But being overweight is actually a medical concern because it can seriously affect a person's health. Diabetes and heart disease are health problems that can stem from being overweight. Being overweight can also affect a person's joints, breathing, sleep, mood, and energy levels. So being overweight can affect a person's entire quality of life.
A couple of pounds of extra body fat are not a health risk for most people. But when people keep up a pattern of eating more calories than they burn, more and more fat builds up in their bodies. Eventually, the body gets to a point where the amount of body fat can harm a person's health. Doctors use the terms "overweight" or "obese" to tell if someone has a greater chance of developing weight-related health problems. As you've probably heard, more people are overweight today than ever before.
The "obesity epidemic" affects kids and teens as well as adults. So younger people are now getting health problems that used to affect only adults, like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. Obesity tends to run in families. Some people have a genetic tendency to gain weight more easily than others.
Although genes strongly influence body type and size, the environment also plays a role. People today are gaining weight because of unhealthy food choices like fast food and family habits like eating in front of the TV instead of around a table. High-calorie, low-nutrient snacks and beverages, bigger portions of food, and less-active lifestyles are all contributing to the obesity epidemic.
Sometimes people turn to food for emotional reasons, such as when they feel upset, anxious, sad, stressed out, or even bored. When this happens, they often eat more than they need. Figuring out if a teen is overweight is a little more complicated than it is for adults. That's because teens are still growing and developing. Doctors and other health care professionals use a measurement called body mass index BMI to tell if someone is overweight.
The doctor calculates BMI using a person's height and weight, and then plots that number on a chart. There are different charts for girls or guys. BMI estimates how much body fat the person has. Because muscle weighs more than fat, a muscular person can have a high BMI, but not too much body fat. A conversation about reducing the harms of social media. Menopause and memory: Know the facts.
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Sign Me Up. Print This Page Click to Print. Staying Healthy. Children's Health. Free Healthbeat Signup Get the latest in health news delivered to your inbox! Obesity reduces life expectancy by an average of 3 to 10 years, depending on how severe it is. It's estimated that obesity and being overweight contribute to at least 1 in every 13 deaths in Europe. There's no quick fix for obesity. Weight loss programmes take time and commitment, and work best when fully completed.
The healthcare professionals involved with your care should provide encouragement and advice about how to maintain the weight loss achieved. Regularly monitoring your weight, setting realistic goals, and involving your friends and family with your attempts to lose weight can also help. Our guide to care and support explains your options and where you can get support.
If it's been a long time since you did any exercise, you should check out the Couch to 5K running plan. It consists of podcasts delivered over the course of 9 weeks and has been specifically designed for absolute beginners. To begin with, you start running for short periods of time, and as the plan progresses, gradually increase the amount. At the end of the 9 weeks, you should be able to run for 30 minutes non-stop, which for most people is around 5 kilometres 3.
Page last reviewed: 16 May Next review due: 16 May How to tell if you're obese The most widely used method to check if you're a healthy weight is body mass index BMI. For most adults, a BMI of: Risks of obesity It's very important to take steps to tackle obesity because, as well as causing obvious physical changes, it can lead to a number of serious and potentially life-threatening conditions. These include: type 2 diabetes coronary heart disease some types of cancer, such as breast cancer and bowel cancer stroke Obesity can also affect your quality of life and lead to psychological problems, such as depression and low self-esteem.
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