Underweight to Obese

Eating healthy is important in so many ways.  Your diet helps you attain and maintain a healthy body weight.  Being underweight poses just as many health risks as being overweight or obese.  For optimal health, it is important to maintain a weight in a range that is good for our bodies.  Each individual has an optimal weight range.

UNDERWEIGHT

Being underweight means you are below a weight that is considered normal or desirable for you as an individual ("Malnutrition/underweight," 2011).  Not having enough body fat leads to several health risks.  Your body is ill equipped to fight off illnesses and other diseases ("Malnutrition/underweight," 2011).  Muscle wasting can occur with too little body fat.  With muscle wasting, the body has no fat reserves to draw from, so it takes energy from muscles, depleting them ("Malnutrition/underweight," 2011).  With low body weight, not enough vitamins and nutrients are absorbed ("Malnutrition/underweight," 2011).  This creates dental deficiencies and bone abnormalities.  The body cannot function at an efficient level if it is not provided with the proper energy.

OVERWEIGHT

Being overweight means that your body is above a healthy weight or your BMI is between 25-29.9 (as an adult) (“Defining overweight”, 2012).  Carrying too much weight puts you at increased risk for several chronic conditions such as:  Diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis and joint pain, and sleep apnea (“Defining overweight”, 2012).  These conditions can be reversed.  Weight gain can be slowed or stopped with the proper diet and exercise.  You must create a calorie deficit.  If weight gain does not slow, this can lead to obesity.

OBESITY

A person who is considered to be obese has a BMI greater than 30 (“Defining overweight”, 2012).  They are carrying an excessive amount of extra weight.  The health risks associated with obesity are the same as with being overweight, however, the likelihood of suffering from one or more chronic illnesses increases, as well as, the increased rate for mortality (“Defining overweight”, 2012).  Once you reach the level of obesity, it is harder to reverse the health risks and more damage can be done to the body.  Maintaining your optimal body weight is so critical for overall health.

Defining overweight and obesity. (2012, April 27). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov

Malnutrition/underweight. (2011, March 15). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/