Obesity

Most practitioners use the following BMI ranges as indications that a person is overweight or obese:

• BMI 25 to 29.9 (overweight)

• BMI 30 to 39.9 (moderately obese)

• BMI 40 or above (extremely obese)

A high waist to hip ratio increases the risk for developing serious, even life-threatening conditions associated with obesity. Physicians consider a very high waist circumference to be greater than 102 cm for men and greater than 88 cm for women.

Conditions that may accompany obesity include:

• High cholesterol (including high triglyceride levels)

• Diabetes

• High blood pressure

• Sleep apnea (episodes when a person stops breathing while asleep)

• Osteoarthritis

• Gallstones

• Stress incontinence (inability to control urine; small amounts of urine are released when a person laughs, coughs, or moves abruptly)

Do’s and Don’ts

• Regular exercise

• Healthy diet

• Avoidance of high-fat diet

• Maintaining daily records of both fat and calorie intake as well as exercise habits

• Develop coping skills for stress, which causes overeating

Advice from your doctor

• Primary goal is to reduce overall body weight and maintain the lower weight

• Involves a combination of diet, exercise, and other lifestyle modifications, but the specific method of treatment depends on the severity of obesity.

• General health and motivation to lose weight are important.

• Medications may be prescribed in addition to an exercise program and a low-calorie diet.

• Mind/body medicine, including psychotherapy, hypnosis, and meditation, may reduce the stress that so often leads to overeating.

• In severe cases, gastrointestinal surgery may be considered.

Written by: Healthplus24 team
Date last update: November 10, 2011