newest diet pill on the market. Both of these actions can lead to not only a dangerous loss of weight, but also the onset of very dangerous, possibly life-threatening side effects. From using laxatives to diets that mirror near-starvation, people are willing to do nearly anything to look good and lose weight.

Everyone knows that maintaining a healthy weight is an important key in living a long, healthy life. There are so many diseases and illnesses that are tied to being overweight, it just makes sense to do what you can to reduce your risk of falling victim to them.

However, losing weight "at any cost" should never be your main focus because it can actually make you more susceptible to disease. The end does not always justify the means.

For example, embarking on unhealthy fad diets, taking dangerous supplements or starving yourself can backfire and have serious consequences.

It's important to maintain a healthy weight, but NOT if it means you'll be malnourished and sickly!

Most people don't realize just how strongly their moods can impact their weight.

You may already be aware that comfort eating is a temptation when you feel down, stressed or depressed. However, there are other reasons you might be tempted to eat more than your body really needs, like feeling out of control, frightened, indecisive, or rejected. Boredom is another common trigger for overeating - that aimless, restless feeling of "I don't know what to do with myself; maybe I'm hungry" (even though you know you really aren't).

Depression and excess weight often go hand in hand. Depression is attributed to a chemical imbalance in the brain, and this chemical imbalance can often be caused by hormonal fluctuations, dietary habits and lifestyle habits.

Untreated depression can easily result in weight gain because depression typically makes you feel lethargic, unmotivated, and resistant to proper self-care. However, even when depression is treated with medication challenges can result because weight gain is a common side-effect of some depression medications.

Despite these challenges, there are many things you can do to make weight loss easier, even if you are being treated for depression. (Important note: if you suspect you are suffering from depression and are not yet being treated, it's important to make that your first step!)

Once under the care of a qualified physician, you can begin making other changes like these:

Why do men lose weight faster and easier than women? There are many different reasons, including metabolism, genes and lifestyle habits.

Men's genes have a strong impact on why it is easier for them to lose weight Men are more likely to build muscle due to the much higher levels of testosterone in the body. Men also traditionally have held more physically active jobs than women. This helps them have a higher metabolism, which means they can burn more calories and therefore have less fat stored.

When you're trying to boost your metabolism and burn more fat, it's helpful to know more about the way your metabolism works. A metabolism is the calculation of how quickly your body burns off calories. This differs with heredity, age, and body mass.

If you are looking for a sure-fire way to boost your metabolism fast and for good, the answer lies in weight training. In the past, women believed that weight training exercises would make them look bulky or even manly, but this is not the case. Women don't normally have an excess of testosterone, so the myth that weight lifting exercises will bulk a woman up like a man is simply untrue.

Pick Up Some Weights
Weight lifting is one of the most effective metabolism boosting exercises because it increases muscle strength and mass. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you will burn. This, in turn, increases your metabolic rate. For optimal effect, use small, five to ten pound dumbbells. You can either do this while just standing still or even while taking a brisk walk. You can also incorporate a side bend which will help tone your abs.

There are many foods that boost metabolism and burn fat, which can help make your weight loss goals much easier to achieve.

Before we get to those, let's take a look at how your metabolism works. Your metabolism determines how quickly calories are burned (used as energy) by your body, which determines how quickly you gain or lose weight. When your cells need energy, first carbohydrates are broken down, then fat, then protein. The body converts carbohydrates into glucose that your body uses for energy. Any excess carbohydrates will be stored in fat cells.

Losing weight is a common goal that countless people are working toward at any given time, but few of these people also consider the importance of boosting their energy. Instead, they often embark on weight loss programs that are exhausting and depleting, and then wonder why they feel so rotten.

Losing weight is supposed to make you feel good, right? It's supposed to make you feel healthier, stronger, and better than you did while you were overweight -- but that's only true if you do it in a healthy way.

Below are three good ways to boost your energy and lose weight at the same time:

If you're trying to lose weight, one major step you'll want to take is to eat less sugar. All of those sugary treats, sugary beverages, and gooey goodies keep your body in insulin-producing mode, which contributes to the formation of fat cells. The more sugar you consume, the more fat will be stored on your body.

The problem is, it's hard to give up all that sugary goodness! How can you eat less sugar and lose weight without feeling like you're being deprived?

Here are three good ways to start: