The Health Risks of Being Overweight

Being overweight has a major impact on women's health. A weight loss of 10 to 20 pounds can improve your health drastically. Numerous people have trouble obtaining a body weight that is healthy for them.

Statistics are showing an ever increasing number for this issue.

Previously there were approximately 65% of Americans over weight and 31% suffering from obesity.

That percentage equaled about one-third of adult Americans: 34.7 million of women and 26.6 million of men.

For children the statistics for over-weight was approximately 15% for children ages 6 through 11 and 15% for children ages 12 through 19 were.

Today those statistics have increased to:
   - Over-weight: More than 9 million children and adolescents between the ages of 6 and 19 years.
   - Americans age 20 and older, 142.0 million are over-weight or obese.
   - Of that figure there are approximately 73 million and 69 million women.
   - The obesity statistics show approximately 31 million men and 37 million women.

There are so many people in the world today who are unhappy with their weight and the way they look. Some people who are at a healthy weight believe that they need to lose a few pounds, but there is a huge population out there of people who are either over weight or clinically obese.

In order to be healthy, if you are overweight or obese - you need to get down to the weight that is right for your specific body type, not the weight that the model on the front of a popular magazine is.   You need to be at your ideal weight...

Because of all the news reports about so many being obese many people are beginning to confuse overweight with obesity.

So the real question is, is there a difference between the two? Let's make a comparison.

Overweight and Risk Factors

If you are above the healthy weight range for your body type, you are considered to be overweight. It is important even if you are only slightly overweight to change your lifestyle so you can get back to your ideal weight. It can be just a matter of a few pounds that puts you into the obese category which has increased health risks.

Overweight is classified if your body mass index (BMI) is between 25 and 29.9. There are various factors that play a role in the body mass index such as your physical activity and muscle composition. You can be in this range and not be over weight if you are very physically active.

You can check your body mass index (BMI) here. (This will open a new window.)

If you are over weight and have any of the following risk factors, your health would benefit greatly from weight loss.

• Family history of Heart Disease?
• Do you smoke?
• Is your lifestyle sedentary?
• Do you have high blood pressure?
• Do you have high LDL cholesterol or low HDL cholesterol?
• Do you have diabetes?

Health Risks of Being Overweight

Research has proven that being over weight or obese increases the risk of many health problems.

These can include:

• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Stroke
• Heart attack/heart failure
• Cancer
• Gallbladder problems
• Gout
• Osteoarthritis
• Sleep apnea

Health Risks of Being Obese

There are two classifications of obesity, clinical obesity and morbid obesity.

If you are well above the healthy weight range (between 18 and 24 BMI) and above the overweight range (25 to 29 BMI) you are considered to be clinically obese. If you have a BMI of 40 and above you are considered to be morbidly obese.

While being overweight has many health risks, being clinically obese and even worse morbidly obese have many more health risks. If you are obese you should talk to your doctor and devise a plan to get healthy before developing any serious condition.

If you are considered obese, you can add to the health risks above: increased risk of premature death, Type 2 Diabetes, Chronic Venous Insufficiency, Fatty Liver Disease, Deep Vein Thrombosis, breathing problems and arthritis.

Overweight versus Obesity

So what is the real difference between the two?

They are both labels for weight ranges that exceed the considered healthy weight for a given height. However, the biggest difference is obesity has greater health risks which can include premature death.

So both terms identify weight ranges and the increase to various health problems and diseases.

BMI is not always the best determining factor for being overweight or being obese.

An athlete who is 5'9 and weighs 220 pounds would have a high BMI but it would not be because of fat and therefore would not be considered overweight or obese.

To ensure your in good health, if your BMI shows you to be in either one of these categories, you should see your healthcare provider.

Terms and definitions regarding the Body Mass Index.

There are three different types of fats in the body along with lean body mass that make up the body composition.

Body Composition: - this is the make up of body fat and lean body mass.

Lean Body Mass: - this refers to the muscles, tissues and bones in your body that are not considered to be fatty tissues. If you have a high lean body mass you will have a high metabolism and a high rate of losing calories. You can increase your lean body mass by having a regular program of strength training.

Body Fat: - this is a main component of the body's make up. It is used for storing excess energy, keeping you warm and protecting your organs from harm.

Essential Fat: - is very important to maintaining a healthy body. This fat is stored in your bone marrow, central nervous system, muscles and organs. For a man, the essential fat takes up about 3 percent of his weight. For a woman, the essential fat takes up about 12 percent of her weight. The major difference is gender specific fat found in breasts, pelvis, thighs and hips.

Storage Fat: - this fat builds up on the inside of your body and is used to protect you inner organs from injury. Most women and men have close to the same amount of storage fat. Storage fat is what increases when you gain excess fat and weight. Therefore if you are losing weight this is the fat that you will want to get rid of but you do not want to get rid of it all, it still has an important role in protecting your organs.

This chart is published by the USDA and lists weight ranges for adults. These ranges are general and apply to men and women.

Download the USDA Body Weight Chart
You can click on File, Save as, and save it to your hard drive. You can also print it out for reference.

Various issues can affect your weight such as caloric intake, type of foods you eat, your age and health condition, how you use food, your physical fitness, your genetic makeup and your physiologic makeup.

If you are overweight, find out how Weight Management strategies can help you.

Being overweight and being obese can cause some serious damage to your health... take the time to get healthy now and enjoy life!

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