It is a common belief (wrong) that people with obesity have to bring down their weight to “ ideal: body weight to reap all the benefits of weight loss. It is disheartening to see that many people give up weight loss efforts if they are unable to achieve it.
Although more significant weight loss may result in more benefits to the body, even losing > 2.5 % of weight can improve blood glucose and triglycerides. More considerable reductions ( say >10 %) would lead to improvements in sleep apnea and fatty liver. Significant weight loss ( > 15 kg loss ) can lead to remission of diabetes in many people with shorter disease duration. People who have undergone bariatric surgery and lost significant weight have seen improvements in heart disease and risk of death.
Further, regular physical activity and calorie restriction will have benefits beyond weight loss. Regular exercise can improve mood, reduce the risk of falls and joint problems, reduce heart attacks, strokes and cancers and also improve sleep.
So, if you are a person with obesity and starting a weight loss program, congratulate yourself for every kilogram lost!