Practically everyone knows that being overweight can create health problems. However, many individuals don’t understand exactly what excess weight can do to the body. If you happen to be overweight, you should know that excess weight can adversely affect nearly every component of the body. Once you fully comprehend the dangers of excess weight, you should have the motivation necessary to lose weight if necessary.
How to Determine If You Weigh Too Much
While you might think that you aren’t overweight if you’ve recently gained a few pounds, even a small weight gain could cause you to become overweight. In order to determine if you weigh too much, it’s important that you focus on two numbers, which include your body mass index and your waist size. The body mass index is a great way for you to determine if you’re overweight, obese, or at a normal weight.
To ascertain what your BMI score is, your weight and height will be taken into consideration. If you have a BMI of 18.5-24.9, your weight will be normal. A BMI that ranges from 25.0-29.9 will place you in the overweight category. A BMI of 30 or higher is considered to be obese. As for waist size, your waist size in inches is important to calculate since too much weight in this area can create numerous health complications. The possibility of health complications related to obesity is heightened when women have a waist size over 35 inches and when men have a waist size over 40 inches. Once you’ve identified whether or not you weigh too much, you can begin to take the necessary steps to lose weight.
What Extra Weight Does to the Body
Excess weight can create a myriad of health problems throughout the body. For instance, extra weight around the waist is known to increase a person’s chances of suffering from type 2 diabetes. When you’re overweight, your cells can change somewhat and become more resistant to insulin, which can result in high blood sugar and the development of diabetes.
Being overweight may also cause you to develop heart disease due to the presence of high cholesterol, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. In general, high amounts of excess weight will place undue amounts of stress on many areas of the body, which will heighten your risk of suffering from such health conditions as sleep apnea, fatty liver disease, osteoarthritis, kidney disease, and even pregnancy issues.