Obesity

Body fat is not always a bad thing. Fatty tissue stores energy you can use to power your body. It also helps produce important hormones like estrogen and testosterone. Having too much fatty tissue, though, can lead to obesity, affect how your body works, and cause serious health issues.

Being overweight means having excess body fat and weighing more than what is considered healthy for someone of your height and sex assigned at birth. Obesity is when someone is significantly overweight.  

Obesity is among the most common conditions in the United States. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) states that nearly three out of four adults in the U.S. ages 20 and older has either overweight or obesity. And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), obesity rates increased from 30.5 percent in 1999-2000 to 41.9 percent in 2017-2020. In that same time, the rate of severe obesity jumped from 4.7 percent to 9.2 percent.

Obesity is also a costly disease. In 2019, people with obesity paid an average of $1,861 more in medical expenses than people who had a healthy weight.

Childhood obesity in the U.S.

Obesity rates in children are on the rise. Nearly one in five children in the U.S. has obesity, according to the NHLBI. Children with obesity face many of the same health risks as adults with the condition. These include diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension), sleep apnea, and asthma. Mental health issues like anxiety and depression are also more common in young people with obesity.

A CDC survey conducted between 2017 and 2020 assessed the health of children and adolescents between the ages of 2 and 19. Researchers found that:  

• 19.7 percent of young people had obesity.
• Obesity affected 12.7 percent of 2- to 5-year-olds, 20.7 percent of 6- to 11-year-olds, and 22.2 percent of 12- to 19-year-olds.
• Obesity prevalence varied among children of different ethnic and racial backgrounds. Rates of obesity were highest in Hispanic children (26.2 percent) and lowest among non-Hispanic Asian children (9 percent).

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The main symptom of obesity is having excess body fat. Beyond that, there aren’t specific signs or symptoms. Body mass index (BMI) is sometimes used to help screen for obesity or overweight.

What is BMI?  

Body mass index is calculated by dividing a person’s weight (in kilograms) by the square of their height (in meters). For a simple way to find your BMI, try using the CDC’s adult BMI calculator.   

Here’s what BMI numbers mean:  

• Less than 18.5: underweight
• 18.5 to 24.9: healthy weight
• 25 to 29.9: overweight
• 30 or higher: obesity     

Body mass index in children and teenagers is defined in percentiles. To determine BMI in someone between the ages of 2 and 19, use the CDC’s BMI calculator for children and teens.

Limitations of body mass index

It’s important to note that body mass index only considers height and weight and can’t definitively diagnose obesity or overweight. While BMI can help determine if a person has underweight or overweight, it’s not a flawless measure of overall health. For example, muscle weighs more than fat, so a healthy athlete or bodybuilder with large muscle mass may incorrectly have a BMI in the “overweight” or “obese” range.

On the other end of the spectrum, someone with little muscle tone who’s generally viewed as thin may have a “healthy” body mass index, but poor overall health. Serious health issues like heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, kidney disease, and liver disease can affect people of any weight.  

Race and ethnicity may also influence how body mass index is interpreted. For example, research suggests that people of Asian descent may be considered overweight and have an increased risk of health issues at BMIs of 23 or higher.

Body fat distribution

How a person’s fat is distributed on their body is another important consideration when determining overall health. Some people with “healthy” BMIs may have thin legs and arms but a larger waist size.

Fat that accumulates around the midsection and inner abdominal organs is known as visceral fat. This kind of fat is worse for your health than fat that lies just underneath the skin or around your hips, butt, or thighs (known as subcutaneous fat).

For reasons that are unclear, some people have bodies that tend to produce and store more fat around their abdomen. (This is sometimes known as having a “beer belly.”) This visceral fat can trigger unhealthy levels of inflammation in the body and increase the risk of obesity-related conditions like diabetes and heart disease. Fat around the belly also disrupts the body’s endocrine system, which regulates hormone levels. It can also affect the immune system, which protects you from infections. 

Abdominal fat can be measured by taking someone’s waist circumference. This measures the distance around someone’s waist. Health risks are greater in women or people assigned female at birth (AFAB) with a waist circumference larger than 35 inches. For men and people assigned male at birth (AMAB), a waist circumference larger than 40 inches is linked to health risks.  

