World Obesity Day on 11 October: How’s obesity different from being overweight?

With sedentary lifestyle and improper food habits, the population today is finding it difficult to keep their weight under check. As we celebrate World Obesity Day tomorrow, know the difference between being obese and overweight to chalk out a suitable fitness plan.

By: Sukriti Shahi | | Published: October 10, 2019 9:02 pm

Tags: causes of obesity World Obesity Day 2019

Know the difference between obesity and overweight. © Shutterstock

October 11 is World Obesity Day. Obesity is a condition where extra fat gets accumulated in the body. It can have detrimental effects on your health. An obese person feels extreme pressure on his joints, and this can lead to debilitating pain sometimes. Obesity also puts extreme pressure on the heart and causes blood pressure level to go up. An obese person enters a vicious circle where the body doesn’t support weight loss and obesity makes normal body functioning difficult.

As per the National Health Portal, ‘In 2014 more than 1.9 billion adults (18 years and older) and 41 million children under the age of five were overweight. Nearly half of the children under five who were overweight or obese in 2014 lived in Asia.

Obesity v/s overweight

The word obesity and overweight are often used together. On the eve of World Obesity Day, know that these two may be similar but they are not the same. The difference between the two is usually with Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is the measure of the body fat that’s calculated with the person’s weight in relation to his age and height. There are set BMI value brackets that imply if the person is overweight or obese. Though, both the conditions refer to excess fat and weight, the ways to control both could be different.

It’s also important to note that an overweight condition that goes unchecked could lead to the condition of obesity. If we look at the BMI values in general, a person with the BMI between 25-29.9 is considered overweight whereas a BMI value over 30 means obesity. An average BMI falls between 18.5 to 25.5.

Why is it important to know the difference?

It’s because obesity is acknowledged as a chronic disease. For instance, a person with a BMI over 40 is considered morbid obese and is often recommended bariatric surgery. However, if the doctor calls you overweight, it could mean that you are a little on the healthy side. There are a few people, for instance athletes, who may have higher but that’s also because of the higher muscle fat rather than having higher body fat.

Obesity is simply beyond overweight. Being overweight is common and it’s easier to this weight. It’s because till this stage, the body fat, specially around belly, is not as rigid as it gets when the stage of obesity is reached. Therefore, waist size plays an important role in knowing your BMI and finding if you are overweight or obese.

What to do?

On the World Obesity Day tomorrow, start by checking your BMI. Once you know if you’re overweight or obese, you can have a proper plan made to lose weight. When it comes to obesity, calorie-intake is not the only thing to check. Being obese, needs professional’s help, a diet plan and an exercise routine. The exercise routine is also given keeping in mind the body’s condition that might get affected because of the obesity condition.

Published : October 10, 2019 9:02 pm

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