A guide to Obesity

What is ‘obesity’?

Obesity is defined as ‘having an abnormal amount of body fat and a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or more’.

Almost one in four adults in the UK is obese and many others are overweight. If we break that figure down even further then we are looking at 25% of women and 20% of men who are ‘clinically obese’.

Obesity is a DISEASE and is recognised as this by the medical profession. It is NOT an admission of failure, being ‘lazy’ or ‘weak willed’. There are a variety of causes of obesity which will be discussed later on in this section.

Many experts believe that obesity is a ‘time bomb’ waiting to explode: that it is one of the biggest health threats facing the UK and that if something is not then done we are looking at a very serious situation. This is not just confined to the UK; the West in general is facing an obesity crisis.

What is the difference between ‘overweight’ and ‘obese’?

Being overweight can mean carrying a few extra pounds. You may have a bit of a ‘spare tyre’ (if you are a man) or a few extra pounds on your hips (if you are a woman).

This is not likely to be a problem healthwise though it is probably annoying when you try on clothes. However, if ignored it can increase and it’s that point when a few extra pounds becomes an excess that is a problem.

The terms ‘overweight’ and ‘obese’ can be defined by the Body Mass Indicator (BMI) tool which states the following:

  • a body mass index between 25 to 30 is overweight
  • a body mass index of 30 and over is obese

Body Mass Indicator (BMI)


body mass indicatorThe BMI is a measurement or tool which doctors and other healthcare professionals use as a means of assessing a person’s weight. They use your height, weight and sex in order to see if you are underweight, a healthy weight, overweight or obese.

They use a series of calculations to do so. However, you can find out for yourself by using one of the many online versions. These are easy to use and just require you to enter your height and weight.

However, it is not that accurate as it does not take into account the type of frame you may have, the ratio of muscle to fat, pregnancy or frailty. A sportsman/woman or bodybuilder may have a higher level of muscle than fat. They may have a very low level of body fat but their BMI will be higher than usual because muscle weighs more than fat. So, their BMI will show them to be obese whereas in fact they have 6% body fat!

A heavier skeleton will weight more than a lighter one. A pregnant woman will be carrying more weight than usual. A person who is frail as a result of an illness will weight a lot less than is usual.

The Body Mass Indicator is useful but is not 100% accurate.

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