Obesity is generally categorized into classes based on a person’s body mass index:

• Class 1 obesity: BMI between 30 and 34.9
• Class 2 obesity: BMI between 35 and 39.9
• Class 3 obesity: BMI of 40 or higher (also known as severe obesity)

These classes can help healthcare providers (HCPs) determine what types of weight loss treatments may be most useful.

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Obesity can cause or contribute to a broad range of health issues. Some of these relate directly to extra weight. For instance, carrying extra weight places additional strain on your joints and can lead to arthritis. According to the CDC, 27.5 percent of people with obesity have been diagnosed with arthritis.

Having a larger body mass can also force your heart to work harder to pump blood throughout the body. This can increase the risk of heart issues like arrythmia.

Other complications of obesity are more subtle. For example, obesity is closely linked to chronic (long-term) inflammation, which can contribute to insulin resistance, high blood sugar levels, elevated levels of triglycerides (a type of fat in the blood), and high levels of LDL (or “bad” cholesterol). Collectively, these issues are known as metabolic syndrome—a condition that affects one in three adults in the U.S. and raises the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

Some of the most well-established complications of obesity include:

Heart disease: People with obesity have a greater risk of high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which can cause heart health issues like stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and coronary artery disease.

Type 2 diabetes: Obesity influences how the body uses insulin (a hormone that regulates blood sugar) and can lead to type 2 diabetes. Women and people AFAB with obesity are 12 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, while men and people AMAB have a seven-fold higher risk of the condition.  

Obesity hypoventilation syndrome: Also called Pickwickian syndrome, obesity hypoventilation syndrome is a breathing disorder that occurs when you have too little oxygen and too much carbon dioxide in your blood. Many people with obesity hypoventilation syndrome also have sleep apnea, which causes lapses in breathing during sleep. (Fat accumulation around the neck can lead to sleep apnea.)

Cancer: Though the reasons are unclear, obesity raises the risk of certain types of cancer. These include:

• Breast cancer
• Ovarian cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Endometrial (uterine) cancer
• Esophageal cancer
• Colon cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Multiple myeloma
• Liver cancer
• Gallbladder cancer
• Thyroid cancer
• Pancreatic cancer
• Rectal cancer

Osteoarthritis: Carrying excess body fat places additional strain on joints that can lead to osteoarthritis (the most common type of arthritis). Having just 10 pounds of extra weight puts an extra 30 to 60 pounds of pressure on the knee joint with each step. 

Fatty liver disease: Excess fat deposits in the blood can travel to the liver, where they may accumulate and cause fatty liver disease. Risks associated with fatty liver disease include cirrhosis (liver damage) and hepatitis (liver inflammation). hepatitis (liver inflammation).

Kidney disease: Many health issues that are linked to obesity (such as high blood pressure, liver disease, and diabetes) can result in kidney disease. This involves damage to the kidneys that prevents them from filtering blood as they normally would.  

Gallbladder issues: High cholesterol associated with obesity can damage the gallbladder, which is a small organ in your abdomen that aids digestion. This can lead to issues like gallstones (hardened deposits of digestive fluid) and gallbladder disease.

Severe COVID-19 symptoms: Having obesity hinders the immune system, which increases the risk of severe symptoms and worse outcomes from infections like COVID-19. According to the CDC, just over 30 percent of COVID-19 hospitalizations between the beginning of the pandemic (March 2020) and November 2020 were linked to obesity.

Heartburn: Excess fatty tissue places added pressure on the stomach, which may cause stomach acid to travel up the esophagus, the muscular tube that connects the throat to the stomach. This can result in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and heartburn, especially in people who have a hiatal hernia. (Hiatal hernia, which is closely associated with obesity, occurs when the upper portion of the stomach pushes up into the chest cavity.)

Asthma: Inflammation linked to obesity can contribute to asthma. People with obesity tend to have worse asthma symptoms and require more medications to control their condition than people at a healthy weight.

Brain health issues: Obesity is associated with accelerated brain aging, shrinking brain tissue, and various memory and cognition (thinking and reasoning) issues. Research shows that having obesity between the ages of 35 and 65 increases the risk of dementia later in life by around 30 percent. Additionally, obesity is now recognized as the top changeable risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and related forms of dementia.

Pregnancy complications: People who are obese during pregnancy have an increased risk of complications like gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, and preeclampsia.

