The health of millions of people worldwide is being threatened by an obesity epidemic. Only in the United States, an estimated 97 million adults are overweight or obese. That is 55% of the American adult population. Despite the growing obesity awareness, there has been a considerable increase in the number of seriously overweight, or severely obese, people all over the world.

Obesity, Its Health Risks, and Common Weight-Loss Methods
Obesity is an excess of total body fat, which results from caloric intake that exceeds energy usage. The most common measurement for obesity is Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is calculated by dividing body weight (lb.) by height in inches squared (in2) and multiplying that amount by 704.5. The metric calculation for BMI is kg/m2.

While BMI does not actually measure body fat, it tends to correlate well with the degree of obesity. Thus it should not be used alone for diagnosis, but can be useful as a general guideline.

The ideal BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9 kg/m2. The obesity categories adopted in 1998 by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are:

BMI 25 to 29.9 kg/m2 - Overweight
BMI 30 to 34.9 kg/m2 - Obese
BMI 35 to 39.9 kg/m2 - Severely Obese
BMI 40 kg/m2 and up - Morbidly Obese