Effects of obesity on your health and why your body shape matters.

If you carry extra fat around your abdomen rather than around your hips, you have an increased risk of developing heart and circulatory problems. Even if you are overweight, your risk of heart disease is reduced if you have less fat around your abdomen than around your hips. Use the following calculations to assess how your body fat is distributed:

Waist Size Measure your waist at the widest point. If your waist is more than 102cm (40in) for a man or 88cm (34in) for a woman, you are carrying too much weight

Waist-To-Hip Ratio Measure your waist and your hips at the widest points and divide your waist size by your hip size. For example, if your waist measures 82cm (33in) and your hips 103cm (41in), your waist-to-hip ratio is 0.80 (33 divided by 41). If the result is higher than 0.9 for a man or more than 0.85 for a woman you have a higher risk of developing heart disease.

Is my weight OK?

To assess whether you are overweight you need to measure your body mass index (BMI), which is a ratio of your weight to your height. To work out your BMI, you can either use a BMI chart or calculate it on paper by dividing your weight in kilograms by the square of your height in meters. For example, if you weigh 70kg and your height is 1.67 meters, your BMI is 70 / 2.79 (1.67 x 1.67) - 25. If you have a BMI of 25 or more, you are overweight. If you have a BMI of 30 or above you are considered to be obese and should read up on obesity facts on how to overcome it. The effects of obesity carries and even greater risk to your health.