Female infertility: Women and people AFAB are more likely to have trouble getting pregnant (infertility) due to hormone imbalances linked to obesity.

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There’s a complex, two-way relationship between obesity and mental health issues. Large amounts of research suggest that people with obesity are more likely to develop depression, while depression can also increase the risk of obesity. One 2020 review of studies published in Psychiatry Investigation found that:  

• People with depression had a 58 percent increased risk of obesity.
• People with excess body fat had a 55 percent higher lifetime risk of experiencing depression.

Obesity is also closely associated with several other mental health conditions, including:

• Anxiety disorders
• Eating disorders, including binge-eating disorder and bulimia
• Schizophrenia
• Mood disorders, including bipolar disorder
• Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Obesity and mental health conditions share many contributing factors, including chronic inflammation, unhealthy coping behaviors (such as turning to food for comfort), and socioeconomic factors like poverty.

Weight-based discrimination can also cause stress and contribute to issues like anxiety and addiction. Complicating matters further, medications for mental health issues (such as antidepressants, anti-psychotics, and mood stabilizers) can sometimes cause weight gain as a side effect.

High rates of obesity are also observed among people who’ve experienced trauma, particularly trauma during childhood. A 2019 study published in The Journal of Pediatrics found that adolescents who experienced adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) were more likely to have overweight, obesity, and severe obesity than adolescents without ACEs. (ACEs are related to trauma. Examples include neglect, abuse, and household dysfunction, such as having a parent in jail.) ACEs are also associated with drug use and depression.

Overall, obesity is linked to an increased risk of poor mental well-being. Consider sharing your feelings with a loved one or a licensed mental health provider if you feel unusually sad, anxious, or hopeless.

If you or someone nearby requires immediate assistance for a mental health issue, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You can also chat with a professional on the 988 Lifeline website. This service is free, confidential, and available 24/7.

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Weight gain occurs when you consume more calories than you burn off through daily movement, exercise, and routine bodily functions like breathing and digestion. These unburned calories are stored by your body as fat. Consuming significantly more calories than you burn off can lead to obesity. 

High-calorie diets that include sugary beverages, sweets, fast foods, and fried foods are common in the U.S. So too are jobs that involve many hours of sitting and little or no physical activity. This combination of diet and lifestyle is the core cause of overweight and obesity.

But gaining and losing weight is rarely as simple as the relationship between the number of calories you take in and the number you burn. A variety of factors can make one person more or less likely to gain weight than another. Notably, your metabolism plays a role in how easily you may gain weight. (Metabolism is the process by which your body converts calories from the foods you eat into energy.)

Some people naturally have a higher or faster metabolism, which means they burn more calories when at rest than someone with a slower metabolism. Furthermore, if you regularly do strength-training exercise and have more muscle, you’re more likely to have a faster metabolism and burn additional calories, even when at rest. (Muscle tissue naturally burns more calories than fatty tissue.) Men and people AMAB also tend to burn more calories than women and people AFAB, since they generally have more muscle mass.

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Several genetic, behavioral, lifestyle, environmental, and health factors can increase your risk of obesity and overweight. Usually, people with obesity have a combination of risk factors. Some of the most notable include:

Diet

Eating lots of foods that are low in key nutrients (like fiber and protein) and high in calories, sugar, and saturated fat contributes to weight gain. Sugary foods and those made from refined flours can leave you feeling hungry soon after eating. (Refined flours are made by stripping the fiber and other healthy parts out of grains during processing.) Drinking beverages like alcohol, sweetened soda, and juice also raises your calorie intake without satisfying your hunger.

How much you eat matters, too. Consuming oversized portions of food—even “healthy” foods—also contributes to overweight and obesity.  

Lack of physical activity

It’s hard to burn more calories than you take in if you don’t move much. Living a sedentary lifestyle that involves a lot of sitting and time behind a desk, phone, or computer screen is a major risk factor for obesity and overweight. In fact, just one in four adults in the U.S. meets the CDC’s physical activity guidelines (more on this below).

Genetics and shared behaviors

Overweight and obesity can run in families. The genes you inherit from your parents can influence several factors that may contribute to weight gain, including:

• Your metabolism
• Where on your body you carry excess fat
• The size of your appetite

But genes aren’t always responsible for weight gain in families. Often, people who live and spend time together simply share similar diet and lifestyle habits.  

