What is Obesity?
A Simple woman reveals the secrets of losing
weight that no one will tell you about.

It is better to start with the difference between obesity
and overweight. As per the words of health professionals,
overweight is the excess amount of body weight that includes
muscle, bone, fat and water, while obesity signifies an excess
amount of body fat. And so, people like bodybuilders or athletes
with muscles can be overweight and not obese.
Obesity is a chronic disorder that affects tens of millions
of People. Caused by a complex variety of factors, obesity
is a major risk factor for serious health problems, including
coronary heart disease (CHD), high blood pressure, stroke,
diabetes and certain forms of cancer. Obese people are also
at high risk for depression and job discrimination and other
social problems owing to our fat-phobic society. Most worrisome
is research indicating that obese people have a shortened
life expectancy.
According to the American Obesity Association, a nonprofit
educational and advocacy group, obesity causes some 300,000
premature deaths each year and accounts for an estimated $100
billion in annual health care costs.
After cigarette smoking, obesity is the second-leading cause
of preventable deaths in the US.
Obesity is generally evaluated using the body mass index
(BMI). BMI is not perfect because it doesn't take into account
a person's fat-to-muscle ratio (muscle takes up less space
but weighs more than fat). But BMI is considered reliable
for assessing obese populations.
To determine your BMI, your weight in kilograms is divided
by your height in meters, squared. If your BMI is 25 to 29.9,
you are overweight but not to the point of being obese. If
your BMI is 30 or greater, you are considered obese. Obesity
would most likely be diagnosed in the following cases:
A 6-foot-tall individual who weighs 221 pounds
A 5-foot, 5-inch-tall person who weighs 180 pounds
Anyone whose BMI is 40 or above or is 100 pounds overweight
is considered severely (morbidly) obese. For example, severe
obesity would be diagnosed in the following cases:
A 5-foot, 3-inch-tall person who weighs 226 pounds
A 6-foot, 1-inch person who weighs 303 pounds
Another measure used to assess obesity is waist circumference.
Excess abdominal fat is an independent predictor of disease
risk. Research indicates that a waist circumference of more
than 40 inches in men and more than 35 inches in women raises
the risk of diabetes and CHD.
Distinguishing between being overweight and being severely
obese is important when determining a patient's risk factors
for disease and the best treatment approach.
Are You Ready to Lose Your Weight ??

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