While being overweight is a precursor to obesity and, like obesity, can increase the risk of diabetes, heart attack and stroke, it's also possible to be overweight and still healthy, especially if you're free from chronic diseases like hypertension or diabetes.
Having overweight or obesity increases your risk of developing conditions that can lead to heart disease, such as high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol link, and high blood glucose. In addition, excess weight can also make your heart have to work harder to send blood to all the cells in your body.
If you're 50 pounds overweight, your likelihood of dying of any cause is twice as high as someone who is not overweight. If you're 100 pounds overweight, it's three times higher. We want to be supportive and give people options. But we also don't want to shy away from something that's as serious a problem as cancer.
A higher BMI is associated with a greater risk of health problems. But the risks are clearer for people with obesity versus those with moderately overweight status. Research has suggested that people who are moderately overweight may have a lower overall risk of mortality and health problems.
Obesity can lead to increased risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, it can affect bone health and reproduction, it increases the risk of certain cancers.
18.5 to 24.9 – you're in the healthy weight range. 25 to 29.9 – you're in the overweight range. 30 to 39.9 – you're in the obese range. 40 or above – you're in the severely obese range.
But your weight alone can't tell you whether you're underweight, healthy, or overweight. If you're 6'4" and you weigh 200 pounds, you're probably at a healthy weight; but if you're 5'9" and weigh 200 pounds, you're probably overweight. Curiosity Project: Has agricultural development affected human obesity?
The term skinny fat or normal weight obesity (NWO) refers to a person who is normal or below normal weight but has a higher than optimal body fat percentage and often lower than optimal lean body mass. A person with a skinny fat body type can have very high amounts of body fat as compared to a lean body mass.
Normal BMI ranges from 18.5 to 24.9; many epidemiological studies show an inverse relationship between mortality and BMI inside the normal BMI range. Other studies show that the lowest mortality in the entire range of BMI is obtained in the overweight range (25–29.9).
More significant weight gain is normal during the preadolescent ages of roughly 9 to 12 and adolescence – as a child matures into a young adult. It's not unusual for the body to store fat during this time as it prepares for the rapid growth and changes associated with puberty.
There are some genes associated with obesity and overweight. In some people, genes can affect how their bodies change food into energy and store fat. Genes can also affect people's lifestyle choices. There are also some rare genetic conditions that can cause obesity, such as Prader-Willi syndrome.
You can say large if you're trying to phrase it delicately, but in all honesty fat and chubby and associated words aren't insults, they're just descriptors.
What are the risks of being underweight? If you are underweight, you may be at greater risk of certain health conditions, including malnutrition, osteoporosis, decreased muscle strength, hypothermia and lowered immunity. Underweight is also known to shorten people's lives, due to early death.
Overweight children are more likely to become overweight as adults. This could lead to long-term conditions such as type 2 diabetes. Making changes to their diet and activity levels can help them reach a healthy weight.
But when you lose weight on any diet, belly fat usually goes first. There are many approaches to weight loss. There's no one-size-fits-all method that everyone finds effective or lasting.
For people who are considered obese (BMI greater than or equal to 30) or those who are overweight (BMI of 25 to 29.9) and have two or more risk factors, it is recommended that you lose weight.
The study, published in the Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, showed that life expectancy for obese men and women was 4.2 and 3.5 years shorter respectively than people in the entire healthy BMI weight range. The difference for underweight men and women was 4.3 (men) and 4.5 (women) years.
Interestingly, recent findings indicate that greater body size, but especially body weight and BMI, is costly in terms of longevity, and smaller individuals outlive those that are larger.
Facial fat significantly impacts facial attractiveness, as it can alter the shape and contours of the face, leading to a less defined appearance. Weight gain can result in a puffier face with rounded features and a less prominent jawline, while weight loss can enhance facial angles and create a more sculpted look.
Having overweight — even carrying as little as 10 pounds of excess fat — can make a difference in your health. It can cause changes in your body that may lead to serious medical issues. It can affect your self-esteem. And having overweight increases the chance you'll develop obesity.
Get active.
Strength training exercises are recommended at least twice a week. If you want to lose weight or meet specific fitness goals, you might need to exercise more. There is some evidence that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can help reduce belly fat, as can strength training.
BMI percentages are not perfect for identifying health risks. For instance, a 5'9″ person who weighs 180 lbs is considered overweight.
Being overweight or obese can have a serious impact on health. Carrying extra fat leads to serious health consequences such as cardiovascular disease (mainly heart disease and stroke), type 2 diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders like osteoarthritis, and some cancers (endometrial, breast and colon).
The ideal body weight for age and height is a little different for everyone; it's based on gender, body fat percentage, build, and other factors. Average American weights heights are considered obese -- about 170 lbs./5'3” for women and 197 lbs./5'9” for men -- so “average” doesn't mean “healthy.”