Overweight and obesity

When does a person become  overweight ? How does overweight manifest itself and what methods are there to measure it? We will introduce you to the most common methods, such as the  Body Mass Index  .

Ideal, normal and feel-good weight

Normal and ideal weight are based on the Broca Index (BI), named after the French doctor P. Broca. It’s easy to calculate. You subtract the number 100 from your height in cm and get your normal weight in kg. The Broca normal weight minus 10 percent results in the so-called ideal weight. Especially large or small people cannot be accurately assessed with this index.

That is why people often talk about the feel-good weight. That’s an individual weight range of ± 10 percent around Broca’s normal weight, a range in which one can still feel comfortable and fit.

Body Mass Index (BMI)

Today, the internationally recognized BMI is used as a measure of the minimum or maximum healthy weight. It is much more meaningful than the BI, since not only height but also weight (fat mass) is taken into account.

You calculate it by dividing your weight by the square of your height in meters. The range of about 19 to 25 is considered normal and healthy. Values ​​below mean a tendency to be  underweight . Over 25 to 30 means slight to moderate excess fat mass. Over 30 is said to be a clear health hazard from  obesity . The majority is that from a BMI of 27 the risk of secondary diseases such as high blood pressure and  diabetes  increases and from a BMI of 30  it increases significantly .

The BMI shifts upwards with increasing age. It applies only to a limited extent to growing children, pregnant women and very muscular people (athletes).

fat distribution type

Obesity is not just obesity when it comes to weight-related health risks. The most important thing is where the fat is located.

One distinguishes:

• Female fat distribution type: pear shape emphasized on the hips and thighs
• Male fat distribution type: trunk or belly apple shape

It is now known that if fat accumulates in the abdominal area, as is usually the case in men, the risk of developing metabolic and cardiovascular diseases is significantly higher than if there is fat concentration in the hip and thigh area. As a result, obesity is generally more of a health risk for men than for women.

You can find out which type of fat distribution you belong to very easily by measuring the circumference of your waist and hips. Divide the waist measurement in centimeters by the hip measurement in centimeters (T/H ratio). In women, the T/H ratio should be less than 0.85. In men, the T/H ratio should not be greater than 1.0.

body fat measurement

Skinfold measurement and Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) are used to assess the percentage of fat in body composition. By measuring skin folds on different parts of the body, a statement about the size of the fat percentage in body mass and fat distribution is easily possible. BIA measurement should be used by trained professionals.

When does weight reduction make sense?

Even today, being overweight is primarily seen as a cosmetic problem and not as a serious health risk. So there seems to be no limit to inventiveness. Magazines never  tire of praising new slimming diets, overweight celebrities advertise  diets  to lose extra pounds, skinny models set the fashion trend.

But that shouldn’t be a reason to lose weight. Motivation  to lose weight should come from your own body image. Aim for a weight that you can maintain without much deprivation while eating and with a little more exercise.

From a medical point of view, if you are significantly overweight (BMI > 30), you should definitely lose weight. With a BMI of 25 to 30, weight reduction is generally recommended if there are also risks or diseases that are triggered or aggravated by being overweight (high blood pressure, diabetes , gout  , dyslipidemia, etc.), an unfavorable waist/hip ratio or there is considerable mental suffering from the unloved fat deposits.

In the latter case, it is important to consider to what extent the suffering is actually caused by being overweight or whether the excess weight is not a symptom of a deeper problem.

How does weight reduction come about?

In order to maintain your body weight, you must adapt your energy intake to your needs. If you want to lose weight, you have to supply your body with less energy than it uses. This forces the organism to fall back on its reserves.

In his “famine” he uses the easily accessible glucose reserves first. It gets the missing calories from the glycogen stores of muscles and liver. Since each glycogen unit is bound to several molecules of water, the body loses a lot of water when it is burned.

Then it begins to break down valuable body protein. When you start a diet, you lose weight, but not fat. So it is not a real weight loss. The breakdown of fat from adipose tissue only begins after about a week of dieting. The weight is now falling more slowly than in the first few days.