A person’s current health status and goals influence whether or not they should lose weight.
For people with overweight in addition to other cardiometabolic risk factors (high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, dyslipidemia, etc.), weight loss is recommended. Typical treatment entails lifestyle changes, such as increasing physical activity and changing dietary patterns. Weight loss medications are sometimes used in people with overweight, but are more commonly used in people with obesity. Other weight-related comorbidities (e.g., diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure) may be managed with medications such as statins, antihypertensives, and diabetes medications.
On the other hand, if a person has overweight but does not have cardiometabolic risk factors, they are encouraged to maintain their weight rather than lose it.[1][2]