What Is Obesity and Are You Obese?

Obesity is simply a mark on an over-used and under-specific scale, called the Body Mass Index (BMI).  The BMI works by taking your weight in kilograms and dividing it by the square of your height in meters.

To calculate your Body Mass Index you can use our free tool. This will give you a good indication as to whether you are overweight.

If the number you get from performing the above calculation is:

• Under 21 – Underweight
• 22-25 – Ideal weight for your height
• 26-30 – Overweight
• 31 and above – Clinically obese

However, BMI is not nearly the end of the story, and it should be your doctor who tells you that you are obese, not your bathroom scale, a tape measure and a calculator.

What’s Wrong With BMI?

The BMI doesn’t take into account things like difference in body proportions, bone density, or most importantly: muscle to fat ratios.  Using the traditional BMI system a professional bodybuilder could be said to be ‘clinically obese’, because muscle weighs so much more than fat.  Since when you exercise you tend to slowly replace fat tissue with muscle cells, this can give misleading readings.

However, we all usually know whether or not we are overweight.  Some of us are borderline, but ideally you should consult a doctor and see what they say.  If you think your weight might be affecting your health, you’re probably right.

Why Obesity is so Dangerous

Being obese is about more than just having a lot of extra weight.  It’s about the changes that your body undergoes in order to cope with this kind of weight gain, and carrying all that extra fat around.  It’s also about the things all of the toxins you’ve ingested do to your circulatory system, immune system and major organs.

Aside from the obvious psychological and social strain being very overweight has on people, there are several well-known health complications that can arise from being obese.  These include, but are not limited to:

1. Heart disease

   The number one killer of obese people. This group includes a number of dangerous conditions such as arteriosclerosis (hardening arteries), high blood pressure, cardiomyopathy (degeneration of the heart muscle), heart attacks and strokes.

2. Diabetes

   Extremely dangerous, despite its prevalence.  Can also lead to heart disease, heart attacks, strokes and sepsis.

3. Obstructive Sleep Apnea

   A condition where your diaphragm does not have enough strength to lift your chest cavity while sleeping, inhibiting your ability to breathe without using an oxygen tank at night.

4. Cancer

   It can result from any of the many toxins your body builds up by being unable to properly dispose of waste products.

5. Kidney and Liver Failure

   These are also common symptoms associated with obesity and diabetes, and can cause serious lifelong complications or death.