All About Obesity

Obesity is a health condition that can lead to other health problems. It can also lead to death. The National Library of Medicine states that approximately 300,000 lives could be saved if everyone maintained a healthy weight. Additionally, it states that approximately 66 percent of United States adults are overweight or obese.

What is Obesity?

A person is classified as obese if she has a body mass index of 30.0 or higher. If the patient's body mass index is 40.0 or over, she is considered to be morbidly obese.

To determine body mass index, you must weight yourself and know your height in inches.

First, you square your height in inches. To do this, you must multiply your height in inches by your height in inches. (height x height = X)

Next, you divide your weight in pounds by X from the previous step. (weight / X = Y)

Finally, you multiply Y from the previous step by 703. (Y x 703 = BMI)

What are the Risks of Being Obese?

Being obese can lead to numerous health problems. Heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis and sleep apnea are all associated with obesity. Of course, it is possible to suffer from these conditions without being obese, but the likelihood of developing these conditions is greatly increased in an obese person.

In addition to health problems, an obese person faces various lifestyle difficulties. Obesity is linked to low self esteem, depression and anxiety. Fatigue is also a problem for the obese.

Mobility is usually limited for an obese person. This may make daily tasks challenging. Traveling may become difficult because of the person's size. For example, airlines often require an obese person to buy two seats. Working may also be a problem for a person who is obese.

How is Obesity Treated?

Treating obesity requires treating all of the health conditions associated with obesity. Additionally, the obese person is instructed to lose weight.

Eating a healthy diet that is based on low fat and low calorie foods is required. Some doctors may prescribe a short term diet based on liquid meal replacement products to help the patient lose weight.

In addition to a healthy diet, exercise is necessary to lose weight. At first, the person may not be able to do a lot of exercise, but the overall goal is to be able to exercise a total of 60 to 90 minutes per day. Oftentimes, walking short distances is the first exercise when the program is started.

For some obese patients, surgical intervention is used to help the patient lose weight. Gastric bypass and gastric banding are the most common surgical procedures. Before a doctor will perform one of these procedures, the patient usually has to have a mental evaluation and show that he is able to stick to a weight loss diet and exercise program.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007196.htm

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/weightcontrol.html