Lose Weight, Have Better Sex

Six reasons that shedding pounds will heat up your love life More and better sex. For many of us, that payoff alone is worth the effort of losing weight. What's surprising is how little weight you need to lose to begin reaping the benefits and what a powerful motivator it is to stay on track. And according to J. Stephen Jones, MD, of the Glickman Urological Institute at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, "the closer you are to your ideal weight, the better your sexual health." Here are six ways that shaping up can put more sizzle in your sex life. 1. You'll be more sexually confident. A 2005 Duke University study that investigated the impact of obesity on sexual quality of life found that people who lost only 13 percent of their body weight reported significant improvements in sexual satisfaction—especially in feeling sexually confident. 2. Your partner may suddenly want more sex. Not that she didn't want you before, but when you start looking good and feeling good, she's bound to respond to that. 3. You'll keep blood flowing where it counts. Any impaired circulation—from clogged arteries or heart disease, both symptoms of obesity—will cause erectile problems, says Jones, who also wrote Overcoming Impotence: A Leading Urologist Tells You Everything You Need to Know. Pardon the metaphor, but your penis is like "the canary in the coal mine," he explains. When there's a circulatory or other problem in your body, it's the first to feel it. "The penis is much more vulnerable to limited supplies of blood, and it's more likely you'll notice poor blood circulation in your penis than in your leg," says Jones. Losing weight and exercising improves your cardiovascular function, and that can safeguard your erections. 4. Sessions will last longer. A leaner body is a more efficient lovemaking machine, as being overweight can seriously compromise your stamina. "The more of you there is to move around, the more blood flow and oxygen required," says Jones. Sex is exercise, and if you couldn't jog a quarter mile without sitting down twice... well, you see the connection. 5. You'll have a higher sex drive. "Obesity tends to lead to poor hormonal function and [reduced] production of testosterone," says Jones, and both have been linked to low sex drive and erectile dysfunction. One suspected reason is that body fat boosts levels of a hormone known as SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin) that binds with testosterone, reducing the levels of circulating free testosterone needed for healthy sexual function. Studies show that weight loss can restore a healthy level of testosterone. 6. You'll ensure future pleasure. By losing weight and keeping the weight off, you're lowering your risk for clogged arteries, diabetes, sleep apnea and many other health problems that cause or contribute to impotence. Prevent them, and the sexual rewards you enjoy down the road could be incalculable. Courtesy of Weight Watchers