Overweight

What is considered overweight?

A healthcare provider may say you have overweight if you have a body mass index (BMI) between 25 and 29.9 kg/m². Your BMI is an estimate of the amount of body fat (adipose tissue) you have. Healthcare providers calculate BMI by using weight in kilograms (kg) divided by the square of your height in meters (m²).

Overweight is a common medical condition. Research shows 1 in 3 adults and 1 in 6 children in the U.S. have it. Like obesity, it’s a complex condition that may require a variety of treatments and management techniques. Learning more about having overweight — what causes it and what you can do about it — may help.

Having overweight — even carrying as little as 10 pounds of excess fat — can make a difference in your health. It can cause changes in your body that may lead to serious medical issues. It can affect your self-esteem. And having overweight increases the chance you’ll develop obesity.

What happens if a person has overweight?

In general, having overweight can cause conditions that make it more difficult for your body to get things done. For example, if you have overweight, you may have:

• High blood pressure (hypertension): Having overweight means your heart has to do more to move blood throughout your body. Overweight also affects your kidneys, which help manage your blood pressure.
• High blood cholesterol (hyperlipidemia): This is excess lipids or fats in your blood. Meals that highlight saturated fats or trans fats increase your risk for overweight and hyperlipidemia.
• High blood sugar (hyperglycemia): Excess body fat, especially fat around your belly, affects how your body processes sugar (glucose) from carbohydrates in the foods and drinks you consume.
• Joint damage: Having overweight increases the amount of pressure on your knees, increasing your risk of osteoarthritis and damaging your cartilage. For example, having 10 pounds of excess body fat puts an extra 15 to 50 pounds of pressure on your knees.

How harmful is it to have overweight?

Having overweight increases your risk of developing obesity. Having obesity can trigger heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and other medical conditions.

Is a high BMI always a sign of having overweight?

Not necessarily. For example, your body composition may be heavy on muscle and light on fat. The scale — and the BMI estimate — doesn’t reflect that balance of fat and muscle. In that case, your provider may recommend that you eat low-fat, protein-rich meals and to keep up the good work of building muscle.

Another example is someone with overweight who’s in good health. Their blood pressure, blood cholesterol and blood sugar levels are within normal ranges. Healthcare providers may call this having metabolically healthy obesity (MHO). For that person, it may make more sense to focus on eating well and being active than trying to lose weight to reach a lower BMI.

What are the symptoms of overweight?

Having overweight doesn’t cause symptoms, like a cough or a headache. A healthcare provider may consider you to have overweight after calculating your BMI. They may consider your body shape, particularly if you carry your weight at your waist, as a symptom of overweight.

What causes overweight?

Overweight happens when you upset the balance between how much food (energy) your body needs and the amount of food and liquid that you consume. There are many reasons why this happens:

• Eating habits: Consuming more calories than your body needs, eating high-sugar foods and drinks and foods with high amounts of saturated fat may cause overweight.
• Genetics: Research shows people with obesity have certain genes (obesity-susceptibility genes) that affect their appetites. It’s not clear if people with overweight have the same genetic makeup.
• Not enough physical activity: Lots of screen time — like scrolling through social media or watching several episodes of a TV show — can eat up your time for physical activity.
• Not getting enough sleep: Missing out on at least seven hours of sleep can affect the hormones that keep your appetite under control.
• Stress: Your brain and body make more hormones like cortisol that manage hunger as a reaction to stress. So, when you’re stressed, you’re more likely to eat foods that are high in fat or sugar (comfort food) that your body stores as extra fat.
• Underlying health issues: Certain conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome and metabolic syndrome can cause side effects like gaining weight.

How do healthcare providers diagnose overweight?

At your appointment, your healthcare provider will measure your height, weight and waist circumference.

Your provider may do body composition tests like a bone density test scan or a bioelectrical impedance analysis. This test measures your body composition based on the rate at which an electrical current can pass through you. But your overall health is more important. Your provider will ask about

• Your medical history: This includes any medical conditions you have and the treatments you take for the conditions, including medications. They may ask about your biological family’s experience with obesity or overweight.
• Your weight history: For example, they may ask if you think you’ve had overweight for many years or if your weight gain is recent. They may ask about your experience with any weight loss programs.
• Your lifestyle: They’ll ask about things like your current eating habits, how you sleep and how much activity you do in your daily life.
• Your mental well-being: They may ask about stress and other things that may affect your how you think, feel and behave. Stress and other issues can lead to eating more.

Your provider will also examine your vital signs and might order certain blood tests. They’ll use this complete health profile to diagnose overweight and any related conditions you might have.

How is overweight treated?

In general, a healthcare provider will recommend lifestyle changes. For example, they may recommend changes in what you eat and how much activity you get. Some people have overweight from stress or other emotional issues. In that case, a provider may recommend mental health support like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This therapy may help you to manage stress or emotions that affect your eating habits.

What are medications for overweight?

Most weight loss medications are intended to help people who have obesity, meaning they have a BMI of 30 or more. If you have overweight and other obesity related comorbidities, you may qualify for medications.

How can I prevent having overweight?

Once you settle on a weight that’s right for you, the next step is building habits that you can maintain in the long term. Here are some suggestions:

• Add quality food to your diet: Choose lean proteins (think beans and legumes), healthy fats and high-fiber foods over processed foods. Be sure to drink water throughout the day.
• Cut back on sugar and processed foods: High-sugar and highly processed foods are a common cause of overweight. Curb your cravings by planning meals so you aren’t eating on the run.
• Move more: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends adults get at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or any activity that’s right for you and your fitness level.
• Consider stress management: We all have times when stress has us scouring the cupboards for something sweet to counter a sour day. Meditation, eating well and spending time outdoors may help.

What can I expect if I have overweight?

Having overweight increases your risk of developing obesity. But understanding what weight is right for you, eating well and moving more will help reduce that risk.

How can I avoid regaining the weight I lost?

If you’re like most people, you’ll need to keep up the good habits that helped you to lose weight. Research analyzing weight loss shows most people regain 50% of the weight they lost within two years of hitting their goal weight. Experts have some theories about why that happens:

• Obesogenic environment: Obesogenic is a sophisticated term for the everyday issues that make it hard to avoid processed and fast food or find time for physical activity.
• Set point theory: In this theory, your body reacts to weight loss as a threat. When you lose weight, the amount of energy you bring in with food is less than the energy you use in your daily activities. In response, your body releases more hormones that make you feel hungry and fewer hormones that make you feel full.

It can be discouraging to realize you’ll always need to work to keep from having overweight again. Research shows two things can help:

• Center your meals on reasonable portions of lean proteins, leafy vegetables and fruit. You should eat enough to satisfy hunger so your body doesn’t release hunger hormones.
• Build muscle with strength-training exercises. Muscle burns calories faster than fat. By burning more calories, you can lower your set point.

What can I do if I think my child has overweight?

Overweight in kids ages 2 to 19 is an increasing concern in the U.S.: 1 in 6 kids have overweight. If you’re concerned about your child’s weight, ask their pediatrician for guidance.