To answer your question, you need the facts--not somebody's opinion.
Half of us are now overweight. Thus, it can be hard to tell if you are overweight as well. It is also difficult to determine what is normal—healthy.
Here you'll find the tool to give you an answer. And then, what to do once you have your answer and some tips are also included.
So, if being overweight is concerning you, know that you are not alone.
Women have only a slightly higher chance of being obese than men. Your town and economic status can have an effect on your weight and health. As the world deals with its growing obesity epidemic, research is slowly answering many of the questions we have. An interesting and illuminating tool for people in the US is the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation's (IHME) US County Profiles webpage. On it, you can compare where you live to another area's related data.
To determine if you are overweight calculating your BMI, Body Mass Index, is most commonly used. All you need is to know your height and weight to get an answer. Enter these values on theCDC’s calculator below and click Calculate.
Half of us are now overweight. Thus, it can be hard to tell if you are overweight as well. It is also difficult to determine what is normal—healthy.
Here you'll find the tool to give you an answer. And then, what to do once you have your answer and some tips are also included.
- The number of overweight people has been increasing worldwide for over 35 years.
So, if being overweight is concerning you, know that you are not alone.
Women have only a slightly higher chance of being obese than men. Your town and economic status can have an effect on your weight and health. As the world deals with its growing obesity epidemic, research is slowly answering many of the questions we have. An interesting and illuminating tool for people in the US is the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation's (IHME) US County Profiles webpage. On it, you can compare where you live to another area's related data.
To determine if you are overweight calculating your BMI, Body Mass Index, is most commonly used. All you need is to know your height and weight to get an answer. Enter these values on theCDC’s calculator below and click Calculate.
CDC.gov (www.cdc.gov) is your online source for credible health information and is the official Web site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Once you know which weight category you are in, you can take steps to improve your health. Within our current sedentary and food choice environment, it is important to talk to your health care provider about your weight. Even if you have a healthy weight, you need to know what to do in order to maintain your current weight. Your doctor may conduct tests to determine if a weight-related illness is affecting you.
Besides an increased risk of death and a lower quality of life, there are many consequences of being overweight. Diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, osteoarthritis, cancer, depression, and anxiety are also potential consequences.
Tips
Once you know which weight category you are in, you can take steps to improve your health. Within our current sedentary and food choice environment, it is important to talk to your health care provider about your weight. Even if you have a healthy weight, you need to know what to do in order to maintain your current weight. Your doctor may conduct tests to determine if a weight-related illness is affecting you.
Besides an increased risk of death and a lower quality of life, there are many consequences of being overweight. Diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, osteoarthritis, cancer, depression, and anxiety are also potential consequences.
Tips
- Avoid fad diets. Large amounts of weight are lost quickly on crash diets but leave people frustrated and discouraged. Also known as yo-yo dieting; they rarely work for very long.
- Eliminating sugary and processed foods is a great place to start.
- Working with a coach or a dieting group is often the only way to withstand the challenges you will face. They should be able to support and guide you with food and exercise recommendations.
- Research is also showing that the lack of exercise and our sedentary lifestyle has a high impact on being overweight.