What classifies someone as "obese"?
Obesity is the medical diagnosis that is made when body weight far exceeds the needs of the skeleton and physical body. With obesity, there is an excessive amount of body fat. For the most part, the point at which excess fat equals obesity is not set in stone.
Obesity can be measured a few ways. The two most common are skinfold thickness and body mass index (BMI). Skinfold measurements are taken using a special tool called a caliper. Several places on the body are routinely measured. These measurements are compared to standard measurements for men and women.
BMI is a weight-for-height ratio calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. This can be translated as weight in pounds multiplied by 700, then divided by the square of height in inches. For example, if you are 5 feet tall and weigh 120 pounds, multiply 120 x 700 = 84,000. Change 5 feet into inches (5 feet x 12 inches per foot = 60 inches). Square this number (60 x 60 = 3,600). Now divide the weight measure by the height measure (84,000 / 3,600 = 23.3). The final number is the BMI. The healthy range for BMI is 18.5 to 25. A BMI of 30 or more is considered obese.
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