Certain medications

Weight gain is a possible side effect of certain medications. These include some antidepressants, anti-psychotic medications (used to treat conditions like schizophrenia), steroids, anti-seizure medications, beta-blockers (often used to treat high blood pressure), and diabetes medications.  

Hormones

Various hormones in your body help regulate appetite and tell your brain that you’re full. An imbalance in these hormones can cause your appetite to grow and encourage you to keep eating when you’ve already consumed enough calories. Factors like frequent stress and poor sleep can disrupt your hormone balance.   

Age

People tend to lose muscle mass and gain weight more easily as they get older. Age-related hormonal changes (including those involved in menopause) can also contribute to weight gain. More than 44 percent of people between the ages of 40 and 59 are obese—the highest prevalence of any age group.  

Certain medical conditions

Some medical conditions can contribute to overweight and obesity, including Cushing’s syndrome, hypothyroidism, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and Prader-Willi syndrome (a rare condition that affects metabolism).

Issues that limit mobility, such as arthritis and certain injuries, can make it difficult to stay physically active and may also result in weight gain. (Still, there are ways to exercise safely with arthritis.) Mental health conditions like depression can also increase obesity risk.

Poor sleep habits

Getting too little (or too much) sleep can disrupt hormone levels and increase your appetite. Most adults should aim to get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep daily. Practicing healthy sleep hygiene can help you achieve more restful sleep.

Stress

Everyone experiences stress occasionally, but too much stress can throw off hormone levels, disrupt your sleep, and intensify cravings for unhealthy, high-calorie foods. Weight gain is relatively common among people who experience stress when they make significant changes in life, such as quitting smoking.

Gut Health

A growing amount of research suggests that overweight and obesity may be tied to your gut microbiome. This is the community of trillions of microorganisms—including many types of “good” bacteria—that live in your gut. In general, people with obesity have a less diverse gut microbiome. They may also have more types of gut bacteria that break down food into tiny pieces, allowing the body to absorb additional calories that can result in weight gain.

Social determinants of health

Where you live, work, and play can influence your habits and your risk of overweight and obesity. For example, do you have easy access to healthy foods? Where is your nearest park? Is it possible or safe to go for a jog or enjoy athletic activities in your neighborhood? If you or your child attends school, are there healthy lunch options and opportunities for physical activity?

The CDC notes that 40 percent of U.S. households don’t live within a mile of a healthy food store. Fewer than half of people in the U.S. live within a half mile of a park.

Race and ethnicity

Race and ethnicity may play a role in obesity risk. According to the CDC, obesity prevalence is highest among non-Hispanic Black adults (49.9 percent). This is followed by Hispanic adults (45.6 percent), non-Hispanic white adults (41.4 percent), and non-Hispanic Asian adults (16.1 percent).  

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Many of the obesity risk factors listed above apply to adults as well as children. Common (but changeable) risk factors for overweight and obesity in children include:

• Too much screen time
• A lack of physical activity
• A high-calorie, low-nutrient diet
• Too little sleep or poor sleep quality
• Stress at school or home

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Body mass index is often used to diagnose obesity or overweight. That said, your overall health isn’t determined by your BMI. Your HCP will also take other steps to evaluate your health, including:

• Asking questions about your personal and family medical history
• Discussing any health conditions you currently have, medications or supplements you’re taking, or symptoms you’re experiencing
• Performing a physical exam and checking key health measures such as your heart rate and blood pressure
• Measuring your waistline
• Screening for underlying health conditions that could contribute to or are complications of your body weight

Based on this information, your HCP can suggest a healthy body weight for you to seek and describe approaches that can help you achieve your health goals.

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Consider visiting an HCP if you’re concerned about your weight or are experiencing possible complications of overweight or obesity, such as joint pain. It’s also a good idea to consult with an HCP if your body mass index indicates that you may have overweight or obesity. An HCP can evaluate your health and help determine what weight loss strategies may be most effective for you.

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Obesity poses a risk to the health of millions of people in the U.S. If you struggle to maintain a healthy body weight, you might have questions about how overweight or obesity affects your health and what you can do about it.

