Overweight and Obesity

The terms "overweight" and “obesity” simply refers to a body weight that is considered harmful and unhealthy for an individual. This abnormality in body weight can lead to diverse health problems and challenges that can shorten the life expectancy of the individual.

Although these two terms usually gets thrown around a lot and used interchangeably because of their numerous similarities, they still have some subtle differences that makes them stand apart. One of those differences is their different values for the Body Mass Index (BMI)
BMI measures the body fat based on the weight of an individual in relation to his height and age. In general, the standard value for an overweight individual is a BMI of 25-29.9, while the standard value for an obese individual is a BMI over 30.
Knowing your BMI is important as this can help you in knowing where you stand and making the right decisions in order to stay healthy.

Factors That Causes Overweight and Obesity and How To Stop It

Preventing yourself or members of your family from becoming overweight and obese means making important choices in the way you and your family eats and exercises. The kind of food you eat is important, eating more calories than you are burning during exercise and your daily life activities is the most common way to get overweight.
Other causes of obesity may include:

• Genetics

Obesity tends to run in families at times. With the obese gene passed down from one generation to the next through family members. This gene can impact the way you eat and the way your body regulates your body weight.

• Aging

As one gets older, the body gets slower meaning energy cannot burnt as quickly as it used to. This reduction in metabolism can lead to rapid weight gains if you keep on taking many calories

• Illness

Illnesses that affects the hormonal balance of an individual can cause obesity. These includes underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), depression, and some rare diseases of the brain.

The best way to stop these weight gains is by either reducing your food intakes or increasing your metabolism by exercising more.

How To Lose Weight Fast

• Eat Healthy Foods

You can lose weight quickly and keep it that way by simply tweaking your diet plan. Switching out foods with lots of calories in them and replacing it with proteins, fruits, vegetables and diets with fiber and other important nutrients can help you lose weight.

• Exercise More

Regular exercise is important when you want lose weight fast and stay in shape. Cardiovascular exercises will help you increase your metabolism thereby increasing the rate at which you burn through calories. These exercises includes:

• Running
• Walking 
• Biking
• Mountain hiking 
• Or even participating in a sporting event.

However, exercising without paying attention to your diet isn’t a good weight-loss strategy because to lose weight you must first need to burn more calories than you consume. Therefore understanding that healthy dieting and regular exercise works hand in hand to help you lose weight is important.

Use Weight Loss Pills

Weight loss pills are becoming very popular as an easy way to lose body fat and maintain your weight. And although the market is currently saturated with various brands of pills, most weight loss medications works by simply making it harder for your body to absorb dietary fat or by suppressing your appetite. Which ever you choose, it is advisable you seek professional medical advice before using them because some might have adverse negative side effects on you.