Q: My primary physician is telling me that I have obesity and that I need to lose weight, but I don’t feel that my weight is causing me any problems. How do I know when it is time to worry about my weight?
A: Obesity is a growing problem in the United States and around the world. One out of three people in Tennessee now struggles with obesity. Obesity is a major contributing factor in many other diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, sleep apnea, arthritis and many others. Of particular note is the serious connection between obesity and cancer in women.
One of the aspects of obesity that leads it to be treated less aggressively than it should be is that it does not cause people issues in a sudden or dramatic fashion. The health problems associated with obesity come on gradually as the excess fatty tissue continues to cause mechanical stress, chronic inflammation and hormonal imbalances.
The easiest way for you to see if your weight is high enough to seek medical advice is to calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI). There are many free calculators online for you to be able to do this. If your BMI is over 30, you may have the disease of obesity. If it is over 35, and you have been unsuccessful in losing weight yourself (or keeping it off) you should seek medical or surgical weight loss options. Both are safe ways to lose weight and to improve your health and your life.
Dr. Rishabh Shah is a bariatric and general surgeon with CHI Memorial Surgical Associates and a member of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society.