As Spring approaches, many of us will be feeling anxious about the impending transition to our warm weather wardrobes. Squeezing into last year’s shorts may be on our minds, but that extra chub around the waist is more damaging then a few bad vacation photos.

Carrying extra weight around the middle puts a strain on the entire body: hormones, blood sugar, joints and heart. In fact, there isn’t a major body system that not affected. Even when the extra pounds don’t lead to dramatic conditions like Type II diabetes or congestive heart failure, they can be a major contributor to persistent, low-grade, symptoms that are easily dismissed but compound to reduce our quality of life.