Obesity is a medical condition that involves having an excessive amount of body fat and classified as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater. It occurs when you take in more calories than you burn through exercise and normal activities.

There are health problems and other diseases that can occur with being obese such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and certain cancers. Reasons why some people have difficulty avoiding obesity include inherited factors, environment and personal diet and exercise choices. It can diminish your quality of life such as depression, disability, social isolation and shame. People always have the chance to improve or prevent health problems by losing weight.

Signs & Symptoms

To determine your body mass index, divide your weight in pounds by your height in inches squared and multiply by 703. Or divide your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared. BMI doesn’t directly measure body fat, as some people may have a BMI in the obesity category even though they don’t have excess body fat.

Diagnosis

To diagnose obesity, your doctor will typically perform a physical exam and recommend some tests. Gathering all this information will help the doctor determine the best approach in treatment decisions to guide you in a healthier lifestyle.

• Taking your health history
• General physical exam
• Calculating your BMI
• Measuring your waist circumference
• Checking for other health problems
• Blood tests