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Overweight

With a BMI of 25 to 29.9 many people may only notice they are overweight when their clothes get tighter - by then the excess weight you're carrying will already have silently started to damage your blood vessels, hormone system and joints, raising your risk of diseases such as:

• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Arthritis
• Infertility
• Asthma
• Cancer

Although you may feel no different, you need to take action whilst the effects of being overweight can be reversed more easily - you need to gently reduce your calorific intake and increase your activity level. Crash diets don’t work - you need to change your lifestyle. Even slight changes make a difference - two less chocolate biscuits, or one less glass of wine a day can lose you 5lb in fat during the year. Simply parking the car at the far end of the car park or using the stairs instead of the lift will over time make a noticeable difference.

Visit our health living guide for some more ideas

What is BMI?

The Body Mass Index (or BMI) is a way of seeing if your weight is appropriate for your height. The actual calculation is your weight (in kilograms) divided by your height (in metres) squared but it's also easy to read on the chart. BMI can be divided into several categories and generally the higher your BMI, the greater your risk of a large range of medical problems.

BMI charts are calculated for adults only (separate charts are available for children’s weight and heights). Inaccuracies can also occur if you're an athlete or very muscular as this can give you a higher BMI even if you have a healthy level of body fat and this BMI chart is not appropriate for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or people who are very frail.

As BMI is based on weight and height, by losing weight you will reduce your BMI and put yourself into a lower risk group. A healthy diet, including a balance of food groups, vitamins and minerals, is essential for a long and active life. Keeping it simple, body weight and shape are a balance of energy intake (dietary calorific content) against output (calorific burn from activity & exercise).

Many studies have shown that, to slowly and steadily lose weight, any diet which includes a healthy balance will work if you're motivated. Ideally a low fat, high fibre diet is best but low calorie diets, low-carb diets, meal replacement diets or simply reducing portion size will work as long as, at the end of the day, you're not taking in too much energy for your body’s particular needs. Generally, to lose 1lb /week you need to take in 500 calories less every day.


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Disclaimer

All content within BBC Health is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. The BBC is not responsible or liable for any diagnosis made by a user based on the content of the BBC Health website. The BBC is not liable for the contents of any external internet sites listed, nor does it endorse any commercial product or service mentioned or advised on any of the sites. Always consult your own GP if you're in any way concerned about your health.