Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Oklahoma
  3. Healthy Living Tips
  4. Managing Long-Term Conditions - Obesity

Obesity

Obesity

Obesity is a medical condition that occurs when a person carries excess weight or body fat that might affect their health. It isn’t just about appearance. Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer that are some of the leading causes of preventable, premature death.

Facts About Healthy Weight

Causes

  • Taking in more calories than are used.
  • Leading a sedentary lifestyle.
  • Not sleeping enough.
  • Medical conditions such as hypothyroidism, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and high blood pressure.
  • Eating in response to boredom, sadness, stress, or anger.
  • Taking certain medications.
    • Do not stop taking medications without talking to your doctor first.

Diagnosis

  • Overweight: Having a BMI in the range 25.0-29.9.
  • Obesity: A disease where a person’s BMI is in an unhealthy range 30.0-39.9.
  • Severe Obesity: Someone who is more than 100 pounds over their healthy body weight.

BMI calculator for adults - interactive

Child and Teen BMI Calculator | BMI | CDC - interactive

Treatment

Talk to your doctor before starting any diet or exercise regimen. He or she will help you create a plan that will help you lose weight in a healthy way. Understand that it is a lifelong commitment to proper diet and exercise habits. Your doctor may recommend you see specialists including dietitians and psychologists. Your doctor may recommend surgery.

Managing Your Condition

In addition to the diet and exercise plan you and your doctor create, you can:

  • Try to manage stress.
  • Get the right about of sleep.
  • Manage your other health conditions.

Additional resources