Some common questions you can ask your HCP about overweight and obesity include:

• What class of obesity do I have?  
• What do you think is contributing to my obesity?
• Do I have other health issues that are related to obesity?
• What is a healthy body weight for me?
• Should I consult with a diet or exercise professional, such as a dietitian or physical trainer?
• Should I speak with a mental health provider who specializes in issues involving weight? If so, can you refer me to one?
• What weight-loss approaches would be best for me? Is there a healthy eating plan or exercise regimen you recommend?
• Is weight-loss medication a viable option for me?
• Am I a candidate for weight-loss surgery?  

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Various HCPs can treat overweight and obesity, including many primary care providers. Some medical doctors, known as bariatricians, specialize in bariatrics. This is the branch of medicine that deals with preventing and treating obesity.

Some weight-loss gimmicks may claim that shedding excess pounds is as simple as taking a pill or drinking a shake. But in reality, lasting change requires making a commitment to a healthy lifestyle over the long term.

Keep in mind that obesity treatment isn’t solely about a number on a scale. In addition to reaching a healthy body weight, the goals of treatment also involve improving your overall health and well-being. For many people, losing just 5 to 10 percent of body weight can provide a meaningful improvement in health.

The first-line treatments for obesity are healthy diet changes and increased physical activity. Depending on your needs, your HCP may also recommend medication or surgery.

Diet changes

There’s no one perfect diet for everyone with obesity. Your HCP will recommend an eating plan that’s suited to your needs.

Generally speaking, diets for people with obesity focus on consuming fewer calories. Most calories should come from heart-healthy foods, including lean proteins and plant foods like whole grains, nuts, fruits, and vegetables. You’ll be advised to limit saturated fats (found in animal products like meat and full-fat dairy products) and reduce sugar, especially added sugars found in baked goods, sweetened sodas, and juices. Your HCP will likely also recommend eating smaller portions or snacking less throughout the day.

One popular healthy eating plan for people with obesity is the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. A flexible eating plan developed to support heart health, the DASH diet emphasizes foods that are rich in fiber, protein, calcium, and potassium. Such foods include:  

• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Whole grains
• Fish
• Poultry
• Nuts and seeds
• Legumes, including beans
• Fat-free and low-fat dairy products  

Foods to limit or avoid on the DASH diet include items that are high in sodium (salt), added sugar, and saturated fats, including:

• Fatty meats (including many processed and red meats)
• Full-fat dairy products 
• Sweets
• Sugar-sweetened beverages
• Salty foods, including sodium-rich deli meats, frozen meals, and canned items  

Other sensible eating plans for people with obesity include:

• The Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes healthy fats and plant-based foods
• The MIND diet, which combines elements of the DASH and Mediterranean diets

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or confused about what healthy eating plan is best for you, your HCP can answer your questions and help you make confident decisions about your diet. They may also refer you to a dietitian or nutritionist for further dietary guidance.  

It’s important to avoid ultra-restrictive or fad diets that promise fast results. Some of these questionable eating plans may advise you to completely cut out carbohydrates or fats or consume nothing but juices or shakes. Others may oversell the benefits of one particular food or food group (such as the grapefruit diet or the carnivore diet). Overall, it’s best to incorporate a wide range of nutritious foods into your diet and find an eating plan that’s realistic for your lifestyle.

Increased physical activity

Incorporating more physical activity into your daily routine does more than help you lose excess weight. Getting enough exercise can improve the quality of your sleep, boost your mood, help you feel energized, and reduce your risk of chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease.

Exercise doesn’t necessarily mean running a marathon or lifting heavy weights. In fact, small actions like enjoying a walk on your lunch break or taking the stairs instead of the elevator can add up to make a difference. But how much exercise is enough?

In general, the CDC advises that adults get 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (also known as cardiovascular, or “cardio,” exercise). That’s averages out to 30 minutes of exercise, five days a week.

A few examples of moderate-intensity aerobic activities include:

• Brisk walking  
• Cycling or riding a bike on level ground
• Water aerobics
• Dance aerobics
• Playing doubles tennis
• Pushing a lawn mower

The CDC also recommends doing muscle-strengthening exercises two times per week. These exercises can improve your muscle tone and help boost your metabolism. Some examples of muscle-strengthening exercises include:

• Body weight exercises, such as planks, push-ups, and sit-ups
• Lifting weights
• Working with resistance bands
• Certain types of yoga, including power yoga and vinyasa yoga
• Heavy yardwork, such as shoveling dirt or lifting bags of mulch

Increasing your level of physical activity may seem like a daunting task. If doing 30 minutes of exercise five days a week is too challenging, start small and work your way up. Even small amounts of exercise are better than none. The goal is progress, not perfection.  

