Part one in a four-part series on obesity and weight loss.
July 11, 2006 (Press Release) --
If you’re carrying around extra flab, the good news is that in times of famine you would have had a good chance of survival. That’s because fat is energy and the body conveniently packs it away in cells called adipocytes so that a ready supply is always available. Of course, today, not only is there little chance of famine in the Western world, but food is everywhere. And since the body is hardwired to be thrifty, it keeps on doing what it does best—storing all the extra calories that you consume.
The fat has nowhere to go but around your waist, on your hips, beneath your chin, on your arms—wherever you have fat depots. Some people have many fat cells that are moderately packed with fat. Others have fewer fat cells that are stuffed to the brim. And, if the body runs out of closet space, it can create new fat cells to store the extra. Having too much fat, especially around the belly, is a liability in today’s sedentary world and is associated with a variety of health risks.
Are You Fat?
When a person weighs more than what is considered average for their height and age, they are overweight. This is typically measured on a scale. But scale weight can be misleading because it does not assess body fat or how tall you are—both of which can affect whether your weight is healthy or not. When a person has a significant amount of excess body fat, they are considered obese. This is best measured in a lab (the body fat scales you can buy in the store are not highly accurate). For research purposes, a simple equation that factors in both body weight and height is often used. This is the body mass index (BMI). People with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 are considered overweight. Those with a BMI of 30 and above are considered obese. A woman who is 5-foot-5, for example, would be overweight if she weighs more than 150 pounds. She would be obese if she weighed more than 180 pounds. A man who is 5-foot-11 is considered overweight if he weighs over 179 pounds and obese if over 215 pounds. (The 25- to 30-pound range for each BMI category was determined because fat-related health risks were seen to increase at those increments.) You can calculate your BMI here. BMIs aren’t a perfect measure of fatness, though. Fit people tend to have more muscle mass and they may weigh more even though they are quite lean. For example, a highly athletic man may seem overweight according to a BMI scale, when in fact he is a healthy weight.
Source: http://www.msn.com/
The fat has nowhere to go but around your waist, on your hips, beneath your chin, on your arms—wherever you have fat depots. Some people have many fat cells that are moderately packed with fat. Others have fewer fat cells that are stuffed to the brim. And, if the body runs out of closet space, it can create new fat cells to store the extra. Having too much fat, especially around the belly, is a liability in today’s sedentary world and is associated with a variety of health risks.
Are You Fat?
When a person weighs more than what is considered average for their height and age, they are overweight. This is typically measured on a scale. But scale weight can be misleading because it does not assess body fat or how tall you are—both of which can affect whether your weight is healthy or not. When a person has a significant amount of excess body fat, they are considered obese. This is best measured in a lab (the body fat scales you can buy in the store are not highly accurate). For research purposes, a simple equation that factors in both body weight and height is often used. This is the body mass index (BMI). People with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 are considered overweight. Those with a BMI of 30 and above are considered obese. A woman who is 5-foot-5, for example, would be overweight if she weighs more than 150 pounds. She would be obese if she weighed more than 180 pounds. A man who is 5-foot-11 is considered overweight if he weighs over 179 pounds and obese if over 215 pounds. (The 25- to 30-pound range for each BMI category was determined because fat-related health risks were seen to increase at those increments.) You can calculate your BMI here. BMIs aren’t a perfect measure of fatness, though. Fit people tend to have more muscle mass and they may weigh more even though they are quite lean. For example, a highly athletic man may seem overweight according to a BMI scale, when in fact he is a healthy weight.
Source: http://www.msn.com/
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