Have you ever wondered what the difference is between being overweight and obese? Although these terms are constantly appearing in the media, in the context of diets and everyday conversations, not everyone knows how to distinguish between them. What is obesity and what is overweight? Where is the clinical limit? Learn more.
Obesity and overweight – differences
Both overweight and obesity pose serious health risks. They are directly related to the poor eating habits that a large part of the population has. However, their causes can also have a psychosomatic basis, including long-term exposure to stress and the so-called problem eating. They can also be associated with a decrease in the level of physical activity and hormonal disorders.
When a person is overweight, it means that they weigh more than what is considered healthy or normal for a certain age and gender. Her body slowly accumulates body fat, which in the case of uncontrolled and untreated overweight usually leads to obesity. This, in turn, is a multifactorial chronic disease that can cause cardiovascular problems, diabetes, hypertension and inflammation of the joints.
Both overweight and obese people are at high risk of depression and other social problems. Excess weight and body fat can shorten life expectancy and make a person susceptible to more diseases than would be the case with a normal weight.
Obesity and overweight – the clinical limit
One of the clinical ways to distinguish overweight from obesity is to determine the body mass index (BMI). A calculation is performed that measures weight in relation to height as follows: weight (in kilograms) is divided by the square of height (in meters).
BMI = weight [kg] / (height [m])2
Example: let’s assume that a person weighs 85 kg and measures 1.70 m.
The calculation looks like this: BMI = 85/1.70² = 85/2.89 = 29.4
What does this number mean? According to the interpretation of BMI results, a person is overweight.
For adults, the BMI value indicates:
<16.6 – severe malnutrition,
16.0-16.9 – medium-degree malnutrition,
17.0-18.4 – mild malnutrition,
18.5-24.9 – normal body weight,
25.0-29.9 – overweight,
30.0-34.9 – obesity of the first degree,
35.0-39.9 – obesity of the second degree,
⩾ 40.0 – obesity of the third degree (morbid).
Obesity diagnostics – WHR index
In the diagnosis of obesity, body circumference measurements are also used, specifically the value of the WHR index (ratio of waist circumference to hip circumference). These two dimensions should be divided and the result obtained should be interpreted depending on gender.
WHR = P/B, where P is the waist circumference in centimeters and B is the hip circumference in centimeters.
WHR ≥ 0.8 in women or ≥ 1 in men indicates abdominal obesity.
WHR < 0.8 in women or < 1 in men indicates gluteofemoral obesity.
Calculations show that you are overweight or obese? If so, the safest way to lose weight in both cases is to reduce calories (a balanced diet) and increase physical activity. However, everything should take place after a dietary consultation, during which the specialist will determine the cause of overweight or obesity, issue recommendations and monitor the progress of weight loss on an ongoing basis.