Obesity (original) (raw)

What's on this page?

What causes obesity or weight gain?

The causes of obesity include things such as:

We know managing your weight can be difficult. A good place to start is to know about calories. The amount of energy in food or drink is measured in kilocalories (you may see it written as kcal or calories) or you may hear them called calories. You bring energy (or calories) into your body by eating and you burn calories by being active.

When you eat and drink more calories than you use up, your body keeps the excess calories as body fat. If you regularly eat more calories than you use up, you will start to gain weight. If you're concerned about your weight and you would like help to start managing it, you can speak to your GP.

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How does obesity increase the risk of heart and circulatory diseases?

Excess weight, especially round your waist, can lead to fatty material building up in your arteries (these are the blood vessels that carry blood to your organs). This is known as atherosclerosis.

It can also increase your risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. These are also risk factors for heart disease.

If the arteries that carry blood to your heart get damaged and clogged, it can lead to a heart attack. If this happens in the arteries that carry blood to your brain, it can lead to a stroke or vascular dementia.

Body fat and body shape

We have different types of fat in the body. Many people worry about the fat they can feel, which sits directly under the skin. This is called subcutaneous fat.

But the bigger health risk comes from a different type of fat called visceral fat. This sits around our internal organs such as our heart and liver and affects the way our heart and blood vessels function.

Apple and pear shaped bodies with visceral and subcutaneous fat

It is normal to have some visceral fat to ensure there is some distance between our organs.

However, having too much visceral fat can:

All these risk factors are closely linked with heart and circulatory diseases.

How else can excess weight affect me?

As well as having an increased risk of developing health conditions, many people with excess weight or obesity can experience:

How do I know if I have excess weight or obesity?

There are two measurements that can help you find out if you have excess weight:

It’s helpful to use more than one measurement, and you may find it easy enough to do both.

How to work out your BMI

Body mass index (or BMI) is a measurement that works out if you have a healthy weight for your height. You can use the BHF BMI calculator to help you work out your BMI and find out if it is putting your health at risk.

Your GP or practice nurse can help you find out your BMI if you cannot do it at home. Your BMI score will place you into one of these categories: underweight, healthy, overweight or obese.

The ranges are:

BMI is not always accurate for some people, this is because it cannot tell the difference between excess fat, muscle or bone. It also does not consider age, gender, different body shapes or that muscle weighs more than fat.

It might not be accurate for you if you are pregnant, muscly, athletic or an elderly person who may have lost some muscle as you’ve got older.

Your ethnic background can also affect your health risk. For example, adults of South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African and African-Caribbean family backgrounds may have a higher risk of health problems at BMI scores below 25.

For this reason, the BMI categories for these groups are slightly different:

This is one of the reasons why it’s important to also use weight to height ratio to work out your health risk.

How to work out your waist to height ratio

If your BMI is less than 35, it is also recommended that you measure your waist to height ratio. This will help you work out if you are carrying excess fat around your waist. It’s this type of fat (visceral fat) that increases your health risk.

How to measure your waist

To measure your waist, place a tape measure around your middle, halfway between the bottom of your ribs and top of your hips, just above the belly button. A larger waist measurement is often a sign that you have too much visceral fat.

It’s important to note that your waist measurement will not be the same as the measurement you use when shopping for your jeans or trousers.

How to measure your height

It might be easier to get your height measured by a healthcare professional as it can be difficult to do it correctly on your own. They have the right tool (known as a stadiometer) which helps to get an accurate measurement.

To measure your height at home, ask someone to help you to make sure you are getting the most accurate measurement possible.

Start by taking off your shoes and any heavy clothing such as a jacket if it is safe to do so. Lean against a straight wall with the back of your head, shoulders, feet, and bottom lightly touching the wall.

Keep your feet close together and relax your arms by your side if it is comfortable to do so.

Your head should be positioned so that you are looking straight forward. To make sure of this, the person measuring you should circle around your head to make sure your eyes and ears are horizontal to each other.

To take your height measurement, they can make a mark on the wall with a pencil resting on the top your head.

Place a flexible tape against the wall and measure from the floor to the pencil mark.

How to calculate your waist to height ratio

To calculate your waist to height ratio, divide your waist measurement by your height measurement. Make sure they are both in the same units.

For example, if your height is 5 feet 5 inches and your waist is 32 inches, convert your height to inches so both measurements are in the same units.

Your waist to height ratio will be 32 inches/65 inches = 0.49

Waist to hip ratios fall into three categories:

What can I do to manage my weight?

Losing weight can be hard, but it is all about making changes you can keep to.
Many people feel once they start to make changes to their lifestyle, they start to sleep better, have more energy and feel their mood boosted.

And it’s not all about giving things up. There are lots of fun ways to get active. Trying delicious, healthy foods and recipes are good ways to keep up your motivation.
It can be scary to start something new but here are three steps that you can take today:

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