Speak with your HCP before starting an exercise program. They can recommend exercises or a fitness routine that’s ideal for your age and health needs. You may also benefit from working with a personal trainer or exercise physiologist (a professional who specializes in improving health through exercise).  

Physical activity guidelines for kids

Kids need exercise, too. The CDC recommends children between the ages of 6 and 17 get around 60 minutes of physical activity every day. This can include walking, playing tag, participating in team practice, jumping rope, scaling monkey bars, swimming, and other fun, age-appropriate activities.

If your child has obesity or overweight, your family’s HCP can help you find ways to incorporate more enjoyable physical activity into their routine.

Behavioral therapies

Behavioral therapy programs provide insight into the factors that drive unhealthy habits (such as overeating) and lead to obesity. Attending such programs can help you notice stressors, situations, or past experiences that may be contributing to your weight. Behavioral therapy can help you learn how to respond to food cravings and emotional triggers in a healthy, positive way.

Many people with obesity and overweight benefit from attending online or in-person weight-loss support groups. These settings enable people to connect with others as they work toward a healthier life.

Speaking with a mental health provider who specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) may also be helpful. CBT is a form of talk therapy that can help you identify negative or unhealthy thinking patterns and reshape your behavior. 

Your HCP can help you find a weight-loss or obesity support group in your area or online. They may also recommend a mental health provider such as a counselor, clinical social worker, or psychologist they know and trust.

Weight-loss medication

Weight-loss medications are growing in popularity. While these drugs help many people reach their weight-loss goals, they’re not a substitute for a healthy lifestyle. It’s also worth noting that weight-loss medications sometimes don’t work or lose their effectiveness over time. Combining medication with a sensible diet, regular exercise, and healthy behaviors is key to achieving long-term success.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved several weight-loss drugs for use in people with obesity. Some of the most common include: 

• Semaglutide and liraglutide: These drugs reduce appetite and belong to a class of drugs known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1s). These were originally developed to help manage diabetes.
• Tirzepatide: This drug slows digestion and reduces appetite.
• Orlistat: This drug helps the gut absorb less fat from food.
• Bupropion-naltrexone: This drug suppresses hunger and food cravings. 
• Phentermine-topiramate: This drug reduces appetite. 

Some weight-loss drugs are approved for children 12 and older, including certain brands of semaglutide, liraglutide, orlistat, and phentermine-topiramate.

Weight-loss drugs aren’t a perfect fit for everyone. Before prescribing a weight-loss medication, your HCP will consider your overall health and outline the possible risks and benefits of these drugs.

Weight-loss procedures

If you have a body mass index of at least 30 or a high risk of obesity complications, you may be a candidate for weight-loss surgery. Known as bariatric surgery, weight-loss surgery restricts how much food you can physically eat by altering the shape and reducing the capacity of your stomach. Less food eaten means fewer calories consumed, which can result in significant weight loss.

Weight-loss surgery is performed by a bariatric (weight-loss) surgeon. There are multiple types of weight-loss surgery, including:  

Gastric sleeve (sleeve gastrectomy): This removes a large portion of the stomach to create a smaller space for food.

Gastric banding: This places an adjustable band around the upper part of the stomach, which is tightened to create a smaller upper stomach. 

Gastric bypass surgery (Roux-en-Y gastric bypass): This connects a part of the small intestine to a small pocket created in the upper part of the stomach, which allows food to “bypass” most of the stomach and enter the intestines sooner.

Other weight-loss procedures are performed endoscopically. This means they don’t require surgical incisions. Instead, an endoscope (a long, thin tool with a lighted camera on the end) and other special instruments are fed down the throat and into the stomach. 

Common endoscopic procedures for weight loss include:

• Gastric balloon procedure: This places a small, empty balloon (intragastric balloon) into the stomach. The balloon is then filled with water to take up a large amount of the stomach, leaving less space for food. The balloon is removed and replaced endoscopically every 6 months or until obesity treatment is complete.  
• Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty: This uses strategically placed stitches to create a smaller stomach that can hold less food.

