What Is Obesity?

I get email every week asking me "How do I know if I'm obese. Yes, I'm overweight, I know it, but how much fat defines Obesity? I found this article on the WebMD website and the author explains obesity simply so even I can understand.

Am I Obese? How Experts Define What Obesity Is

Obesity means having far too much body fat. It's about much more than your clothing size or how you look. It can seriously affect your health.
Your whole body feels it, from your joints to your heartblood pressureblood sugar, and other systems. The extra fat cells produce inflammation and various hormones, which boosts your odds of chronic medical conditions.
If it seems like those odds are stacked against you, remember that it's possible to beat them. The first step is to know where you stand.

Are You Obese?

You step on the scale and your doctor or nurse notes your weight. They might also measure your waist, since it's especially risky to have too much belly fat.
If your doctor says you're overweight, that means "you're slightly over what's considered healthy," says Y. Claire Wang, MD. She's co-director of the Obesity Prevention Initiative at Columbia University.
Obesity is beyond being simply overweight. It's very common -- more than 1 in 3 U.S. adults are obese. If you're one of them, you can work to lose weight. Although it's not easy, dropping some of those extra pounds will start to turn things around for you.

What Your BMI Says

For adults, experts usually define obesity based on body mass index, or BMI. This formula relates your weight to your height.
For instance, if two people weigh the same amount but one is taller than the other, the taller person will have a lower BMI. To find your body mass index, plug your height and weight into a BMI calculator.
If your BMI is:
  • Below 18.5: underweight
  • 18.5-24.9: normal
  • 25-29.9: overweight
  • 30 or higher: obese
If you're obese, your doctor might talk about the categories of obesity:
  • Obesity level l: BMI of 30-34.9
  • Obesity level ll: BMI of 35-39.9
  • Obesity level lll: BMI of 40 or higher, which some also call "morbid" obesity
Losing fat is the answer to permanent weight loss. This means to change the food your eating. It doesn't mean to starve yourself, simply find healthier food and stop drinking calories. Fresh foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein like poultry and seafood will do the trick. Drink lots of water and don't drink calories. Be careful with dairy; dairy contains animal fats. If you need extra protein get a protein powder made from plant protein. You can make a shake with a low-calorie almond milk and use these shakes to hold you over between meals.

You can tweet me with questions at #ray0369

I write several blogs and e-books, check out some of my other sites.
If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my e-books at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet. Instead of spending hours on the internet reading dozens of posts, you can save time by picking up one of my e-books. 
There are two e-books. “How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?” is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites below and search the title to find my e-book. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.comScribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.
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