The terms “overweight” and “obese” both refer to persons whose body weight is greater than what is considered normal or healthy for their height and age. However, they both do not mean the same thing. While being overweight is definitely not ideal for health, being obese is an extreme case of overweightness and can put the person’s health, and even their life, at risk.
Main Causes of Excess Weight
A person weighs more than required due to the fact that the body is not effectively burning fat, is storing more than it should, or is receiving more than it needs.
The main factors, of course, are imbalanced diet and an unhealthy lifestyle. When you take in more calories from food/beverages than you use up from physical activity and through daily living, your body stores the extra calories. Over time, these extra calories will add up to your weight.
Sometimes, overweight or obesity could be the manifestation of a more serious medical condition, so if you are following a healthy diet and an active lifestyle but still find it difficult to maintain the right weight, you need to consult a doctor.
How to Watch your Weight
- Check your BMI
One way to find out if your weight is healthy or unhealthy is by checking your Body Mass Index (BMI). You can find out your BMI through a simple calculation involving your weight (in kilograms) and your height (in metres).
BMI = Weight in kg/ (Height in m)2
According to World Health Organisation (WHO), this is what your BMI indicates:
Normal BMI: 18.5 – 24.9
Overweight: 25.0 – 29.9
Obesity: 30
According to a research by The American Diabetes Association (ADA), South Asians including Indians, Bangladeshis and Pakistanis are more vulnerable to diabetes, even with a BMI below 25. It is recommended for South Asians, therefore, to maintain a BMI below 23.
As per the above research, these are the revised BMI ranges for Asians (Indians) recommended by ADA:
Normal BMI: 18.0-22.9
Overweight: 23.0-24.9
Obesity: >25
- Waist Circumference
Another way to find out if you are carrying unhealthy weight is to measure the circumference of your waist.
The waist circumference considered unhealthy for men Indian men is 90 cm or 35.4 inches (it is 102cm/40.1 inches globally) and 80 cm or 31.5 inches for Indian women (as opposed to the global standard of 88cm/34.6”).
References
