Are You Obese? Why You Should Fight This Disease with Support

You didn’t set out to gain weight. Perhaps it steadily increased over the years, but now you find your body weighing more than is healthy for you. You’re not alone at all. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 41.9 percent of adults in America were obese in March 2020. Needless to say, this condition has surpassed epidemic proportions!

But is obesity really that serious? How do you know if you are obese? What can you do about it? Keep reading to find out!

Why Obesity Is Dangerous

Obesity involves much more than “being fat.” It is an actual medical disease! When your body carries excess weight, several systems can experience potentially life-threatening issues. For example, obese patients are much more likely to develop cardiovascular disease, increasing the risk of a heart attack or stroke. Other conditions, such as diabetes and sleep apnea, are also more common in those with obesity.

Ultimately, if you struggle with obesity, you should do what you can to overcome this prevalent disease to help you enjoy a higher quality of life and even a longer lifespan.

Indications of Obesity

You may understand that obesity isn’t good, but how do you know if you have this disease? It’s more complex than you might think. Here are the methods doctors use to diagnose obesity.

Body mass index: This number is calculated using your weight and height. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds and are 6 feet tall, your body mass index would be 27.1, which is considered overweight. This measurement alone can be misleading, meaning it shouldn’t be the only variable considered.

Waist measurement: A man whose waist that is larger than 40 inches could be obese. For women, this waist measurement is 35 inches.

Body fat percentage: This is the most accurate way to determine obesity with your doctor. Men who have a body fat percentage greater than 25 percent and women with 32 percent or more are considered obese.

What You Can Do about Obesity

Like many other diseases, obesity can be treated successfully. In theory, the solution is to lose weight, but this is often a complicated process. If not done properly, you can experience relapse.

Although there are things you must do on your own, thankfully, you don’t have to fight this condition completely by yourself. A medical team can give you plenty of support as well as effective supplements and treatments to make your weight loss journey more efficient and long lasting.

In the end, you can overcome obesity with the help of a medical team. When you start to see results and achieve your goals, you can have better overall health, which is far more important than any number on the scale.

About the Practice

Richardson Pain & Wellness is a clinic that offers many varied services, including medical weight loss, anti-aging treatment, hormone therapy, and pain management. For weight loss support, we take advantage of supplements—not diet suppressants—to jumpstart the body’s natural fat-burning process. If you’d like to explore your treatment options for obesity, contact our Richardson office online or call 972-907-1125.