Any form of surgery comes with some measure of risk. Your HCP can discuss these risks and help you weigh the pros and cons of bariatric surgery. Weight-loss procedures are generally reserved for people who struggle to reverse severe obesity through diet and exercise alone. That said, committing to a healthy lifestyle is still critical to the long-term success of these procedures.

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While some people may gain or lose weight more easily than others, most factors that lead to obesity and overweight are for the most part controllable.  

To achieve and maintain a healthy body weight, it’s important to: 

Have a sensible diet

Eating sensibly doesn’t mean cutting out whole food groups or following extreme diets. Instead, try to eat more nutrient-rich foods like vegetables, fruits, nuts, healthy fats (such as avocadoes and olive oil), and lean proteins. It’s also important to limit added sugar, saturated fat, and ultra-processed foods like potato chips and many packaged snacks.

Be mindful of your calorie intake. As tempting as salty snacks and sugary treats may be, these foods are often packed with calories and won’t satisfy your hunger.

Eating moderate portions is also key to preventing obesity and overweight. Your ideal daily calorie intake depends on your age, height, and sex assigned at birth. Check out the MyPlate Plan calculator from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for advice regarding recommended calorie intake and how many servings of different foods you should consume in a day.

Here’s what “one serving” looks like across a variety of types of food:

• Grains: One serving of grains equals one piece of bread, one half cup of cooked rice or pasta, or one cup of breakfast cereal.
• Vegetables: One serving of vegetables equals two cups of leafy greens, one cup of raw vegetables, or one cup of vegetable juice.
• Fruits: One serving of fruit equals one cup of fresh fruit.
• Low-fat or fat-free dairy: One serving of dairy equals one cup of yogurt or milk, or one and a half ounces of hard cheeses like cheddar cheese.  
• Proteins: One serving of protein equals three ounces of lean meat (about the size of a deck of cards), one egg or two egg whites, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter, one fourth of a cup of cooked beans, or one half of an ounce of unsalted nuts.

Your HCP can provide you with personalized dietary guidance based on your age, health needs, and lifestyle.

Stay active

Whether your preferred workout is a tennis match with friends, a dance class, or a brisk walk around the block, physical activity is key to preventing and reversing obesity. Keep your body moving as much as possible. Small actions like parking further away from the grocery store entrance when you shop or taking your dog on a longer-than-usual walk can add up to make a difference in your weight and overall health.

According to a 2020 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, adults ages 40 and older who walked 8,000 or more steps a day (around four miles) had a 50 percent lower risk of death than people who took around 4,000 steps a day. You can measure your daily step count on your smartphone or smartwatch.

The CDC recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week for adults. Children should aim for 60 minutes of movement daily.

Adopting healthy habits

In addition to maintaining a healthy diet and staying physically active, adopting these habits can help lower your risk of obesity:

Keep stress in check. Time-tested stress management techniques like deep breathing, journaling, mindfulness, meditation, and yoga can help you better manage stress. If you feel like there’s too much on your plate, don’t be afraid to say “no” to unnecessary obligations. Less stress can mean less disruption to your hormones and less craving for comfort foods. This can translate into better weight management. 

Prioritize sleep. There’s a well-established link between poor sleep and obesity. You can help yourself sleep better by taking relatively simple steps, such as avoiding caffeinated beverages at least eight hours before bed and sticking to a regular sleep schedule.

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Obesity is an increasingly common condition that can be deadly. Excess weight was responsible for more than 1,300 deaths every day in the U.S., according to an estimate from a 2022 study published in eClinical Medicine. It also reduced life expectancy by almost 2.4 years, on average.

Obesity can also increase a person’s risk of death anywhere from 22 percent to 91 percent, according to another study published in 2023 in Population Studies. An estimated one in six deaths in the U.S. is related to overweight or obesity.

The good news is that obesity is reversible. Even a modest amount of weight loss can improve your health and help slow or stop the progression of dangerous diseases like diabetes and fatty liver disease.

If you have obesity or overweight, reach out to your HCP for assistance with losing weight. It may also be helpful to share your goals with friends and family members who can support you as you work to achieve a healthy body weight. During your weight-loss journey, celebrate your successes and show yourself grace if slipups occur.

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With some patience and a commitment to a healthy lifestyle, obesity and many obesity-related conditions can be reversed. Contact your HCP to learn more about how to prevent obesity and overweight and how to lose weight in a healthy way. You can also browse helpful resources from organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  

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