Being overweight or obese puts you at a much greater risk for several health problems ranging from heart disease to diabetes. However, extra weight around your midsection can also cause issues with being able to get enough oxygen in your blood to help fuel the tissues of your body. Oxygen saturation is largely affected by obesity through problems like sleep apnea and bulky fat deposits around the chest wall hampering the ability to breathe. Losing weight is one of the best ways to help reverse these problems and return your blood's oxygenation level back to a healthy level.
Step 1
Reduce your calories to a level that will allow you to safely begin losing weight. Calculate your daily calorie goal using one of the many free calorie goal calculators available online. Input your height, age, weight, activity level and your weight-loss goal to allow the calculator to estimate how many calories you should consume each day to lose the needed weight.
Step 2
Choose foods that assist in the weight-loss process, such as a balanced diet in accordance with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPyramid program. Consume higher levels of foods such as fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, lean proteins, whole grains and healthy fats, while reducing your intake of less healthy foods such as those high in unhealthy saturated fats, sugars and simple carbohydrates.
Step 3
Include high-fiber foods in your diet such as whole grains, fruits, legumes and vegetables to help keep you satiated as well as to help control blood sugar levels to reduce cravings, suggests MayoClinic.com. High-fiber foods may also help reduce your risks for other obesity-related problems such as heart disease and diabetes.
Step 4
Exercise at least 150 minutes each week per recommendations provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Exercise can not only help you lose weight toward increasing oxygen in the blood, but it can also increase your good HDL cholesterol levels, helping prevent plaque buildup in your arteries, which can negatively impact the blood vessels' ability to deliver oxygen in the blood to the tissues in your body.
Step 5
Strength train at least two day a week per CDC recommendations. Strength training helps prevent the natural decrease of lean muscle mass as you age, which can help prevent muscle from being replaced with fat, in turn helping you keep off the weight you lose. Strength training also provides a calorie-burning benefit towards your weight-loss goals.
Tips and Warnings
- Involve a doctor and nutritionist in your weight-loss process to gain a more personal look into exactly how much exercise and diet will be needed to successfully reverse problems with breathing and blood oxygenation.
- Sleep apnea is a serious condition, and even while engaging in a weight-loss routine, you should also seek treatment for this condition.
