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Overweight
Overweight - body mass index; Obesity - body mass index; BMI
Nearly 2 out of every 3 adults in the United States are overweight.
Considerations
Experts often rely on a formula called the body mass index (BMI) to determine if a person is overweight. The BMI estimates your level of body fat based on your height and weight.
Body mass index
A good way to decide if your weight is healthy for your height is to figure out your body mass index (BMI). You and your health care provider can us...
- A BMI from 18.5 to 24.9 is considered normal.
- Adults with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 are considered overweight. Since the BMI is an estimate, it is not accurate for all people. Some people in this group, such as athletes, may have a lot of muscle weight, and therefore not as much fat. These people will not have an increased risk of health problems due to their weight.
- Adults with a BMI of 30 to 39.9 are considered obese.
- Adults with a BMI greater than or equal to 40 are considered extremely obese.
- Anyone more than 100 pounds (45 kilograms) overweight is considered morbidly obese.
The risk of many medical problems is higher for adults who have excess body fat and fall into the overweight groups.
CHANGING YOUR LIFESTYLE
An active lifestyle and plenty of exercise, along with healthy eating, is the safest way to lose weight. Even modest weight loss can improve your health. Get support from family and friends.
Your main goal should be to learn new, healthy ways of eating and make them part of your daily routine.
Many people find it hard to change their eating habits and behaviors. You may have practiced some habits for so long that you may not even know they are unhealthy, or you do them without thinking. You need to be motivated to make lifestyle changes. Make the behavior change part of your life over the long term. Know that it takes time to make and keep a change in your lifestyle.
Work with your health care provider and dietitian to set realistic and safe daily calorie counts that help you lose weight. Keep in mind that if you drop your weight slowly and steadily, you are more likely to keep them off. Your dietitian can teach you about:
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Shopping for healthy foods
Shopping for healthy foods
Obesity - grocery shopping; Overweight - grocery shopping; Weight loss - grocery shopping; Healthy diet - grocery shopping
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How to read nutrition labels
How to read nutrition labels
Nutrition - reading food labels; Diabetes - reading food labels; Hypertension - reading food labels; Fats - reading food labels; Cholesterol - readin...
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Portion sizes
Portion sizes
Obesity - portion size; Overweight - portion size; Weight-loss - portion size; Healthy diet - portion size
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Sweetened drinks
Sweetened drinks
Obesity - sweetened beverages; Overweight - sweetened beverages; Healthy diet - sweetened beverages; Weight loss - sweetened beverages
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References
Boham E, Stone PM, DeBusk R. Obesity. In: Rakel RE, Rakel DP, eds. Textbook of Family Medicine . 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Sanders; 2016:chap 36.
Cowley MA, Brown WA, Considine RV. Obesity. In: Jameson JL, De Groot LJ, de Kretser DM, et al, eds. Endocrinology: Adult and Pediatric . 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2016:chap 26.
Jensen MD, Ryan DH, Apvian CM, et al. 2013 AHA/ACC/TOS guideline for the management of overweight and obesity in adults: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines and The Obesity Society. Circulation . 2014;129 (25 Suppl 2):S102-S138. PMID: 24222017 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24222017 .
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Different types of weight gain - illustration
Weight gain in the area of and above the waist (apple type) is more dangerous than weight gained around the hips and flank area (pear type). Fat cells in the upper body have different qualities than those found in hips and thighs.
Different types of weight gain
illustration
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Lipocytes (fat cells) - illustration
When energy input is equal to energy output, there is no expansion of fat cells (lipocytes) to accommodate excess. It is only when more calories are taken in than used that the extra fat is stored in the lipocytes and the person begins to accumulate fat.
Lipocytes (fat cells)
illustration
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Obesity and health - illustration
Obesity increases a person's risk of illness and death due to diabetes, stroke, heart disease, hypertension, high cholesterol, and kidney and gallbladder disease. Obesity may increase the risk for some types of cancer. It is also a risk factor for the development of osteoarthritis and sleep apnea.
Obesity and health
illustration
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Different types of weight gain - illustration
Weight gain in the area of and above the waist (apple type) is more dangerous than weight gained around the hips and flank area (pear type). Fat cells in the upper body have different qualities than those found in hips and thighs.
Different types of weight gain
illustration
-
Lipocytes (fat cells) - illustration
When energy input is equal to energy output, there is no expansion of fat cells (lipocytes) to accommodate excess. It is only when more calories are taken in than used that the extra fat is stored in the lipocytes and the person begins to accumulate fat.
Lipocytes (fat cells)
illustration
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Obesity and health - illustration
Obesity increases a person's risk of illness and death due to diabetes, stroke, heart disease, hypertension, high cholesterol, and kidney and gallbladder disease. Obesity may increase the risk for some types of cancer. It is also a risk factor for the development of osteoarthritis and sleep apnea.
Obesity and health
illustration
Review Date: 8/14/2015
Reviewed By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director and Director of Didactic Curriculum, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, Department of Family Medicine, UW Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Internal review and update on 09/01/2016 by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Isla Ogilvie, PhD, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
