What is obesity?

Obesity is a disease that means having too much body fat. It is different from being overweight, which means weighing too much. Both terms mean that your weight is greater than what's considered healthy for your height.

Body Mass Index (BMI) measures how much you weigh compared to how tall you are. An adult who has a BMI of 30 or more is considered to have obesity. Severe obesity is having a BMI of 40 or higher. Obesity increases your risk for many other diseases and health problems, especially if the extra body fat is carried around the waist.

What raises your risk of obesity?

Obesity happens over time from taking in more calories (through food and drinks) than used up from physical activity and daily living. Your body stores the extra calories as fat. The right balance between calories and activity is different for everyone.

There are many different factors that can affect your body weight. Certain medicines or medical conditions may affect your weight. Other factors include your:

• Genetic makeup
• Eating habits
• Sex
• Race or ethnicity
• Physical activity level

How is obesity diagnosed?

To find out if you have obesity, your health care provider may:

• Ask about your health history, which may include reviewing your weight history, weight-loss efforts, and how physically active you are.
• Do a physical exam, which may include checking your height, weight, and vital signs, as well as listening to your heart and lungs.
• Order blood tests or other imaging tests, which may include checking any known health problems, as well as for other weight-related diseases and health conditions.
• Calculate your BMI, to check your risk for certain diseases. The higher your BMI, the higher your risk. BMI does not distinguish between fat, muscle, and bone mass. It may also overestimate body fat in athletes or those with a muscular build, or underestimate body fat in older persons, or others who have lost muscle.
• Check your waist size, since a large waistline, with more body fat around your abdomen (belly) rather than your hips, increases your risk for weight-related health problems.

What health problems can obesity cause?

Having a larger body size can make your heart work harder, put extra pressure on your joints, and may increase your risk for many health conditions, including:

• Type 2 diabetes.
• Heart disease.
• High blood pressure.
• Stroke.
• Metabolic syndrome.
• Osteoarthritis.
• Sleep apnea.
• Pregnancy problems.
• Fertility problems.
• Some cancers.

If you have obesity, losing even 5 to 10% of your weight can delay or prevent some of these diseases. For example, that means losing 10 to 20 pounds if you weigh 200 pounds.

What are the treatments for obesity?

Treatment plans for obesity may depend on your overall weight, other health conditions, and your willingness to participate in a weight-loss plan.

Your provider can tell you what a healthy weight is for you, help you set goals, and give you tips on how to lose weight. They may refer you to other providers that specialize in nutrition or weight loss to help you make realistic goals and provide support.

Possible treatments may include:

• Dietary changes and exercise goals to help you learn how to adopt healthy nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle changes to lose weight safely and keep it off long term.
• Counseling or support groups can give you encouragement and help you understand what's behind weight changes.
• Weight-loss medicines to treat obesity.
• Weight loss procedures or surgery if you have severe obesity or serious obesity-related health problems and have not been able to lose enough weight.

A healthy lifestyle that includes healthy eating patterns and regular physical activity can help you lose weight and lower your chance of developing complications related to obesity.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases