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When does being overweight turn to obesity? Is there a definite line
that one crosses? A doctor will usually define a person overweight if
they are between 10% and 20% higher than what is said to be normal for
their height. Obesity however is normally defined if you are over 20%
of the recommended weight for your height.
If a person is 50% to 100% over the recommended body weight for their
height, or if they are sufficiently overweight for it to cause severe
problems with their health, then they are said to have morbid obesity.
If you are worried about your weight then your doctor can perform several
tests to determine how much extra weight you are carrying around.
Tests which your doctor can perform
The hydrostatic body fat test
This is the most accurate test which is performed to access body fat and
the test relies on the person being totally submerged in water while your
underwater weight is recorded.
Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry test
This is also a very accurate way of diagnosing excess body fat with the
person lying down while every part of the body is systematically x-rayed
with the test taking around a half hour or more to perform.
While these methods are very accurate in their diagnosis they are not
very practical for the average person, they are usually only performed
in extreme circumstances and within research centres with specialised
equipment. Fortunately, doctors have now diagnosed much easier methods
and ways of determining how much extra body fat a person has.
Callipers
Callipers can be used to measure the amount of body fat a person has on
different parts of the body, the callipers are used to measure the skin
fold thickness and then a computer is used to determine the percentage
of body fat based on the measurements.
The results are extremely accurate when performed correctly and this test
is the one which many doctors and health care professionals choose to
use.
Weight/height charts
To get your ideal weight using these charts you first have to determine
if your body frame is thick, medium or thin, once this has been determined
then you match your height with the ideal weight on the chart. There are
separate tables for male and female but this is not the most accurate
means of testing.
Bioelectrical impedance
Electrical impulses are sent throughout the person's body in order to
weigh all the different kinds of tissue in the person's body, the amount
of muscle and other lean tissues will be weighed along with the amount
of water and fat within the body. This is a very popular form of testing
and one which is available to the general public for use in the home and
gym.
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