Being overweight will increase your chances of suffering from a multitude of illnesses. The sad fact is that once you have become a victim of a weight related illness, it will not be a situation that can easily be reversed, and in many cases it will be something that you will have to live with for the rest of your life, however long that life is.

Cast your eyes over the list of potential illnesses that could become a part of your life if you do not make changes to your lifestyle.

Breast cancer, gall bladder cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, rectum cancer, osteoarthritis, diabetes, gout, high blood pressure, strokes, heart attack, liver cancer, infertility, blood circulation, mental health problems, renal failure.

It makes miserable reading doesn't it? But unfortunately it could be a reality for the future of many people who are overweight. Before you begin thinking about how bad it sounds, stop, because it doesn't just end there.

When you are carrying large amounts of fat on your body it affects your day to day living. It is difficult to do the normal things and the difficulty will increase as time goes by. Walking up and down stairs can leave you puffing and panting.

You will constantly feel tired or lethargic; it is not easy carrying excessive weight around all day. Walking certain distances can become an ordeal. You will constantly have low energy levels.

The effects of being overweight can have a major impact on your self esteem and confidence. The way you think about yourself greatly affects what direction your life goes in. many people who are overweight can often be self conscious of that.

They often don't value themselves highly. They try to cover up their weight issues by wearing baggy clothes. They try to avoid situations where their bodies may be exposed in any way.

Overweight people often sink in and out of depression. So apart from the physical problems that obesity may cause, the mental impact can be just as devastating.

Being of overweight does not just have an impact on the individual involved. It can take its toll on their families and loved ones. Children's first point of call for their role models is their parents.

If one or both parents have an unhealthy lifestyle which contributes to being overweight, then children will follow that lifestyle.

Another impact is that if an overweight person succumbs to a serious illness due to being overweight, then obviously this is going to affect that persons loved ones. They will feel upset about someone they deeply care about becoming ill.

Depending on the severity of the illness, people close to the sufferer may have to spend time caring for them, or taking them to hospital or doctors appointments on a regular basis. Illnesses from obesity can affect not only the individual, but others that surround the individual.

The most surprising thing is that it doesn't have to be like this. Simply because we have a choice to do something about being overweight, or not to do anything. It is up to us to what choice we make. It is human nature to think just for today. If we feel ok today then a few years down the line doesn't mean that much today.

The health of a person is far too important an issue and it would be very unwise to base it on a statement such as 'it might not happen to me'. In a couple of years this statement will have a good chance of turning into 'if only I had...'

'If only I had...' is not something that you want coming out of your mouth sometime in the future. You do not want to be haunted by regrets. Do something while you can and don't wait until it is too late. Do something today to avoid the terrible consequences of obesity.