We all want to look and feel better. And millions of us in this country are carrying around extra weight,some just an extra 10 or 15 pounds, some of us as part of the nation’s growing obesity epidemic.

Being overweight is not just a vanity thing. Extra weight can lead to all kinds of health problems.

Those who are 40-percent overweight are twice as likely to die prematurely as a normal-weight person.

And the years in between now and then can be fraught with all sorts of health challenges that can perhaps be held at bay by shedding some of the weight.

Obesity is linked to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, osteoarthritis and respiratory issues as well as a host of other threats to our health.

“If you are overweight or obese you increase your risk of 35 major diseases, especially cancer and cardiovascular disease,” said Dr. Keith Parmer, a family medicine specialist in the Floyd Primary Care network in Rome.

“Obesity carries the same risk as smoking for cancer and cardiovascular disease,” he said.

So the most basic truth is that if you are overweight, you are more like to have health problems and maybe even a chronic disease.

Health is the No. 1 reason cited by the hundreds of participants in the 2011 Health Quest that wraps up Saturday in Rome. The public weight-loss initiative is presented by the Rome-Floyd County YMCA, Floyd Medical Center and the Rome News-Tribune.

While there’s friendly competition among the individuals and teams who signed on to lose weight, the bottom line is that participants want to get healthier and feel better in their own bodies.

Some want to get off a host of medications or derail hereditary predispositions.

There are real health benefits to losing weight.

Parmer said one motivator should be that you’ll feel better and have more energy by getting rid of excess weight, even if you are not obese.

“If you are 15 pounds overweight and your blood pressure and cholesterol are OK and you don’t have joint issues, then it may not be a problem for you.

“But if you have elevated lipids or blood pressure, it’s amazing what a difference 10, 12 or 15 pounds can make.”

Our weight is part of our personal health in which we can play an active role. We can make a difference.

“It’s not rocket science,” said the doctor, “and it’s not drugs.”

Parmer says to just get moving. As people get busier and busier formal exercise is not always a priority.

But as last year’s Health Quest winner Doug Walker proved, just walking can make a huge difference. He walked several miles a day — and still does — and he was able to lose more than 75 pounds.

But the other piece of the puzzle though is watching what we eat … and drink.

Parmer says that since a majority of the human body is made up of water, that should be the main fluid we put back into it.

“People need to replenish those fluids with water — not brown stuff, blue stuff, green stuff or orange stuff. Just plain water,” he said. “Plus it fills you up.”

He discourages sweetened drinks of all kinds, whether they are diet or not. “Diet drinks trick the brain and it still thinks your body has taken in sugar. You can gain weight drinking diet drinks.”

Your diet needs to be about balance and Parmer worries that as people continue to flock to fast food restaurants they pile on the carbs and thus the weight.

“Carbs are cheaper and they’re going to load you up,” he noted.

He said since the 1990s much focus has been put on fats.

“Everyone was educated about fat, but carbs are the food group that is making us fatter,” he said.

Parmer stresses three meals a day and preaches that eating breakfast is the right way to start your day.

“Eat breakfast within a half hour of waking up, and you’ll burn an extra 400 calories a day because you jumpstart your metabolism,” he said.

But he notes a breakfast heavy on protein is the smart choice rather than sugary cereals or glazed sweets with our coffee.

Parmer says he’s especially worried about childhood obesity and that “today’s generation of young people might not live as long as their parents.”

“If we don’t do something, we are going to be in trouble,” he said.

That’s why the presenters and the participants of Health Quest are doing something.

The program offers the comfort and support of a whole group of people trying to get healthy together.

And the results of their hard work will be revealed at Saturday’s finale.

Tips for Weight Loss Travis Martin of Rome is the creator and founder of Thrive Weight Loss. He started with himself and now his program has helped thousands of people lose and maintain weight.

Here are tips he shared to help those who are ready to start losing weight:

1. Make the decision to change: “You have to find your why. You have to decide to change and know why you want to change.”

2. Be a part of a community support group: “Whether you are with Thrive, Weight Watchers, Jennie Craig or any other program, you need to be with people who have the same goals and aspirations.”

3. Do not create voids: “If you have to give up something or deprive yourself, you will go back. Find void replacements that yield a better result but keep you satisfied.”

4. Make it a lifestyle change: “Diets don’t work. The first three letters of diet spell die. You have to commit to this as a way of life. Don’t date it, marry it. Be married to your program.”

5. Adopt a program that is sound: “It needs to focused on losing unwanted body fat, not just losing weight. Too many people are focused on the numbers on the scale. You can be losing weight and be losing muscle not fat. You need muscles to burn fat.”

6. Eat the right combinations of food: “You need to eat food combinations that neutralize and control blood sugar.” He says regulating insulin production is key to weight loss. And he stresses eating “good fats and good carbs” rather than refined carbohydrates.

7. Eat the right portions: “Not bird-like tiny portions. Normal portions.” In very basic terms, he describes a portion as fitting under a cupped hand.

8. Make sure you time your meals properly: “Basically you need three square meals and a snack. Spread them out through the day.”

9. Journal: “Studies show that journaling is one of the most effective tools in weight loss. Not just writing down what you eat, but writing down the emotions and circumstances that affect your eating each day.”

10. You need ‘blow it’ days: “You need a program that allows you to be human. You cannot be perfect every day. Our program allows 100 Blow It days a year, but that means you are eating right 265 days a year. If you eat right more often than not, that’s moderation.”

11. Drink your water: “Try to drink a half gallon to gallon of water a day. Water in … fat out.”