Obesity Facts Philadelphia PA

1. The rate of obesity in the United States has risen from 12 percent in 1991 to 32 percent today. One reason: Americans are eating more calories than they did 30 years ago.

2. Another contributing factor to obesity: Less than half of Americans exercise regularly, and nearly 25 percent are not active at all.

3. Obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States and contributes to $117 billion a year in health care costs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 32 percent of American women 20 years of age and older are obese.

4. One measure of obesity is your body mass index (BMI), which can be determined by dividing your weight in pounds by your height in inches squared and then multiplying by 703. For example, a woman who is 5'6" and weighs 190 would have a BMI of 31, as follows:

   • 5'6" = 66 inches
   • 66 squared = 4,356
   • 190 divided by 4,356 = 0.0436
   • 0.0436 x 703 = 30.65 (rounded up to 31)
   
   

5. If a woman's BMI is 30 or greater, she is considered obese. A BMI of 40 or more puts her in the extremely obese category. However, if she has more muscle mass than normal, these numbers won't apply, and her health care professional should measure her body composition to determine her degree of overweight.

6. If a woman's waist circumference is more than 35 inches, she is considered to have a high amount of visceral fat, which is the type of fat that surrounds the internal organs. This type of fat is associated with higher risk of certain diseases and conditions like diabetes and heart disease.

7. If you eat 250 calories per day fewer than needed to maintain your weight and exercise enough to burn an additional 250 calories a day, you will lose about a pound per week.

8. Several factors go into the calculation of your basal metabolic rate (BMR), or the number of calories your body needs just to maintain its basic functions, including your height, weight and age. To get an idea of your BMR, go to www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/. You need additional calories to provide energy for daily activities; the more active you are, the more calories you need.

9. Obesity surgery, called bariatric surgery, reduces the size of your stomach, limiting the amount of food it can hold. Physicians typically consider it only for patients who have tried other weight loss methods and are still severely obese. Most people undergoing bariatric surgery have rapid and extreme weight loss, but they must commit to changing their eating habits and will likely need nutritional supplements for life.

10. The current U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend that women who want to manage body weight and prevent unhealthy weight gain engage in 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise on most or all days of the week while not exceeding caloric intake requirements. The best way to keep weight off once it's been lost is with 60 to 90 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per day, also while being careful not to exceed your specific daily calorie requirement.

For the rest of this article, questions to ask your health care professional, information on diagnosis, treatment, prevention and more, click here.

Author: Editorial Staff of the National Women's Health Resource Center