What is obesity?

The notion of obesity doesnt mean only having some extra pounds. The risk of
serious illnesses is higher when you accumulate a lot of fat in your body. The most common
diseases are heart disease or diabetes, and also it can be a decisive factor in life shortening.
There are two posibilities of fat distribution in the body: it can be equally distributed in the
body or around the internal organs or the hips and thighs.
If your weight is in the normal healthy range, you can work out to remove extra
pounds. A good way of maintaining weight within normal limits, is by measuring the body
mass index (BMI). It can be calculated by a ratio between weight and height.
Besides all of this, it is known that one of the most dangerous form of obesity is the
apple shaped obesity.
As I mentioned before, fats can be deposited around the organs, which behaves in a
different way unlike the ones stored under the skin. The first ones shows a higher risk of
causing heart attacks or diabetes, due to his connection with different levels of inflammation
in the body. So, a good way of reducing the risk of illnesses and to maintain your weight in
normal limits is to permanently perform abdominal measurements. Also, another
consideration to take into account is the rapport between hip and waist size.
Body Mass Index BMI test yourself
The calculation of Body Mass Index depends on the shape of your body.
You can start by measuring your waist and your hips,with a tape.
Usually, for a woman, a normal result is less than 80cm (32 inches). If your waist
measure is between 80cm to 88cm(32 inches to 35 inches), it exceeds normality and if your
measure overcomes 88cm(35 inches) then you suffer from obesity.
For a man, an ideal waist measure means less than 94cm(37 inches), beyond normal
limit is between 94 cm and 102 cm(37 inches to 40 inches), and a measure over 102 cm(40
inches) means overweight.
You can find out how much fat do you have around your waist, by making the ratio
between your waist measurement and hip measurement.
If the result is more then 1.0 at mens or 0.85 at womens, it means that you suffer
from extra weight, and the risk of suffering from specific diseases of obesity, such as heart
disease, is higher.
You can try the test below to find out the waist-to-hip ratio:
1.If your BMI values are between 18.5 and 25 (kg/m
2
), then you are in normal limits;
2. If your BMI values are between 25 and 30, you have extra pounds;
3. If you BMI value is higher than 30, then you suffer from obesity;
4. If your BMI is higher than 40, then you suffer from serious obesity.
Over all of this, there are also some exceptions. People from South Asia or China , for
example, can get sick from chronic diseases or diabetes, even if they have a BMI value lower
than the white population.
So, the values that must be taken into account are 23 for extra pounds and the value of
27.5 for BMI that indicates serious obesity.
Also, the waist measurements are lower in this category. For a man, a normal value is
90 cm or less.