What is obesity?
The definition of obesity is excess adipose or fat tissue. Since it is difficult to measure an individual’s body fat, and easy to measure weight, most refer to obesity as being very overweight. A more accurate number utilized by clinicians, is body mass index or BMI. Your BMI is calculated by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared. A BMI of 22-25 is considered normal, 25-30 overweight, 30-35 obese, 35-40 severely obese and more than 40 morbidly obese. Our bariatric surgery specialists and most insurance companies consider individuals with a BMI of 40 as candidates for surgery, as well as those with BMI of 35 with a life threatening complication from their obesity.
Obesity means that you have an unhealthy amount of body fat. Everyone needs some body fat, but too much fat can cause health problems. Overweight and obesity are defined using a tool called Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is a way of estimating total body fat for most people. The easiest way to find out your BMI is to use a BMI table for adults (see below). There is also a handy BMI calculator at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute’s web site (see resources at the end of this FAQ). To find your BMI, you need to know your height and your weight. You can also take your weight in pounds, divide that number by your height in inches squared, and multiply the result by 703 to get your BMI. If your BMI is 25-29.9, you are in the “overweight” category. If your BMI is 30 or above, you are in the “obese” category. There are three classes of obesity: Class I obesity BMI of 30-34.9 Class II obesity of 35-39.9 Class III obesity of 40 and higher In general, the higher your BMI is above 25, the g
Obesity used to be understood in fairly simple terms: excess body weight resulting from eating too much and exercising too little, due in large part to a lack of willpower or self-restraint. Fortunately for the millions of American adults who are overweight, obesity is now regarded as a chronic medical disease with serious health implications caused by a complex set of factors. Obesity results from a complex interaction of genetic, behavioral and environmental factors causing an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. According to the National Institutes of Health, an increase in body weight of 20 percent or more above desirable weight is the point at which excess weight becomes an established health hazard. Lower levels of excess weight can also constitute a health risk, particularly in the presence of other disorders like diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.
