What do the terms “overweight” and “obese” mean?
Physicians usually define “overweight” as a condition in which a person’s weight is 10-20% higher than “normal”, as defined by a standard height/weight chart. “Obesity” is usually defined as a condition in which a person’s weight is 20% or more above normal weight. “Morbid obesity” variously means 50% to 100% over normal weight, more than 100 pounds over normal weight, or sufficiently overweight to severely interfere with health or normal functioning. Is using a standard height/weight chart a good way to tell whether I’m overweight? Your weight is only a very rough indicator of the amount of fat that your body contains, and most physicians feel that the percentage of your weight that comes from fat tissue is far more important than total body weight (which includes not only fat but also muscles, bones, and bodily fluids). Height/weight tables could indicate that a lean, muscular person is “overweight”, while a person whose weight is within the “normal” range might actually be carrying
