Health Centers > Obesity and Weight Management Health Center > Overweight and obesity
Overweight and obesity
How do I know if I'm overweight or obese?
Find out your body mass index (BMI). BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight. People with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 are considered overweight. People with a BMI of 30 or more are considered obese.
What causes someone to become overweight or obese?
You can become overweight or obese when you eat more calories (KAL-oh-rees) than you use. A calorie is a unit of energy in the food you eat. Your body needs this energy to function and to be active. But if you take in more energy than your body uses, you will gain weight.
Many factors can play a role in becoming overweight or obese. These factors include:
- Behaviors, such as eating too many calories or not getting enough physical activity
- Environment and culture
- Genes
Overweight and obesity problems keep getting worse in the United States. Some cultural reasons for this include:
- Bigger portion sizes
- Little time to exercise or cook healthy meals
- Using cars to get places instead of walking
What are the health effects of being overweight or obese?
Being overweight or obese can increase your risk of:
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Type 2 diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Breathing problems
- Arthritis
- Gallbladder disease
- Some kinds of cancer
But excess body weight isn't the only health risk. The places where you store your body fat also affect your health. Women with a "pear" shape tend to store fat in their hips and buttocks. Women with an "apple" shape store fat around their waists. If your waist is more than 35 inches, you may have a higher risk of weight-related health problems.
How many women in the United States are overweight or obese?
Over 60 percent of U.S. adult women are overweight, according to 2007 estimates from the National Center for Health Statistics of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Just over one-third of overweight adult women are obese.
Overweight and ...
Overweight and obesity
What are overweight and obesity?
Overweight
Weight Loss... Are you overweight?
Obesity: Small Steps Help
Overweight children risk iron deficiency
How serious is obesity and being overweight?
Overweight women overestimate physical activity
Mammogram Accuracy Reduced In Overweight Women
Overweight girls may have more behavior problems
Why do statistics about overweight and obesity differ?
Economic costs related to overweight and obesity
Overweight women may have longer labor
Exercise has many benefits in overweight children
High blood pressure common in the overweight
Overweight women on pills have a higher chances of pregnancy
Obesity Treatment
Surgical Procedures for Obesity
What Causes Obesity?
Weight Loss Programs
Drug Therapy for Obesity
Tailored obesity treatments possible
Diet as the treatment of obesity?
Experimental Therapies: Weight Loss
Weight Loss Diet
Your Guide to Weight Loss
Surgery as the treatment of obesity
Weight Loss Surgery: Bariatric Surgeries
Companies want Medicare to cover obesity surgery
Obesity surgery: Bypassing stomach...
Weight loss surgery staves off prediabetes
Weight loss surgery has lasting benefits
Commercial Weight-Loss Programs and Meal Replacements
Choosing a safe and successful Weight-Loss Program
Over-the-Counter (OTC) weight-loss products
Obesity and Diseases
Obesity may raise risk of stillbirth
Cancer threat of obesity
Obesity Changes Heart Muscle
C-section & obesity
Weighy Management and Obesity
How Does Obesity Cause Cancer?
Obesity raises diabetes risk
Obesity & prostate cancer
Obesity hypoventilation syndrome
Obesity and Reproductive Disorders
Obesity, small prostate raise cancer risk
Obesity becoming less lethal
Obesity & heart risk factors after stroke
Obesity, inactivity raise uterine cancer risk
Obesity effects on the Cardiopulmonary System
Obesity & painful kidney stones
Poor sleep linked to obesity
Obesity in women linked with brain tissue loss